FLOOD THREAT:
Houston officials warn storm is expected to linger into next week
Harvey roared into Texas overnight north of Corpus Christi as the most powerful hurricane to strike Texas in 56 years, flooding low-lying coastal areas, leaving tens of thousands without power and promising that stragglers who didn’t evacuate would wake up to disaster on Saturday.
The Category 4 storm made landfall around 10 p.m. with 130mph winds that devastated several buildings, including Rockport High School and the local police department, according to preliminary reports. People were thought to be trapped inside multiple facilities, according to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department.
Houston, by contrast, saw mild rain, and leaders here, worried about “storm fatigue,” had a clear message: Hunker down, and don’t underestimate the potential for life-threatening floods in the days ahead as the storm stalls.
Harvey’s rapid intensification made it the strongest hurricane to land in Texas since Carla in 1961 brought 175-mph winds and killed 34 people. Corpus Christi — the seat of Nueces County with a population of more than 360,000 people — had not seen a devastating hurricane since Celia in 1970, which came ashore as a Category 3, killed 15 people in South Texas, and destroyed nearly 9,000 homes.
The county was not under a mandatory evacuation order, but tens of thousands had al-
ready fled by Friday after officials strongly urged people to leave.
Aransas County officials said Friday night they were stuck in their building and couldn’t ascertain damages.
“It’s over 100 miles an hour outside, I think, and raining like crazy, and there’s no way to tell,” Emergency Management Chief Deputy John Gutierrez told the Corpus Christi Caller-Times.
People who remained in Corpus Christi were huddled in dark homes with the wind howling, and they were on their own. By 5 p.m., city police took shelter and stopped responding to emergency calls, the Caller-Times reported.
President Donald Trump signed a disaster declaration for the state of Texas shortly before the storm made landfall.
While Houston isn’t in the path of hurricane-force winds, Mayor Sylvester Turner warned that the worst could come Sunday. He urged residents not to venture out.
“People are going to have to be very, very patient,” he said.
Gov. Greg Abbott, who visited a hurricane shelter in San Antonio, sowed a moment of confusion in an off-the-cuff remark, saying that if he were living in Houston, he’d head north. Local officials immediately scrambled to negate his advice.
“The safest thing is to stay where you are and ride out the storm,” Harris County Judge Ed Emmett said.
The area likely will miss the dangerous winds and storm surge typical of hurricanes while seeing extreme rains and flooding. But those generally are lifethreatening only if residents venture outside into high water, Emmett said.
Rescuers on standby
As the first bands of rain swept across Houston, businesses shut down and workers rushed home early, warned by officials to prepare to stay put for up to a few days. More than 20 Houston-area school districts canceled classes Friday, Monday or both days.
Police Chief Art Acevedo and Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said their officers are working 12-hour shifts until further notice.
Fire Chief Samuel Peña said firefighters were working in 24hour shifts, with more than 1,000 personnel on duty each day. Ambulance crews are especially well-staffed, he added.
Peña said firefighters set up boats and high-water vehicles at strategic points across the city, along with city dump trucks based at fire stations.
Transit agencies placed barricades at underpasses where drivers have drowned in high water in recent floods, Emmett said.
A Metro official said buses were running normally as of 5 p.m. Friday but would be suspended or stopped if needed.
Harris County officials said the area could see tropical stormforce winds of up to 48 mph.
In a worst case, Emmett said, Harvey could move slowly across Houston, back to the Gulf of Mexico, and then return.
“I don’t even want to talk about that scenario,” he said.
Sandra Ortiz, the spokeswoman for the county flood control district, warned that the doubledip scenario could result in a “devastation” for coastal cities that hasn’t been seen in decades.
City officials and the American Red Cross identified potential emergency shelters for flooding victims, including dozens of churches that volunteered to open their doors, Turner said. He asked residents to check on neighbors as storm waters rise.
When it’s raining and flooding, Turner said, drivers should stay off the roads whenever possible.
As of Friday night, he said, “People just need to be calm … and not panic.”
Galveston flash flooding
Galveston saw some flash flooding Friday at key intersections, even as some islanders strolled about snapping photos of roiling surf. About 20,000 cruise passengers destined for Galveston were stuck at sea, with some ships diverting to New Orleans until the threat passes.
Galveston County Judge Mark Henry recommended voluntary evacuations to include all unincorporated low-lying areas in the county, including San Leon, Bacliff, Freddiesville, Old Bayou Vista and Highland Bayou. Bolivar Peninsula, Kemah and Shoreacres are also under a voluntary evacuation.
In Shoreacres, a bayfront town of about 1,600 in southeastern Harris County, Nancy Schnell, who had to rebuild her house after it was flooded with nearly 5 feet of water from Hurricane Ike’s storm surge in 2008, said she was staying put.
“We left last time, and I’m glad we did,” Schnell said. “But this time, a lot of people are just doing the wait-and-see thing.”
About 60 percent of the homes in Shoreacres were flooded during Ike.
In Seabrook, John Huynh wasn’t in a hurry or worried. His little fish market on Todville Road near the Clear Lake Channel was thriving Friday afternoon.
“It’s good business today,” Huynh said during a break at L&A Seafood.
In Kemah on Friday afternoon, traffic was minimal, area restaurants were full, most businesses remained open, and a few residents were expectant but not overly concerned about Harvey.
League City resident D.J. Green was 10 years old during Hurricane Alicia, and as a coastal native, the potential for tumultuous weather is just part of the landscape.
“You prepare, you go through it and there are terrible things that can happen, but that’s life,” he said.
Kirk Tindall, a Kemah resident since 1975, was staying even as winds began battering his pier.
Tindall wanted to leave, but his wife, Crystal, was intent on staying.
Ike gutted their home, but Crystal Tindall was soured by the Hurricane Rita experience in 2005, when the family spent 18 hours trapped in traffic before ending up in Mississippi.
Still, they’ll be keeping an eye on Harvey as it meanders inland and then likely dawdles up the Texas coast, bringing a threat of tornadoes and rain accumulations of 10 to more than 30 inches in some places.
“Given Harvey’s slow motion, we’re going to have elevated storm surge level possibly for days,” said Michael Brennan, a senior specialist for the National Hurricane Center.
Prepared to go
Life-threatening storm surges of 6 to 12 feet above ground level from South Padre to Sargent, 5 to 8 feet from Sargent to Jamaica Beach and 2 to 4 feet from Jamaica Beach to High Island and around Galveston Bay were expected.
Tornado watches were issued in Harris, Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston, Chambers and nine other counties to the south and east of Houston, in effect at least until 2 a.m. Saturday.
Flash flood watches covered the following counties: Harris, Fort Bend, Brazoria, Galveston, Montgomery, Waller, Liberty, Grimes, Chambers, Brazos, Colorado, Austin, Washington, Jackson, Burleson and Wharton.
Much of the coastline from Port Aransas to Port O’Connor was under mandatory orders to evacuate.
In Brazoria County, the storm surge was expected to be 5 to 8 feet, prompting evacuation orders Friday afternoon to about 3,000 to 4,000 residents living along the Gulf near Surfside Beach. An emergency shelter opened in Angleton, about 20 miles inland from Surfside Beach.
In Freeport, home to about 12,000 residents on the mainland side of the Intracoastal Waterway, city officials issued a mandatory evacuation for low-lying areas and urged all residents to leave the city.
County Judge Matt Sebesta told all residents to remain vigilant.
“Every storm is different,” he said. “Be ready.”
The flood threat was enough to chase off Marlena Ruelas, 22, who planned to join her husband at her in-laws’ home in Clute, a few miles north of Freeport.
“It’s pretty clear people are getting out of town,” Ruelas said. “I’m not nervous about it. I don’t think it will be a big deal. But we’re going to go up there, just to make sure we’re safe.”
Luis Segoria, 68, planned to ride out the rain as long as he could from his home in Freeport. Standing under a metal carport, knocking back beers with three neighbors, Segoria said he’s ready to bail as soon as necessary but will take his chances for now.
“We’ve prepared already. We’ve all of our stuff in the car — blankets, water, food — just in case,” Segoria said. “But right now, we don’t have anywhere we need to go.”
The southern part of Matagorda County was under a voluntary evacuation, and farther south, mandatory orders were issued for Aransas, Refugio, San Patricio, Victoria, Calhoun and Kleberg counties.
Even 175 miles northeast of Harvey, its power was evident. High water already had obstructed roads in Galveston by 3:45 p.m. Friday along 61st Street at Interstate 45; Harborside Drive at Second Street; and Harborside at Interstate 45, according to Houston TranStar.
The Galveston Ferry ceased operations at 6 p.m.
But fears were measured, said Galveston Island Convention & Visitors Bureau Director Meg Winchester.
“We’re looking forward to a wonderful Labor Day weekend,” she said.