Hurricane Ike Predicted To Hit Galveston Head On...

It appears our Galveston friends have chosen the perfect time to come back home. Ike has been gathering strength and already left some damage in his path. I was looking at the Weather Channel this morning and the footage they showed of the Sea Wall was very scary. They also showed beach houses with the ground floor already flooding. That means our friends' new house (ground floor) is most likely flooded. Luckily, the ground floor is just the lower patio, garage, and elevator. No one at the beach actually has living quarters on the ground floor. Everything is on stilts.

They still own the first house as well, but I doubt that it has flooded yet either, because it's one block farther away from the beach & somewhat higher. However, they are predicting that Ike will reach Category 3 status by the time it makes landfall. At this point, no one really knows what the outcome will be. Mandatory evacuations have been issued for Galveston, so they are apparently expecting the worst.

This just breaks my heart. Our friends have worked so hard on their new home and it is so beautiful. Of course they have insurance, but that cannot begin to pay for all the love and time they have put into this place. Still, they knew the risks of buying beachfront property and they are good with it. They must have some great insurance.

I'm also thinking about our Louisiana friends, as they live in Mandeville.

So, I'm asking for prayers for Galveston and the entire Gulf Coast. It looks as if they are going to need them.