Forces Respond to Aftermath of Hurricane Ike

FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas As Hurricane Ike made landfall in southeast Texas, U.S. Army Northern Command moved their operating headquarters from the base known as the Home of Army Medicine to Camp Mabry, just outside of Austin. Responding units may be from either the active or reserve component primarily from the U.S. Army Forces Command and, based on their capabilities, they are aware of the possibility their units will deploy to the hurricane-hit area. The joint task force is responsible for any military units that are called upon to assist the state agencies during the collective response to the natural disaster. A small element of the command and control node deployed separately to Beaumont, Texas, where they are acting as the Austin elements eyes and ears. This forward unit will take control of active duty military units in the area, as well as report assessments of the disaster area. The reports will help determine which and how many more units will deploy to assist with the relief efforts. Texas National Guard personnel began rescuing residents stranded by rising waters Friday afternoon, and the Lone Star States National Guard commander vowed to resume relief missions as soon as Hurricane Ike vents its anticipated fury on the Houston region sometime Saturday. Meanwhile Friday, two Texas Army Guard Blackhawk helicopters reportedly rescued 16 civilians who were stranded by high waters on a bridge near Bolivar Island, in the mouth of Galveston Bay near Houston, and flew them to Ellington Field in Houston. High winds in advance of the hurricane forced the helicopter crews to return to their base, Texas officials reported. National Guard officials reported as many as 300 people were stranded in vehicles on the bridge. The state has established Texas Task Force Ike comprised of military and civilian law enforcement and emergency management personnel, Rodriguez said. Gov. Rick Perry earlier last week authorized calling up 7,500 National Guard Soldiers and Airmen to state active duty because of the emergency. About 3,000 Soldiers, Airmen and 500 high-water vehicles, generators and other assets have already been deployed for the pre-landfall phase of operations. The task force is also prepared to position another 500 vehicles at points of distribution. The National Guard plans to hand out water, ice, and food provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency at distribution points throughout the area. Gov. Rick Perry announced that search and rescue (SAR) operations have begun in earnest after Hurricane Ike made landfall overnight on the Texas Coast. The Category 2 hurricane has caused extensive flooding and knocked out utilities in several Texas counties. The governor also urged Texans all along the storms path to remain vigilant. For the past few days, our top priority was evacuating our citizens from the strike zone. Today, we are focused on search and rescue, Gov. Perry said. In anticipation of this moment, we pre-positioned the largest search and rescue capability in Texas history in advance of this storm. Elements of this task force are re-entering Orange County, east Harris County and Galveston by air, boat and ground. Hurricane Ike was preceded by a storm surge estimated at roughly 12 feet that caused massive flooding and stranded a number of citizens in the area. Working with the U.S. Coast Guard, a detachment of Texas Task Force One executed an air evacuation of four patients from UT Medical Branch in Galveston on Saturday morning. Additional members of the 1,000-strong search and rescue team, including Department of Public Safety troopers and pilots, Texas Military Forces personnel, Texas Parks and Wildlife game wardens and members of Texas Task Force One, are conducting ongoing rescue operations in the area. In addition to stranding area residents, Ikes high winds and flooding have knocked out power in several Texas counties including Galveston, Harris, Chambers, Orange and Jefferson. An estimated 2.8 million customers in the area are currently without power. Efforts to restore power are underway, but utility crews have been unable to enter some areas because of flood waters and debris. According to the National Weather Service, the storm will continue to work its way across the eastern part of the state until it crosses the border into Arkansas late in the day. As the effects of the storm and rescue operations continue, Gov. Perry cautioned Texans that the challenge is far from over. As the storm recedes from the coast, we are focusing on our efforts on search and recovery. If Ike is headed your way, keep your head down. If you are still in the affected areas, we are headed your way with help, said Gov. Perry. If you evacuated, please remain where you are until local officials determine that it is safe to return. The Emergency Management Council and State Operations Center continue operations around the clock. The State Operations Center is closely monitoring Hurricane Ike, and holding twice daily conference calls with federal, state and local officials, private industry partners, volunteer organizations, and the National Weather Service. The once powerful Hurricane Ike that flooded and damaged the Texas coast was been downgraded to a tropical depression as it sped northeast through the interior U.S on Sunday, Sept. 14. Ike was expected to pass through the middle Mississippi Valley and was expected to arrive in the eastern Great Lakes states by Sept. 15. At 5:00 a.m. EDT on Sunday, Sept. 14, Ike was packing sustained winds near 35 mph with higher gusts. Ikes center was located near 36.4 degrees north latitude and 92.5 degrees west longitude. That puts the center near Bull Shoals, Arkansas. Its also about 75 miles southeast of Springfield, Missouri and 115 miles north of Little Rock, Arkansas. Now that Ike is inland, as with most tropical cyclones, hes speeding up and moving northeast near 30 mph. Ikes minimum central pressure is 986 millibars. According to the National Hurricane Center, the Mid-Mississippi Valley states will get a good soaking from Ike, with the possibility of isolated tornadoes. Missouri, Illinois, northern Indiana, and southern lower Michigan can see between 3 and 5 inches of rain through Sept. 14. By Monday, Tropical Depression Ike was expected to lose its tropical characteristic as it merged with a cold front. Once merged, the bigger system with the additional energy could strengthen into a non-tropical low pressure system on Monday. That means winds along with that system will be sustained near 30-35 mph with higher gusts as it moves toward toward the U.S. east coast. Downtown Houston was closed for damage clean up, Ikes powerful winds smashed windows in skyscrapers, and left millions of people in the dark. Thousands of homes were flooded from Ikes powerful storm surge. According to CNN, the Galveston City Manager, Steve LeBlanc, noted that Galveston Island would be closed so teams can assess damages. The causeway was reported in bad shape because of debris and road damage. Hurricane Ike came ashore in Texas at 2:10 a.m. CDT, Sept. 13, when forecasters expected it to, and brought a wall of water over 20 feet high, sweeping through Galveston Island, and on the mainland. Ike made landfall with sustained winds near 110 mph, just 1 mph short of a Category 3 hurricane. Galveston took a direct hit, and the storm surge flooded much of the island. CBS radio reports spoke to a Galveston resident who didnt evacuate until Ike hit, and tried getting out of his house with his young daughter. He reported that water rose from his ankles to his next very quickly, and was one of the lucky ones to make it to safety. He noted that other neighbors were trapped in their homes. At the time Ikes eye was beginning to move away from the Houston area. Ike was centered 15 miles east-northeast of Houston International Airport, near 30.1 north and 95.1 west. Ike had maximum sustained winds near 100 mph, and he was moving 15 mph near the north-northwest. The estimated minimum central pressure is 956 millibars. The National Hurricane Center reported Ike should weaken as the center moves farther inland...with the cyclone forecast to drop below hurricane strength by late Saturday afternoon and below tropical storm strength on Sunday. Ike is expected to lose tropical characteristics by 48 hr and be absorbed into a frontal zone thereafter. Ike is expected to produce rainfall amounts of 5 to 10 inches over Eastern Texas and extreme southwestern Louisiana...with isolated amounts of 15 inches possible. Meanwhile, Louisiana fared poorly as well. Ikes storm surge flooded thousands of homes and businesses. A spokesman for the Sheriff of Plaquemines Parish, which is located near New Orleans, told CNN that levees were overtopped and floodwaters were higher than either hurricane Katrina or Rita.