Hurricane Ike
By: Lindsey Ferkel
Background Information
Q: What happened?
Hurricane Ike was a hurricane that hit Texas on September 13, 2008. A satellite image was picked up on September 12 as it was approaching Texas. It had wind speeds of 110 to 130 miles per hour. The cost of the damages was $19.3 billion. The areas it affected were in the East Texas region such as Galveston, The Bolivar Peninsula, and Gilchrist. More than 140,000 people in the Texas Gulf were stuck in traffic jams and had trouble moving out of Ike's path. 940 people were rescued during the hurricane and 2,000 people were rescued afterwwards. December 27, 2008 is when Texas found out that 37 people had lost their lives and hundreds are still missing. 100,000 homes were flooded and many boats were washed ashore.
Q: When did it happen?
Hurricane Ike was known on September 12, 2008 by the image from a satellite but occured a day after (September 13, 2008). It was only till December 27, 2008 when people were recovered and lost.
Q: Where did it happen?
Hurricane Ike blew through the East part of Texas near the coastal region. It affected areas like Galveston, The Bolivar Peninsula, Gilchrist, and many more.
Impacts
Humans:
The impact on humans was horrible.More than 140,000 people in the Texas Gulf were stuck in traffic jams and had trouble moving out of Ike's path. 940 people were rescued during the hurricane and 2,000 people were rescued afterwwards. December 27, 2008 is when Texas found out that 37 people had lost their lives and hundreds are still missing. 100,000 homes were flooded and many boats were washed ashore.
Wildlife:
The impact on wildlife was crucial. Millions of oyster fleets were damaged or destroyed. The Texas Gulf is an important wintering ground for the waterfowl so the storm had an immediate and direct impact on them. The storm wiped out food sources such as berries from trees that most wildlife in the area feed on. In the uplands, thehurricane heavily impacted the furbears, reptiles, amphibians, rodents, wild feline, and canines. The American Alligator population decreased in the coast marshes in bayous. For several years, the amphibian species, such as pig frogs and cricket frogs that live in the freshwater and marshes. Plants were also wiped out creating a hard time for grazing animals.
Landscape:
The impact had a massive effect on the landscape. Plants, trees, shrubs, and other kinds of vegetation was ripped straight out the ground and washed away. 100,000 homes were destroyed and many boast were washed ashore. The debri from houses and buildings polluted the freshwater and lakes giving them nasty water.
Some of the damage and views of the hurricane:
Satellite Image
This is a picture of the satellite image recieved on September 12, 2008; a day before the surge.
Damage
This is some of the damage created by Ike.
News Image
This shows the severity of the hurricane.
Texas is now ready for anything ahead.
Bibliography:
- Hurricane Ike Impact Report
- Wikipedia
- Google Images
- www.coastal.er.usgs.gov/hurricanes/ike/
- www.topics.nytimes.com/top/.../hurricanes.../hurricane_ike/index.html
- www.nytimes.com
- www.biblenews1.com