DOCSLIB.ORG

Hurricane Harvey, Irma, and Maria 6 Month Update

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Hurricane Harvey, Irma, and Maria 6 Month Update HURRICANE HARVEY, IRMA, AND MARIA 6 MONTH UPDATE Rebuilding houses and hope “Ministry in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria and Irma involves special challenges and opportunities. We are excited to have quality local partners with which to work,” Laarman said. “Those who volunteer with DRS on the island will have interesting experiences and learn a lot.” What has been and what will be happening? In the first six months after the hurricanes, your donations to World Renew have already • Provided home repair services in eight communities in Texas and Puerto Rico • Connected 480 individuals and families with local Linda stood on her front porch crying tears of joy as she saw her support to help them in their recovery in Florida new home being built. and Texas through unmet needs assessments. “The floor doesn’t move anymore!” she said. • Helped 26 families clean-out their damaged homes. Linda, a single mom in Puerto Rico, was raising her five • Set strong foundations throughout Florida, kids by herself and worked hard to save enough money to Texas, and Puerto Rico to provide long-term buy a piece of land with a small, two-bedroom home. When recovery services for hurricane survivors and their Hurricane Maria hit, the family’s house was destroyed. Linda communities. was left feeling lost and hopeless, and because she was now • Provided financial grants to local recovery groups homeless, she became in danger of losing custody of her kids. Recovery will take months for some survivors. For “Thankfully, an organization with whom World Renew others, it will be years. Because of the magnitude Disaster Response Services (DRS) is working, Adventist of the destruction, combined with how widespread Agency for Development and Resource Assistance (ADRA), a geographic area the hurricanes hit, World Renew got in touch with her to ask about her needs. Soon, a team of anticipates being involved in recovery efforts for volunteers from ADRA and World Renew DRS were able to three years or more throughout Texas, Florida, and rebuild a three-bedroom for Linda’s family where she can once Puerto Rico. again live with hope and raise her children in their new home.” The generous donations given after the storms will provide support and needs assessments for Hurricanes Irma and Maria tore through Puerto Rico in local recovery groups as they assist the survivors September 2017, interrupting lives and destroying homes across in their communities meeting their own identified the island. “Thanks to the generous outpouring of financial needs whether they be personal, construction, and/ donations to World Renew, we will be able to help hurricane or household needs. The need for help with home survivors in Puerto Rico for quite some time,” said Bob repairs will be ongoing for the next several years Laarman, World Renew DRS director. and World Renew and its volunteers will be there for World Renew is thankful to be welcomed to the city of as long as possible to help survivors who would not Mayaguez by ADRA to work together to rebuild homes for otherwise be able to fix their home. hurricane survivors like Linda. worldrenew.net/drs ftY Puerto Rico Her house was too badly damaged Amelia filled out a needs assessment to be repaired and is scheduled to be survey with a volunteer from World demolished. Julia, her husband, and his Renew DRS in January. disabled brother rode out the storm in Through the World Renew DRS needs their home, which had both wind damage assessment, she was able to connect to and a storm surge, leaving them in waist- the Immokalee organization heading deep water. After the hurricane, all of their up hurricane recovery, walking along belongings were jumbled up and mixed in survivors who are unable to make repairs with sludge from the storm. and recover on their own. Amelia will be This is not an uncommon situation. able to get her new roof and find resources From September – December 2017, to help her meet her other needs. World Renew volunteers gave almost Regional managers have spent many Hurricane Maria completely destroyed 3,000 hours of help to clean-up heavily hours meeting with communities to Angel’s home in Puerto Rico. Due to flooded homes in Port Arthur. determine when and where World limitations, he has been unable to rebuild Twenty-two trained World Renew Renew could be of service. Churches his home. By God’s grace, World Renew volunteers carried out unmet needs and schools are also eager to help repair and ADRA were blessed to celebrate a assessments, which help identify homes in Florida. At least 15 groups are Last Nail Ceremony at the completion of vulnerable survivors by systematically making plans with World Renew to serve Angel’s newly built home in January 2018. surveying disaster-affected communities, across Irma impacted areas. A Last Nail Ceremony includes music, in two locations of Brazoria County *not her real name a litany of words, and a prayer. During in January 2018. This was the first of the celebration, the owner of the home numerous anticipated needs assessments is given a small nail and a hammer and in Texas. encouraged to drive in the last nail. A World Renew is currently Financial Update symbolic wreath is placed as a token of coordinating home repair mission trips (as of February 28, 2018) for over 60 different churches and remembrance and thanksgiving. US (US currency) “If my mother could have seen this, schools to Texas specifically. *not her real name Hurricane Harvey 2017 she would never have imagined we would $2,663,784.94 have had such a nice home,” said Angel. Florida Hurricane Irma 2017 “Thank you.” $698,876.87 Staff and regional managers have made Hurricane Irma 2017 two trips to Puerto Rico to coordinate North America recovery efforts with local organizations. $444,011.00 There are many ongoing details to arrange Hurricane Irma 2017 such as housing, transportation, meals, International construction specifications, coordinating $36,447.99 work projects, managing the language Hurricanes 2017 barrier, and more. Puerto Rico/US Virgin Islands Texas $813,236.20 Canada (Canadian currency) Amelia* lives in Immokalee, Florida, Hurricane Harvey 2017 and her home suffered significant $156,800.92 damage from Hurricane Irma in Hurricane Irma 2017 September 2017. Five months after $14,290.73 the hurricane, she is living with moldy Hurricane Irma 2017 walls and bedding, rotting flooring, North America holes in her roof, and extensive property $8,073.83 destruction, but she is only asking for Hurricane Irma 2017 one thing. International “I just need a new roof,” she said. $56,698.08 Julia’s* home hasn’t been touched since The rainy season, May through Hurricanes 2017 Hurricane Harvey. She said it is too October, is coming and she doesn’t want Puerto Rico/US Virgin Islands difficult physically and emotionally to try her family living with rain water pouring $31,486.95 to go through everything. into their home. 3475 Mainway 1700 28th Street SE PO Box 5070 STN LCD 1 Grand Rapids MI 49508-1407 Burlington ON L7R 3Y8 800-552-7972 800-730-3490 worldrenew.net.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • SUPPORTING RESILIENT RECONSTRUCTION in DOMINICA Building Back Better for a Resilient Future
    SUPPORTING RESILIENT RECONSTRUCTION IN DOMINICA Building back better for a resilient future AT A GLANCE Country Dominica Damage to housing across all parishes following Hurricane Maria Risks Hurricanes; Floods; Landslides; Earthquakes Area of Engagement Enabling resilient recovery By improving the uptake of resilient building practices, Dominica can limit the damage from natural hazards. Data source: Hurricane Maria Post-Disaster Needs Assessment DOMINICA’S VULNERABILITY TO NATURAL HAZARDS Dominica is located within the Atlantic hurricane belt and SHARING RESULTS, LEVERAGING is extremely vulnerable to high-intensity weather events FINANCING AND STARTING TO such as high winds, excess rainfall and hurricanes. Physical REBUILD development in Dominica is concentrated along narrow coastal areas, particularly in the south and west. Housing is Following both Hurricane Maria and Tropical Storm Erika, not built to withstand extreme natural hazards, with wood and Dominica conducted Post-Disaster Needs Assessments (PDNAs), galvanized sheeting being most common for roofing and with with support from the ACP-EU NDRR Program*, which is few confined masonry buildings. managed by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) and the World Bank. On September 18, 2017, Hurricane Maria hit Dominica with catastrophic effects. Hurricane Maria was one of the most The Hurricane Maria PDNA identified housing as the most rapidly intensifying storms in recent history, leaving Dominica affected sector and one of the most important and challenging exposed to winds, flash floods and landslides. The impacts of areas for recovery. Building on the recommendations of the Hurricane Maria were severe both for the country’s economy Hurricane Maria PDNA, the ACP-EU NDRR Program launched as well as the human development of its citizens, and affected the “Enhancing Resilient Reconstruction in Dominica” project.
    [Show full text]
  • 2021 Rio Grande Valley/Deep S. Texas Hurricane Guide
    The Official Rio Grande Valley/Deep South Texas HURRICANE GUIDE 2021 IT ONLY TAKES ONE STORM! weather.gov/rgv A Letter to Residents After more than a decade of near-misses, 2020 reminded the Rio Grande Valley and Deep South Texas that hurricanes are still a force to be reckoned with. Hurricane Hanna cut a swath from Padre Island National Seashore in Kenedy County through much of the Rio Grande Valley in late July, leaving nearly $1 billion in agricultural and property damage it its wake. While many may now think that we’ve paid our dues, that sentiment couldn’t be further from the truth! The combination of atmospheric and oceanic patterns favorable for a landfalling hurricane in the Rio Grande Valley/Deep South Texas region can occur in any season, including this one. Residents can use the experience of Hurricane Hanna in 2020 as a great reminder to be prepared in 2021. Hurricanes bring a multitude of hazards including flooding rain, damaging winds, deadly storm surge, and tornadoes. These destructive forces can displace you from your home for months or years, and there are many recent cases in the United States and territories where this has occurred. Hurricane Harvey (2017), Michael (2018, Florida Panhandle), and Laura (2020, southwest Louisiana) are just three such devastating events. This guide can help you and your family get prepared. Learn what to do before, during and after a storm. Your plan should include preparations for your home or business, gathering supplies, ensuring your insurance is up to date, and planning with your family for an evacuation.
    [Show full text]
  • Report of the Governor's Commission to Rebuild Texas
    EYE OF THE STORM Report of the Governor’s Commission to Rebuild Texas John Sharp, Commissioner BOARD OF REGENTS Charles W. Schwartz, Chairman Elaine Mendoza, Vice Chairman Phil Adams Robert Albritton Anthony G. Buzbee Morris E. Foster Tim Leach William “Bill” Mahomes Cliff Thomas Ervin Bryant, Student Regent John Sharp, Chancellor NOVEMBER 2018 FOREWORD On September 1 of last year, as Hurricane Harvey began to break up, I traveled from College Station to Austin at the request of Governor Greg Abbott. The Governor asked me to become Commissioner of something he called the Governor’s Commission to Rebuild Texas. The Governor was direct about what he wanted from me and the new commission: “I want you to advocate for our communities, and make sure things get done without delay,” he said. I agreed to undertake this important assignment and set to work immediately. On September 7, the Governor issued a proclamation formally creating the commission, and soon after, the Governor and I began traveling throughout the affected areas seeing for ourselves the incredible destruction the storm inflicted Before the difficulties our communities faced on a swath of Texas larger than New Jersey. because of Harvey fade from memory, it is critical that Since then, my staff and I have worked alongside we examine what happened and how our preparation other state agencies, federal agencies and local for and response to future disasters can be improved. communities across the counties affected by Hurricane In this report, we try to create as clear a picture of Harvey to carry out the difficult process of recovery and Hurricane Harvey as possible.
    [Show full text]
  • Urbanization Exacerbated the Rainfall and Flooding Caused by Hurricane Harvey and Tropical Storm Allison
    Urbanization exacerbated the rainfall and flooding caused by hurricane Harvey and tropical storm Allison Wei Zhang IIHR-Hydroscience & Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City Hurricanes are formed in the warm ocean and make landfall over coastal regions occasionally. NASA 2 Hurricanes are warm-core low-pressure systems with destructive winds and torrential rainfall. Harvey in 2017 Katrina in 2005 100+ casualties 1,800+ casualties $125+ billion in damage $160+ billion in damage National Weather Service 3 Harvey stayed in Texas for several days. The reason for its stalling movement is still under investigation. 4 Record-breaking hurricane Harvey poured more than 1 meter rainfall over some parts of Houston. 休斯顿 Houston Stage IV Radar Products 5 Extreme precipitation and flash flooding caused by hurricane Harvey have led to major damages to Houston and surrounding areas. Associated Press CNN 6 Research on Harvey Rainfall (Impacts of anthropogenic forcing) • Assessing the present and future probability of Hurricane Harvey's rainfall (Emanuel 2018) • Quantitative attribution of climate effects on Hurricane Harvey's extreme rainfall in Texas (Wang et al. 2018) • Attribution of extreme rainfall from Hurricane Harvey, August 2017 (Van Oldenborgh et al. 2018) • Hurricane Harvey links to ocean heat content and climate change adaptation (Trenberth et al. 2018) 7 Climate change increased the probability of Harvey rainfall events. (Van Oldenborgh et al. 2018) 8 Again, climate change increased the probability of Harvey rainfall events. Emanuel, 2017, PNAS But, I examined Harvey rainfall from a different perspective … 9 What was the role played by buildings in Houston in changing the rainfall associated with hurricane Harvey? Before Hurricane Harvey After Hurricane Harvey 10 Oke et al.
    [Show full text]
  • UB Powerpoint Template
    converge.colorado.edu CONVERGE ethical, coordinated, and scientifically rigorous social science, engineering, and interdisciplinary extreme events research Lori Peek Principal Investigator, CONVERGE, SSEER, and ISEEER Director, Natural Hazards Center Professor, Department of Sociology University of Colorado Boulder Session 2: Collecting, Managing, and Archiving Social and Behavioral Science Data Describe opportunities for identifying and coordinating social science researchers so that we can best share information and publish our data as well as data collection protocols using DOIs, repositories, etc. Discuss some of the overarching challenges and concerns with sharing social science data, such as privacy, data management plans and related IRB policies, duplication vs. replication, etc. converge.colorado.edu 4 Things converge.colorado.edu 1. NSF has funded the CONVERGE initiative converge.colorado.edu Why CONVERGE? Why CONVERGE? • identify and coordinate researchers and research teams; • advance hazards and disaster research; • encourage the publication of data and data collection instruments and protocols (DesignSafe Cyberinfrastructure + CONVERGE). • support and accelerate training and mentoring; • fund virtual reconnaissance, field research, and the development of novel research instruments and data collection protocols; • accelerate the development of mobile applications for social science data collection (NHERI RAPID); Why CONVERGE? 2. NSF Supports Extreme Events Research (EER) Networks converge.colorado.edu Why the EER’s? Disciplinary
    [Show full text]
  • Persistent Hydrological Consequences of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico
    RESEARCH LETTER Persistent Hydrological Consequences of Hurricane 10.1029/2018GL081591 Maria in Puerto Rico Special Section: P. W. Miller1,2 , A. Kumar1, T. L. Mote1 , F. D. S. Moraes1 , and D. R. Mishra1 The Three Major Hurricanes of 2017: Harvey, Irma and Maria 1Department of Geography, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA, 2Now at Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA Key Points: • Landscape vegetation metrics for Puerto Rico remained depressed Abstract In September 2017, Hurricane Maria severely defoliated Puerto Rico's landscape, coinciding below pre‐Maria values for with a series of persistent hydrological consequences involving the atmospheric, terrestrial, and marine approximately two months after components of the water cycle. During the defoliated period, the atmosphere's thermodynamic structure landfall 2 2 2 • Cloud and precipitation activity more strongly explained daily cloud activity (R PRE = 0.02; R POST = 0.40) and precipitation (R PRE = 0.19; demonstrated a stronger 2 R POST = 0.33) than before landfall, indicating that post‐Maria land‐atmosphere interactions were relationship to the atmospheric comparatively muted, with similar precipitation patterns also found following Hurricanes Hugo (1989) and thermodynamic profile during the defoliated period Georges (1998). Meanwhile, modeled post‐Maria runoff exceeded statistical expectations given the magnitude • Subsurface runoff responses to of contemporaneous precipitation. Enhanced runoff also coincided with greater sediment loads in nearshore rainfall and coastal suspended waters, increasing sediment content greater than twofold. This study offers a holistic narrative of sediment values remained elevated for two and four months, hydrospheric disturbance and recovery, whereby the instantaneous, large‐scale removal of vegetation is respectively accompanied by hydrologic changes “upstream” in the atmosphere and “downstream” in rivers and estuaries.
    [Show full text]
  • Hurricane Damage Detection on Four Major Caribbean Islands T ⁎ Kirsten M
    Remote Sensing of Environment 229 (2019) 1–13 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Remote Sensing of Environment journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/rse Hurricane damage detection on four major Caribbean islands T ⁎ Kirsten M. de Beursa, , Noel S. McThompsona, Braden C. Owsleya, Geoffrey M. Henebryb,c a Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability, University of Oklahoma, United States of America b Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences, Michigan State University, United States of America c Center for Global Change and Earth Observations, Michigan State University, United States of America ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Keywords: Tropical cyclones are natural events that transform into natural disasters as they approach and reach land. In Hurricanes 2017 alone, tropical cyclones caused an estimated $215 billion in damage. While MODIS data are regularly used Droughts in the analysis of hurricanes and typhoons, damage studies typically focus on just a few events without providing MODIS a comprehensive overview and comparison across events. The MODIS record is now sufficiently long to enable Disturbance standardization in time, allowing us to extend previously developed disturbance methodology and to remove Tasseled Cap dependency on land cover datasets. We apply this new approach to detect the impact of both droughts and hurricanes on the four largest Caribbean islands since 2001. We find that the percentage of disturbed land on the four islands varies from approximately 0–50% between 2001 and 2017, with the highest percentages coinciding with major droughts in Cuba, and Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. We demonstrate that (1) Hurricane Maria resulted in significant disturbance across 50% of Puerto Rico (4549 km2), and (2) gradual recovery started about 2.5 months after the hurricane hit.
    [Show full text]
  • Hurricane Harvey Clean Rivers Program Impact Lessons Learned from Laboratory Flooding Table of Contents
    Hurricane Harvey Clean Rivers Program Impact Lessons Learned from Laboratory Flooding Table of Contents • Hurricane Harvey General Information • Local River Basin impact • Community Impact • LNVA Laboratory Impact • Lessons Learned General Information Hurricane Harvey Overview General Information • Significantly more info is available online • Wikipedia, RedCross, Weather.GoV, etc • Brief Information • Struck Texas on August 24, 2017 • Stalled, dumped rain, went back to sea • Struck Louisiana on August 29, 2017 • Stalled, dumped rain, finally drifted inland • Some estimates of rainfall are >20 TRILLION gallons General Information • Effect on Texans • 13,000 rescued • 30,000 left homeless • 185,000 homes damaged • 336,000 lost electricity • >$100,000,000,000 in revenue lost • Areas of Houston received flooding that exceeded the 100,000 year flood estimates General Information • On the plus side… • 17% spike in births 9 months after Harvey • Unprecedented real-world drainage modeling • Significant future construction needs identified • IH-10 and many feeder highways already being altered to account for high(er) rainfall events • Many homes being built even higher, above normal 100y and 500Y flood plains River Basin Impact Lower Neches River and surrounding areas River Basin Impact • Downed trees • Providing habitat for fish and ecotone species • Trash • Still finding debris and trash miles inland and tens of feet up in trees • And bones • Oil spills • Still investigating, but likely will not see impact River Basin Impact • The region is used to normal, seasonal flooding • most plants and wildlife are adapted to it • Humans are likely the only species really impacted • And their domestic partners Village Creek, one of the tributaries of the Neches River, had a discharge comparable to that of the Niagra River (i.e.
    [Show full text]
  • Hurricane Marãa Tripled Stem Breaks and Doubled Tree Mortality Relative
    ARTICLE https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-09319-2 OPEN Hurricane María tripled stem breaks and doubled tree mortality relative to other major storms María Uriarte 1, Jill Thompson2 & Jess K. Zimmerman3 Tropical cyclones are expected to intensify under a warming climate, with uncertain effects on tropical forests. One key challenge to predicting how more intense storms will influence these ecosystems is to attribute impacts specifically to storm meteorology rather than dif- 1234567890():,; ferences in forest characteristics. Here we compare tree damage data collected in the same forest in Puerto Rico after Hurricanes Hugo (1989, category 3), Georges (1998, category 3), and María (2017, category 4). María killed twice as many trees as Hugo, and for all but two species, broke 2- to 12-fold more stems than the other two storms. Species with high density wood were resistant to uprooting, hurricane-induced mortality, and were protected from breakage during Hugo but not María. Tree inventories and a wind exposure model allow us to attribute these differences in impacts to storm meteorology. A better understanding of risk factors associated with tree species susceptibility to severe storms is key to predicting the future of forest ecosystems under climate warming. 1 Department of Ecology Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, 1200 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027, USA. 2 Centre for Ecology & Hydrology Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian EH26 0QB, UK. 3 Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00925, USA. Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to M.U. (email: [email protected]) NATURE COMMUNICATIONS | (2019) 10:1362 | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-09319-2 | www.nature.com/naturecommunications 1 ARTICLE NATURE COMMUNICATIONS | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-09319-2 yclonic storms (hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons) exposure to wind or the structure and composition of forests at Crepresent the dominant natural disturbance in coastal the time the storm struck.
    [Show full text]
  • Hurricane Maria
    Hurricane Maria Six-Month Update | April 2018 Red Cross Response Continues to Aid Communities with Urgent Needs More than six months after Hurricane Maria’s high winds We also worked to help survivors cope with day-to- and torrential rainfall devastated Puerto Rico, the U.S. day difficulties caused by the destruction of much of Virgin Islands and islands throughout the Caribbean, the the island’s power grid. For example, water pumps American Red Cross continues to provide life-sustaining aren’t functioning in many communities with ongoing support for people with urgent needs. In Maria’s wake, power outages, leaving thousands of residents thousands of hurricane survivors, particularly in more without access to safe drinking water. Red Cross isolated communities, face long-term challenges disaster workers traveled throughout Puerto Rico, brought about by severe storm damage to homes and supplying water filters to these heavily impacted infrastructure—including lack of power and clean water. areas and training people on how to purify the water they are drawing from wells, streams and rivers. Using the RC View data collection system, Red Cross volunteers and employees have been able to assess In addition, the Red Cross is providing critical health damage, identify unmet needs and target communities and mental health services for people dealing with across Puerto Rico where additional support is required. ongoing medical needs that were further complicated We have delivered vital relief items like drinking water, by damage to the health care infrastructure, as well as bulk food items and cleanup supplies, as well as tarps to those suffering from heartbreaking loss.
    [Show full text]
  • ANNUAL SUMMARY Atlantic Hurricane Season of 2005
    MARCH 2008 ANNUAL SUMMARY 1109 ANNUAL SUMMARY Atlantic Hurricane Season of 2005 JOHN L. BEVEN II, LIXION A. AVILA,ERIC S. BLAKE,DANIEL P. BROWN,JAMES L. FRANKLIN, RICHARD D. KNABB,RICHARD J. PASCH,JAMIE R. RHOME, AND STACY R. STEWART Tropical Prediction Center, NOAA/NWS/National Hurricane Center, Miami, Florida (Manuscript received 2 November 2006, in final form 30 April 2007) ABSTRACT The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the most active of record. Twenty-eight storms occurred, includ- ing 27 tropical storms and one subtropical storm. Fifteen of the storms became hurricanes, and seven of these became major hurricanes. Additionally, there were two tropical depressions and one subtropical depression. Numerous records for single-season activity were set, including most storms, most hurricanes, and highest accumulated cyclone energy index. Five hurricanes and two tropical storms made landfall in the United States, including four major hurricanes. Eight other cyclones made landfall elsewhere in the basin, and five systems that did not make landfall nonetheless impacted land areas. The 2005 storms directly caused nearly 1700 deaths. This includes approximately 1500 in the United States from Hurricane Katrina— the deadliest U.S. hurricane since 1928. The storms also caused well over $100 billion in damages in the United States alone, making 2005 the costliest hurricane season of record. 1. Introduction intervals for all tropical and subtropical cyclones with intensities of 34 kt or greater; Bell et al. 2000), the 2005 By almost all standards of measure, the 2005 Atlantic season had a record value of about 256% of the long- hurricane season was the most active of record.
    [Show full text]
  • Before the Storm: Forecasting Hurricane Harvey by Samantha De Leon
    Before the Storm: Forecasting Hurricane Harvey By Samantha de Leon The mammoth Hurricane Harvey made landfall on the Texas coast around 10:00 p.m. on Friday, August 25, 2017. Photo courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). or people living in southeastern Texas, hurricanes are That prediction changed dramatically less than twenty- Fguaranteed to make a few appearances. The colossal four hours later on August 24, when the NHC called the storms are inescapable and, in many ways, unpredictable. new forecast “quite concerning.” Overnight, Harvey had For nine years, no hurricanes made landfall in the Houston strengthened and was expected to make landfall the next region after Hurricane Ike, which came ashore at Galveston day as a major Category 3 hurricane (winds 111-129 mph). in 2008. While those summers were calm, each one made Besides strong winds, forecasters expected the storm to Texans like me feel anxious, wondering when the streak bring between fifteen and twenty inches of rainfall and would end. The question was not if another storm would life-threatening floods. Shortly before Harvey’s landfall, the come, but when. NHC released another forecast more severe than the last, The answer came on August 13, 2017, when a large wave predicting up to forty inches of rain and a storm surge up emerged off of the West African coast and moved through to thirteen feet high.2 At this point, it became clear that a the Lesser Antilles. Days later, on the afternoon of August catastrophic storm was headed towards Texas and that our 17, the wave evolved into a tropical storm as it crossed the hurricane drought had ended.
    [Show full text]