Ike had been heading for the south Texas coastline as of Wednesday. On Thursday, Ike pivoted and took aim straight at Houston. Suddenly the mood in town changed. Businesses made plans to close, schools announced a hurricane holiday for their students.
Friday was eerie. Because Ike was moving from the Gulf of Mexico northward, Galveston, on the coast, experienced the first effects of Ike at a time when it was still balmy and in fact sunny in Houston.
Here's how the Palm House pool looked on Friday morning.
Early Friday afternoon, I decided that if I were going to be without power, I absolutely had to have paper. I considered it a vital emergency supply.
Fortunately, there's an OfficeMax not too far away, and if they were closed, a Target nearby.
OfficeMax
Target
Fortunately, a Walgreen's was still open. And they had paper.
If I had wanted ice or water or ice cream (or frozen pizza), it would have been a different story. Apparently others did not view paper as a vital emergency supply.
I bought a ream of paper and headed home to await Ike.
Ike hit central Houston about 8 PM. It was windy, very windy, and rainy, very rainy. Ike's impact varied substantially depending on what part of town you are in. I lost power about 3 AM on Saturday morning; almost everyone in Houston lost power some time during the night and, as of now, very few people have power back on. There are about 3 million people without power.