Houston Resiliency
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Texas Hurricane History
Texas Hurricane History David Roth National Weather Service Camp Springs, MD Table of Contents Preface 3 Climatology of Texas Tropical Cyclones 4 List of Texas Hurricanes 8 Tropical Cyclone Records in Texas 11 Hurricanes of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries 12 Hurricanes of the Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth Centuries 13 Hurricanes of the Late Nineteenth Century 16 The First Indianola Hurricane - 1875 21 Last Indianola Hurricane (1886)- The Storm That Doomed Texas’ Major Port 24 The Great Galveston Hurricane (1900) 29 Hurricanes of the Early Twentieth Century 31 Corpus Christi’s Devastating Hurricane (1919) 38 San Antonio’s Great Flood – 1921 39 Hurricanes of the Late Twentieth Century 48 Hurricanes of the Early Twenty-First Century 68 Acknowledgments 74 Bibliography 75 Preface Every year, about one hundred tropical disturbances roam the open Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico. About fifteen of these become tropical depressions, areas of low pressure with closed wind patterns. Of the fifteen, ten become tropical storms, and six become hurricanes. Every five years, one of the hurricanes will become reach category five status, normally in the western Atlantic or western Caribbean. About every fifty years, one of these extremely intense hurricanes will strike the United States, with disastrous consequences. Texas has seen its share of hurricane activity over the many years it has been inhabited. Nearly five hundred years ago, unlucky Spanish explorers learned firsthand what storms along the coast of the Lone Star State were capable of. Despite these setbacks, Spaniards set down roots across Mexico and Texas and started colonies. Galleons filled with gold and other treasures sank to the bottom of the Gulf, off such locations as Padre and Galveston Islands. -
Houston-Galveston, Texas Managing Coastal Subsidence
HOUSTON-GALVESTON, TEXAS Managing coastal subsidence TEXAS he greater Houston area, possibly more than any other Lake Livingston A N D S metropolitan area in the United States, has been adversely U P L L affected by land subsidence. Extensive subsidence, caused T A S T A mainly by ground-water pumping but also by oil and gas extraction, O C T r has increased the frequency of flooding, caused extensive damage to Subsidence study area i n i t y industrial and transportation infrastructure, motivated major in- R i v vestments in levees, reservoirs, and surface-water distribution facili- e S r D N ties, and caused substantial loss of wetland habitat. Lake Houston A L W O Although regional land subsidence is often subtle and difficult to L detect, there are localities in and near Houston where the effects are Houston quite evident. In this low-lying coastal environment, as much as 10 L Galveston feet of subsidence has shifted the position of the coastline and A Bay T changed the distribution of wetlands and aquatic vegetation. In fact, S A Texas City the San Jacinto Battleground State Historical Park, site of the battle O Galveston that won Texas independence, is now partly submerged. This park, C Gulf of Mexico about 20 miles east of downtown Houston on the shores of Galveston Bay, commemorates the April 21, 1836, victory of Texans 0 20 Miles led by Sam Houston over Mexican forces led by Santa Ana. About 0 20 Kilometers 100 acres of the park are now under water due to subsidence, and A road (below right) that provided access to the San Jacinto Monument was closed due to flood- ing caused by subsidence. -
Pilotthe Cameron Parish 35¢ June 21, 2007 Vol
PilotThe Cameron Parish 35¢ June 21, 2007 Vol. 50--No. 37 Cameron, La. 70631 THIS HISTORIC photo was taken from the second or third floor of the Cameron Courthouse on June 27, 1957, the day that Hurricane Audrey devastated Cameron Parish. Several hundred persons in the courthouse survived but about 500 others else- where in the parish perished. This photo was taken by the late Hadley Fontenot, who was Cameron’s county agent at the time. Audrey’s 50th anniversary will be observed Wednesday, June 27 in ceremonies at the courthouse. Audrey’s 50th anniversary to be observed here June 27th By CYNDI SELLERS Hurricane Audrey book; Cameron Parish Library - his- Even as Cameron Parish torical photos; Cameron Pilot struggles to recover from the - archival materials including effects of Hurricane Rita, the the first issue after the storm; tragic and devastating impact KPLC-TV - documentaries of Hurricane Audrey in 1957 and film clips; and the has not been forgotten. On National Hurricane Museum Wednesday, June 27, the and Science Center. parish will commemorate the Corporate sponsors of the 50th anniversary of the dead- commemoration are Cheniere ly storm, which claimed over LNG, Sempra Energy, and 400 lives. Cameron Communications. The ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. on the steps of the Cameron Court House, Oak Grove which sheltered hundreds from the fury of the storm. A speaker told light lunch will be served Brigadier General after the program, and dis- plays of hurricane informa- Robert J. LeBlanc Rev. John Reynolds will be tion, books, and memorabilia guest speaker at Oak Grove will be available for viewing. -
Hurricane Audrey Storm Tide
QC9¥f 0 7^-2 3 39 NAL HURRICANE RESEARCH PROJECT ATSL REPORT NO. 23 Hurricane Audrey Storm Tide *•*'• U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Sinclair Weeks, Secretary WEATHER BUREAU F. W. Reichelderfer, Chief NATIONAL HURRICANE RESEARCH PROJECT REPORT NO. 23 Hurricane Audrey Storm Tide by D. Lee Harris U. S. Weather Bureau, Washington, D. C. Washington, D. C. October 1958 UlfiMOl 0b0b32^ NATIONAL HURRICANE RESEARCH PROJECT REPORTS Reports by Weather Bureau units, contractors, and coopera- tors working on the hurricane problem are pre-printed in this series to facilitate immediate distribution of the information among the workers and other interested units. As this limited < reproduction and distribution in this form do not constitute formal scientific publication, reference to a paper in the . series should identify it as a pre-printed report. 1. Objectives and basic desigu of the National Hurricane Research Pro- ? No. ject. March 1956. ^ T , inR^ I P Numerical weather prediction of hurricane motion. July 195©. No. SementTError analysis of prognostic 500-mb. maps made for numer ical weather prediction of hurricane motion. March 195 (> 3. Rainfall associated with hurricanes. July 195&. i] No. I. %m problems involved in the study of storm surges. December 1956. is No. 5. Survey of meteorological factors pertinent to reduction of loss of life and property in hurricane situations. March 1957. ; No 6. A mean atmosphere for the West Indies area. May 1957. j No. 7. An index of tide gages and tide gage records for the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States. May 1957- \ Nmo ft PartE£ Ili. ^exchangeHurricanes andoftheenergysea betweensurface temperaturethe sea and thefield.atmosphere ?j in relation to hurricane behavior. -
Floodway Buyout Strategy for a Resilient Houston a Systems Approach to Breaking the Dangerous and Expensive Cycle of Rebuilding in the Floodway
April 2020 Floodway Buyout Strategy for a Resilient Houston A Systems Approach to Breaking the Dangerous and Expensive Cycle of Rebuilding in the Floodway Erica Vilay, Master in Public Policy Candidate, 2020 Phil Pollman, Master in Public Policy Candidate, 2020 Prepared for Advised by Offices of Recovery and Resilience, Professor Juliette Kayyem City of Houston Professor Julie Boatright Wilson Professor Christopher Avery Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Public Policy. This Policy Analysis Exercise reflects the views of the author(s) and should not be viewed as representing the views of the PAE's external client(s), nor those of Harvard University or any of its faculty. Front Cover: Residential neighborhoods near the Interstate 10 sit in floodwater in the wake of Hurricane Harvey on August 29, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) Above: Debris from inside homes hit by Hurricane Harvey (©AdobeStock) About this Policy Analysis Report This policy report was developed by two public policy graduate students as part of their Policy Analysis Exercise, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This document was developed over an academic year, October 2019 to April 2020, for the Offices of Recovery and Resilience at the City of Houston. The findings, analysis, and recommendations were developed through an in-depth literature review and interviews with public servants and academic experts. This report builds directly on the work of the Office of Resilience and the Office of Recovery’s recent publications, “Living with Water” and “Resilient Houston 2050 Strategy.” The field of climate adaptation and managed retreat is new, requiring urgent research and testing through applications. -
Hurricanes Are a Regular Threat to the SCIPP Gulf Coast and Average Amount of Time That Passes Between Hurricane Events at Should Be Planned for Each Season
SCIPP HURRICANE CLIMATOLOGY: The NHC defines the Atlantic hurricane season as the period from part of the hurricane season, landfall occurrences shift from the June 1 to November 30. Tropical cyclones occur with greatest Gulf Coast to the U.S. east coast. frequency during that time period, which is when the sea surface temperatures are warmest, but can still occur outside of the The relative return frequency of hurricane landfalls can give us a official season. statistical idea of just how often we can expect a hurricane at a specific spot along the Gulf Coast. A return period represents the Hurricanes are a regular threat to the SCIPP Gulf Coast and average amount of time that passes between hurricane events at should be planned for each season. Of the top 10 deadliest and any one location based on the historical record. Figure 3 depicts top 10 costliest (adjusted for inflation, 2006) tropical cyclones to the return frequency for some notable beaches in the SCIPP make U.S. landfall, five in each list have occurred along the domain, from 1900-2005 records. For all of the beaches analyzed SCIPP coast. From 1851-2006 128 hurricanes have affected the in the study, a tropical cyclone can by expected every 3-5 years Texas, Louisiana, or Mississippi coastline, 58 of them have been and a hurricane every 7-15 years. Major hurricanes are much major hurricanes of Category 3 or greater. more rare and, based on past storm events, have a return period of 26 or 52 years for most of the beaches. -
Houston Fifth Ward Area Flood Mitigation
HOUSTON FIFTH WARD AREA FLOOD MITIGATION ALDINE BENDER 8 BW ¯ x Miles CDBG – MIT COH & Potential Partnership Projects 00.02.5511.522.533.544.555.566.577.588.59 Market Square Scope of The Fifth Ward area is bounded to the north by Quitman Street, Cochran Street on the Work west, Buffalo Bayou on the south and Lockwood Drive on the east.The majority of the area drains directly to Buffalo Bayou; portions north of Quitman Street drain to Hunting Bayou. The project consists of a 1.5 mile drainage trunk system on Gregg Street from Liberty to Buffalo Bayou. Market Square is located in east Houston, south of IH-10, between Lockwood and Hirsch Rd. The project will improve drainage infrastructure with upgraded storm trunk on Buck St., Schweikhardt St.,and Coke St. The drainage system will also include a new 3 x 108-inch trunk system tying to Japhet Creek. CDBG-MIT $115,021,697 Cost Estimate Structures Impacted Structures Impacted Roadway Inundation Roadway Inundation (100-year) Existing (100-year) Proposed Miles Miles Structures (100-year) Existing (100-year) Proposed Impacted and Roadway 13 Inundation 1,367 326 with greater than 3.71 6-inches (topping curb) in 100-year event For more info or questions contact: [email protected] HOUSTON KASHMERE GARDENS AREA FLOOD MITIGATION ALDINE BENDER 8 BW ¯ x Miles CDBG – MIT COH & Potential Partnership Projects 00.02.5511.522.533.544.555.566.577.588.59 Scope of The project area is located in the eastern half of the Kashmere Gardens neighborhood, Work bounded by Wipprech St. -
Brays Bayou Above Tidal (Unclassified Water Body) Segment: 1007B San Jacinto River Basin
2004 Texas Water Quality Inventory Page : 1 (based on data from 03/01/1996 to 02/28/2001) Brays Bayou Above Tidal (unclassified water body) Segment: 1007B San Jacinto River Basin Basin number: 10 Basin group: C Water body description: Perennial stream from 11.5 km upstream of confluence with Houston Ship Channel up to SH 6 Water body classification: Unclassified Water body type: Freshwater Stream Water body length / area: 19.7 Miles Water body uses: Aquatic Life Use, Contact Recreation Use, Fish Consumption Use Standards Not Met in 2002 Assessment Area Use Support Status Parameter Category From 11.5km upstream of confluence Contact Recreation Use Not Supporting bacteria 5a with Houston Ship Channel (Brays Bayou Tidal) to SH 6 Additional Information: The aquatic life use is fully supported. The fish consumption use was not assessed. 2002 Concerns: Assessment Area Use or Concern Concern Status Description of Concern From 11.5km upstream of confluence Nutrient Enrichment Concern Concern ammonia with Houston Ship Channel (Brays Bayou Tidal) to SH 6 From 11.5km upstream of confluence Nutrient Enrichment Concern Concern nitrate+nitrite nitrogen with Houston Ship Channel (Brays Bayou Tidal) to SH 6 From 11.5km upstream of confluence Nutrient Enrichment Concern Concern orthophosphorus with Houston Ship Channel (Brays Bayou Tidal) to SH 6 From 11.5km upstream of confluence Nutrient Enrichment Concern Concern total phosphorus with Houston Ship Channel (Brays Bayou Tidal) to SH 6 Monitoring sites used: Assessment Area Station ID Station Description -
Bayous and Galveston Bay Report Card - with Additional Details
Bayous and Galveston Bay Report Card - With Additional Details Water Recreation Safety (fecal bacteria): Bayous: C Galveston Bay: A Action Items: Report sewage spills, collect pet waste, proper maintenance of septic and aerobic on-site sewage treatment, and pump out boat sewage in designated facilities Dissolved Oxygen (aquatic life health): Bayous: A Galveston Bay: A Action Items: preserve and restore habitats by planting native plants and removing invasive, exotic species; slow runoff by reducing paved areas, use rain gardens and rainfall harvesting Phosphorus (eutrophication/ algae blooms): Bayous: C Galveston Bay: B Action Items: Proper use of fertilizers, use of slow release and organic plant fertilizers; avoid or reduce phosphates in cleaning products Nitrogen (eutrophication/ algae blooms): Bayous: A Galveston Bay: B Action Items: Proper use of fertilizers, use of slow release and organic plant fertilizers Litter and Trash (wildlife entanglement/ingestion, aesthetics): Bayous: I Galveston Bay: I Action Items: Participate in clean-ups, clean your surroundings, report littering and illegal dumping, dispose of trash properly and encourage others to do the same Grades: A = Excellent B = Good C = Adequate for now D = Requires Action F = Critical I = Insufficient Data (since Texas does not measure floatable debris as a water quality standard in the manner it does other pollutants) For additional details on this report card, see the Details below. Additional details on the Galveston Bay conditions and grading methodology are at: www.galvbaygrade.org -
1 3 4 2 Regional Bikeway Spines Conceptual Plan
- 9.2 Miles 3.3 Miles 3.4 Miles 5.2 Miles NORTHEAST Hardy - Elysian - Kelley CENTRAL Austin Corridor EAST Polk - Cullen 1 SOUTHEAST Calhoun - Griggs - MLK Extents: Buffalo Bayou to LBJ Hospital Neighborhoods: Near Northside; Kashmere Gardens; Fifth Ward 2 Destinations: LBJ Hospital; Kashmere Transit Center; 4 HISD schools; Buffalo Bayou Future Connections/Improvements Buffalo Bayou (BG2020); Downtown (Austin Street); Hunting Bayou (BG2020); Fifth Ward (Lyons) Extents: Buffalo Bayou to Hermann Park (Brays Bayou) Neighborhoods: 3 Downtown; Midtown; Museum Park Destinations: Buffalo Bayou; Downtown/Midtown jobs and at tractions; Museum District; Hermann Park Future Connections/Improvements Hermann Park Trails (Master Plan); Buffalo Bayou trail (BG2020) Extents: Lamar Cycle Track to Brays Bayou Neighborhoods: Downtown; East Downtown; Eastwood; Third Ward; MacGregor Destinations: Downtown/GRB; Bastrop Promenade; Columbia 4 Tap; UniversityTap; of Houston; TSU; Brays Bayou Future Connections/Improvements Includes HC Pct. 1 Cullen reconstruction project from IH 45 to Brays Bayou Extents: Brays Bayou to Sims Bayou OATES Neighborhoods: MacGregor; OST/South Union; South Acres; Sunnyside Destinations: UH; Brays Bayou; MacGregor Park; Palm Center; Sims Bayou Future Connections/Improvements Park system along Sims Bayou (BG2020) E MERCURY L A D D T N O ALLEN GENOA O O W R A N N E L E OATES C L L COLLEGE A M U A E B 45 W FIDELITY D R A ALMEDA GENOA ALMEDA MESA GELLHORN W O H MESA CENTRAL STON WINKLER LVE A R G E T S 610 MONROE HOUSTON [ E H C N A A O -
Buffalo Bayou East Master Plan Brings the Community’S Vision for Its Waterfront to Life
Authentic Connected Inclusive Resilient A VISION FOR BUFFALO BAYOU EAST BUFFALO BAYOU PARTNERSHIP MICHAEL VAN VALKENBURGH ASSOCIATES Landscape Architecture HR&A ADVISORS Economic Development HUITT-ZOLLARS Engineering and Transportation LIMNOTECH Hydrology UTILE Urban Design and Architecture The Buffalo Bayou East Master Plan brings the community’s vision for its waterfront to life. Like other cities such as New York, Boston and St. Louis While most of Buffalo Bayou Partnership’s green space where Frederick Law Olmstead designed park systems, development has occurred west of Downtown, for more Houston hired Cambridge, Massachusetts landscape than a decade the organization has been acquiring architect Arthur Coleman Comey in 1912 to provide property and building a nascent trail system along the a plan that would guide the city’s growth. In his plan, waterway’s East Sector. The Buffalo Bayou East Master Houston: Tentative Plans for Its Development, Comey Plan brings the community’s vision for its waterfront asserted: “The backbone of a park system for Houston to life. Informed by significant outreach and engagement, will naturally be its creek valleys, which readily lend the plan envisions integrating new parks and trails, themselves to ‘parking’ … All the bayous should dynamic recreational and cultural destinations, and be ‘parked’ except where utilized for commerce.” connections to surrounding neighborhoods. Building upon Comey’s vision, Buffalo Bayou Partnership’s This plan is an important step forward for the future of (BBP) 2002 Buffalo Bayou and Beyond Master Plan Houston’s historic bayou—a project that will take decades and envisioned a network of green spaces along the Bayou require creative partnerships to unfold. -
I-1 2015 MEMORIAL DAY FLOOD in HARRIS COUNTY, TEXAS Michael D. Talbott, P.E. Abstract After Weeks of Intermittent Rainfall Acros
Proceedings THC-IT-2015 Conference & Exhibition 2015 MEMORIAL DAY FLOOD IN HARRIS COUNTY, TEXAS Michael D. Talbott, P.E. Executive Director Harris County Flood Control District 9900 Northwest Freeway Houston, Texas 77092 Email: [email protected] , web: www.hcfcd.org Abstract After weeks of intermittent rainfall across Harris County, a slow moving line of thunderstorms moved into Harris County from central Texas during the evening hours of May 25, 2015. Very heavy rainfall began around 8:30 p.m. across the northern portions of Harris County, while additional thunderstorms developed over central Fort Bend County and moved into Harris County from the southwest. A period of thunderstorm cell training occurred from 10:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. from Fort Bend County into north- central Harris County where the cells merged with the line of storms moving southward from northern Harris County. Thunderstorm cell mergers continued over central and southwest Harris County for several hours resulting in widespread significant flooding. A “Flash Flood Emergency” was issued by the National Weather Service for Harris County at 10:52 p.m. on the 25th for the first time ever (although this is a relatively new terminology). The worst rainfall was focused across the western portion of Harris County from the northwest side of the City of Houston to Addicks, Sharpstown, and Richmond in central Fort Bend County. Hundreds of water rescues were performed by various agencies during the height of the rainfall on the 25th and 26th. Rescues were mainly motorists stranded on area freeways and roadways, and after daylight on the 26th, the Houston Fire Department responded to many requests for assistance from residents in flooded homes.