Hurricane Harvey Live Thread Part II

Various ^ | 8/26/2017 | Various

[NautiNurse]

Hurricane Harvey made landfall near Rockport TX about 10:00PM CDT Friday night. Top sustained winds were 130mph. Rockport High School sustained heavy damage when a portion of the roof collapsed. A senior housing complex collapsed. The Rockport courthouse sustained major damage with “a cargo trailer halfway in the building.” Multiple tornadoes reported in the Houston/Galveston areas. There are reports of scattered structural fires and a shooting was reported in Corpus Christi. Residents along the San Bernard River were advised to evacuate and most TX Gulf coast counties are under flash flood watches.

Many locations are under a boil-water notice. Power outages are widespread. President Donald Trump promptly granted a Disaster Declaration to Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s request. More than 700 members of the Texas Army and Air National Guards, Texas State Guard and the Texas Military Department have been activated and are positioning themselves throughout the state ahead of Hurricane Harvey and its anticipated landfall later this week. Ahead of the storm, FEMA sent supplies from its warehouse in Fort Worth to a staging point at Randolph Air Force Base near San Antonio.

Mash image to find lots of satellite imagery links

Public Advisories
Severe Weather Watches and Warnings TX
NHC Discussions
NHC Local Hurricane Statements Corpus Christi
NHC Local Hurricane Statements Galveston
Buoy Data near Harvey

Thread I: Potentially Catastrophic Hurricane Harvey Approaches Texas Gulf Coast

[foundedonpurpose]

Glad to here the good news!

[zzeeman]

I am happy to echo your sentiments!

Appreciate their efforts, and all that have posted tirelessly on this thread to keep us informed, and to educate us as well!!

[NautiNurse]

Throughout yesterday, Houston mayor continued to report that water quality is good, treatment plants working. There have been sporadic and few boil-water orders in the region to date.

Haven't seen alerts to date about Beaumont/Port Arthur. However, in another cruel twist of fate there is this:

August 24, 2017: Beaumont water utilities warn customers of potential data breach

Beaumont residents who use the city's online system to pay
their water bill need to check their credit card statements.

In a press release issued Thursday, the city says a number
of customers have alerted the city of unauthorized charges
on the cards they used to pay their water bills between
August 1, 2017 and August 24, 2017.

The city says those reports have indicated that the online
payment system may have been breached. They say the online
system has been shutdown and a cyber security expert is
looking at what may have happened.

[mewzilla]

Thanks! Have you seen anything about sewage treatment plants?

[Paul R.]

Throughout yesterday, Houston mayor continued to report that water quality is good, treatment plants working. There have been sporadic and few boil-water orders in the region to date.

THAT is a piece of very good news. Kudos to the designers and operators, among others!

[NautiNurse]

WSJ
Aug. 30, 2017 4:18 p.m. ET
Crosby, Texas

The threat of explosion and fire continues at Arkema, which
produces organic peroxides for things like acrylic-based paint.
Industrial chemical manufacturer Arkema said Wednesday
the company has “no way to prevent” a potentially
large explosion and fire at its facility near Houston.

Arkema’s North American operations Chief Executive Rich Rowe
said in a teleconference Wednesday with reporters: “We’ve
lost primary power and two sources of emergency backup
power. And as a result, critical refrigeration needed for
our materials on site is lost. Materials could now
explode and cause a subsequent and intense fire. The high
water that exists on site, and the lack of power, leave
us with no way to prevent it.”

[janetjanet998]

looks like the levels have flatlined at Barker and Addicks but..

For the North Atlantic...Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of mexico:
The National Hurricane Center is issuing advisories on Tropical
Storm Harvey, located over southwestern Louisiana and on newly
formed tropical storm Irma, located over the eastern Atlantic Ocean.
An area of low pressure could form over the southwestern Gulf of
Mexico by the weekend. Development, if any, of this system is
expected to be slow to occur as the low moves slowly northward.
If this system does develop, it could bring additional rainfall to
portions of the Texas and Louisiana coasts. However, any rainfall
forecast is uncertain at this time range and it is too soon to
determine any specific impacts. Interests in these areas should
monitor the progress of this system for the next few days.
* Formation chance through 48 hours...low...near 0 percent.
* Formation chance

[NautiNurse]

Two Boat Rescuers Killed When Craft Hit Power Line

The Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed Wednesday that
two people died the previous evening near Wallisville, in eastern
Harris County, when their boat struck a power line electrocuting
those aboard.

Law enforcement officers were able to help three injured people in
the boat and recovered the bodies of two more people. Two other
individuals had been in the boat, but had been thrown into
the water and are missing.

[NautiNurse]

Houston Astros will return Saturday to host the NY Mets at Minutemaid Park.

United Airlines is planning to restart three flights to its second-largest hub at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport on Wednesday evening. United is planning to send 31 flights to Houston on Thursday and ramp up to 130 departures on Friday, including United Express commuter flights to restore service to some smaller cities in the region. By next week, United aims to have 80% of its schedule operating again, or about 326 flights in and out.

United has been operating special flights to Houston filled with bottled water, blankets and other humanitarian gear for its employees and the relief workers in Houston. Those flights also have also carried pilots, IT experts, customer-service and ramp agents into Houston to be in position when the airport reopens.

Spirit Airlines said it plans to resume flights there on Friday. Southwest Airlines, the largest operator at William P. Hobby Airport near downtown Houston, said it would restore limited service to Hobby on Saturday. American Airlines said it plans to return to Bush on Thursday and Hobby on Friday.

[NautiNurse]

Most of Mississippi is under tornado watches, with at least one tornado warning today.

[jeffers]

Press conference last night, where Regional ACE head states he expects Addicks level to increase from current 109’ level to 111’, presumably before receeding:
https://youtu.be/DjotdELdgko

[janetjanet998]

as I pointed out yesterday less rainfall fell over harris county...

are info just out says they have crested

live helo ove r beaumont tx rescuing people..the large oil refinery in the background

https://www.pscp.tv/KATUNews/1DXxyOOdWQgGM

[Paul R.]

Helicopter rescues of nearly 100 Port Arthur nursing home residents live now:

http://abc13.com/live/

[NautiNurse]

Aerial views of Beaumont are astonishing.

[janetjanet998]

this feed is actual from a US navy Helo in the air

https://www.pscp.tv/KATUNews/1DXxyOOdWQgGM

[palmer]

"What CAN be done is try to get, say, half the population in moderate risk areas, out, and hopefully more out of high risk areas, using the best estimates of areas at various risk levels, as well as the best estimates of how many people will leave / not leave" Some unknowns there within your reasonable suggestion. But here's where the unknowns come in: if you have a cat-4 on the way and goes to the right, then you have a Rita. You will need to take into account the Rita-effect in your estimate of how many people will leave. That's going to be hard to quantify.

One thing you left out is the gradations of evacuation. Voluntary and mandatory seem to be the two grades. I think a third one in between, "urgent" would have been appropriate in Harvey, based only on models which can be wrong even with what they showed on Thursday.

[palmer]

looks like the levels have flatlined at Barker and Addicks but..

Dropping everywhere else but Buffalo Bayou and the reservoirs. Their goal is to spare downtown by keeping the water in those reservoirs.

[Paul R.]

They left that story for now — wayyyy too much to cover...

[Repeal The 17th]

The Astros had to relocate their series against the Texas Rangers this week to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, because of catastrophic flooding in the area in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

The Astros will return to Houston on Thursday night after their game against the Rangers and start a three-game series against the New York Mets on Saturday. The teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday at Minute Maid Park.

Manager A.J. Hinch said that being able to tell his players they would return home soon was “some of the best news I could deliver”. “We’re anxious to get home ... to be able to get to our houses, see our families, is just really good news for us.” Hinch said he hopes the Astros can provide an escape for weary Houston residents. “Our intention is still going to be centered around the city and all the devastation that’s going on. If we can provide any sort of relief or any sort of escape, or any part of a distraction from what’s going on, I think that’s going to be part of it,” he said. “I know it will be a warm welcome. Our fans who can make it to the ballpark will come and root us on. But it will be emotional because we get to go home. You never know home means to you until you’re not allowed to go home.”

“It’s exciting to get chance to go home and hopefully rally the city around us,” outfielder George Springer said. “We’ve been gone for this whole thing and it’s been hard to watch. We don’t necessarily know what we’re walking into but we’re coming back. I’m excited about it.”

(source: http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/20509305/astros-returning-houston-saturday-vs-new-york-mets)

[tomkat]

This just in:

Irma expected to be hurricane by week’s end