Sunday, August 27, 2017

Harvey continuing to wreak havoc

We're all tropically depressed for our friends along the Texas coast. Hurricane Harvey came in Friday morning as a Category 4 storm, the first  major hurricane to hit the U.S. mainland since 2008.  While the wind damage was significant, it's the extremely heavy rainfall that has captured the attention of the nation. Over 22 inches of rain has fallen in 3 days in some counties, with as much as 44 inches possible before Harvey moves on. That's more than Victoria gets in an average year!  The photos coming out in the media and on Facebook are awful reminders of previous flood related disasters here in Louisiana. Our experiences with Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and the tropical depression of last August, will likely get repeated with folks from Beaumont to Baffin Bay and further inland. According to all the forecasts, Harvey is unlikely to move much over the next 3-4 days. The latest models seem to be divided - the remnants of Harvey will either move into northeast Texas / northwest Louisiana and into Arkansas, or move due west towards El Paso.