Evacuees feel deja vu with Ike

By Gan Matthews, NEWS 9

NORMAN, Okla. -- For one Houston family, their evacuation to Norman is deja vu. Three years ago the Weiss family fled Houston ahead of Hurricane Rita and ended up in Norman.

Their decision to stay in Norman again was easy.

"Everything in Texas is booked. Everybody is panicking. There's no hotels anywhere," James Weiss said.

The Weiss family, all eight of them, ranging in age from two to 87, were better organized this time. But they had a hard time persuading Delorise Weiss to leave her home.

"My daughter kept nagging me, and my son-in-law called from Denver. I started crying and I said ‘I'm not leaving without my dog,'" Delorise Weiss said.

So the dogs actually made the trip too. They are safe in Norman, but all are facing the same worry.

"The home, I'm worried it's not going to still be standing when I get back," Mitch Weiss said.

Governor Brad Henry has declared Oklahoma in a state of emergency clearing the way to get federal money to pay for any Ike evacuees.

Arkansas also under a state of emergency because of the gas they aren't getting from Texas. Pipelines to Arkansas have been shut down because of Ike and reports are showing $5 per gallon gas.