Texas Gulf Coast waiting to see what Harvey will do
Published 3:56 pm Friday, August 25, 2017
Texas Gulf Coast waiting to see what Harvey will do
By David Ball
It’s a game of wait and see what Hurricane Harvey will do over the weekend.
Brian McDougal, Port Arthur city manager, said the state department of emergency management and the National Weather Service told him Hurricane Harvey will currently be a rainmaker for the area and they’re watching the storm if it bounces back into the Gulf of Mexico.
Distribution of sandbags will be from 4 to 8 p.m. on Friday and from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday at the Bob Bowers Civic Center in Port Arthur.
The cities of Groves and Nederland ran out of sand to fill bags. The city of Port Neches will have a pile of sand over the weekend until they run out at the service center, 2005 Merriman St. The limit is 10 bags per resident.
The National Weather Service in Lake Charles is still monitoring Hurricane Harvey, expected to be a category 3 or 4 hurricane when it makes landfall on the central Texas coast Saturday morning, according to an email.
Harvey will weaken to a tropical storm on Sunday, before slowly moving up the upper Texas coast early next week.
“It is too early to know for sure if it will move offshore, or stay inland as it moves up the Texas coast next week,” it read.
Heavy rain and flooding will be the most significant impact. Southeast Texas is expecting 10 to 20 inches of rain, southwest Louisiana eight to 15 inches, central Louisiana five to seven inches, and south central Louisiana seven to 10 inches. Some of this rain is already beginning in southeast Texas and parts of southwest Louisiana today.
Due to the rains, major river flooding is expected. Pine Island Bayou near Sour Lake, and the Calcasieu River near Old Town Bay and Sam Houston State Park. Other river forecast points could be included as we go through this event.
Storm surge values of one to three feet above ground level are expected in southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana, and one to two feet above ground level in south central Louisiana. High tides will occur around 6:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m., so expect to see the highest water levels during high tides. This could continue through the entire weekend.
Winds will be from the east, gusting 20 to 25 mph along the coast tonight through Sunday night. This could be extended as well, depending on the track of Harvey next week.
The tornado threat is increasing for today and Saturday in southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana as rain bands move onshore across the region.
Hurricane Harvey is predicted to impact Beaumont and Jefferson County with heavy rains and the potential of roadway flooding starting Friday night.
Hurricane Harvey is predicted to make a second landfall early next week somewhere between Galveston Island and Port Arthur. This storm could bring heavy rains and high winds, raising the chances of flooded roadways across the region.
School is still pending for the Port Arthur ISD until Monday. McDougal said he spoke with Superintendent Mark Porterie who will make a decision on Saturday night.
Sabine Pass ISD is closely monitoring the approaching storm in the Gulf of Mexico, at this time they will have regularly scheduled classes, according to their website.
“We will make decisions about closing and/or early releases for next week as more information becomes available,” it read.
Port Neches-Groves ISD will also watch the weather and make a decision if necessary.
“The Port Neches-Groves Independent School District is closely monitoring the timing of Tropical Storm/Hurricane Harvey’s arrival to the Texas coast,” a letter from the district read. “We are preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.”
At this time there are no plans to close schools. Administrators believe the students are safer in their facilities than other structures in the community.
Nederland ISD’s site read at this time, there are no planned delays from the normal schedule for the start of school on Monday August 28. Parents, students, and staff will be notified of school delays and closures through the district’s telephone call out system, this website and through local media outlets. Please continue to monitor the NISD website, www.nederland.k12.tx and Facebook page for additional updates.
In the face of this threat, Lamar State College Port Arthur will cancel classes Monday, August 28, and Tuesday, August 29. Faculty and non-essential staff should not report to work Monday and Tuesday.
The campus will close as usual on Friday, August 25, at 5 p.m. Plans are for the first day of the Fall 2017 semester to be Wednesday, August 30.
LSCPA officials are closely monitoring hourly updates on the storm and will make additional decisions regarding the status of the campus as they are warranted.
Any additional information regarding the campus will be immediately distributed to the public via the College’s website, (www.lamarpa.edu), its Facebook page (www.facebook.com/LSCPA), Twitter (#LSCPortArthur), and local media outlets. An email and text message will also be sent to the LSCPA student body, faculty and staff.
As a precaution, Lamar University is cancelling classes scheduled for Monday, August 28 and Tuesday, August 29. Events scheduled for resident students will be held as scheduled. All other campus events scheduled for Saturday and Sunday are cancelled. Check-in will be available for students wishing to move into residence halls, however students are urged to check local weather and highway conditions.
Normal business operations will be suspended and all faculty and non-essential staff should not report to work on Monday.
Lamar staff and contracted recovery teams are on standby to prepare the campus for normal operations as soon as the system has passed.
Monitoring of the situation is ongoing. Notifications and updates will be communicated through the university’s website, social media networks and Connect-ED.
Due to concerns over the impact of Hurricane Harvey, Lamar State College – Orange is cancelling classes scheduled for Monday, August 28, and Tuesday, August 29.
We will closely monitor the weather situation to determine if it will be safe to resume classes on Wednesday, August 30. We will keep students informed of our plans via our alert system, our website, social media, and local news media.
Students are encouraged to monitor their LSC-O email for additional information regarding access to course content and assignments.
Any students who have not received their NetID yet can consult the LSC-O home page for instructions to get that information.
A mandatory evacuation order has been issued for the southern reaches of Cameron Parish beginning early Friday (Aug. 25) as Hurricane Harvey heads to neighboring Texas, parish officials announced Thursday night, KPLC-7 reports.
The order, which begins at 6 a.m., encompasses areas south of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, including Holly Beach, Johnson Bayou, Grand Chenier and other small communities, according to the Lake Charles-based news station.
Cameron Parish borders Texas, where Harvey is expected to make landfall this weekend as a major hurricane.
