Within hours after Hurricane Ike’s arrival, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Remote Sensing Division began rapid response aerial reconnaissance missions of the Texas and Louisiana Gulf region. The NOAA Remote Sensing team has published the data they collected on their official Hurricane Ike response page.

To see pictures of Texas coastline in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, click on the NOAA base map grid boxes. (Thanks, cohn.)

See more before and after images after the jump…

The teams from Google Earth and Maps have assembled images and resources for Galveston Texas residents displaced by Hurricane Ike as well as state and local emergency management personnel.

Within hours after Hurricane Ike’s arrival the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Remote Sensing Division began flying rapid response aerial reconnaissance missions of the Texas and Louisiana Gulf region.

NOAA Remote Sensing

The NOAA Remote Sensing team has published the data they have collected on their official Hurricane Ike response page.

Hurricane Ike

The images posted on NOAA site are of the coast of Texas and Louisiana after Hurricane Ike made landfall.

The NOAA Remote Sensing Division gathered their Hurricane Ike images to meet NOAA national security and emergency response requirements.

The NOAA data will also be used for ongoing research efforts to test and further develop standards for airborne digital imagery.

To see pictures of Galveston and the Texas coastline in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, click on the NOAA base map grid boxes.

Hurricane Ike Image

You can then drill down to each NOAA picture taken after Hurricane Ike made landfall.

Hurricane Ike Damage

The Google Earth and Google Maps teams have also processed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data it into a KML image overlay for easy access.

Here is just one example of the type of before and after pictures you can view of Galveston, Texas after Hurricane Ike struck the Texas Gulf Coast.

Hurricane Ike Before Picture

Hurricane Ike Before Picture

Hurricane Ike After Picture

Hurricane Ike After Picture

Here are some incredible pictures of Bolivar Peninsula in Texas pre and post Ike.

The page is here. Click on the picture to enlarge, then click again to enlarge to full resolution.  This is the best way to see the full effect of the tidal surge and winds.  Homes are just gone.

State officials mounted the largest rescue operation in Texas history on Sunday, taking nearly 2,000 people by boat and helicopter out of flood-ravaged towns on the coast in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. At the same time, millions of others coped without electricity and faced shortages of food, water and gasoline.

Source: Eric Gay Associated Press

From the New York Times:

Rescue workers expressed fears, however, that more bodies were still to be found in unexplored areas swamped by the hurricane’s storm surge, including the Bolivar Peninsula, a spit of land just east of Galveston, where the storm surge was at its most intense and many houses were reduced to rubble.

Local officials said rescuers had been unable to get to at least several dozen people on the peninsula who had precariously escaped floodwaters on Friday by fleeing to rooftops and water tanks. One middle-aged man was washed from his home on Crystal Beach on the peninsula all the way to the mainland, where he was picked up by National Guard troops who spotted him from a helicopter.

Leaders in the hardest-hit communities along the coast and on Galveston Bay — increasingly desperate at the lack of basic supplies and utilities — warned that it could be weeks before the 1.2 million residents who fled inland could return home.

So far, the colossal storm has been blamed for at least 10 deaths in the United States, including seven in Texas, two in Louisiana and one in Arkansas. In Galveston, the city manager, Steve LeBlanc, said that rescue workers had so far discovered five of the bodies, and that the toll might rise. “We are searching every structure from one end of the island to the other,” Mr. LeBlanc said.

I made it through Ike last night and as you can see the power here is already back on!  Last night at about 5:00 a.m. is when it really started getting nasty here.  The power went on and off about ten times and then finally went out at about 5:15 a.m.  It was REALLY windy and I couldn’t see anything out of my windows because it was so dark.  For whatever reason the clock radio wouldn’t work even after I put new batteries in it.  So I really had no idea what was happening.  I went back to sleep.  When I woke up at about 9:00 ish the power was still out.  I took Hurley out for a little walk and we assessed the damage at the apartment complex.  Nothing major, but tons of debris (branches, leaves, mulch, crap).  There also wasn’t a lot of standing water which is a good thing.  It seemed like it had rained and was still raining, but the wind was more of a factor than the water.  After Hurley and I did our walk about we came back to the apartment and decided to take a little drive.  I wanted to get a few pictures, but didn’t want to get my camera wet.  Plus Hurley loves riding in the car.  See…

Riding High

Yesterday T had asked me if Hurley was acting strange.  Some animals are supposed to be able to sense bad weather and will be on high alert even before the storm gets there.  The answer to that was NO.  He spent most of his day sleeping and chewing on his toys.  He was oblivious.   

This is a picture of the fence that used to be at the back of our apartment complex: 

Fence?

  This was a huge span of fence that was probably like 100 feet long.  And that’s purely an estimate.  I suck at estimating lengths and distances.  It could be 200 feet long for all I know.  Either way, it’s long and didn’t take the wind very well.  As you can see the fence blocks this water hole/bayou thing behind our apartment.  That is actually the same water hole where I took the little turtle, Lewis that I had rescued.  He probably got blown away last night.  Maybe not.  And normally, this water hole doesn’t have water in it.  Now it’s a lake.  But that’s good because that’s what it’s there for, to hold water. 

Deadly Flying Debris

Since the fence was gone I could see the car port that belongs to a nearby business.  The metal roof was ripped off.  Some of the panels had landed in the water hole (you can see the fence down in the foreground).  And some panels were still attached by a screw and were whipping around.  Flying sheets of metal can’t be good.  Moving on…

Timber!

Against T’s advice I left our apartment complex and took a little drive.  Everyone else was doin’ it.  And I took his SUV in case I had to drive over any trees or through any standing water.  Kidding.  There really wasn’t a lot of damage in this area.  LOTS of trees and branches, but it wasm’t like roofs were gone or anything.  This area hasn’t had this big of a storm for about 25 years so they were expecting there to be a lot of down trees and broken branches. 

Golf Course

This is a shot of some down trees at a golf course that is about a half mile from our apartment.  There were a bunch of branches and down trees throughout the golf course.  This was also one of the places where I noticed some standing water. 

Roof Damage

This is a shot of a neighborhood right across from the golf course.  This tree had cracked in two and part had landed on the roof.  The damage doesn’t look too bad, but it will be a lot of clean up!  Get those chain saws ready. 

Missing shingles

As I pulled back into our apartment complex from my short drive I noticed that a lot of the houses in the subdivision next to us had lost some big sections of shingles. 

Something else that I noticed was that a lot of the little bushes at our apartment had been stripped of their leaves.  Some of the smaller trees were “barkless”.  So yeah, it was freakin’ windy. 

All in all the damage in my area seems pretty minimal.  As for the people in Galveston and the towns near there- not so much.  Lot’s of damage and tons of debris.  I don’t think it turned out to be as bad as they had predicted, but Ike was a pretty big storm. 

I’m anxious to take a drive out to the house that we may possibly be putting an offer in on Monday.  I hope that’s it’s Ok, but if it was going to take a beating I rather it not belong to me quite yet.  We shall see.

All in all…it was kind of exciting last night with the crazy wind, but it wasn’t actually that bad (in my area).    I’m glad that I was only without power for a few hours!  It will be interesting to watch the clean up progress in Galveston and here in Houston. 

I feel much more prepared for the next one; which is a good thing.  And I can survive a hurricane by myself!  Yeah me!  Remember that T is a billion miles away in Africa.

Have a great day everyone!  I hope you and your family are safe and sound! 

J

***Anyone who is trying to call me:  it’s hit and miss.  My phone has crappy reception anyway at my apartment and the lines are overloaded right now.  If you can’t get a hold of me just email me instead.

5:55pm

The first bands of wind and clouds have arrived. The sky is frothy grey and a strong gusting wind is blowing. The trees and plants outside my condo are being thrashed; the sound of the wind in the trees is at once beautiful and anxiety provoking. It’s certainly ominous considering we know what’s behind this introduction. I’m a little surprised at how fast the wind started blowing. There has been a breeze all afternoon but suddenly, pow! real strength.

I’ve read that already some parts of Galveston are under water, and it hasn’t even begun to rain yet. It’s only grey, grey, grey.

I am on edge.

7:30pm. Friday, September 12, 2008.

I ventured out for a walk and took some photos:

Rush Hour:

And a video:

… which for some reason refuses to embed. Go here: pre-Ike vid.

I just went outside and took these two pictures. I have never seen a yellow sky before and it’s scaring the hell out of me.

7:46pm

Now, less than 2 minutes later, it’s technicolor purple. God has some amazing graphics program:

8:04pm

Holy merlot! A gust of wind just blew by that actually sounded like something hitting the outside of my condo. I also heard it in the chimney. The leaves rustling out there normally calms me but right now, when it sounds like a machine chewing up something…. not so much.

9:54pm

I decided to take myself for a drive downtown to see whatever I could see. As soon as I stepped outside, I felt very light rain. The wind is picking up. Marched back upstairs.

10:200pm

The wind is actually howling. Ferocious.

10:48pm

There have been two strange surges in which the electricity falters for no more than a second and then rights itself.   I suspect an outage is imminent.

6:07am Saturday, September 13, 2008

I went to bed at 11:45p.  I slept off and on through the increasing noise outside.  At 5ish, I felt the power go out; the AC, which had been set to 62 degrees in anticipation of this event, slammed off.   I noticed the building was shaking.  The wind was howling and the rain was light but there was a lot of it (if that makes any sense.)    At 5:45am, incredibly the power returned.   Since I can’t sleep with all the noise, I got up to post while I still can.  I have cell coverage, but I can’t access the net on my BlackBerry.  Not sure if that will last through the storm but its nice to have right now.

I’ve never heard anything like this storm.  It’s violent and alive.  I rather like it when I’m not being scared witless because of it.  Another thing: bright green-blue lightening.  I’ve never seen it before, but Ike has brought plenty.  Eerie flashes of this pure aqua color, otherworldly.   I’ll take some pictures as  soon as the light gets good enough.  Unfortunately, however, I’m restricted to taking them from my balcony and even then, it’s a strangely vulnerable feeling, particularly since the building keeps shaking like a chichuahua.

hurricane ike satellite videos

you can watch more here: hurricaneikevideoinfo.blogspot.com