Update Hurricane warning issued for south Texas coast
Hurricane warning issued for south Texas coast
Video:
http://www.khou.com/v/?i=97187304
by Associated Press
khou.com
Posted on June 28, 2010 at 9:01 AM
Updated today at 10:26 PM
HOUSTON— Hurricane warnings have been issued for the coasts
of south Texas and northeastern Mexico as Tropical Storm Alex gains
strength.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami says Alex is expected to
become a hurricane Tuesday. Its center is on a track toward the
Texas-Mexico border and away from the oil spill area off Louisiana.
A hurricane warning means that hurricane conditions are possible
within 36 hours.
A tropical storm warning has been issued for the Texas coast
from Baffin Bay to Port O'Connor.
Forecasters say maximum sustained winds Monday night were near
65 mph (100 kph).
The National Weather Service said Alex could bring up to a foot of flash flooding and hurricane-force winds to south Texas by Wednesday, and may grow as large as a Category 3 storm before making landfall later this week.
But even though the Houston-area was still north of the cone of uncertainty Monday, 11 News Chief Meteorologist Gene Norman said we could be at risk for flooding from the outer bands of the storm.
"We could see heavy rain here as early as Wednesday, and it could last through Saturday," Norman said.
Specifically, we could be looking at four inches of rainfall or more, with periodic tropical-storm-force winds Thursday and Friday.
Norman said it’s important to remember that the Houston area will be on the "dirty side" of the storm, which is the side that typically gets the worst of the rain.
"The big question is what happens once the storm makes landfall," Norman said. "If it moves up toward North Texas, it could be worse for us."
Officials in Harris County weren’t taking any chances.
The Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management raised operations to a Level 3 in preparation for Alex.
Level 3 means the office is at "increased readiness," as opposed to normal operations. The next step would be moving to full-time activation.
Under Level 3, Harris County will constantly monitor the growth and track of Tropical Storm Alex as it heads across the Gulf.
Harris County Judge Ed Emmett said it should serve as a reminder to residents to be hurricane-ready.
"People who haven’t gotten ready, I hope they watch all the newscasts and go, ‘Well, it’s certainly time to get ready now.’ If you live in a storm surge area, you know, make sure you have a plan, make sure your family knows what your plan is. If you’re going to shelter in place and ride out the storm – whether it’s this storm or one in the future –make sure you have all the supplies that are necessary," Emmett said.
Elsewhere in Texas, officials were making disaster preparations, too.
South Padre Island city officials declared a local state of disaster Monday in anticipation of Alex coming ashore.
Cameron County commissioners held an emergency meeting in Brownsville in preparation for the storm. Carlos Cascos, Cameron’s top elected official, urged all high-profile vehicles such as RVs to relocate from county’s parks on South Padre Island. County staff also began clearing drainage ditches, filling sandbags and pre-positioning heavy equipment and water pumps.
Neighboring Hidalgo County began preparing to open emergency shelters and coordinating sandbag distribution. Port Isabel, just across the causeway from South Padre Island, also began making sandbags available to residents. The Port of Brownsville told the port’s tenants to begin making preparations.
Gov. Rick Perry issued a disaster proclamation for 19 Texas counties and ordered the pre-deployment of state resources as the storm approached.
"We continue to closely monitor this storm, and are preparing accordingly for its potential impact to our communities," Perry said. "Tropical Storm Alex is now in the Gulf, and it is imperative that residents pay attention to this storm, heed warnings from their local leaders, and take the steps necessary to protect their families, homes and businesses."
The last hurricane to hit South Texas was Dolly, making landfall on South Padre Island July 23, 2008 as a Category 2 storm, with 100 mph winds. It did heavy damage to the island and dumped more than a foot of rain in parts of south Texas.
Alex already caused flooding and mudslides that left at least four people dead in Central America over the weekend, though Belize and Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula appeared largely unscathed.
It made landfall in Belize on Saturday night as a tropical storm and weakened into a depression on Sunday as it crossed the Yucatan Peninsula.
On Sunday, heavy rains prompted a landslide in northwestern Guatemala that dislodged a large rock outcropping, killing two men who had taken shelter from the storm underneath, according to the national disaster-response agency.
In El Salvador, Civil Protection chief Jorge Melendez said two people were swept away by rivers that jumped their banks. About 500 people were evacuated from their homes.
There were no immediate reports of damage to Mexico’s resort-studded Caribbean coast.
When Alex became the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, officials immediately worried what effect it could have on efforts to contain the millions of gallons of crude spewing into the northeastern part of the Gulf.
A cap has been placed over the blown-out undersea well, directing some of the oil to a surface ship where it is being collected or burned.
Other ships are drilling two relief wells, projected to be done by August, which are considered the best hope to stop the leak.
Stacy Stewart, senior hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center, said the storm’s center wasn’t expected to approach the area of the oil spill, but the outer wind field could push oil from the spill farther inland and hinder recovery operations in those areas.
