Leave or Die!

The National Weather Service warned in a bulletin early on Friday of deadly flooding in some Gulf coastal communities during the period of peak storm tide.

"Persons not heeding evacuation orders in single-family one- or two-story homes may face certain death. Many residences of average construction directly on the coast will be destroyed," it said.

The AccuWeather.com Hurricane Center reports that Ike should reach Category 3 strength as it moves west-north westward through the Gulf of Mexico.

Landfall is forecast early Saturday morning between Freeport and Galveston, which puts Houston and surrounding Harris County on the dangerous east side of the storm.

Because of the expected intensity of the hurricane at landfall and the angle at which Ike will approach the upper Texas coast, a storm surge of up to 20 feet may occur in Galveston Bay with a storm surge of 12 to 16 feet expected on the immediate coast. Gulf water will be pushed into the confined area of Galveston Bay. Hence the higher storm surge.