on the Texas Coast
The Destruction . This booklet is the secondin a seriesdf three discussitag tropical storms aild hurricai1es,arid their effects, This series is designed primarily For residents of the Texas Gulf Coa»tRnd ts Itltendcdto increaseBarcness of thc potential dcstructivet1essof hUi'rtcancsso that pIBAScan bc prepared and Bctto'ristaken to I'educecasUalties BAd pt'operty damage, .The first booklet, which describes thc hurricane from btl"ththroUgh Natut'tty, presentsfacts and'figurc»OA Texas most destructive.h'Urrieancs, Historical li»tirigs of tropir al cyclonesand their probabilitiesof ocburrenccalong 50-mJIC segments of the Texas coast also are iricluded. This booklet deSCnbesand explainsthe types of damage B,hurricane can caUscBJOAg thc Texascoast. BAd BdJBccntq inland atcas. Hurt'fcanc-relatedcvcAts, sUch as storm sUrge, heavy'rahl's, high winds, torriadoes 'Rnd t'esuJting'hazard»,. such asflood» and downedelcctrlcaJ wires, are discussed.' SpecialcfAphasis ls givel1to types of destt'Uctipnthat occurred dul'IAg previoU» hurricatles, The third bdoklet.providesguidelines and checklistslo help individualsplan tor safetyand specÃiesacttons taken b'y governmentand civiliari agencies'before,during, and ' Fiy. i. TAis picture of Ceiia'tvqs taken ftorn the at'Glans»ilute after a hurrirane. pesponslbiiliticsof Jacalgovernments: i.adan . '/be eye of the how'cafteis the hiacA hake to the and indivIdualsin pieparihgfor 11urricanes'alsoBre dis- not tileast at .thp. second E6''lgtram the center of the Iudaf CUSSCd. scope,. /he i»hite area represents the hca»y cfood and > air ar'w. Photocourtesy of thc NationalHun icatle Ccfitcf.!
Galveston H'UrncaAc'.in 3 900 oaUscdthc most deaths 11; ACKNOW IEDGIVIENTS ,000 to.8,000!:,"and, in Texas .'Hurticat18 Celia 970! VVBSrcSPonsible 'fot thc.gr8atest CStirnalccldamage of' yvcextcAi'1 GUI most sincereBppicciation to Oi Cecil property $SQO..mJIliotl!,:Appendices 11 and I 1 detail Gentry'at1d 9r- Neil Flank o'f thc National HUI'I"icaric posts of the. most recent Texas hurricanes. Center.fortheir helpful oornntcntsand suggestion's;Se Oollar damagessoar witll,altnost every hurridancduc to wish to thank l3r. james R. Scoggins,director ot the tACreasesiA. coastal .populatiOns and:property valUcs, Yot Centerfo'r Appiied Geosriehdes,Texas ASM.University, the death toll geilerallyha» decreased because of' better foi hts COAtinuedgUIdRACC'BAd suPppt"t tht OUghout.'th5 ' warningsystems; WIth radarand satellitesto makeremote project. tVCwould like to acknowled'gethe help.of Mr. obscr'vations',itis'imp'rcbab'Ie that a hurricahe cOuld''. JosephPelissicr of' the National HurricaneCentei, who arrive unat1tlout1ccdBt the Texas coast. 1 he combtnattoA furoishedbackgnound information, and Ms,Tceria Conk 'in of radio and televisionalerts together with local warning of thc Texas Highway Department for assistance'in nctwo'rksshoit'Id provide sufFtcIent notice. so tlirt obtaintAgnliany photogtaphs used ln this'study, SpcoJRJ everyone can be prepared. thanks are extended to Ms. Polly Luther for hcr A glossaryof hUrricanctetnls ts picsentcd ln Appendix I profcssiotlaltypirig of the many drafts, for conVcAICntt'CfCI'Cttcc,
1 V. OAR]AGE.SY'Wj NO%
The hurricane,righ'tfully called"'the'greatest storm'ot1 Tropical cyclonesarc classifiedby tacit centi'BJpt'cs»Ure . earth," iSOrle fOrm Of tioplCRICVCIOAC--a SWirhng ma»S Of SCCglo»SBty tA AppendiX I!.RAd by thc SpeedGf theif WIAds, Bir'BAd prccipitafioi1 that canOBU»c extrenlc damage,ln thc Thc tt.opical'depression contaiAs winds of less than 39 UritledState», hUl'ACBACS haVC CBUPSC'd rnol'8C!Btttage than m.p.h. Tropical stol'Alscontain:winds of 40"73 I'A.p,h, BAyotl'ict' type of AatUfBl disaster, During ihc fit'st 60 HurrlcRncshave su»tat t1cd winds'of 74 rA.p.h,ot' tniorc. yearsof this century :I 7,006 I Iveswere lost and property Rheo winds arc betweet1'100 and '135m.p.h., the damageamounted to $5 billion Maunder 1970!, The hurricaneis dcstgnatcdBs a tnalor.hurricane>BAd 'lf. thc winds are greater than 135 m.p.h., as an e'xtreme hurricane, bution aroundan extremehurricane like Carla 'I961!. The strongest gusts in a hurricane may exceed 200 m.p.h, Fig, 4 represents a smaller hurricane with hurricane-strength bUt oCCurrafcly. winds in only one sector of thc cyclone; This hurricane is I'n the recent history of huiricanes along the T'exas more representative of those found on. the Texas coast than coast,Cclia August1970! is theoutstanding example of is.the extremehurricane of Fig. 3. Both are representedon damage caused by extremely high winds. As Celia moved the same scale su that comparisons can be made. inland lust north of CorpusChristi, thc peakjust at the At wind speedsbetween 35 and 40 m,p,h,, twigs ali'poi't was measUlcd at..16l m.p'.h. Thc anefnomctcr arc broken from trees and.walking against or with the wind wind-measuringInstrument! at Al ansasPass was blown is difficult. With speedsin the 40's, slight structuraldamage away at 150 m.p.h.; later the wind was estimated Rt180 occurs;.shingles can be blown off roofs, and unsecured m,p.h. trash cans are scattered. When wind speedsreach 49 to HurricaneCarla September1961! wasanother extreme 56 m.p,h., tf'cebunches can breakand significantdamage hurricane, Catla had all thc features high winds,hcavy can ocrur to strudtures, rains,extensive stot'm surge, and tornadoes!that. cause Thc wiAd foicc applied to al1y oblcct increaseswith thc damage, Her strongest winds were eslimated to bc 170 squareof the wind spe'ed Fig. 5!, Con'sidera house'l00 m.p. h a t Po f't Lavaca, feet Iong and 'I 0 feet high with a 100 m.p.h. wind blowing Thc "cye" is the focal poi'Atof a hurricane. Fig, 1 is a against Ii:. since WIAd Rt 100 m,p,h, cxcl'ts R force of aboUC piCture Of Celia taken from the radar SCOpeat 8rOWASVille. 40. pounds per square foot the total force exerted agaiAst The c'ye is identified easily as the cloudless; circular area in one side of the house would bc 40x 100 x10 or 40,000 the upperright rjortheast! porticjn of the cloud mass.As pounds! Nth'R Windof 160 m.p,h., this force would be in moSt CRSes;the ey'e is Aot Centered in the Cloud mRSSarid 100 x.100 x 10 or 100,000 pounds! When rain is driven the winds are not distributed uniformly around the cye. In by the wind, the force exertedon the side.of a buildingis the satellitepicture of HurricaneBeulah September1967! even.greater, Fcw buildings are designed to withstand such ShOwnin Fig. 2, the eye iS barely viSible, HurjiCanes are force without damage,Figs; 6 and 7 illustratedamage by eccentric, and each has different characteristics. high winds to buildingss. The general structure of hurricane winds is shown ln Trees also arc blown over or uprooted by hurricanc- Figs. 3 and 4. Fig. 3 illustrates the schematic wind distfi- force winds Fig. 8!;.Rndwhole forestsmay be leveled; l3ufIng HurricaneCamille '1969,Mississippi!, tries to the westof thc cyc where'winds wefe from thc Aorth!werc lying parallel.to each other with'their crowns.pointed sduth. To the eastof the c'yc whcrc winds werc from the south!, the' trees were lying parallel with crowns'pointed north. Overheadpower and telephonelives frequently are broken by strung winds. These downed electric lines are a harard if the power is on. Furthermore blowing debris fl'ofA dcstfoyed buildings cRAcaUsc cxtcnslvc dRmagcto othef strUctufcs; RAd serious IAJUAcsto people Ao't IA shelter,
Slot'm SUI'gc,wl RbnorfARII" isc iA thc level of thc sea, CRUscsthc.gfcatcst conccntfatlon of death and dcsti Uctlon in R hurricane.The cuntinual poundingof the storm surge whichmay reach heights. Up to 20 feet!with wavessuper- imposed can destroy almost any manmade structure. Fig. 9 shows the storm surge.during Hurricane Carla. Many people who stayed in their homes near the coast ~ij, 2, A sate/lite picture of //Urrfcane 8eu/ah aver the during:thc Great Galveston Hurricane of 1900, and during Gu/f of fv/exico. The eye is the srna//:h/ac%dot'j Ust be/ovv the.! Adlanola hurricanes of'1875 arjd 1886, were buried in the +in the cenrer of the picture, The vv*ite areasare the resulting rubble. Some persons''who left during the height c/ocif/s. The size of the hurricane and the general circa/ation of the storm, becausetheir homeswerc'being destroyed, feat&'resare Nastratec/we//. Photo coUftesy of the were washed away and never tound. When Hurricane Camille National HUfucancCcAIef.! hit thc Mississippi coast near PassChristian in 1969, hcf storm O O CI CVo O I HdW 033dS 0 NIAL Surgedestroyed numerous sttuctures; induding a three- story, 40.unit apartmentbuilding. Only the foundation of the aparfment building remained. About a dozen tenants held a hurricaneparty during the storm-their bodieswere navel foUAd., ln some areas df the world» the storm surge ran reaci1 heigh'is ot 40':feet or tnorc. A fevv'years ago aA cxtren'16 hurt'tcane cailcd cycloAcs itl thc lt1dlaAOccai1! hn. the .islandsoff the coastof Pakistan now 8angladcsh!.The storm surgekilled an estimateddnc million peopleand destroyedalmost all the cropsand housingon the low, flat islands. Anotller hazard of tl1c stot'Al sUt'gcwas clcnloAstl'atccl by Hurricane Audrey, which hit the west Lcuisiana coast near Came on tn June l 957 Even though a hurricane watch Fig, 6, 3 ttei the rrtasonrytvvDin CdrptrsChristi vieided to had been issued two days in advance and hurricane warnings tACwirtds Ot 8iA r!cane Cella l'970!, tACI'Gof feii. Photo were issued l4 hours before hi'gh winds and'high tides courtesyof the TexasHighway Department.! reachedthe coast,few peopleevacuated the area. Many people%hostayed %ere drowAed. lt ts thought tltal the maJorityof peoplewho drownedsought safety by climbing into high treesand then fell into the risingflood waters after they werebitten by snakesalso taking refuge.ih the trees, Thc storm sUrgc is highest where oAshore winds are strongest--inthc right front quadrantof the hurricane, Fig, i 0 Harris 1963! showsthe distribution of storm surge. height abovemean sea level at varyit1»gdistances tram the eye of HurricaneAudrey '! 957!, Audrey wasmoving northward so the highest storm surge occurred to the right east! sideof Sheeye, Note that a stormsurge
Fig. 7; ldu~ricaneCeiia ieft the Patrtcio Courttyroad sign SAop,sortte 20 mitesII7iand» .a rnatcAstrcttSAQntMC, Photo courtesyof the TexasHighway Department.!
greaterthan eight feet high ran cxtertd i 50 milesalong the COaStiinc,! Surf cnt1ditiOnS and rip tfdeSalSO are dan'get"OUS for hui1drcds of miles along the coast. Thc hetghtof the storm sutgcdcpcAds OA a varietyof factors, ln addtttoA,to hurricane Size and:it1tenStty, the angle at which the stom1 strikes the coast is..onefactor. Storms that move onshore at right angles to the coast will causea higherstorm surgethan thosethat hit:obliquely, The height of regularly occurring tides can add fo or sub- tract.from the storm surge. The slopeand protile of the shoreline at1docean bottom near the beacHate it11portant becausethey ran createa bottleneckeffect rausingmuch highe~store tides; Barrier islands,it1icts; ahd estuariesalso affect size of thc storrri surge, as do the an1ount of vegetation and CQAStrUCtioniA the impaCt arCa.,8CCauSC A1aAy Cot'Apiece Flti. 5. FAC%virid pfPssvre exert80 on 0 strrfrrcepcrpeMI" factot»s'arc involved»height forecaststor thc stof Al'surge caviarto the virid flott» varies wr'tA tAC vagina'speed»as shotvn, tn.a gtvcA area at'e not always accuratc- Flood watersof the storm surgeusually come in lilkc a high tide but rise much faster. Sometimesin bays the storm sul'gc stal ts B.scrles of Tas't"rnov}Agwaves that oscillate fl'QN one side of the bay to thc other. The conditibn i» Illustrated by trying to carry water in a liat pan; the rush of: water trom oneend of th'epan to theother represents the oscIIIation in bays.Th}s warcr rnovcNcnt Iscalled B. »eiche' pronounced saychcI. Survivorshav'e described the suddeninflow as "greatwalls of waterwhich swept all beforethem,"' Forecastsof.this condition are beyond present capability. Tannehill 996! givesan account of a scicheat Coringa on the Bay Of Behgalthat illustratesthe destructivenessof thestorm surge during which the townand 20,000 Inhabltan ts cl1»appcdrecll Coringawas destroyed in a singleday. A frightful phenoNcAQA.fccluccdIt to Its prese'Atstate, IA thc Flg 8. TI'kocrsonrj5'of rM85 WCM SfNppcd Ap EAC'»v/nd5 of month of l3eccmbcr1789, at the moment'whena Hurric8r}8Cc/I'g. Photo courtesy of. the Texas Highway hightide!was at its highest:point, and that the Dcpal'trACAL! AOrthwcstwind blowing With fury accumulatedthe waters at the head of the bay, the unfortunate Afterthe hurricane passes,.authorrtles mustdispose 'of the lnhab}taAtSOfCOrlnga SBW With terrol' thYCC NOA»trpUS ca}'cassesbefore they becomehealth hazBI'ds. wavescorn}Ag "IA from the!scaqBAd 'following each otherat shortdistances. The first, s'weepingevery. Along fhc Texascoast, areas of. land SUbs}denceare Nore vulnerableto destruptionby thestorm surge. During the thing IA Its passage,brolJght several feet of watcl' Into .. thc town. The secondaugmented these ravages by last30 years someplaces have suAk as O'Iuch Bs scvcA feet, BAdsubsidcncc Is expccl'edto coAtlAucBt about thc sanl8 inundatingall of the low country, and the third I'ate, lf the storm surgefrom CarlaI1961! was two feet overwhelmed everything. where the land hassince subsided two fdet, a simiiarstorm Damageby the stormsurge occurs along the coastline todaycould cause the storm surge!to'bc four feetdeep, for hundredsof mlles from the centerof. the hurricane, Areasthat. Survived previous storm surges may Aol. be safe Farffom the eye,the stormsurge is evidencedby. numerous today. I ocatlons I ower than 20 feet above mian sea level Portuguesemcn-of-war or increased!seaweed and other debris fAUst.bc coAsidcredprime areasto be flooded by thc stot}n washed up on beaches; Closer tp the center there is vast sUI"ge,Bnd a}'cas higher than 20 feet abovemean sca level eros}onof somebeaches and consi'dc} BbIc deposition of are!notalways secure from. flooding; debriscn others,Marine and shore equipmer}t, Bs well Bs Accordingto somespecialists, thc effects of the storm boats,often aret'otn from theirmoorings and washed surgeare not alwaysdctri'mental. Baysare flushed of ' hundredsof yardsinland Fig. 31!. Fig.12 showshouses pollutants, BAd.sand IS tran Spo'rtccl fl'om the coAl'IAcf}tal. lifted from th811"foundations BAd filiated onto thc road, shelfonto beachesto replenish.previously lost sand, OftcA during the cvacuat}QAbcfor8 a hurricane,i}vestock. Sometimesthis shifting of sandexposes! old shipwrecks mustbe. left to becomevictims of the storm.Surge IFIg; 13I, BAd artifacts.
:".',;:»"-' ",':~4m~"~ ';~.i,"~<»",!,:~;,;;",.';," v",'»",;,,~,j",'-:,'",!:"4 ',"8;<'!',,.'!,» ' 'l4», 1"~-"; '
! .!»I»I}}» .!»»,~ »»»,ewe.!!,. a» ! %%»»AW!»I!V}4k}@0»!.'.."*»'Xn}»4,'&!»W!II'»!'»t4..!! ...'.Pk&»1!i»»»»!vi1 k~k F/g.0, Th}5v/8+ 5AOB6 /PfMIrjuf1d /cd 6pd18 5}ro/79 St/fgc0'u7 lng HoAf'cPHC C}r190 961!. I.c }vrndshc}»!8 det/BlSACd, but d}cflood5 rereoin, Photo courtesy otthe Texas Parks and Rildllfe Department,! a0 cv 0a A
0 '0 0 0 ec 0all 0
UJ 0 $
Z cvO Z
Vl 0 cv 0A a 0 0Ne
0 0 0
1SW BAOBAB 'l3 30IL ' Fig, 7 /, Thisis one of threeiarge boats that were washed a/most half a mile in/an@from Lavaca 8ay'.Onto Texas state 8ighway' 3/6 between /n«/iano/a and Port La&ca d«iring Huff/cane Caf/a. Photo courtesyof the TexasHighway Department,!
floo«IIAgfrom raInfall of aAy ieportcd tropical cycloAC. in Texas. Beulah struck thc coast just ncrth of Browns- Rainfall from tropical cyclonesis extrefne/y.variabl e, vIlle, movednorthward to a Iocationclose to Alice, Texas, and dependson the diameterdf the rainy areaand the turned'toward the Southwest and moved slowly into speedot cyclone movement. Total rainfall i'sgreatest for . IVIcxico,where shc dissipated. targehurricanes that moveslowly. Buteven a tropical The total rainfall from Beulah exceeded 30 inches at depressionthat ls not namedran drenrh a vastarea, someplaces Falfurrias'reported36 Inches!. The greatest The world recordfor 24-hour rainfall 3;62 inches! . '24-hourrainfall; an estimated'l5 inches,was at Sebastian. wasassociated with a typhoonin the Philippineislands, Although.not closeto worl«l records these afAOUAts did Althoughhurricanes ol' theTexas coast have not produced causesevere flooding df river systemsthroughout south suchspectacular rainfall, heavyrains have occurred. Texas and northccntral Mexico. ' Rivers that flooded during Heavyrainfall can causeflash floods and river system Beulah and SOmedctailS abOut the flOOdSare given in floods bdthof whichcan produce extreme damage. The Appendix IV. Fig. 14, taken after Hurri«are Beulah, flash flood, which la'sts30 minutesto four hours,'is caused shows the Rio Gr'andeoverflowing its banks''near Los by heavyI ainfaIIovci a smallarea where «IraInagc caAnof. Ebanos. carryaway excess w'atcr without overflow.For example, a dry streambed can fill with water 'andoverflow! ow bridges,undcrpasses, or low-lying areas. Danger to local residents occurs in areas usually not subject to high waier. The strong current can carry carsoff the road, ei'oderoad- beds, and wash out bridges, . Therivet' system.flood Fig. 'l4! developsmorc slowly. " Largerrivers may overflow their banksas they gather run- of'f including that from flash floods. This type of flood, which may Aot start until twb or three daysafter the hurricane,may persistfor' a weekor more, Although the current in the river channel is strong, most of the flood- water is overfkw with comparatively weak currents, While the flash flood may be thc killer, the river flood covers such an extensive ar'eathat dcstructioh of property . andcrops is greater, After thc water retreats,buildings are tulI of mud, furniture is warped,and rugsare unusable. Wind-drIvenrain also causes damage, RairI can entc» buildingsaround windows, through cracks,and under Fig;12, HousesstrucA 6y thestorm sttrge were f/bate«/and shingles,causing damage to interiors. Fig. 15 showsthe b/own onto Texas5tate Highway35 near Pa/acioscity /Imits driving rains of'Hurrican Carla. d«rrIngHQr6bane Car/a, 'Photo coultcsy of thc Texas HurricaneBeulah «I67! causedthe most extensive HighwayDepartment.! Vll, M.AM.'y TORNADOES
Two slgAlflcarltfeatures of the hUA'lcaAcspawned tol'nadoal'c its reducedsNC about half thc sizeof its GreatPlains cousin! and its shortduration usually minutes!.Consequently; the areaaffected is small, usually200 to 300 yardswide and less han a mile Iong, Nevertheless,this aleaoften ls ravagedcompletely, Generallytornadoes occur to the right of the direction of hurricanemovement. Thc area within anglesof Io to 'I 20 degreesfrom the diiection of movementin~ludes 94 pcrccflt of the tornadoes>fAost of which occul' between 60 and240 milesfrom theeye and outside the areaof.. hurricane-forcewinds, Tornadoes'occur morc.fl'ecluently Vvhena hUrl'lCCACA}OVCS AOrthWard, ICSS freqUCntly Vi'hen it moveswestward. Idurrlcane 8eulah 'I967! was a Aotabl'e exceptloA, Flg, /3, L/vektocP.%6're /8/t:/d tf7CWBA'8of Hufffcerre:Crier'/9'5 ln rcccAt years,I cportlngsystems have Improved so storm kurycorl Tcxek5trtte Hfy/tlvoy35 neer /ritrun/ro«vg8'. that scmegenera! knowledge exists of the numberand //t/k keogh.t«vs cortlrnoB rdonr/tbc TCA'lk cow't /n 58ptcfBber gcogfaphicaIextent of hulrlcane"generatedtornadoes. IA /96/, IPhotocourtesy of theTexas Highway l3cpartmcnt!! the United States, 8eulah holds thc record for hurricane- associatedtornadoes with morethan I00; Carla 96l! is damagewere small. If thesesmall but deadlytornadoes hit secondwith 26.. Because8eulah's,tornadoes hit largercities during future hurricanes,casualty lists and sparselypopulated areas, the de'athto'll and property property damage carl increase,
.' 4'>>jan> ip!$1 ««
J!
i 8iffy!l '!>Q
thebeCk of tvvocreeks; Photo rour tesy of theTexas HIghway. Department.! 30 taken Outsider/Orinr/ the /refr/hrOf r'heStorm.beer/uSC Of the de>ger, Phutp COU1'teeyOf the TeXaSHighWay Department.!
V/ll, D'ELAYEI9 DANGERS tX. SURViVAL AND RLCOVERY
When a hurricane strikes, the immediate danger is The hurricaAe, the greatest stbrm on earth, is a kglcr, caLlsedby flooding and stfoAg winds. But secondary or . and each person in its potential.path should take precautions rcs1dUBI:dangers coAtlnue after thc lY1alotdamage has to AllnlmIzc damage Bl'1dto'save Ilvcs.. Thc th Ir'd volume OCCUrred. of this se1lcsdiscusses ways BA jndtvldual can protect 61mscif, Utility systems may not be operating. There is danger. his family, Bnd his property; The role of various government of shock from electric power lines.that have beerl blown agcnclcsand cIvll IBAo'rgan!zatlon s ln' help lrig cl tl zens prcpBI c down. Power for any usc,.f lorn light to.refrigeration, may for BAd'rCCOVerf1OA1 .hUrl'IOBI'leS BISO Bre COASldCreCl. not be available, lf telephoneand telegraphlines alsohave been blown down, direct communication can be limited to battery-powered radios. ' Transportation systems can bc Inoperative. Bridges: BAd 1'oads can bc washed oUt ol" fl'ooded- Dcbris can biork roads. Movemcntof tood, medjral supplies;Bnd necessaryequipment can be impeded, Rater systems.ca'rl ' be flooded.and pdliuted. Sewage.andwaste cannot be. disposed of as usual, . Drowned animals, lack of drinking water, failure of ' scwagcsystems aAd hv1ng IA sheltercol'lc!1tloAs erc condUclve to oLltb1cak of disease; Numerous problems, including the threat of epidemics,confront. public health:
Snakesdriven from their natural:habitats by the high: water Rg. 'I 6! alsocan cause a.minor problem, During almOStevery hurricane peOpleare bitten by snakeSand have difficulty getting medical attention becauseof transportation and communication breakdowns, Snakes, which are strbng swimmers, will be along roads,'.in the remains of buildings, in trees, and in other high and dry places. Finally, there Is man. During every disaster there are Rg, /6. Thfs /Nfgc.r6'rr/e$64kernov6'c/ ro the s/109/derof r/le people who take BdlvBAtageof the confus1'onBAd rAlscry ///ghvvep'to CscrlP8tbsp f/OOd vl/ure/S of Huff/ eerie'Cgr/Q, to loot. and p1lfcr,' PhotocOurteSy Of the TCXBSHighWay Deparlment,I APPENOIX l
Hurricaneterms aredefined in the following glossary.
Bulletin: A public releasefrom a Weather Service iylal'or Hurricane: A tropical cyclone with maxirnurn Hurricane Warning Office issued at times other than windsof l01 m.p,h.to 135 m.p.h. 88 to 117 knots! those when advisories are required, A bulletin is and a minimum central pressure of 28.01 to 29.00 similar in form to an advisory but includes additional inchesHg 11.45 to 736.60 mm Hg or 948.53 to general newsworthy information. 982.05 rnb!.
Cautionary Advice fo Small Craft: When a hurricane is Seiche: A series of fast-moving wavesthat sometimes within a few hundred miles of a coastline, small aresuperimposed upon the storm surge. This pheno- craft operators are warned to take precautions and to menon may cause total destruction and great loss avoid entering the open sea. of life, Cyclone: A closedsystem of cyclonic counterclockwise Storm Surge: An abnormal rise in the level of the sea direction! circulationcharacterized by low pressure produced by the hurricane, This inundation is and inclement weather, usually responsible for the greatest loss of life and destruction of property. Extreme Hurricane: A tropical cyclone with maximum winds of 136 m.p.h. 18 knots! or higherand Storm Warning: A notice added to small craft advisories minimum central pressureof 28.00 inches Hg 'l1,20 when winds of 56-73 m.p.h. are expected. Both mm Hg or' 948.19 rnb! or less, gale and storm warnings indicate the coastal area to be affected and the expected intensity of the Eye: The roughly circular areaof comparativelylight disturbance. winds and fair weather at the center of a hurricane. Tornado: A violently rotating column of air, nearly Gale Warning: A notice added to small craft advisories always observable as a funnel cloud. when winds of 38-55 m.p.h, are expected. TornadoForecast Information. An advisorystating Hurricane: A tropical cyclone with sustained winds of that conditions are such that tornadoes may occur. 74 rn,p.h. 4 knots! or greater. Tornado Warning: An advisory stating that a tornado Hurricane Warning: A warning that within 24 hours or actually has been sighted by human eye or indicated lessa specifiedcoastal area may be subjectto a! by radar. sustainedwinds of 74 rn.p.h, 4 knots! or higherand/or b! dangerouslyhigh water or a combinationof Tropical Cyclone: A general term for the nearly circular cyclones that originate over tropical oceans. It dangerously high water and exceptionally high waves, includes tropical storms, tropical depressionsand all even though winds expected may be less than hurricane types of hurricanes. force. HurricaneWatch: The first alert whena hurricaneposes Tropical Cyclone/Hurricane Advisories: Messagesissued a possible, but as yet uncertain, threat to a certain simultaneously by the Hurricane Warning Offices coastal area, or when a tropical storm threatens the and the National Hurricane Center in Miami every six watch areaand hasa 50-50chance of intensifying hours describing the storm, its position, anticipated movement, and prospective threat. into a hurricane. Small craft advisories are issued as part of a hurricane watch advisory. 7ropical Depression: A tropical cyclone with sustained winds of lessthan 39 m.p.h. 4 knots!. Land Subsidence: The sinking of the land, caused mainly by the withdrawal of underground water from wells Tropical Storm: A tropical cyclone with sustained winds supplying cities and industries, This phenomenon of 39 to 73 m.p.'h. 4 to 63 knots!, may cause coastal areas to become more vulnerable to tropical storm flooding.
Local Action Statement: A public releaseprepared by a Weather Service Office in or near a threatened area giving specific details for its area of responsibility on weather conditions, evacuation notices, and other precautions necessaryto protect life and property. APPENDIX II
This summarylists the largestnumber of deathsand the greatestamount of dollar damagecaused by hurricanesaffecting the Texas coast.
Largest Number of Deaths
Hurricane and Date Texas Deaths
Great Galveston Hurricane 8-10 September 1900 6,000-8,000 $30-40 million
Corpus Christi Storm 14 September 'l 919 284 20 million
Galveston Storm 16-19 August 1915 275 56 million
l ndi ano I a S torm 15- l 8 September 1875 l76 No estimate
Greatest Amount of Dollar Damage
Hurricane and Date Texas Deaths
Celia 11 500 million 3-4 August 1970 5 outside Texas No estimate outside Texas
Carla 34 400 million 11-14 September 1961 12 outside Texas 25 million outside Texas
Beulah 15 200 million 8-21 September 1967 44 outside Texas No estimate outside Texas
Galveston Storm 275 56 million 16-19 August 1915 No estimate outside Texas
Great Galveston Hurricane 6,000-8,000 30-40 million 8-10 September 1900 No estimate outside Texas
13 APPENDIX III APPENDIX IV
Estimated costs of the last three extrcme hurricanes are Riversand creeksflooded by rainfall during Hurricane listed by type of damage. Beulah 967! are given.
Aransas River Basin: Flooded Bccville, Sinton, and Odem.
HURRICANE COSTS Guadalupe River Basin: Coleto Creek flooded roads and washed out bridges, flooded Yorktown; Gohle Creek Carla 1961 flooded Cuero; Guadalupe River flooded parts of Victoria. Damage by storm surge $200,195,000 Lavaca River Basin: Flooding not severe. Damageby wind, rain, and tornadoes 203,584,000 Cost of rescue efforts 4 311 000 Los OlmosCreek Basin: Floodedlarge rural areaand covered roads. TOTA L $408,290,000 Mission River Basin: Mission River set new records for Acres flooded 1,560,565 flooding at Refugio;Medio Creek sct new high levels. l3/uecesRi ver Basin: Nueces River set new flood records and flooded Tilden, Three Rivers, and Mathis; extensive flooding throughout the area,
Beulah 1967 Oso Creek Basin.' Flooded Robstown.
Damageby storm surge $5,449,000 PaloBlanco Creek Basin: Flooded Falfurrias worst Damageby wind, rain, and tornadoes 46,49I,000 in history! and much rural land. Damageby floods riversystem and flash! 108,158,000 Petronila Creek': Severe flood at. Driscolf. Cost of rescue efforts 6 746 000 Rio Grande River Basin: Flooded three to five miles TOTA L $168,844,000 wide in he areasof SanBenito, La Grulla, Los Ebanos, Rio Grande City, and other places. 5 deaths and $2 million damage by tornadoes SanAntonio River Basin: Nichols Creekflooded Kenedy; Acres flooded by storm surge 630,000 San Antonio River flooded parts of San Antonio and Acresflooded by overflow from 50 streams 1,400,000 set new records at Goliad.
San FernandoCreek Basin: FloodedAlice, Bishop,and the countryside south of Kingsville.
Cclia 1970 The U. S. Fi'oodwaySystem: Floodingat Missionand Harlingen; overflo from floodway canals flooded partsof McAllen, Edinburg,Eisa, LaVilla, Sebastian, Damage by storm surge $27,570,000 Lyford, Rayrnondville, San Perlita, and adf'accnt Damageby wind, rain, and tornadoes 439,738,000 rural areas, Cost of rescue efforts 32 692 000
TOTA I $500,000,000 REFERENCES
Carr, J ohn T. Report 49, Hurricanes Affecting the Texas Harris, D. L. Technical Paper lVo. 48, Characteristics of Gulf Coast, Texas Water Development Board, Austin, the Hurricane Storm Surge. U. S. Department of Texas. J une1967, Commerce, Weather Bureau. Washington, D. C. 1963.
Davis, W. R. "The 1957 Hurricane Season." lilieatherwise, Hill, E. L. et al. "Tornadoes Associated with Cyclones Voh 11, No. 1, February 1958. of Tropical Origin-Practical Features." Journal of Applied hleteorology, Voh 5, No. 6. December 1966. Environmental Geologic Atlas of the Texas Coastal Zone: Beaumont-Port Arthur Area, Bureau of Economic Maunder, W. J. The Value of Weather, Methuen and Geology, The University of Texas at Austin. 1973. Co. Ltd., London. 1970.
Fisher, W. L. et al. Environmental Geologic Atlas of Moore, Paul L, et al. "The Hurricane Seasonof 1957." the Texas Coastal Zone: Galveston-Houston Area. lvlonthly P7eatherReview, p. 40'1-406. December 1957. Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas at Austin. 1972. Tannehill, I. R. The Hurricane. U. S. Department of Commerce, Weather Bureau, Washington, D. C, 1956, Glossary of il4eteorology. American Meteorological Society, Boston, Massachusetts. 1959. Report on Hurricane "Beulah, "8-21 September 1967. U. S. Army Engineer District, Galveston, Texas. Grice, G. K. An Investigation of the Tornadoes September 1968. Associated with Hurricane Beulah. Unpublished thesis. Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas. 1968, Report on Hurricane "Carla, "9-12 September 1961. U. S. Army Engineer District, Galveston, Texas. Grozier, R. V. et al. Report 83, floods from Hurricane January 1962. Beulah in South 1 exasand IVortheastern lvlexico, September-October 1967, Texas Water Development Report on Hurricane "Celia, "30 July 5 August 1970. Board, Austin, Texas. September 1968, U. S. Army Engineer District, Galveston, Texas. February 1971.