By my rough calculation Ike would be about 5 or 6 days away from any potential landfall in Louisiana and at least a week from the Houston area. With that in mind, I think that Evan is correct and we should focus on the storm itself in this thread. 'Impact' concerns will be better suited for the Disaster Forum at a later time.

Someone noted that it was not only important to watch the 'cone', but also how the cone shifts over time...and that was good advice. The larger 5-day cone still covers a huge area which suggests continued uncertainty in the track beyond 3 days. Probably adding to that uncertainty is the notion that Ike is expected to grow in size after it gets into the Gulf.

While I'm at it, I'll also add that there has been some excellent dialogue in the Lounge over the past couple of days with the posting of some worthwhile information and data links.
Thanks,
ED