Posted on 08/26/2017 4:39:50 AM PDT by 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
I don’t do Facebook, could you post a pic or give the complete URL?
Internet is moving extraordinarily slow, which is my only complaint. All is well here. Heavy raining off and on, but all looks serene out my window.
This is just absolute devastation. I did see real pics of old neighbors homes on lake Houston, friends house on ten foot stilts, water at bottom of house.
Ignore, fake pic, sorry.
First, once you leave the Houston metropolitan area, the interstates narrow to 2-3 lanes in each direction.
Second, where would the people go? How many hotel rooms are available along I-45, Hwy-59, and I-10 eastbound?
I can imagine the backups just from people thinking they are far enough away and trying to exit the freeways, only to find all the hotel rooms occupied by those ahead of them on the road. They have to get back on the freeway and keep trying.
I just don't think there are a million hotel rooms between Houston and Dallas. People would have to keep driving all the way to Oklahoma to find a place to stay.
-PJ
the EURO agrees with GFS little movement for the next 24 HRS..meanwhile atmospheric dynamics will cause heavy rainfall on the NW side to continue....
think in the winter when you get big snows on the NW side of the system..same here but heavy steady rain
I think Harvey is showing minor signs of perhaps a subtropical system.....with heavy convection away from the center(ie LA) and with heavy deformation rains in the north and northwest Quad....
Oh my—thanks for the memory jog. I now recall Bay City vividly with the homes on stilts.
http://abc13.com/reservoirs-rising-even-after-release-of-floodwater/2348619/
I was reading it to be 8000ft from each dam, but it certainly could be written more clearly.
And the water is still rising.
I think they could have order an evacuation of anyone in a 500 year floodplain. That would have meant they could concentrate on rescues where flooding is happening on higher ground outside those zones, and it would not have been a mass evacuation like the Rita fiasco.
Are there even that many empty hotel rooms in the country?
And there are still fewer deaths from staying in place than the dozens killed evacuating in the 05' Rita panic.
Uh, you know what conditions were 1000 or 2000 ft. away? Besides, avoiding being in (skin contact) even shallow flood water is a good idea when practical. And soaked shoes are not much fun, for long.
I suppose you’d vent if those two guys in the boat had gone by in waders, instead.
The “reporterette” was a different matter. The crew likely had gear to carry / keep dry and just wanted a particular “shot” — ok by me — it was her carrying on that was over the top.
Actually, I took the point of THIS photo to be the flag!
Reposting...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWwqIO_4VNw
For local coverage, KHOU on youtube.
...or maybe I’m thinking of Texas City. It’s been awhile.
BTW, to be clear, I meant that I don’t see such analysis on FR. I’m sure the City of Houston has at least a few competent engineers. Whether what they recommend in times between disasters gets done is another story...
You know what they say about hindsight.
Since this is the first hurricane in the history of the country it’s not unusual no one has thought of possible evacuation solutions.
Here’s one - churches’ could set up ‘sister city’ agreement WITH OTHER CHURCHES WITHIN THEIR OWN DENOMINATION.
A middle class church could set up a swap with a middle class church in a similar city. An inner city black church with an inner city black church... Same with Catholics, Unitarians, etc. The idea would be to decrease the stress of evacuees by creating a safe and comfortable evacuation option.
Bottom line.....all are making ‘the best decisions’ they can in an arena where all to choices are bad......
Therefore I give great credit to all officials over this event who have ‘prevented’ a whole lot worse than 5 deaths.....
Koo-dos to them all!!!
I hope so... her dad is not far, on 2nd floor of a 65+ home and hasn't had his dialysis since Thursday. If the water recedes at all she and her BF will try get out of their house.
IMO, one does not have to evac millions of people. My best guess is 500k, 800k tops. I’m guessing most can be shuffled around the area, and some drive or shipped out; ask for military assistance where it can help.
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