Monday, August 28, 2017

Breaking News - Catastrophic, Historic Flooding Happening Now in Houston

Editors Comments: Our Hearts and Prayers go out to those in Texas enduring Historic, Devastating Floods .

We only hope that the same events that happened following Hurrricane Kartina including, deaths, looting and total chaos does not happen.

Catastrophic, Historic Flooding Happening Now in Houston; Governor Activates 3,000 Federal and State Guard Members
Aug 27 2017 04:30 PM EDT
weather.com


Watch Road Crumble in Texas Flooding

2pm CDT The Weather Channel Meteorologist is in Rosenberg, Texas where flood water from Harvey has caused a road to collapse.


Story Highlights

Two people were reportedly killed in flooding in Houston, raising the death toll from Harvey to three.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott activated 3,000 federal and state guard members Sunday.

Feet of water is reportedly in homes across Houston.

More than two feet of rain has fallen on Houston; More is expected.

Houston's Hobby airport was closed Sunday morning due to the storm and will remain closed until at least Wednesday.


Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has activated 3,000 national and state guard members after Harvey dumped more than two feet of rain on Houston metro, causing historic and catastrophic flooding from rainfall that has been characterized by the National Weather Service as "beyond anything experienced before."

Thousands of homes continue to take on water and hundreds of people remain trapped and stranded in rising floodwaters across the Houston area. Thousands of people have been rescued so far and the death toll from Harvey rose to three.


“There is life-threatening, catastrophic flooding happening now in Southeast Harris County,” Jeff Lindner of the Harris County Flood Control District told The Weather Channel.

Two people have died in the Houston area in flood-related deaths as torrential rain continues to fall, according to the National Weather Service.

(MORE: Why Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner Didn't Order Evacuations Before Harvey's Flooding Rains Arrived)

Dr. Greg Postel, meteorologist and hurricane specialist for The Weather Channel, said the flooding unfolding in the Houston area "could be the worst flooding disaster in U.S. history;" and Gov. Abbott, appearing on Fox News Sunday, said: "We're measuring rain these days not in inches but in feet."

In an on-air phone interview with The Weather Channel Sunday, Texas Senator Ted Cruz said the number 1 challenge for emergency officials right now is securing more assets for high water rescues. In Houston alone, there have been over 2,000 water rescues.

He added that he spoke with Gov. Abbott, who says they have 60 boats, 20 helicopters, 600 troopers and 3000 National Guard soldiers mobilized to help rescue people.

In addition to the rescue crews, Cruz said residents with flat-bottomed boats have been assisting with saving people from flooded homes. He thanked Texas residents and those pitching in from other states, describing the outpouring of help as "inspirational" and a reminder that "there's a lot more that unites us."

Despite the outpouring of help, Cruz says this is an active crisis situation and the need for rescue assets will only continue to grow.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said during a Sunday morning press conference that the city has received more than 2,000 emergency calls and urged people to "remain calm, remain patient." He noted that most thoroughfares are impassable and said he's ordered neighborhoods to open libraries and multi-service centers to offer "lilypad" safe havens for people who cannot flee the city because of flooded roads.

"I don't care if there is no food or water there, I just need to have a safe place for people to go," he said.

With nearly 9 million people under flash-flood warnings, rescuers say they've received too many calls to respond to each one and have had to prioritize life-and-death situations, the AP reports.

When reporters asked why no evacuations were ordered despite days of warnings from the National Weather Service, Turner said it would have been "too dangerous" to have millions of residents on the road, noting that "if you think the situation right now is bad and you give an order to evacuate, you are creating a nightmare."

"The best place is for people to remain in their homes," he said.

The mayor and Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez urged people to only use 911 in dire emergencies, noting that dispatchers were struggling to keep up with the calls.

"Difficult to get to everyone right away," Gonzalez tweeted. "Hang tight."

Residents have been forced to climb into their attics to escape rising water, KTRK-TV reports, and Gonzalez noted that a family of 10 were rescued from an attic early Sunday by the mayor pro tem of South Houston.

The National Weather Service is warning people to seek shelter on their roofs rather than in attics to avoid becoming trapped by rushing water.

(MORE: President Trump’s Harvey Tweet Storm: He’s Heading to Texas As Soon As Trip Can Be Made ‘Without Causing Disruption’)
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The runway at Houston's Hobby Airport was completely flooded Sunday, according to a tweet from the airport.

Officials closed the airport Sunday morning due to the storm, and it will remain closed until at least Wednesday. The George Bush Intercontinental Airport is also closed until further notice.

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Photo shows runway at Houston's Hobby Airport completely flooded; both Houston's major airports closed amid #Harveyhttp://abcn.ws/2wT2ybm
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U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Houston says it has five MH-65 Dolphin Helicopters conducting rescues in the greater Houston area and is requesting additional HH-60 Jayhawk Helicopters from New Orleans and support from the Air National Guard to support rescue efforts.

Coast Guard Capt. Kevin Oditt said Sunday afternoon that helicopters have rescued more than 100 people in the Houston area.

Harris County Judge Ed Emmett said Sunday afternoon that the county's public hospital, Ben Taub Hospital, was being evacuated as flooding disrupted power service.

Lindner said water had overtopped Interstate 10, that there had been more than 1,000 water rescues overnight in the Houston area and that hundreds more were stranded in cars across roadways in the area.





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The Houston Chronicle notes that some highways are so deluged, water is lapping at overhead signs.

The Harris County medical examiner's office confirmed a woman was killed in flooding, according to the Associated Press. She appeared to have exited her vehicle in high water and was found 30 yards away by neighbors. The Houston Fire Department said a man died in floodwaters overnight Saturday into Sunday.

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Ed Gonzalez @SheriffEd_HCSO


Seeing many rescue requests for Southbelt, Pasadena, Gulf Fwy, Beamer. Difficult to get to everyone right away. Hang tight.


The Harris County Sheriff's Office says some homes have taken on more than 6 feet of water.

(MORE: The Latest Forecast for Hurricane Harvey)

Parts of southeast Houston received 12-19 inches of rain in just six hours Saturday night into early Sunday, according to the Houston Flood Control District.





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Mark Armstrong @TvMarkArmstrong


Flooded interstates stranded many people in southeast Houston. Others drive the wrong way. Here's I-610W on-ramp from TX-225.


Jersey Village officials suggested residents northwest of Houston along the White Oak Bayou consider whether they need to evacuate. Meanwhile, the city issued a notice saying the bayou could rise out of its banks before long.

"It's quite possible that the streets could get impassable so we wanted to get that recommendation out," Jersey Village City Manager Austin Bleess told the Associated Press.There have been reports of multiple water rescues from cars and homes in Houston. A Cadillac is now completely submerged in water after a man tried to drive down a flooding road near White Oak Bayou. Crews performed a water rescue to bring the driver to safety.
Steve Bowen @SteveBowenWx


Scale of damage not yet specifically quantifiable in Houston. Likelihood? We are facing a catastrophic multi-billion-dollar loss.


Buffalo and Brays Bayou on the west side of The Loop are climbing out of their banks due to torrential rainfall. In addition, Mary's Creek in Friendswood has surged out its banks, surpassing its 500-year water mark.

Heavy rainfall and gusty winds will persist in the Houston area for days, according to weather.com meteorologist Linda Lam. Feet of rain is expected with rainfall totals in excess of 50 inches possible in local areas.

(MORE: Impacts for Rockport | San Antonio | Louisiana)

Staff at Houston television station KHOU-TV were broadcasting live coverage of the floods when floodwater from nearby Buffalo Bayou began to enter the building. The anchors and news operations at the station moved first to a second floor before finally abandoning the station.




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Blake Mathews @KHOUBlake11


UPDATE: Water has risen a foot in 15 min. I'm one of the last in the building. God help us.
About 15 seniors were evacuated from La Vita Bella nursing home in Dickinson, Texas, Sunday after Timothy McIntosh tweeted a dramatic photo from the nursing home owned by his mother-in-law.

The photo was captured by his mother-in-law. McIntosh told the Galveston News he hoped the viral tweet would convince the National Guard to help out and it did.

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Marla Carter @MarlaABC13





Wind and Rain Forecast

(MORE: The Latest Forecast for Hurricane Harvey)

Because of the storm, four cruise ships due this weekend to Galveston with a combined 20,000 people on board will wait until Tuesday to return to port, WFAA reports.

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, called on the White House and the Department of Homeland Security to "immediately declare Harris County as a federal disaster area," noting that damages in the county have already exceeded the federal threshold of $14 million, the Houston Chronicle reports.
Rockport Shredded

A Rockport man was killed when his house caught fire at the height of the storm, according to media reports.

Aransas County Judge C.H. "Burt" Mills Jr. told the Austin American-Statesman 12 to 14 people were injured by Harvey, the Associated Press reports.

Officials in several coastal Texas towns asked residents to stay away until they could get a better scope of the destruction caused by Hurricane Harvey, now a tropical storm, during its Friday night landfall.

A curfew was in place in Port Lavaca because all power, water and sewer services were down, the city's police department said in a Facebook post.

In Port Aransas, an island community with a population of 3,800, Mayor Charles Bujan told The Weather Channel there was widespread damage – including a trailer park that is 100-percent destroyed. Search and rescue operations continued in the town Saturday afternoon, and all residents were asked to stay out of the town because damage was severe and authorities needed more time to survey, KIII-TV reported.

Officials say they were unable to fully survey Port Aransas Saturday because of "massive" damage. Police and heavy equipment were only able to make it into the northernmost street, the AP reports.

"I can tell you I have a very bad feeling and that's about it," Bujan said.

During a Saturday press conference, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said that it's too early to speculate how much property damage the storm has incurred, although one estimate has put it at up to $2 billion.

Buildings were ripped to shreds in Rockport and firefighters were unable to respond to pleas for help in the hours following Harvey's Friday night landfall along the Texas coast.
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Mike Theiss
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Hotel manager assessing damage to hotel in Rockport, Texas. Entire wall of 4 story building blown off in #HurricaneHarvey last night !
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In Rockport, a town of about 10,000 located on Aransas Bay, KTRK-TV reported 10 people sustained injuries when the roof of a senior housing complex collapsed during the storm. The severity of those injuries was unknown.

"We know there is widespread devastation," Rockport Mayor CJ Wax said during a Saturday morning interview with The Weather Channel. "I think it’s safe to say we took a Cat. 4 (hurricane) right on the nose, and we’d appreciate everyone’s prayers."

Officials estimate that 40 percent of residents did not heed voluntary evacuation orders and remained in the city as Harvey roared ashore.

Firefighters in Rockport said they wouldn't be able to respond to emergency calls until conditions improved, KTRK also reported.

"There's nothing we can do at this moment," Rockport volunteer fire department Chief Steve Sims told KTRK. "We are anxious to get out there and make assessments, but we're hunkered down for now."

(MORE: Here's Why Harvey Grew Into a Monster)

Rockport City Manager Kevin Carruth told the Corpus Christi Caller-Times that an unknown number of buildings were destroyed by Harvey's punishing winds. Earlier reports that Rockport High School had been destroyed were inaccurate, the report added, but the structure did sustain heavy damage.

"A part of the roof has caved in, but the reports that buildings have disappeared don’t appear to be accurate," volunteer fire department spokeswoman Gillian Cox told the Caller-Times.
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FEMA chief: It will take years to recover from Hurricane Harvey http://hill.cm/FSb5gcG
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About 128 people were evacuated from a Fairfield Inn in Rockport after the hotel suffered severe damage, according to a National Weather Service report.

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued four people from the vessel Signet Enterprise Saturday near Port Aransas, according to DVIDS. In total, at least 20 people have been rescued from vessels.
Possible Tornadoes Leave Behind Damage in Nearby Cities

Storms that hit parts of Texas during Saturday left behind damages that may take days to be inspected by survey crews to determine if they were indeed tornadoes. Damage from these storms may be very similar to damage seen close to where the eyewall of Harvey pushed through along the coast at peak intensity, according to weather.com meteorologist Jonathan Belles.

Photos and videos posted to social media showed a possible tornado rolling through a neighborhood in Cypress, Texas, Saturday.




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Ricky Fritzsching @rickyisms


Tornado rotation. Cypress. @BridgelandMPC @HellerWeather@abc13weather
5:05 AM - Aug 27, 2017
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The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.

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