The weather service painted a vivid picture in its warning of the destruction it expects: a towering wall of water -- possibly up to 22 feet high -- crashing over the Galveston Bay shoreline as the brunt of Ike comes ashore.
Soon after, the capital was inundated as a wall of water cascaded down, destroying one-third of its housing and leaving many of its 1m inhabitants homeless.
He said simple measures, including fitting water-resistant skirting boards and installing plug sockets further up the wall, would help property owners minimise the risk of damage.