State on Ike alert

Coastal residents scrambled from low-lying areas Thursday as Hurricane Ike brought the threat of high winds and tides to Vermilion Parish and other places still reeling from Gustav and recovering from Rita.

The storm is expected to hit below Galveston, but because it is so large, it's sending high winds and a significant storm surge toward Louisiana.

"If you live in a coastal area, if you're in an area that flooded during Hurricane Rita, I strongly encourage you to evacuate," Governor Bobby Jindal said at a news conference at the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. "As it moves farther north or slows down, it's worse for Louisiana."

The coast is not the only area threatened by Ike. As the storm moves up through east Texas and possibly across north Louisiana, it could drop as much as three inches of rain on Shreveport, the governor said.

Although Jindal urges people to leave, he said he knows some people will choose not to do it. "If the storm changes track, we've got the boats and personnel to rescue people. If Houston is hit, that could definitely impact the supply of natural gas and gasoline," the governor said. The Houston area is home to several refineries and natural gas plants.

State offices close in Cameron, Calcasieu Parishes

State offices in Cameron and Calcasieu parishes were closed Thursday as Hurricane Ike moved through the Gulf of Mexico.

Louisiana officials say storm surge gates have been closed at Bayou Bienvenue in St. Bernard Parish, the Harvey Canal on the West Bank of Jefferson Parish, Bayou Lafourche in Golden Meadow, Bayou Little Caillou in Terrebonne Parish and Bayou Terrebonne in Terrebonne Parish.

Hurricane Ike is still on course for a projected south Texas landfall, but other areas of the Gulf Coast are still on alert.

Hurricane Ike remains fixed on southern Texas shore

A strengthening Hurricane Ike began its northwestward jaunt across the warm Gulf of Mexico towards an early Saturday landfall near Corpus Christi, Texas, as a dangerous Category 3 hurricane with winds of 120 mph.

With Hurricane Ike looking as if it will not be a major problem for Louisiana as the state struggles to recover from Hurricane Gustav, Gov. Bobby Jindal said he's relieved to have to worry about only one storm at a time.

Most of the state is "out of the cone of error" in the projected path toward south Texas, so Jindal said, "We reached out to them to see if there are any resources we can share."

"We would still have assets to evacuate southwest Louisiana, if necessary," the governor said. "If the track persists, we do not anticipate a large evacuation."

Since tides will be about 2 or 3 feet above normal as Ike passes, evacuations probably will be needed in low-lying areas that normally are evacuated.

Hurricane Ike takes track west

Hurricane Ike is expected to be in the southern Gulf of Mexico late today, but the latest projections now have the storm headed more toward the Texas coast.

Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center warn that Ike could make landfall during the weekend near the Texas-Louisiana border, possibly not far from Houston.

"While the exact location has not been pinpointed yet, all of southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana should continue to monitor the track and intensity of this storm." according to Roger Erickson, warning coordinator for the Lake Charles weather office.

State on Hurricane Ike watch

Gov. Bobby Jindal on Sunday declared a state of emergency for Ike and urged residents to get ready to head north again. He said so-called "hurricane fatigue" should not prevent people from evacuating their homes for the second time in 10 days.

"It is much too early to anticipate which areas along the Gulf Coast could get impacted," Jamie Rhome of the National Hurricane Center said late Sunday. The storm will probably not move into the southeastern Gulf until sometime Tuesday.

"It's early to say where Ike might make landfall, but once it's in the Gulf, it's obviously going to hit somewhere," said AccuWeather expert Dan Kottlowski said. "The warm, deep waters will give Ike the chance to restrengthen so everyone from Pensacola, Fla., to Corpus Christi, Texas, should be prepared.”

As with Fay and Gustav, Ike's track will be influenced by the strength and position of an area of high pressure to the north of the storm. Late Saturday, computer models continued to give different and answers to the final track of the storm and forecasters continued to emphasize that the storm is too far away for these suggested tracks to be reliable.