PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
145 PM CDT MON SEP 17 2007

    ...DAMAGE ASSESSMENT FOR HURRICANE HUMBERTO...
    ...UPDATE FOR WIND SPEED ESTIMATES...

A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DAMAGE SURVEY WAS COMPLETED FRIDAY FOR
THE CHAMBERS AND GALVESTON COUNTY AREAS AFFECTED BY HURRICANE
HUMBERTO.  SNAPPED POWER POLES WERE NOTED TO BEGIN ABOUT 8 MILES
SOUTH OF STOWELL EAST OF THE ANAHUAC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE ALONG
HIGHWAY 124.  DAMAGE TO POWER POLES WAS NOTED TO CONTINUE SOUTH
ALONG HIGHWAY 124 TOWARDS HIGH ISLAND IN GALVESTON COUNTY.  MORE
WIDESPREAD DAMAGE WAS FOUND IN HIGH ISLAND WITH MANY TREES UPROOTED
AND SNAPPED LIMBS.  LARGER SNAPPED TREE TRUNKS WERE FOUND IN HIGH
ISLAND NEAR SEVERAL CHURCHES AND HOMES.  HIGH ISLAND HIGH SCHOOL HAD
SEVERAL LIGHT POLES SNAPPED AT THE STADIUM.  A COUPLE OF HOMES IN
THIS AREA HAD SHINGLES MISSING AND ROOF DAMAGE.  FURTHER INTO TOWN
THE LOCAL HOTEL HAD ROOF DAMAGE WITH PART OF IT MISSING.  THE AWNING
FROM THE GAS STATION HAD ALSO COLLAPSED.  AGAIN...MANY OF THE
UPROOTED TREES WERE MOST LIKELY DUE TO STRONG WINDS COUPLED WITH
SATURATED GROUND.  THE DAMAGE ALL LEANED IN ONE DIRECTION TOWARDS
THE SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST INDICATING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS FROM THE
WESTERN EYE WALL OF THE HURRICANE.  THE DAMAGE WAS NOT FOUND TO BE
TWISTED OR LEANING IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS INDICATING TORNADO
DAMAGE.  AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS ALSO SHOWED SIGNIFICANT ROOF DAMAGE TO
SMALL HOMES AND BUILDINGS NOT REACHABLE BY THE GROUND SURVEY WITH
MORE UPROOTED TREES IN THE HIGH ISLAND AREA.

POWER POLE DAMAGE CONTINUED ALONG HIGHWAY 87 TOWARDS CANAL CITY
AND GILCHRIST.  SOME HOMES SUSTAINED MINOR ROOF DAMAGE WITH SHINGLES
MISSING.  AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS ALSO SHOWED A FEW HOUSES WITH MORE
SIGNIFICANT ROOF DAMAGE THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT.  LITTLE TO NO
DAMAGE WAS NOTED ALONG BOLIVAR PENINSULA.

OVERALL...THE DAMAGE WAS INDICATIVE OF 70 TO 80 MPH WINDS OR STRONG
TROPICAL STORM FORCE TO HURRICANE FORCE WINDS FROM JUST EAST OF
CANAL CITY TO ABOUT 6 MILES NORTH OF HIGH ISLAND...INCLUDING THE
COMMUNITY OF HIGH ISLAND.  GUSTS NEAR 90 MPH OR HURRICANE FORCE
WINDS WERE POSSIBLE IN HIGH ISLAND GIVEN EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO POWER
POLES...MORE SIGNFICANT ROOF DAMAGE TO THE HOTEL AND SMALL
HOMES...TREE TRUNKS BEING SNAPPED AND THE GAS STATION AWNING
COLLAPSING.

$$

39/42