I've never in my life seen any government agency, much less the NWS, say that if you don't heed the evacuation orders, you face certain death. Ike is one of the most fascinating storms I have ever witnessed.

Just a general question, proportional to the available heat content of the water and obviously the amount of water and free space, how does Ike relate to the largest cyclones ever recorded? I have to imagine this is the largest tropical cyclone on record to ever be in the Gulf of Mexico.

I am in Sarasota on the water now and I've noticed that the water level crested at one point yesterday at about half a foot to 9 inches below the top of our sea wall (I am at New College of Florida in Sarasota). I've honestly have never seen a storm that has produced this large a change in tide level all the way around the gulf coast. (Did Katrina? My power was knocked out so I don't really remember hearing about abnormal tide levels throughout the entire Gulf coast.)