And in counterpoint to my previous blog entry, if you are in the evac area, get the hell out when they tell you to! At this point Rita the Second, a.k.a. Ike, is aimed only about twenty miles south of the “slot.” Anything from Freeport to middle Galveston island will result in the worst case scenario for storm surge, and that wide wind field may be keeping the current velocity low, but it also is allowing Ike to build up one hell of a dome of water to ride atop. If it tightens up, and the wind speeds up in the next 24-36 hours, it would be even worse than if it were tight now

Mid-Galveston island might be the worst case scenario, as we’d get almost the max possible surge, plus the eyewall would pass right over Houston.