Take a Hike, Ike...

It's apparent that the Guys like the Gulf. Edouard. Gustav. Now Ike. I'll just assume Dolly was a tomboy.

We've watched all of these storms with a bit of unease, but now we're done just watching. Last night, we boarded up our house, took in our patio furniture and started making plans. This morning when I left for work, we'd decided it would probably be best just to stay in town and wait out the storm. That all changed after the 4pm advisory, when Ike moved much further north than any of the other models had shown.

After speaking with Mike and my boss, it was decided that I would evacuate to Dallas. Ike is suppose to hit between Matagorda and Galveston County. This morning, there were a few mandatory evacuations from some very coastal areas and voluntary evacuations for two of the southern most counties in the Houston area. Harris county, which includes Houston and it's surrounding, has yet to issue any type of warning or evacuation, other than to fill up your tanks and watch the news. A few people are still hitting the road, others working from home.

A few gas stations are already out of gas, others have lines at least a few cars long. Luckily, I filled up yesterday and only need to top off before heading out. My cousin called me after work tonight to see what my plans were, so news of this storm hitting near Houston has made it's way to Dallas.

We're loading up the car and making sure the house is in order tonight, and I'm heading out of town before sunrise tomorrow morning. I haven't been this nervous in a very, very long time. I'm hoping Ike "takes a hike" ...

Bek is following me up, so we'll have each other if anything should go wrong. I'll let you know how a 5-hour car ride with three dogs goes during a voluntary evacuations of one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country...

If you're in Texas, be safe and stay dry!!


PS. Jim Cantore is in Galveston. This is not a good sign...