
Sept.13 marks the fifth anniversary of the landfall of Hurricane Ike on the Texas coast, a date for many that will live in infamy. Despite its Category 2 ranking when it hit, Ike caused more than $30 billion in damage and the lessons learned from it could be crucial ones for future preparedness, says a Texas A&M storm expert. John Nielsen-Gammon, a professor of atmosphere sciences who also serves as State Climatologist, says Ike was not your normal storm. It was far more powerful than many believed at the time.