Tropical Alert: Galveston Flooding

This isn't the main tropical report for the day - that's coming up. I've got CNN on in the background, and while Hurricane Ike is still 8-10 hours from landfall, and they're only getting the outer rain bands so far...but the issue is the storm surge, which could reach 20-25 feet. The waves are already so high, that they're coming over Galveston's seawall, flooding this city of 58,000.

The scary part? An estimated 15,000 residents decided not to heed the mandatory evacuations, and now face a very real risk of drowning in their homes. :(

Main tropical report coming later this afternoon.