Lubbock Prepares For Ike
By: Allison Morrison
Updated: September 8, 2008
Hurricane Ike is proving to be unpredictable, but officials are warning residents all along the Gulf to prepare.
Lubbock Mayor Tom Martin called an emergency City Council meeting today to authorize a resolution preparing Lubbock for Hurricane Ike evacuees.
That means any money we spend on the effort will be reimbursed by FEMA.
"We felt it was necessary to go ahead at this point, even though landfall is not projected until Saturday, because the state has requested some of our firefighter personnel who are part of the state response team to start responding," Mayor Martin says.
He says the key to being prepared during hurricane season is always planning for the future and that's exactly what the Hub is doing.
"This facility as you see it now is set up for 500 evacuees," he says.
Just as evacuees are returning to the Gulf after Gustav, Hurricane Ike is turning in the Caribbean and Mayor Martin is taking proper precautions, making sure Lubbock is ready to receive as many as 500 evacuees from the Texas coast.
"We always want to help other citizens of the state who are in need," Mayor Martin says.
And although Ike's path isn't exactly carved in stone, the Mayor says Lubbock is working with state and local officials to prepare for the possibility of coastal evacuees.
"It makes it hard because you have to start prepositioning supplies and personnel at several points along, I mean that Texas coast line is about 1000 miles long, so it's a daunting task to be able to try to out guess where this hurricane's going," he says.
