Ike’s storm surge could be 20 feet

Ike’s storm surge could be 20 feet The Port of Houston Authority closed Friday as preparations were made for Hurricane Ike.
   The Coast Guard set Port Condition Zulu at 11 p.m. Thursday, meaning it was expecting gale force winds by 11 a.m. this morning throughout the Houston-Galveston Captain of the Port zone, which includes Houston, Galveston, Freeport and Texas City.
   The National Hurricane Center in Miami said a hurricane warning was in effect from Morgan City, La., to Baffin Bay, Texas, and that Hurricane conditions were expected to reach the coast later today.
   It forecast “coastal storm surge flooding of up to 20 feet above normal along with large and dangerous battering waves.”
   The Corpus Christi Caller reported that the Port of Corpus Christi had secured port facilities and was operating with a skeleton crew.
   It added that five vessels left the port Wednesday evening in advance of the storm and planned to return after it has passed.
   The Port of Houston said it expected to be “open for business and fully operational on Monday at 7 a.m.' and employees are expected to report to work at their regularly scheduled time.