Hurricane Ike threatens Texas

Galveston: Hurricane Ike makes landfall in Texas on Saturday and may land as a Category 3 storm, experts said.

Hundreds of thousands fled the island city of Galveston and low-lying counties under mandatory evacuation orders.

The National Weather Service warned that persons not following evacuation orders "may face certain death".

"If you think you want to ride out the storm, and you're looking at a 20-foot wall of water coming at you, you better think again," said Houston Mayor Bill White.

In central Houston, businesses closed and boarded up windows in preparation for possible hurricane-force winds and flooding.

Ike comes just 10 days after Hurricane Gustav pounded the Louisiana coast and sent two million people fleeing.