As Hurricane Ike inched closer to the Texas shores, hundreds of thousands began fleeing coastal areas of the state Thursday under mandatory evacuation orders. Currently a Category 2 hurricane, Ike brings with it 100mph winds and a storm surge forecast to be as high as 20 feet.

Authorities in Harris County, Texas and Houston ordered the evacuation of residents in eight zip codes by noon central time along routes leading inland. The mayor of Galveston also ordered the mandatory evacuation of Galveston Island.

Included amongst the zip codes evacuated are the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center and the nation's largest oil refinery. For the second time in two weeks, energy companies evacuated oil and gas production platforms and rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, and temporarily shut down most output.

The National Weather Service said in its most recent advisory that Ike is expected to become a "major hurricane" before reaching the coastline by late Friday. A "major hurricane" is defined as a Category 3 or above, with winds of at least 111mph. Some forecasters are predicting it will reach Category 4 status with winds between 131 and 155mph.

The NWS's Miami-based Hurricane Center issued a hurricane warning for most of the Texas coast, as well as about half of the Louisiana coast as far east as Morgan City. From the coastline east of Morgan City to the Mississippi-Alabama border, which includes New Orleans and Lake Ponchartrain, a tropical storm warning is in effect.

The eye of the storm is projected at this point to strike land somewhere between Corpus Christi and Galveston, a coastal area with a population of about 1 million people. The Greater Houston area, which spans 10 counties and includes roughly 5.6 million people, is also bracing for a hard hit.

Hurricane Ike has been blamed for at least 71 deaths in Haiti, and caused widespread destruction across Cuba. In historic Havana buildings crumpled and nearly 10,000 tourists were evacuated from seaside hotels. While a Category 4 hurricane on Sunday, Ike drenched the southern Bahamas ans slammed the Turks and Caicos.

The potential for widespread damage in Texas is very real. In September 1900 a hurricane with estimated winds of 135mph slammed in to Galveston, killing 8,000 people and making it the deadliest natural disaster in American history.

President Bush has already declared a state of emergency in Texas, freeing up federal funds for emergency assistance in the wake of the storm.