Hurricane Harvey

[Canoerebel]

It looks like coastal Texas and the hill country and vicinity are getting whacked by Hurricane Harvey. The rainfall in particular may take on biblical proportions. Best wishes to forumites and folks in Texas.

Looking at the radar a moment ago it seemed like the core of the rain was inland a bit further than expected. That means heavy rain for the hill country which sounds like huge flooding.

And the storm is going to loiter in the area for day after day. Misery and despair kinda stuff.

Good luck, Texas. We're pulling for you even while fearful of what's forecast.

[btd64]

Plus ONE. Hang in there....GP

[Mikawa]

In San Antonio and it's not too bad. Houston is getting feet of rain. Feel very sorry for folks on the coast. Sad.

There is still power so there is War in the Pacific. What else would you do?

[geofflambert]

ORIGINAL: Mikawa

In San Antonio and it's not too bad. Houston is getting feet of rain. Feel very sorry for folks on the coast. Sad.

There is still power so there is War in the Pacific. What else would you do?

Paddle a canoe to Timbuktu?

[Chickenboy]

Northern ring of San Antonio here. Steady and light to moderate rain here. The counter-clockwise spin of the hurricane is depositing most of the rain on Houston and the south central coast. Even though we're a lot closer to the breaking up hurricane / tropical storm than Houston and Galveston, they're going to get it in the neck moreso than we are.

I feel for those poor SOBs in Port Aransas and Rockport. They really got hammered.

Port Aransas will be heavily affected by the storm surge, winds and waves. We vacationed there in June and really enjoyed it. I suspect there will be catastrophic damage to much of the town due to the low-lying topography. [:(]

[Mikawa]

Hi Chickenboy, I'm on the north side San Antonio and it's still blowing fairly hard. This thing will never leave!

[InfiniteMonkey]

South Austin here. I have refugees from Houston at my house and a long time friend probably lost her house in Rockport. My brother in law and his wife flew back in today. We might have them at our house too, since they are out in Bastrop and they are getting hit hard by rain (expected accumulation in the 40" range over next couple days). It is likely we will get off lightly, but a ton of low water crossings are closed right now: https://www.atxfloods.com/

[wdolson]

A friend was here last week who lives in Sugar Land near the Brazos River. He stayed here a couple of nights and then was off to do some other things in the region, but cut it short to try and get home. His wife is home alone with the dogs. He said a couple of tornadoes have touched down in the neighborhood, one very close to his house. He's in Denver tonight hoping his flight home won't get canceled tomorrow morning. Once he gets back he's going to have to get from Houston Hobby home, it's iffy if his wife is going to feel brave enough to venture out.

He hates Houston. He's only there because he was a petroleum Geophysicist and his company kept downsizing and closing whatever office he was in to a point where he either had to live in Houston or the Middle East. He chose Houston as the slightly better choice. He's retired now and his kids are out and both are gainfully employed in New York. He'd love to leave, but his wife refused. Maybe she'll change her mind after going through Harvey. He's not sure how he'd handle the cloudiness here in the winter, but he otherwise loves Portland's climate and culture.

Hope he still has a house to go back to.

Bill

[Bullwinkle58]

Report I read this morning (fast changing situation) said Hobby was closed. Two feet of water on or flowing over runways. Said loss of Hobby was hurting Life Flights and general helo SAR efforts.

[Aurorus]

Best wishes for Texas from South America.

[LST Express]

I'm in central Texas and have family staying with us from the Houston area. I think their place will be ok but with small kids they didn't want to chance it.

[Shark7]

ORIGINAL: LST Express

I'm in central Texas and have family staying with us from the Houston area. I think their place will be ok but with small kids they didn't want to chance it.

That is definitely the best policy.

I'm in the North Central part of Texas and we've not had a drop of rain here. In fact it was a bright, sunny hot day. In other words, typical August day for me.

I've already been through two 100 year floods in my lifetime (which is not 100 years I assure you) and don't care to experience it again. I was having to do rescue the last time it happened. It is hard, tiring work trying to get people to safety, you have to keep going back until the job is done or until it is just too unsafe to keep trying. And there are never enough people to do the job. Keep all those folks doing the rescue work in your thoughts.

[InfiniteMonkey]

After this ends, we should get together a WitP:AE Texas convention.

[Orm]

Looks like the tough weather has continued. As they warned. [:(]

The people suffering from Harvey will be in my thoughts and prayers.

[wdolson]

If Harvey goes back out to the Gulf as is now predicted, it could come back on land revitalized. Houston could end up as devastated as New Orleans from Katrina. My SO was saying today that New Orleans has a core of people who deeply love the city and wanted to restore it, but few feel that way about Houston. I'm sure there are people who love Houston, but there isn't the passion about the place New Orlanders hold for their city.

Houston exists for commerce, if the place is too badly damaged to do commerce, the merchants will pick up and go someplace where they can do business.

[Apollo11]

Hi all,

Stay safe guys - fingers crossed!


Leo "Apollo11"

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: wdolson

If Harvey goes back out to the Gulf as is now predicted, it could come back on land revitalized. Houston could end up as devastated as New Orleans from Katrina. My SO was saying today that New Orleans has a core of people who deeply love the city and wanted to restore it, but few feel that way about Houston. I'm sure there are people who love Houston, but there isn't the passion about the place New Orlanders hold for their city.

Houston exists for commerce, if the place is too badly damaged to do commerce, the merchants will pick up and go someplace where they can do business.

Aye. But, again where they differ is the presence of concentrated world-class industries and transportation centers in Houston. It will be-up to a point-worthwhile for them to repair their home base of operations in North America and support the community's efforts to do the same.

With all due respect to New Orleanders, their city (particularly the 9th and 5th wards) is still a complete mess economically, structurally, infrastructurally, etc. The passionate core is insufficient to revitalize a major metropolitan area. Houston's oft-besmirched industrial might has some significant advantages that New Orleans never has had and never will.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: wdolson

If Harvey goes back out to the Gulf as is now predicted, it could come back on land revitalized. Houston could end up as devastated as New Orleans from Katrina. My SO was saying today that New Orleans has a core of people who deeply love the city and wanted to restore it, but few feel that way about Houston. I'm sure there are people who love Houston, but there isn't the passion about the place New Orlanders hold for their city.

Houston exists for commerce, if the place is too badly damaged to do commerce, the merchants will pick up and go someplace where they can do business.

Aye. But, again where they differ is the presence of concentrated world-class industries and transportation centers in Houston. It will be-up to a point-worthwhile for them to repair their home base of operations in North America and support the community's efforts to do the same.

With all due respect to New Orleanders, their city (particularly the 9th and 5th wards) is still a complete mess economically, structurally, infrastructurally, etc. The passionate core is insufficient to revitalize a major metropolitan area. Houston's oft-besmirched industrial might has some significant advantages that New Orleans never has had and never will.

We are feeling the effects all the way up in Canada as the refineries in the Houston area shut down 30% of US capacity, increasing demand for Canadian supplies. I can't imagine the oil companies moving those refineries but they might be able to build some protection for them in future.

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: wdolson

If Harvey goes back out to the Gulf as is now predicted, it could come back on land revitalized. Houston could end up as devastated as New Orleans from Katrina. My SO was saying today that New Orleans has a core of people who deeply love the city and wanted to restore it, but few feel that way about Houston. I'm sure there are people who love Houston, but there isn't the passion about the place New Orlanders hold for their city.

Houston exists for commerce, if the place is too badly damaged to do commerce, the merchants will pick up and go someplace where they can do business.

Aye. But, again where they differ is the presence of concentrated world-class industries and transportation centers in Houston. It will be-up to a point-worthwhile for them to repair their home base of operations in North America and support the community's efforts to do the same.

With all due respect to New Orleanders, their city (particularly the 9th and 5th wards) is still a complete mess economically, structurally, infrastructurally, etc. The passionate core is insufficient to revitalize a major metropolitan area. Houston's oft-besmirched industrial might has some significant advantages that New Orleans never has had and never will.

We are feeling the effects all the way up in Canada as the refineries in the Houston area shut down 30% of US capacity, increasing demand for Canadian supplies. I can't imagine the oil companies moving those refineries but they might be able to build some protection for them in future.

By protection do you mean redundancies (i.e., more refineries) or did you mean levees, dikes, earthworks and industrial pumps to evacuate any spillover? The former has been unpalatable for most states in the union. Only one new refinery in the lower 48 in the last 25+ years-crazy NIMBY-ism. The latter would make a lot of sense.

I'm not sure that the refineries have been damaged at this point. Dunno. They were shut down pre-emptively to avoid any accidents and should be able to reopen after (when? if?) the waters recede. The 30% offline will be temporary.

[witpqs]

Here is what they think at the moment.