Houston may finally be drying out, but now Port Arthur is under water, Beaumont is flooding and a woman there died saving her infant daughter.
Other flooding/Hurricane Harvey news:
It'd be nice if the lefties cheering the Coast Guard's rescues during Harvey hadn't pretended the Coast Guard didn't exist during Katrina.
— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) August 30, 2017
The Great Houston Flood continues. Though rainfall has slackened, many parts of Houston are still flooded.
Major items:
Water levels in the Addicks and Barker reservoirs reached record levels early Tuesday, said Jeff Lindner, Meteorologist at Harris County Flood Control District.
Water in the Addicks Reservoir reached 108 feet early Tuesday, causing it to flow over the top of the spillway.
The overflowing reservoir comes days after authorities announced controlled releases of water from both of the inundated dams.
Officials with the Army Corps of Engineers expect the Barker Reservoir will also have uncontrolled releases in the coming days. Uncontrolled releases from both dams are expected to flow into Buffalo Bayou and increase the waterway’s already high levels.
The water spilling out of the Addicks Reservoir Tuesday morning will likely reach subdivisions north of Tanner, left of west Eldridge Parkway to West Little York, and over to Beltway 8, Lindner said.
Affected subdivisions include:
Twin Lakes
Eldridge Park
Lakes on Eldridge
Lakes on Eldridge North
Independence Farms
Tanner Heights
Heritage Business Park
Update: Breaking news:
#BREAKING: Levee at Columbia Lakes breached in Brazoria Co. | 'Get out now,' officials say https://t.co/QnrjQL7hAH #HarveyFlood pic.twitter.com/ooto2wDuRg
— ABC13 Houston (@abc13houston) August 29, 2017
Update 2
Houston police officer drowns in Harvey flood waters:
The officer, an HPD veteran who has been with the department for more than 30 years, was in his patrol car driving to work downtown Sunday morning when he got trapped in high water at I-45 and the Hardy Toll Road.
Search and rescue crews are currently recovering his body. The department has not yet formally notified the officer’s family.
Hence the lack of a name at this point.
“The officer’s death is the 15th fatality in Texas claimed by Hurricane Harvey.”
Update 3
Bridge collapse in east Houston:
ALERT from @HCSOTexas: Bridge over Greens Bayou collapse at Woodforest Blvd and Normandy, near Cloverleaf area
— Harris County OHSEM (@ReadyHarris) August 29, 2017
I think this is the bridge:
Update 4
HPD officer who drowned today identified as Sergeant Steve Perez:
It is with a heavy heart that we announce the tragic in the line of duty death of Sergeant Steve Perez. pic.twitter.com/cHJxjnFgII
— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) August 29, 2017
Update 5
Some insight into the scope of the problem:
3:49 p.m.: How much of Harris County is actually covered by water?
According to meteorologist Jeff Lindner, between 20 and 30 percent of Harris County is under water as of Tuesday afternoon.
Harris County is 1,777 square miles. Let’s take the low end of Lindner’s estimation — 20 percent. That would be 355.4 square miles.
Or:
Bigger than the entire city of Austin.
Bigger than 15 times the size of Manhattan, which is about 23 square miles.
Bigger than 7 times the size of San Francisco, which is about 47 square miles.
University of Tampa associate professor fired for saying Hurricane Harvey was ‘karma’ for Texas voting for Trump. Which I’m sure went over really well in another Hurricane-prone state that also voted for Trump…
Update 6
Houston death toll now stands at 24.
The convention center is full of storm refugees, so they’re opening up the Toyota Center and NRG Stadium.
As now-tropical storm Harvey continues to slowly move eastward, Houston is still recovering. Though experiencing a lull right now, there’s still more rain to come tonight, and runoff will swell rivers and bayous. “Houston is likely to endure heavy rain and catastrophic flooding through Wednesday.”
More mandatory evacuations have been announced for parts of Waller, Fort Bend, and Brazoria Counties, Conroe, Missouri City, Bay City, and Rosenberg, among others.
The death toll still stands at six. Which happens to be one less than the number killed by violence in Chicago over the weekend.
8:15 a.m.: Corps continuing Addicks, Barker releases
By some measures, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is talking about Harvey not in terms of the storm of the century, but the storm of the millennium for the Houston area.
Balancing flooding and damage on both sides of Addicks and Barker reservoirs, Corps officials said they will continue releases downstream along Buffalo Bayou via the two dams. More than 25 inches of rainfall behind the two mammoth earthen dams has the reservoirs spilling into suburban developments.
“The volume of water flowing into the reservoirs is unprecedented in the dams’ history,” Edmond Russo with the Corps said.
With more rain possible, officials said the best course is send some of the water along Buffalo Bayou. Designed to handle a 1,000 year storm, Russo said in a Monday morning news conference the reservoirs are teetering on exceeding that level of flooding if worst-case rain scenarios occur.
There are almost 100,000 people without power, but 96% of Houstonians do have power. Remember that more than 3 million people lost power after Ike, and for some people it took several weeks to restore, possibly indicating lessons learned.
Hundreds of intersections are still closed due to high water, including just about all of Houston’s freeways.
Many Houston refineries have shut down in the wake of Harvey. This has lead to predictions of skyrocketing gas prices in some quarters, but it will probably only temporarily offset the oil glut, and I would expect most if not all of those will be up and running again within a week.
An explosion and fire at the Lone Star Legal Aid building on Fanin in downtown Houston. No word yet on any injuries or whether it was actually caused by the flood.
More drone footage of flooding:
More flood footage (including, for some reason, non-flood footage at the airport). Some NSFW language and repeats footage at the end for some reason.
Through 8 p.m. CDT, storm total precip for Harris County averages 18". That more than all areas in red have received so far in 2017. pic.twitter.com/NuLQNrLwnM
— Brian Brettschneider (@Climatologist49) August 28, 2017
#HoustonStrong #HarveyFlood – numbers for the CoastGuard ⬇️ IF you need to be RESCUED Mark house with White Sheet or Towel & call pic.twitter.com/CQkJyGVDho
— ✌🏻JustSayin' 🇺🇸 (@JustLolatalkin) August 28, 2017
Houston in now suffering from catastrophic, historic flooding in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey:
Tropical Storm Harvey officially became Houston’s worst storm on record overnight, dumping heavy rains across the city and into overflowing bayous, leaving swaths of the city submerged in floodwater.
“It’s catastrophic, unprecedented, epic — whatever adjective you want to use,” said Patrick Blood, a NWS meteorologist. “It’s pretty horrible right now.”
Brock Long, FEMA’s administrator, said on CNN that Harvey is “a storm the United States has not seen yet.”
Some parts of Houston have gotten more than 20 inches of rain, and at least five people have died.
Houston’s CBS affiliate KHOU is off the air because their office has flooded.
Here’s some video. Street flooding:
Flooding and tornadoes:
Drone-eye view of neighborhood flooding, I think from somewhere in suburban SE Houston:
Compilation of various flooding footage, including bats swimming because they can’t get back to their home under the bridge (and some NSFW language at the end):
And keep in mind Houston suffered severe flooding not only from Ike in 2008, but also in the Memorial Day flood in 2015.
Update: 15 seniors rescued from Dickinson nursing home.
Some official tweets:
Please only use 911 for life-threatening emergencies. pic.twitter.com/SSmdlcJecE
— Houston OEM (@HoustonOEM) August 27, 2017
If residents have a high-water, safe boat or vehicle, please coordinate with the @hcfmo: 713 881 3100 Call to help with rescues. #harvey
— HCSOTexas (@HCSOTexas) August 27, 2017
There have been between 1500-2000 high-water rescues since weather event has begun. We will get to you-it's a promise. #harvey #hounews
— HCSOTexas (@HCSOTexas) August 27, 2017
Update 2:
Ben Taub hospital being evacuated due to flooding and power failures.
Downtown Houston.
Photo via @_cingraham pic.twitter.com/SvLXiBiP1n
— The Reagan Battalion (@ReaganBattalion) August 27, 2017
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) August 27, 2017
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) August 27, 2017
My friend and neighbor, Raul Ramos, sent me this stunning pic: This is I-45 near downtown Houston pic.twitter.com/KSvUgMO5PG
— Manny Fernandez (@mannyNYT) August 27, 2017
Update 3
FEMA director says Harvey could be worst to ever hit Texas.
In a telephone interview with The Washington Post, Federal Emergency Management Agency Director William “Brock” Long said Harvey could top all previous Texas storms in terms of total damage.
“This will be a devastating disaster, probably the worst disaster the state’s seen,” Long told The Washington Post from FEMA headquarters in Washington.
Casualties, thankfully, remain well below record Texas storms.
The 1900 hurricane that hit Galveston, essentially scrubbing the island by tossing the bay across it, killed an estimated 6,000 to 12,00 people.
1:35: Two Houston-area airports cease flights
Hobby and Bush Intercontinental airports have ceased operations until further notice.
Roughly 850 travelers are stranded at the two Houston-area airports.
Hobby Airport closed around 3:30 a.m. when water reached the runways. Roughly 500 travelers were stuck at the airport Sunday morning. The airport facilities haven’t suffered any structural damages. Bush followed suit.
11:14 a.m.: MD Anderson closed Sunday and Monday
With roads in the Texas Medical Center impassable, MD Anderson Cancer Center said outpatient services, surgeries and all appointments are canceled for Sunday and Monday.
“Statewide, Abbott said there are 316,000 people without power, not including the Houston area.”
“As of 1 p.m., more than 76,000 customers in the area were without power.”
Cruise ships are unable to dock in Galveston because the port is closed and they couldn’t go anywhere if they could disembark due to flooded roads.
Note: Houston water has NOT been shut off.
Runway at @HobbyAirport #Harvey #HurricaneHarvey pic.twitter.com/wTGrTH1iHg
— Matt Mackowiak (@MattMackowiak) August 27, 2017
This is how bad things are in #Houston…and a lot more rain to come. #houstonflood pic.twitter.com/wYfIQpaI8M
— ChristianChristensen (@ChrChristensen) August 27, 2017
Update 4
Six Houston deaths total including a homeless man in La Marque who may have just dropped dead.
The 3900 block of FM 762 (in front of 24 HR fitness) has just collapsed. There is a massive sinkhole in the roadway. AVOID THE AREA! #Harvey pic.twitter.com/BJreUS1D9C
— Rosenberg Police (@RosenbergPolice) August 27, 2017
People wondering why no evacuation order. This is largely why. Hurricane Rita 2005. Dozens died IN this traffic #Houston pic.twitter.com/TAzw6KsxY5
— stephanie gosk (@stephgosk) August 27, 2017
Harvey's forecast of 50" in five days is near the theoretical maximum rainfall event possible in U.S.
PMP = "Probable Maximum Precipitation" https://t.co/sJRlgUcZFh— Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus) August 27, 2017
Update 5
La Grange is more than 100 miles inland of the Gulf of Mexico…
Also, President Trump is coming to visit on Tuesday.
Update 6
Took a break to take care of three downed trees in my front yard using lopers and a hatchet. I’m pretty sure I’m going to be sore tomorrow…
Rescue boats swerve around stranded cars in Dickinson. Harvey turning Houston metro area into a real life Waterworld pic.twitter.com/pHOqaXCiPI
— Brian L Kahn (@blkahn) August 27, 2017
Mattress Mack is opening Gallery Furniture for those that need a place a to go. What a great gesture.
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) August 27, 2017
Footage of the aftermath of Harvey’s destruction in Rockport.
Compilation of more Houston flooding, including some overlap with previous clips (the KHOU flooding):
Update 7
Both FEMA and the Coast Guard are on the scene assisting with rescue operations.
6:13 p.m.: Harvey flooding forces release from Addicks and Barker
Col. Lars N. Zetterstrom with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced late Sunday afternoon that rising levels in the Addicks and Barker reservoirs will force authorities to release water from both dams. Based on the corps data, the rising waters will place residents and their homes in dangerous situations.
“We will have to release water to reduce the risk flooding in the Houston metropolitan,” he said. “Until we realize the actual rise we can predict how many homes would be impacted.”
Homeowners near the reservoirs will likely have water seep into their homes prior to the release.
Some of the released water will flow into the Buffalo Bayou and increase the already bulging water levels. This will lead to officials issuing a voluntary evacuation for residents living along bayou.
The corps plans to release water by 2 a.m. Monday at Addicks and 11 a.m. at Barker.
Please share as much as possible!! It's dark now & they're expecting over 20 in. MORE of rain tonight! #HurricaneHarvey #HoustonFlood pic.twitter.com/g9EEsYKrHn
— Perla (@rei_m3m) August 28, 2017
Beltway 8 and Memorial collapsed. #houstonflood pic.twitter.com/SaIUi4ClvF
— George McIntyre 🤠👌 (@GeorgeMcIntyre_) August 28, 2017
The left is Memorial Parkway on Saturday.
The right is Memorial Parkway Sunday morning. #Harvey #HoustonFlood https://t.co/88qQ8fcKZ4 pic.twitter.com/RKevt6b92A
— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) August 27, 2017
Hurricane Harvey has brought lots of destruction and flooding to the Texas coast, but, so far, no reported deaths.
The guy who seems to have gotten the best and most footage of Harvey coming ashore seems to be Jeff Piotrowski, a storm chaser who rode out the storm in his car in Rockport while live-streaming the event.
Live coverage Hurricane Harvey Cat 4+ at Rockport TX. #txwx https://t.co/2pWf4z1wEO
— Jeff Piotrowski (@Jeff_Piotrowski) August 26, 2017
I think this is a much shorter segment of footage from him:
And here’s footage of the car wash he had his car parked under collapsing:
Striking footage of #HurricaneHarvey raging in Rockport, Texas. pic.twitter.com/TBGL42n3nZ
— Josh Caplan (@joshdcaplan) August 25, 2017
Here’s footage from Fulton, a small township directly adjoining Rockport on the coast:
Compilation of various footage of the Harvey and its devastation:
Update: Huston Chronicle had pictures of the devastation.
Live coverage from the Corpus Christi Caller-Times.
Update 2: First confirmed death from Harvey: A Rockport citizen died in a house fire.
“Hurricane Harvey barrelled into the Texas coast around 10 p..m. Friday as one of the most powerful hurricane to strike the Texas coast in decades.The Category 4 storm made landfall between Port Aransas and Port O’Connor, according to the National Hurricane Center.”
Remember, by the time Hurricane Ike hit Texas, it was only a Category 2 hurricane. Ike caused over $27 billion in damage and left 37 people dead.
“Forecasters said it has the potential of being the strongest hurricane to hit Texas since Hurricane Carla in 1961, which killed 34 and injured 465 when it made landfall near Port Lavaca. The storm had maximum sustained winds near 130 mph with higher gusts ”
More:
The National Weather Service issued flash flood watches for the following counties: Harris, Fort Bend, Brazoria, Galveston, Montgomery, Waller, Liberty, Grimes, Chambers, Brazos, Colorado, Austin, Washington, Jackson, Burleson and Wharton.
Harvey is expected to produce total rainfall amounts of 15 to 35 inches, with isolated pockets of 40 inches through next Wednesday. The weather service said “rainfall of this magnitude will cause catastrophic and life-threatening flooding.”
Part of Rockport High School has collapsed.
President Donald Trump, as requested by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, issued a disaster proclamation:
At the request of the Governor of Texas, I have signed the Disaster Proclamation, which unleashes the full force of government help!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 26, 2017
Here’s a report from the coast in Corpus Christi at 5 PM, when the storm was still offshore and only a category 3, and it’s still almost blowing the reporter over:
Residents of the rest of the state should get ready for a whole lot of rain over the next few days…
Harvey has officially been upgraded to a Category 3 Hurricane.
Texas officials announced mandatory evacuations for all seven counties on the coast: Calhoun County, San Patricio County, Refugio County, Brazoria County, Jackson County, Victoria County and Matagorda County. In four of those countries, officials ordered their entire county to evacuate and warned those who chose to stay behind that their rescue could not be guaranteed. Voluntary evacuations have been urged for residents in other areas.
Galveston is already experiencing flooding and there have been tornado warnings in Galveston and Brazoria counties.
Here’s the Governor’s official hurricane information page.
Stay safe…
Harvey is expected to be a Class III Hurricane by the time it makes landfall on the Texas coast late Friday or early Saturday. Predictions are for as much as 30 inches of rain in some places, as well as up to a 12 foot storm surge in coastal areas.
Mandatory evacuations have been issued for Aransas Pass and Calhoun County, as well as parts of Brazoria and Matagorda Counties.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has preemptively declared 30 counties disaster areas, which automatically makes a lot of state resources available to local officials.
Here’s a list of official closures in the Texas Coastal Bend area.
If you live on or near the Texas coast between Brownsville and Port Lavaca, now would be a darn good to to load up your car, tape your windows, lock your doors and evacuate.
Even in central Texas, be prepared for flooding in low-lying areas, avoid low water crossings, and have adequate food and water supplies in the event of a loss of power.
In short: Don’t be this guy: