Hurricane Claudette Making Landfall: LIVE THREAD!

[dufekin]

Claudette, the first hurricane of the year, is barreling into the Texas coast near Matagorda.

[lysie]

Stay safe....

[jriemer]

This is not the Claudette I was expecting to meet under the boardwalk...

[GalvestonGal.com]

I'm 5 blocks from the seawall. I still have power, but sat.dish is getting spotty. The dish certainly works in the rain, but not if there is a high thunderhead.

Anyway, here is a personal report. Gusty winds, about 40-45, slanted rain - it's not pouring, but gusty and squally. My street is not flooded. The port is closed, port road is closed. 61st Street impassable in some parts (main street between Seawall and causeway for people on west end). Causeway is open, but not recommended because even heavy cars are severely rocked.

Gulf waters are pushed up to height of seawall and waves are crashing over, over the boulevard. Debris is being thrown up onto the boulevard. Cars are passing on the street because a lot of people can use only that high road to get to where they need to - especially hostpital staff. And of course the idiots.

The pier at 61st street is breaking up. On my street and on a friend's near the center of the island: we are getting gusty winds that are blowing the trees. Oak trees in this kind of wind - limbs break off and can damage cars and block the street.

Nobody is "scared". People on the west end with no seawall are screwed. The exit road is impassable. Water in some areas on west end have water from the Gulf to the bay. Most areas on west end hard if not impossible to leave the house. They are ok from all reports.

Sending this now because power just blinked. It would be limbs beating lines more than wind.


update: thunder, more of a blow. Good link for good pictures: http://www.guidrynews.com

[WilliamWallace1999]

No, Matagorda is translated as "fat mamma".

[CFW]

Thanks for the report. Hang tight and be safe!

[WilliamWallace1999]

Had WAAAAY TO MUCH RAIN already this year. Ground was soaked just 4 days ago, now this. Getting darker outside. Businesses and courthouse closed this AM.

I am about thirty miles inland from Matagorda Bay. Power still on for now.

Good luck and God bless to all.

[kinghorse]

Oh but I wanted to buy a house at San Luis Pass and cutoff the vehicle traffic. I hope that developers land get's rearranged so that the living accomodations would only suffice for Neptune.

Greedy developers building on the west end know there will be no west end as we know it after anything stronger than a cat 2 comes calling.

I just hope she cuts a new fish pass at Matagorda beach. :)

[Travis McGee]

Great post! Hang in there!

[anotherdubya]

Radar

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/radar/loop/DS.p19r0/si.khgx.shtml

[2Jedismom]

We've got several Hobbit Hole dwellers in the area...one has evacuated...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/807952/posts?page=54477#54477

[anotherdubya]

Looks like it's going to miss Corpus all together...may have to call David and wake him up...heehee

[kassie]

Prayers for all in the path of the storm, and those who are close. My husband is currently working in Houston. Ya'll take care!!

[GalvestonGal.com]

Here is a link to KPRC TV with a video of the seawall and pounding waves:
http://www.click2weather.com/weather/2332812/detail.html

[Mary-Bayou]

I always thought matagorda meant 'starvation.' Kills fat. The earliest explorers (LaSalle's group) landed there & starved to death cos there was nada to eat.

[NerdDad]

Why are we getting a picture of a guy in Panama City FL, if the storm is in Matagordo TX?

[IncPen]

Well...

That's a picture of Dan Rather inserting himself into a story in such a way that he almost got himself killed. Almost.

That time he lived, but many of us here at FR are optimistic in our hope that he might cover this hurricane, as he is a Texan (by birth).

Let's keep our fingers crossed, shall we?

[McLynnan]

Praying you and other South Texans are safe. I'm near Waco and we have been seeing the outer cloud band here for a few hours. Not expecting more than a slight chance of rain from it this far north, but the cloud cover seems to be holding the temperatures down a bit.

[hispanarepublicana]

Matagorda is translated as "fat mamma".

Er, that would be "mama-gorda". Matagorda either means "kill the fat female" or "fat kill", depending on whether it's used as an action statement or a descriptive one.