Residents in some states with coasts on the Gulf of Mexico anxiously watched how Hurricane Ike was directed to areas still Atar en cleanup after Hurricane Gustav.
Much of eastern Texas was declared a disaster area and residents in LA again received instructions to source.
The Texas governor, Rick Perry, accelerated preparations with the declarations of disaster in 88 counties, and the National Hurricane Center warned that the storm could arrive this weekend to the state, not far from Corpus Christi. Perry also placed some 7,500 National Guard members on alert.
However, the bearings of storms are difficult to predict several days in advance, and meteorologists said that Ike could reach any point on earth from LA to Mexico. Ike has caused at least 79 deaths in its passage through the Caribbean, mostly in Haiti.
"While Hurricane Gustav is still fresh in the minds of residents along the coast, we must now turn our attention to Hurricane Ike, which represents a threat to the Texas coast," said Perry, who also requested a presidential declaration of disaster for counties.
In Louisiana, where thousands were still without electricity after the passage of Gustav last week, the governor Bobby Jindal called for residents to begin to stock up on food, water, batteries and other supplies. The state also was preparing to enlist shelters and trains, buses and planes for the event that an evacuation is necessary coast.
The Federal Emergency Agency (WEF) was not sure about when evacuations occur on the coasts. It takes at least 24 to 48 hours before the authorities have a clearer idea of the direction of Ike _ and needed to evacuate an area 48 hours before a storm winds begin to whip.
Jindal said that does not provide the kind of mass evacuation forced by Gustav, which emptied most of southern Louisiana, including New Orleans area. But even without a scourge direct, low-lying areas of the state could face strong tides, winds and rains.
Residents of the Florida Keys, while, they were relieved that Ike around the west, avoiding the chain of islands a potential disaster.
