1. Hurricane Preparedness Week Introduction
2. Hurricane Beulah
3. Corpus Christi Hurricane of 1919
4. The Central Texas War Hurricane of 1942
5. Tropical Storm Allison
6. Hurricanes Rita and Audrey

1) Hurricane Preparedness Week Introduction

THE HONORABLE GOVERNOR OF TEXAS...RICK PERRY...HAS DECLARED MAY 20 THROUGH MAY 26 AS HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS WEEK IN TEXAS.

THE DEVASTATING HURRICANES THAT STRUCK FLORIDA REPEATEDLY IN 2004...AND HURRICANES KATRINA AND RITA IN 2005...HAVE MADE IT VERY CLEAR TO EVERYONE THAT IT IS CRITICAL TO PLAN AND PREPARE FOR THE WORST. THE 2007 HURRICANE SEASON EXTENDS FROM JUNE 1 THROUGH NOVEMBER 30 AND IS PROJECTED TO BE A VERY ACTIVE SEASON ONCE AGAIN. SINCE 1990...TEXAS HAS BEEN STRUCK BY ONLY THREE HURRICANES...ABOUT HALF AS MANY AS STATISTICS WOULD SUGGEST. TEXAS REMAINS OVERDUE FOR A HURRICANE STRIKE AND THIS COULD BE AN ACTIVE YEAR FOR TEXAS.

BUT THE EFFECTS OF A TROPICAL STORM OR HURRICANE GO WELL INLAND PAST THE TEXAS COAST. HEAVY RAINFALL...FLOODING AND EVEN TORNADOES CAN OCCUR OVER 200 MILES INTO THE INTERIOR PARTS OF THE STATE. THAT MAKES THIS WEEK AN PREFECT TIME FOR EMERGENCY PLANNERS...CITY AND COUNTY OFFICIALS...THE MEDIA...AND THE PUBLIC TO PREPARE FOR THE TROPICAL THREATS. SCHOOLS... HOSPITALS AND NURSING HOMES SHOULD TEST...REVIEW AND EXERCISE THEIR PLANS AND MAKE CERTAIN THEIR EMPLOYEES ARE READY. FINALLY...EVERYONE LIVING OR VISITING THE TEXAS COAST MUST BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO SAFETY IN AN ORGANIZED AND TIMELY FASHION IF NECESSARY.

DURING THIS WEEK...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICES ALONG THE TEXAS COAST WILL ISSUE PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENTS EACH DAY TO HIGHLIGHT AN IMPORTANT TROPICAL EVENT THAT STRONGLY AFFECTED THEIR AREA. THESE MESSAGES WILL BE ISSUED AT 600 AM EACH MORNING AND REPEATED AT 300 PM EACH AFTERNOON.

FINALLY...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WISHES TO THANK ALL INVOLVED IN ENHANCING PUBLIC SAFETY.

2) Hurricane Beulah

HURRICANE BEULAH WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR BEING ONE OF THE MOST DEVASTATING HURRICANES EVER EXPERIENCED ACROSS THE STATE OF TEXAS. THIS POWERFUL HURRICANE MADE LANDFALL OVER THE BROWNSVILLE AREA DURING THE MORNING OF SEPTEMBER 20TH 1967...MOVED SLOWLY INLAND TOWARD ALICE BY THE MORNING OF SEPTEMBER 21...AND THEN GRADUALLY MOVED SOUTHWEST AND DISSIPATED OVER THE MOUNTAINS OF MEXICO NEAR THE CITY OF MONTERREY ON SEPTEMBER 22.

BEULAH BEGAN AS A WEAK AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS EAST OF THE LESSER ANTILLES AND DEVELOPED INTO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION ON SEPTEMBER 5. THE DEPRESSION GRADUALLY STRENGTHENED INTO TROPICAL STORM BEULAH ON SEPTEMBER 7. IT BECAME A HURRICANE THE NEXT DAY WHILE SLOWLY MOVING WESTWARD THROUGH THE EASTERN CARRIBEAN. BEULAH THEN MADE IMPACT WITH HISPANIOLA AND TEMPORARILY DECREASED TO A TROPICAL STORM ONCE AGAIN. BEULAH THEN PROCEEDED TO STRENGTHEN ONCE AGAIN OVER THE WESTERN CARRIBEAN SEA.

THE HURRICANE THEN SET ITS SIGHTS ON COZUMEL MEXICO WHERE IT MADE LANDFALL ON SEPTEMBER 16 AS A CATEGORY 2 HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE...WITH WINDS NEAR 100 MPH. BEULAH THEN PROCEEDED NORTHWESTWARD INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO WHERE IT INTENSIFIED INTO A POWERFUL AND VIOLENT CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE. ON SEPTEMBER 19...THE CENTRAL PRESSURE HAD DECREASED TO 923 MB...WHICH AT THE TIME WAS THE SECOND LOWEST PRESSURE EVER RECORDED IN A HURRICANE IN THE GULF OF MEXICO. WINDS AT THE TIME WERE ESTIMATED TO BE NEAR 160 MPH.

BEULAH PRODUCED WINDS TO 136 MPH...AS MEASURED BY A SHIP IN PORT BROWNSVILLE...AND WINDS TO 109 MPH AT THE BROWNSVILLE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATION AT LANDFALL. IT WAS LATER DISCOVERED THAT THE ANEMOMETER AT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAS TILTED 30 DEGREES BY THE FURY OF THE WINDS AND THE ACTUAL PEAK WIND SPEED MAY HAVE BEEN MUCH HIGHER. THE HIGHEST ESTIMATED STORM SURGE NEAR BROWNSVILLE WAS ABOUT 10 FEET ... DUE PRIMARILY TO THE UNFAVORABLE TRACK BEULAH TOOK RELATIVE TO THE COAST PRIOR TO LANDFALL.

TORRENTIAL RAINS AFFECTED SOUTH TEXAS IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE HURRICANE WITH MOST AREAS EXPERIENCING 10 TO 20 INCHES OF RAIN WITH ISOLATED AMOUNTS NEAR 30 INCHES IN SOME SPOTS. THE SUBSEQUENT FLOODING WAS WIDESPREAD ACROSS MUCH OF SOUTH TEXAS

BEULAH WAS ALSO A PROLIFIC TORNADO PRODUCER. THIS INTENSE HURRICANE PRODUCED 115 TORNADOES ACROSS SOUTH TEXAS. NEARLY SIXTY LIVES WERE LOST ACROSS TEXAS AND NORTHERN MEXICO DUE TO THE FLOODS AND TORNADOES. THE STORM PRODUCED NEARLY A BILLION DOLLARS IN DAMAGE ... ADJUSTED TO 2005 VALUES. THE NAME BEULAH WAS RETIRED AND WILL NEVER BE USED FOR ANOTHER ATLANTIC HURRICANE.

3) Corpus Christi Hurricane of 1919

RESIDENTS IN CORPUS CHRISTI BEGAN TO BELIEVE IN A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY THAT MAJOR HURRICANES WOULD NOT HIT THE COASTAL BEND. AND IF ONE DID ... THE BARRIER ISLANDS AND THE HIGH BLUFF THAT THE CITY WAS SITUATED ON WOULD PROTECT IT. IN 1916 ... A CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE MADE LANDFALL SOUTH OF BAFFIN BAY. THERE WERE RELATIVELY FEW CASUALTIES AND ONLY MINOR DAMAGE IN CORPUS CHRISTI. THIS ONLY HEIGHTENED THE COMPLACENCY WITH REGARDS TO PREPAREDNESS. THIS WOULD END IN SEPTEMBER OF 1919.

A TROPICAL STORM FORMED NEAR THE BAHAMAS IN EARLY SEPTEMBER OF 1919. IT WOULD INTENSIFY INTO A HURRICANE ON SEPTEMBER 7 AS IT APPROACHED SOUTHERN FLORIDA. IT BECAME ONE OF THE STRONGEST HURRICANES ON RECORD TO MOVE INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO. IT BATTERED KEY WEST WITH SUSTAINED WINDS UP TO 150 MPH AS THE CENTRAL PRESSURE FELL TO 927 MILLIBARS. THIS HURRICANE…A STRONG CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE ... WOULD MAINTAIN ITS INTENSITY AS IT TREKKED WESTWARD ACROSS THE GULF OF MEXICO.

UNCERTAINTY GREW ABOUT THE HURRICANES POSITION ONCE THE STORM MOVED INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO. TIDES ROSE TO 6 FEET ABOVE NORMAL AT LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN AND GRAND ISLE LOUISIANA ON SEPTEMBER 13. EXPECTATIONS WERE THAT THE HURRICANE WOULD MOVE INTO THE UPPER TEXAS COAST OR LOUISIANA. HOWEVER ... DURING THE EVENING OF SEPTEMBER 13 IT BECAME APPARENT THE STORM WAS MOVING TOWARD THE COASTAL BEND AS TIDES ROSE TO 5 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL AT PORT ARANSAS AT SUNSET.

THE HURRICANE WEAKENED BEFORE MAKING LANDFALL JUST SOUTH OF CORPUS CHRISTI ON THE MORNING OF SEPTEMBER 14 AS A CATEGORY 3 HURRICANE WITH A CENTRAL PRESSURE AROUND 950 MILLIBARS AND SUSTAINED WINDS OF 115 MPH WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 150 MPH. THE STORM SURGE ROLLED INTO THE TEXAS COAST WITH TIDES RISING TO 8 FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL AT SABINE AND PORT ISABEL ... 9 FEET AT GALVESTON ... AND 13 FEET AT PORT O'CONNOR.

BUT THE WORST DAMAGE WAS AT CORPUS CHRISTI AS THE STORM SURGE REACHED 15 TO 16 FEET. ONLY TWO BUILDINGS SURVIVED IN THE NORTH BEACH AREA BUT WERE BOTH SEVERELY DAMAGED. DEBRIS PILED UP TO 15 FEET IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA OF CORPUS CHRISTI. DAMAGE WAS ESTIMATED AT OVER 20 MILLION DOLLARS WHICH RELATES TO ALMOST 14 BILLION DOLLARS AS A NORMALIZATION ESTIMATE TO 2006 DOLLARS. 121 BODIES AND 87 SURVIVORS WERE SWEPT 7 MILES ACROSS NUECES BAY TO WHITES POINT. MOST OF THE BODIES WERE COVERED IN CRUDE OIL AS BARRELS AT PORT ARANSAS WERE BREACHED DURING THE STORM.

THE EXACT DEATH TOLL FROM THIS HURRICANE IN CORPUS CHRISTI AND FOR ITS ENTIRE PATH ACROSS THE GULF OF MEXICO WILL NEVER BE KNOWN. THE OFFICIAL NUMBER OF FATALITIES AT CORPUS CHRISTI WAS LISTED AT 287 BUT THESE WERE ONLY THE ONES THAT WERE IDENTIFIED. THE ACTUAL NUMBER OF THOSE THAT LOST THEIR LIVES HAS BEEN ESTIMATED TO BE BETWEEN 400 AND 1000 PEOPLE. EVEN WITH THE LOWER NUMBER ... THIS HURRICANE WAS THE SECOND DEADLIEST WEATHER EVENT TO AFFECT TEXAS IN ITS HISTORY ... ONLY BEHIND THE 1900 GALVESTON HURRICANE. THE STEAMSHIP VALBANERA WAS SUNK OFF THE NORTH COAST OF CUBA IN THE HURRICANE WITH ALL 488 PASSENGERS AND CREW LOST. NINE OTHER VESSELS WERE LOST AT SEA. THE ESTIMATED TOTAL DEATH TOLL FROM THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER FOR THIS HURRICANE IS AROUND 900 PEOPLE.

ONE FACT THAT IS INTERESTING ABOUT THIS HURRICANE ... ONE PERSON WHO EVACUATED CORPUS CHRISTI BEFORE THE HURRICANE ARRIVED WAS ROBERT SIMPSON. HE WOULD LATER BECOME HEAD OF THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AND DEVISE THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE FOR CATEGORIZING HURRICANE INTENSITY.

4) The Central Texas War Hurricane of 1942

WITH A STRONG EL NINO EVENT CONTINUING THROUGH THE WAR YEARS OF 1941 AND 1942...SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS HAD ENJOYED SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL RAINFALL AND MILD WINTER TEMPERATURES. TYPICAL OF AN EL NINO SUMMER...ONLY SIX NAMED TROPICAL STORMS OR HURRICANES HAD FORMED IN THE ATLANTIC BASIN IN 1941. STILL...THE FIRST...A SEPTEMBER TROPICAL STORM...CROSSED INTO CENTRAL TEXAS BEFORE DYING.

THE SUMMER OF 1942 APPEARED TO BE DEVELOPING IN THE SAME MANNER. THE MONTHS OF JUNE AND JULY AND THE FIRST HALF OF AUGUST SAW NO TROPICAL DEVELOPMENT AT ALL. FINALLY ON AUGUST 17... A TROPICAL STORM FORMED NEAR YUCATAN. IT DEVELOPED QUICKLY INTO A CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE... MOVED INLAND NEAR GALVESTON...AND PROCEEDED NORTHWARD THROUGH EAST TEXAS. AS THE REMNANTS OF THIS STORM WERE DISSIPATING ON AUGUST 21...A NEW TROPICAL STORM FORMED NEAR THE LEEWARD ISLANDS. IT MOVED ALONG A WEST NORTHWEST COURSE... STRENGTHENING TO A HURRICANE ON AUGUST 24... AND BEGINNING A SLOW SWING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST. BY AUGUST 29....IT HAD BUILT INTO A CATEGORY 3 HURRICANE WITH SUSTAINED WINDS WELL OVER 100 MPH AND WAS LOCATED 400 MILES SOUTHEAST OF MATAGORDA...TEXAS. IT CONTINUED TO MOVE TOWARD THE NORTHWEST... DIRECTLY TOWARD THE MID TEXAS COAST.

THE HURRICANE STRUCK THE TEXAS COAST NEAR MATAGORDA JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT ON THE MORNING OF AUGUST 30...1942. SCHOOL BUILDINGS HAD BEEN PREPARED AS SHELTERS AND THOUSANDS OF REFUGEES HAD ALREADY BEEN EVACUATED PRIOR TO LANDFALL BY A CONVOY OF TRUCKS...BUSES AND TRAINS. RAIN SQUALLS COMPLICATED THEIR ESCAPE. SEVERAL BOATS AND BARGES WERE REPORTED DAMAGED OR SUNK IN THE FURY OF THE WINDS. TIDES ACCOMPANYING THE HURRICANE WERE ESTIMATED AT 15 FEET...AND THE COMBINATION OF WINDS AND TIDES DESTROYED NEARLY EVERY HOME AND BUILDING IN THE TOWN OF MATAGORDA. WATER WAS REPORTED TO BE STANDING IN THE TOWN UP TO 8 FEET DEEP.

5) Tropical Storm Allison

TROPICAL STORM ALLISON IN JUNE OF 2001 CAUSED 41 DEATHS AS WELL AS DAMAGE THAT EXCEEDED $5 BILLION...MAKING ALLISON THE DEADLIEST AND COSTLIEST TROPICAL STORM IN U.S. HISTORY. HALF OF ALL OF THE FATALITIES AND MOST OF THE DAMAGE OCCURRED IN THE HOUSTON METROPOLITAN AREA.

TROPICAL STORM ALLISON WAS BORN EARLY ON THE AFTERNOON OF JUNE 5 ABOUT 100 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF GALVESTON AFTER HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT FOUND A LOW LEVEL CIRCULATION. A COASTAL FLOOD WARNING HAD ALREADY BEEN POSTED FOR THE UPPER TEXAS COAST DUE TO TIDES OF 2 TO 3 FEET ABOVE NORMAL BEING OBSERVED. TROPICAL STORM ALLISON MADE LANDFALL DURING THE EVENING OF JUNE 5 AND MOVED STEADILY NORTH THROUGH HOUSTON DUMPING UP TO A FOOT OF RAIN OVER PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS. ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY THE REMNANTS OF ALLISON WANDERED THROUGH PORTIONS OF EAST TEXAS SATURATING THE SOILS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS WITH CONTINUOUS RAINFALL.

ON FRIDAY...JUNE 8...THE REMNANTS OF ALLISON BEGAN TO DRIFT TO THE SOUTHWEST TO THE WEST OF HOUSTON AND SKIES ACTUALLY CLEARED DURING THE AFTERNOON OVER PORTIONS OF HARRIS COUNTY. THE COMBINATION OF THESE TWO EVENTS PUT HARRIS COUNTY IN A PRIME AREA FOR EXCESSIVE RAIN BEGINNING FRIDAY EVENING.

FORECASTS THAT WERE ISSUED EARLY FRIDAY INDICATED THE POSSIBILITY OF AN ADDITIONAL 10 OR MORE INCHES OF RAIN. DURING FRIDAY NIGHT AND EARLY SATURDAY MORNING A MAJOR FLOOD EVENT TOOK PLACE THAT EVENTUALLY DUMPED 10 TO 30 INCHES OF RAIN OVER A LARGE PORTION OF HARRIS COUNTY. AT THE HEIGHT OF THE STORM ... BETWEEN 1AM AND 7AM SATURDAY JUNE 9 ... OVER 1,000,000 PEOPLE WERE SIMULTANEOUSLY IMPACTED BY THE HEAVY RAIN AND AT LEAST STREET FLOODING.

THE DAMAGE STATISTICS ARE STAGGERING. SOME 59,000 SINGLE-FAMILY HOMES ... 11,000 APARTMENT UNITS ... AND 2500 MOBILE HOMES WERE FLOODED. TRAGICALLY ... 22 PEOPLE IN THE HOUSTON AREA LOST THEIR LIVES IN THE MAIN EVENT. THE MAJORITY OF THE LIVES LOST WERE PEOPLE EITHER DRIVING OR WALKING IN FLOODED ROADWAYS. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT IF PEOPLE DID NOT TRAVEL DURING THE HEIGHT OF THE EVENT THEIR CHANCES OF SURVIVAL WERE MUCH GREATER ... EVEN IF THEIR HOME HAD FLOOD WATERS IN IT. THIS IS ANOTHER GREAT EXAMPLE OF “TURN AROUND. DON'T DROWN”.

WHAT IS THE LIKELIHOOD OF ANOTHER TROPICAL STORM ALLISON TYPE OF EVENT? MANY PEOPLE COMMENTED THAT THE LIKELIHOOD OF SUCH AN EVENT OCCURRING AGAIN IS EXTREMELY RARE. HOWEVER...IF YOU LOOK BACK IN HISTORY YOU CAN FIND SEVERAL EVENTS OF SIMILAR MAGNITUDE THAT HAVE OCCURRED IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS. THESE HEAVY RAIN EVENTS WILL CONTINUE TO OCCUR AND WITH OUR EVER INCREASING POPULATION THE TARGETS FOR THESE TYPES OF DISASTERS BECOMES LARGER.

6) Hurricanes Rita and Audrey

SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA RESIDENTS EXPERIENCED A NEW LANDMARK STORM FOR THIS AREA...AS WE WILL NEVER FORGET RITAS LANDFALL DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF SEPTEMBER 24...2005. EVEN THOUGH RITA WEAKENED TO A 115 MPH HURRICANE AT LANDFALL...THE SIZE OF THE STORM INCREASED...WHICH SPREAD HURRICANE FORCE WINDS FROM INTRACOASTAL CITY LOUISIANA TO THE BOLIVAR PENINSULA TEXAS...AND INLAND TO TOLEDO AND SAM RAYBURN RESERVOIRS. WITH A STORM OF THIS SIZE...A LARGER THAN NORMAL STORM SURGE WAS GENERATED ALONG THE EXTREME SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND LOUISIANA COASTLINES. HIGHEST STORM SURGE VALUES RANGED FROM OVER 15 FEET NEAR CAMERON AND HOLLY BEACH TO 10 FEET AS FAR EAST AS VERMILION BAY.

EVEN THOUGH THE RESULTS OF THE WIND AND STORM SURGE WERE DEVASTATING... ONLY ONE FATALITY WAS DIRECTLY ATTRIBUTED TO RITA IN THE LAKE CHARLES FORECAST AREA. THIS LOW NUMBER CAN BE DIRECTLY ATTRIBUTED TO THE ADVANCES IN DETECTION AND EDUCATION OF HURRICANES... AS WELL AS MUCH BETTER COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND THE AREAS EMERGENCY MANAGERS AND THE PUBLIC.

THE OTHER LANDMARK STORM FOR THIS AREA WAS HURRICANE AUDREY...THE STRONGEST... DEADLIEST AND MOST DESTRUCTIVE JUNE HURRICANE TO HIT THE UNITED STATES IN MODERN RECORD KEEPING. AUDREY MADE LANDFALL NEAR SABINE PASS ON THE MORNING OF JUNE 27...1957. AUDREY WAS ALSO A LARGE STORM THAT INCREASED IN FORWARD SPEED BEFORE LANDFALL...THE STORM SURGE WAS THE BIGGEST KILLER. TO THIS DATE...THE EXACT NUMBER THAT PERISHED IS STILL IN QUESTION...BUT ESTIMATES ARE OVER 500.

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