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| 'Catastrophic' storm nears Texas | 'Catastrophic' storm nears Texas |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| Hurricane Ike is nearing the Gulf coast of Texas and is expected to hit land within hours, causing "potentially catastrophic" flooding and damage. | Hurricane Ike is nearing the Gulf coast of Texas and is expected to hit land within hours, causing "potentially catastrophic" flooding and damage. |
| US officials warned as many as 100,000 homes could be affected by flooding. | |
| Officials in Galveston, which is on the track of the storm, fear for the safety of 23,000 residents who have ignored a mandatory evacuation order. | |
| Much of the city, on a small island off the coast of Texas, is already under water after a 12ft (3.7m) storm surge. | |
| Hurricane Ike could have 'catastrophic effects' | Hurricane Ike could have 'catastrophic effects' |
| Galveston was also the scene of the country's deadliest hurricane, in 1900, which killed at least 6,000 people. | |
| As Hurricane Ike approached, the authorities imposed a curfew until dawn, the city had lost power and a number of houses were on fire. | |
| Residents of low-lying homes were told they risked "certain death" if they stayed. | |
| Calls for rescue will be ignored until daybreak because emergency workers have been pulled off the streets, the Houston Chronicle newspaper reported. | |
| "We don't know what we are going to find. We hope we will find the people who are left here alive and well," Galveston mayor Lynda Ann Thomas said. | |
| Emory Sallie, 44, was one of those who chose to stay behind despite warnings of a 20ft-25ft (6m-7.6m) storm surge. | |
| "If it ain't your time you ain't going anywhere," he told AP news agency, while walking and drinking a beer near his home. | |
| The Texas authorities have laid on more than 1,000 buses to facilitate the mass evacuation. | |
| In Galveston, 75 buses took residents to the state capital, Austin. | |
| Weak and chronically ill hospital patients were also being moved. | |
| 'Very large' | |
| More than a million people in Texas have been advised to leave their homes before Ike hits. | |
| At 0700 GMT on Saturday, the "very large" hurricane was about 10 miles (15km) south-east of Galveston, with winds of around 110 mph (175km/h). | |
| The US National Hurricane Center said Ike could grow from a Category Two to a Category Three storm - a "major hurricane" - by the time it reaches the coast. | The US National Hurricane Center said Ike could grow from a Category Two to a Category Three storm - a "major hurricane" - by the time it reaches the coast. |
| RECENT MAJOR STORMS Hurricane Ike: SeptemberTropical Storm Hanna: SeptemberHurricane Gustav: August, SeptemberTropical Storm Fay: August Ike eyewitness: 'I am afraid'Flashback: Galevston's great storm | |
| Already its tropical storm force winds extend up to 275 miles (443km) - the length of the Texas coastline - from its centre. | Already its tropical storm force winds extend up to 275 miles (443km) - the length of the Texas coastline - from its centre. |
| The massive system is buffeting Texas and causing flooding along the Louisiana coast, still recovering from Hurricane Gustav earlier this month. | The massive system is buffeting Texas and causing flooding along the Louisiana coast, still recovering from Hurricane Gustav earlier this month. |
| In Houston, where the winds are threatening to shake skyscrapers, people have been told to shelter at home, board up their properties and stockpile supplies. | In Houston, where the winds are threatening to shake skyscrapers, people have been told to shelter at home, board up their properties and stockpile supplies. |
| Authorities are trying to avoid a repeat of 2005, when some 110 people died in Houston during a chaotic evacuation in the face of Hurricane Rita. | Authorities are trying to avoid a repeat of 2005, when some 110 people died in Houston during a chaotic evacuation in the face of Hurricane Rita. |
| Ike has already caused devastation in Cuba and Haiti, where hundreds of people have died in several tropical storms over the last month. | Ike has already caused devastation in Cuba and Haiti, where hundreds of people have died in several tropical storms over the last month. |
| The hurricane's predicted path will take it past Galveston and on to Houston, home to America's biggest oil refinery and Nasa's Johnson Space Center. | The hurricane's predicted path will take it past Galveston and on to Houston, home to America's biggest oil refinery and Nasa's Johnson Space Center. |
| Latest Hurricane Ike weather forecast | |
| "Our nation is facing what is by any means a potentially catastrophic hurricane," said US Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. | "Our nation is facing what is by any means a potentially catastrophic hurricane," said US Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. |
| He added: "This storm is so big in fact that its impact is already being felt all along the Gulf Coast." | He added: "This storm is so big in fact that its impact is already being felt all along the Gulf Coast." |
| In the Gulf of Mexico, ports are shut and almost all energy production has been suspended as a precaution, although Ike was expected to miss most of the installations. | In the Gulf of Mexico, ports are shut and almost all energy production has been suspended as a precaution, although Ike was expected to miss most of the installations. |
| The storm would be the first major hurricane to hit a US metropolitan area since Katrina devastated New Orleans three years ago. | The storm would be the first major hurricane to hit a US metropolitan area since Katrina devastated New Orleans three years ago. |
| President George W Bush has declared a federal emergency in Texas, allowing funds to be freed to help the state deal with the storm. | President George W Bush has declared a federal emergency in Texas, allowing funds to be freed to help the state deal with the storm. |
| Are you in the areas affected? Are preparing to evacuate or are you staying in your home? Send us your comments and experiences using the form below. | Are you in the areas affected? Are preparing to evacuate or are you staying in your home? Send us your comments and experiences using the form below. |
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| At no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws. | At no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws. |
| In most cases a selection of your comments will be published, displaying your name and location unless you state otherwise in the box below. | In most cases a selection of your comments will be published, displaying your name and location unless you state otherwise in the box below. |