Galveston Island has already begun to feel the brute force of Hurricane Ike’s advances, and the center of the storm is still hundreds of miles from land. Hurricane Ike is over 12 hours away from Galveston, but roads are already being flooded. There's also damage to docks and boardwalks.

Officials have ordered residents to evacuate the entire island of Galveston before Hurricane Ike makes landfall later this week. Residents in parts of Texas were today told to evacuate their homes or face "certain death" from flooding caused by the oncoming hurricane Ike.

"Harris County Judge Ed Emmett called for mandatory evacuations of low-lying areas starting at noon today," the paper says, adding: "Emmett asked all other Harris County residents to prepare to shelter in place, saying residents whose homes could be inundated by storm surges needed time and room to get to safety."

The latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center says Ike "continues to grow in size but has not strengthened yet." It's described as a Category 2 storm that is likely to turn into a major hurricane before it hits the coastline.

Low-lying areas of this city, including some neighborhoods, have already begun flooding this morning as some now-panicked residents hurried out of of the path of Hurricane Ike.

High surf from the beach topped the seawall along Seawall Boulevard, flinging ocean debris — including water bottles and pieces of rotten wood — onto the street. Some adventurers brought digital cameras, snapping family photographs before leaving town.