HOUSTON -- Brazoria County, Chambers County and Galveston officials issued mandatory evacuation orders Wednesday as the models predicting Hurricane Ike's path moved the powerful storm closer to the area as it closed in for an early Saturday strike, KPRC Local 2 reported.

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At 10 p.m. Wednesday, the center of Category 2 Hurricane Ike was located at 24.9 north and 86.7 west, or about 325 miles south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. It still had maximum sustained winds of 100 mph and was moving northwest near 7 mph.

A hurricane watch was issued from Cameron, La., westward to Port Mansfield, Texas. Hurricane watch conditions are possible within the watch area by Friday.

A tropical storm warning remains in effect from west of Key West, Fla., to the Dry Tortugas.

"This is a big system and it's going to get bigger. It covers half of the Gulf of Mexico. We could end up having a Category 4 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico," KPRC Local 2 chief meteorologist Frank Billingsley said. "It's making a direct line for the coast, which is not good news for the surge, which will be extensive. Ike will have 135 mph winds just offshore by 1 p.m. Friday."

He said the first feeder bands from Ike would arrive Friday at 11 a.m. with tropical storm force winds.

"By 8 o'clock Friday, the hurricane force winds and the heavy rain with the eye making landfall between midnight and 4 a.m. Saturday. That's when the real rain, the wind and storm surge all come up. There will be no let up until at least after the noon hour," Billingsley said.

He said the models have Ike making landfall between Sargent and Freeport.

"That means that we could have storm levels of 12- to 18-foot surges right along to San Luis Pass, 7 to 10 feet all throughout Galveston," he said. "Rainfall totals easily 6 to 12 inches for the Houston area."

Billingsley said the storm would start to lose strength once it makes landfall, but it would still be powerful.

"We could have a Category 2 hurricane with quite possibly 105 mph winds just to our west, which puts us on the very dirty side Saturday afternoon as it goes right up toward the Dallas area. We could see an extended period of time of very strong winds here in the Houston area. That's one of the problems," Billingsley said. "That (landfall) line could change. Rita changed at the last minute, but right now, we have to go with what we know."

Mandatory Evacuations Ordered

Chambers County called for a mandatory evacuation for the low-lying areas of the county beginning at 10 a.m. on Thursday.

Galveston city officials issued a mandatory evacuation for residents on the West End only starting at 7 a.m. Thursday. Shelters will be set up for the residents on Friday at noon, but their locations have not yet been finalized. About 10,000 people live on Galveston's West End. Anyone on the West End needing assistance evacuating should call 409-797-3723.

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West End Evacuation Ordered: Elizabeth Scarborough Reports

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Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas urged city of Galveston residents to shelter-in-place during the storm.

"Right now, we feel that sheltering in place is the best option for our citizens to take," she said.

Brazoria County Judge Joe King issued a mandatory evacuation order for unincorporated areas of the county beginning at 8 a.m. Thursday, expanding an order issued earlier Wednesday for ZIP code 77541.

If Ike makes a direct hit in the Rockport, Texas, area, Freeport could see a storm surge of about 12 feet.

"We're surrounded by a levee," Freeport Police Chief Jeff Pynes said. "Our levees hold about a 15-foot storm surge."

Freeport residents were urged to call 979-233-KNOW for more information about the mandatory evacuation.

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Evacuations Suggested, Ordered For Coast: Lisa Baldwin Reports

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Brazoria County has three sites for residents who need to evacuate by bus:

Residents in the western part of the county should head to the West Columbia Civic Center, 518 E. Brazos Ave.
Residents in the south and central portions of the county should go to Angleton Middle School, 1001 W. Mulberry St.
Residents in the north part of the county should go to the Alvin Independent School District's Transportation Center, 2780 W. Highway 6.

The buses will go to Bell County in central Texas.

Residents made preparations at the homes and businesses and filled up their gas tanks before they hit the road to safer ground.

"Trying to get everything that's going to fly nailed down to the ground," Freeport business owner Ronnie Theriot said.

President George W. Bush Wednesday declared an emergency in 25 Texas counties. Gov. Rick Perry had already declared 88 counties disaster areas.

Voluntary Evacuations Issued

Voluntary evacuations have been issued in the following areas:

Brazoria County - entire of county
Bacliff
Bayou Vista
Bolivar
Clear Lake Shores
Dickinson
Galveston Island
Jamaica Beach
Kemah
Omega Bay
San Leon
Tiki Island

The Bolivar Ferry is expected to stop operating at about 11 p.m. Thursday. Galveston City Council declared the city a disaster area and Jamaica Beach has declared a state of emergency.

"The greatest threat I believe that Galveston will experience is a high tidal surge," Galveston City Manager Steve LeBlanc said. "We expect tides in the order of 4 to 8 feet. The west end of the island, which is not protected by the seawall, could experience some significant flooding."

"We just want to be safe. Like people say, 'Rather be safe than sorry,'" West End resident Ariel Gonzales said.

Gonzales headed for Katy to ride out the storm.

Twenty-five years ago, Hurricane Alicia, a Category 3 storm, devastated the West End, turning houses into kindling and knocking out power and water for weeks.

Some city operations in Galveston have been limited or closed. Public transportation will be available until further notice.

Harris County Watches Ike

The Harris County Office of Emergency Management is keeping a close eye on the storm.

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Harris County Keeps Eye On Ike: Mary Benton Reports

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"Hurricane Ike has truly become troublesome," Harris County Judge Ed Emmett said. "People need to pay close attention."

"It doesn't take much to make a harder turn to the right," KPRC Local 2 meteorologist Anthony Yanez said. "Keep in mind, eight out of 10 storms in the last three years have all made a turn to the right at the last moment."

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