Posted on 05/17/2024 7:00:55 AM PDT by Red Badger
Millions of Texas residents are without power after massive storms tore through the state on Thursday and toppled transmission towers.
The National Weather Service of Houston wrote on X:
“Severe thunderstorms moving across the Houston metro area have a history of producing damaging winds!”
“This destructive storm will contain wind gusts to 80 MPH! A tornado is possible!”
Shocking footage of the toppled transmission towers was shared by users on X.
Over a million Texans are without power, mainly in the eastern part of the state, poweroutage.us reported.
AOL.com reported:
Thunderstorms have killed four people and knocked out power to nearly a million homes and businesses in southeast Texas.
“We have a storm with 100 mph winds, the equivalent of Hurricane Ike, considerable damage downtown,” said the mayor of Houston, John Whitmire.
Two deaths came from fallen trees and one from a crane blown over.
The storm has now moved on to neighbouring Louisiana with flood warnings in place for the Gulf Coast.
In Houston, traffic lights were out, office windows blown through and glass strewn across the city’s streets.
Residents were warned to stay inside by the mayor, speaking on Thursday evening.
“Stay at home tonight. Do not go to work tomorrow, unless you’re an essential worker.
“Stay home, take care of your children. Our first responders will be working around the clock.”
Flash flood and severe thunderstorm warnings were issued for multiple counties heading into the evening, according to Houston’s National Weather Service office.
The city was working through a backlog of emergency calls, most of them about gas leaks and downed wires, the city’s fire chief said.
That’s what hubby says 😂
We did have a neighbor blow out his electrical system, during Ike, trying to fire up his stand alone generator.
Not good.
I don’t think I’m quite as advanced as you.
I have two 2000 watt generators I can run simultaneously with a parallel kit.
Reason is they are super quiet compared to the 5500 watt one I used to have......that thing would wake up the dead. SMH
Plenty of local circuits are still out in Houston, and a ton of traffic lights as well. Lots of trees and tree limbs in the roads still, but people seem to be coping.
Cell service is still out in the northern part of town as well.
“Shocking photos?”
Shirley they jest…
Don’t know why they don’t put the electrical wiring underground?
Expensive. Also, water.
“Underground utility lines.”
Yep, they have the right-of ways, just bury the cables in the worst of the windy areas.
I have a Craftsman S3500 but I haven’t taken it out of the box yet - lol
I need to get the accessories kit at Harbor Freight (China needs a little more money)
See, now that should be illegal
Burying transmission lines costs a lot more than the cost of repairing these towers once ever thirty years. Plus it is much harder to maintain the lines if they are underground.
This is why it makes much more sense to build the power generating station right on the edge of the big cities. Where the majority of power is needed. Instead of generating the power at a wind turbine hundreds of miles away. There is a power loss in that transmission. It costs money to build and maintain those transmission lines. The longer they are, the more expensive they are to build. Including just the gauge/diameter of the actual wire.
When the power is out at night in a storm is no time to prepare your generator.
LOL. that’s great!
I know .... oops
Wanna double your "Green Power"; and quadruple your profits? Put "Floating Solar Panels" between the whirley gigs.
Just tether them; you could save a fortune on installation costs.
Not to make light of the storm and the people so badly impacted, but this gif was the very first one I ever saved on my first computer. Thanks so much for the remembery.
LOL that made my day!
Good thinking. Thanks for posting first hand knowledge.
In Houston, critical infrastructure has diesel powered back up generators for when the power goes out. No wind or solar, no how. Hospitals are good examples.
I landed at IAH late yesterday afternoon. Full ground stop for an hour due to thunderstorms in the area. Got the bus to the remote parking spot but there was no power at the lot. No lights. Fun times trying to get out of there.
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