Beta prompts coastal evacuation orders
Tropical storm likely to bring heavy rain; path still uncertain
Galveston, Chambers and Brazoria county officials issued voluntary evacuation orders Saturday as Tropical Storm Beta crept toward the Texas coast, likely bringing coastal flooding and prolonged rainfall, officials said.
The slow-moving storm could strengthen into a hurricane but was likely to remain a tropical storm as it tracked toward the lowerto mid-Texas coast, according to the National Hurricane Center. Beta will likely dump heavy rain and flood coastal regions as it drifts slowly up the shoreline through the middle of next week. The exact path and intensity remain uncertain.
Minor to moderate coastal flooding was expected to start Saturday evening along the Gulf and bays. Forecasters predicted elevated high tides would continue until at least the early part of the week. Weather officials said the storm presented the greatest risk of heavy rain and flash flooding along the Texas and Louisiana coast, where a flash flood watch was issued. Officials also upgraded a storm surge watch Saturday evening to a warning.
Although precise anticipated rainfall amounts remained unclear, officials warned that up to 20 inches of rain were possible in some areas. Gusty winds were projected to blow along the coast at tropical storm force, possibly reaching hurricane force speeds, but that appeared less likely by Saturday evening, officials said.
Both Galveston County Judge Mark Henry and Chambers County Judge Jimmy Sylvia signed disaster declarations on Saturday as they urged residents to prepare for potential hurricane conditions. The Bolivar-Galveston ferry service was expected to be stopped due to the storm’s anticipated impact, Galveston County’s office of emergency management said in a tweet. Texas 87 was also expected to be affected and officials warned early Saturday evening it could “soon be impassable.”
As of Saturday afternoon, voluntary evacuations had been issued for the Bolivar Peninsula, the
city of Galveston’s low-lying areas and West End, the city of Seabrook in southeast Harris County, low-lying and flood-prone areas in Chambers County and lowlying coastal areas outside the protection levee in Brazoria County, according to officials in those jurisdictions.
Seniors, people with medical needs and those who cannot survive in their home for three or four days should seek safety inland, officials said. High water could cut off coastal areas from roadways, blocking emergency service providers. Henry said he did not anticipate the need for mandatory evacuations in Galveston County.
The Texas Department of Transportation announced that Galveston-Bolivar ferry service may be disrupted as early as Saturday afternoon due to rising tides and high winds. Water is expected to flood Texas 87 on Bolivar Peninsula.
City officials urged people who do not live or work in Galveston to leave. The city is running its storm management drainage plan. Residents were advised to dispose of tree limbs, brush or other items in their yard that could float or blow into drains.
A hurricane watch remains in effect for Port Aransas to High Island, according to the National Hurricane Center, with hurricane conditions possible in those areas late Monday. A storm surge warning is in effect from Port Aransas to High Island, including Galveston Bay, and a storm surge watch is in place from Baffin Bay to Port Aransas and from High Island to Cameron, La. The hurricane center also issued a tropical storm warning from Port Aransas to Intracoastal City, La.
The storm was located 245 miles south and southeast of Lake Charles, La., with winds of 60 mph. It was stationary as of 4 p.m. Saturday, according to the hurricane center.
Storm surge could reach up to 4 feet in Galveston Bay and the other coastal areas inside the storm surge watch, the hurricane center said. Large and destructive waves are expected in those areas as well.
“The expected slow motion of Beta has the potential to produce a long duration rainfall event along the western Gulf Coast,” the hurricane center wrote in an update. “The potentially prolonged period of rainfall could cause flash, urban, and river flooding, especially where tide levels are above normal.”
Coastal areas may be inundated with 10 to 15 inches of rain, but exact rainfall amounts depend on the storm’s path, which remains uncertain, said Dan Reilly, National Weather Service meteorologist.
If the storm heads east or stays offshore, the Houston/ Galveston region will get less rain. If it tracks west or more inland, heavy rainfall can be expected farther inland. Rainfall will likely be a concern starting early next week.
The storm has a broad swath of tropical stormforce winds, Reilly said, which could push water ashore and create moderate coastal flooding as early as Saturday night. Winds may reach hurricane-force speeds in some areas.
“We have relatively high confidence that we are going to see this moderate coastal flooding,” Reilly said.
Houston officials are monitoring the storm and urged residents to stay aware, stock their emergency kits and refill prescriptions.
“Tropical Storm Beta is a reminder that hurricane season is still in full swing,” Mayor Sylvester Turner said in a statement. “We will be monitoring this storm’s development closely over the next few days as it continues to strengthen in the Gulf.”