What to Expect from Ike

It looks like we are going to see a big impact from Ike as he slices through the area on Saturday. The graphic to the left shows you the areas of risk. Our western and southern counties will have the highest risk of seeing the most damage. Here in Lufkin and Nacogdoches, we are in a moderate risk. The eastern counties are under a low risk. However, let me stress that everyone in our area will be effected by the Ike.

As for those impacts, here is what we are thinking. During the day Saturday, winds will be sustained from 35-75 mph, which is tropical force. There could be a few wind gusts higher than that. This will cause numerous trees to be blown down and thus scattered power outages are expected. Isolated tornadoes will also be a threat. Tornadoes in a hurricane are quick and small but can cause lots of damage if it hits a highly populated area. Rainfall totals will average 3-6 inches and since the storm will be moving so fast, hopefully flooding will not be a big concern.

As we go into storm mode, I want to encourage everyone in East Texas to be careful. As long as you have food and supplies, you will be fine. We went through Rita and we will make it through Ike.