Many Refused to Evacuate Houston/Galveston Area

This could make a bad situation a whole lot worse:

HOUSTON (AP) - Authorities say tens of thousands have ignored evacuation orders and are staying behind as Hurricane Ike takes aim at the Texas coast.

An Associated Press survey shows that in three counties alone, some 90,000 people have chosen not to leave despite dire warnings from forecasters.

The emergency management coordinator for Galveston County estimates that 80 percent of the residents evacuated. That leaves more than 11,000 residents in the county that is expected to take a direct hit from Ike's massive storm surge.

Farther up the coast, officials say half the residents of Beaumont stayed put less than two weeks after many evacuated for Hurricane Gustav, only to see the storm miss the city entirely.

The people in Galveston County may not be there in the morning - at least not in a recognizable form. They are supposed to get upwards of a 20 foot storm surge in Galveston, and any non-concrete buildlings will likely be swept away. Not smart.

Unfortunately, this is what happens when you have a situation like Hurricane Rita in 2005 and Hurricane Gustav a couple of weeks ago in which millions of people evacuated, but the storms missed the major population areas. People get complacent, and unfortunately, a great many of them could pay the ultimate price.