The cities of Houston and Galveston, Texas prepared for the arrival of Hurricane Ike on Thursday with massive evacuations, as several oil refineries shut down as well. Ike is expected to touch down on Friday or Saturday. “Based on the size and projected strength of Ike, I fear the potential exists for a massive storm surge ranging from 10-15 feet, maybe higher, along with heavy wave action that will inundate and severely damage the huge refinery complex across Galveston Bay and Texas City,” Jim Rouiller, meteorologist with private forecaster Planalytics, told Reuters. As a precaution, four refineries have already been shut down, accounting for 1.16 million barrels a day, or 6.7 percent of the nation's capacity.
