BOLIVAR PENINSULA, Texas -- As winds whipped across Galveston before the approaching storm, county officials issued a voluntary evacuation for the Bolivar Peninsula. They warned residents of the area they might find themselves isolated as the heaviest winds and rains wash ashore.
Hours before the storm was expected to hit, water was already reportedly rising along Highway 87, the low-lying state roadway that's the only overland route off the peninsula.
"We have strong feelings that Highway 87 will be overtopped with water, because we have a combination of a high tide and significantly heavy rainfall," said Galveston County Judge Mark Henry. "And it's going to be difficult or impossible to drive along Highway 87 in Bolivar."
Meanwhile, county officials said high winds may force the temporary closure of the Bolivar Ferry, the only other way drivers can leave the peninsula. That raised the possibility the area could be cut off during the storm.
"If you need some kind of a device to help yourself with breathing or oxygen, then the time to remove yourself from the Bolivar Peninsula is now," said Galveston County Sheriff Henry Trochesett.
Bolivar Peninsula has bitter experience with rapidly rising floodwaters. As Hurricane Ike approached, some residents of the area who waited too long to evacuate were trapped as a powerful storm surge smashed their homes.
Nobody expects this storm to approach hurricane strength, but county officials are afraid it could cut people off from emergency services like ambulance calls. That's a special concern for Bolivar Peninsula.
"So we're bringing more deputies out to be there stationed tonight," Trochesett said. "And we're even going to have some spend the night over on the peninsula."
Elsewhere, authorities are deploying dump trucks to serve as emergency response vehicles in areas where water runs too high for ambulances and patrol cars.
For many residents of Galveston Island, the threat of impending floodwaters isn't as serious as the prospect of a lengthy loss of electrical power. Some residents reported problems finding generators at local hardware stores.
