The tiny print on my loan papers

[Joanna]

Good point, Dave.
I'll call the firehouse and see if they've issued that order.
We've got a 20' storm surge warning, and it might be safer to park the van on the other side of the bridge, away from the highest tides, which already covered the streets this morning.

[daveb]

Looks like you're gonna get hit....are you guys are safe? I just googled your area...seems like a thin island!!! Hopefully the news is all hype.

[Joanna]

Yeah, Dave you're right; South Padre is only 4 blocks wide.
Friday the fire department had not issued departures for RV's, though the 2 RV parks on the island emptied themselves. The gulf was roiling with huge brown surf and Friday night / Saturday morning the water breached the entire island but only a foot or so deep. Without the word "mandatory" anywhere, I couldn't get my mother to leave so we canceled our motel reservations on the mainland and watched the water come up.
One weird thing: there was an explosion of butterflies about 24 hours before the storm, so many, that it was hard to keep them out of your face or your car. Also can anyone explain why hurricanes and tropical storms don't lower the temperature? I'm used to rain cooling things off. Not so here, it's been in the high 90s.

[Greg In Austin]

J,

How bad did it get on South Padre?

...we saw NOTHING fromt the storm..... we got a little wind, but nothing strong, and we GOT NO RAIN !!

All our relatives in the Houston area have checked in and are ok.

I am thinking we may get set up to be able to head south in the future and use the chainsaw and van to help folks get things cleaned up.

Did we have anyone esle get displaced or impacted by Ike ?

[Joanna]

Greg, we had water in the streets, but not very deep; even Pete, your Insight would have been able to manage. No rain, not much wind, just amazing crazy brown surf. It's still as hot as...South Texas...and as humid as I've ever suffered.
Today they finished bulldozing the public park at the South end of the island. Folks are flying kites and swimming. All that's left is seaweed on the streets.
How many Texans are there among us? Three? Four? And anyone in Louisiana?

[Christopher Thwaites]

Hope all you Texans are safe. My local paper had a picture of what used to be a beach community....one house was left! It looked like Padre Island or vacinity.
Years ago my folks bought a lot in Port Mansfield with intentions of building. One year, maybe 1980, a hurricane leveled Port Mansfield. The lot was sold shortly after that.
Anyway, as usual, the media may be whipping this into the storm of the century. I hope it wasn't.