Torrential Rains and Winds Across Texas

Torrential Rains and Winds Across Texas



Aug. 2007  - Packing torrential rains and 
strong winds, Erin claimed seven lives as it swept across southern Texas 
Thursday. Downgraded to a tropical depression as it made landfall, the 
storm still gave rain-weary Texas a beating, drenching Houston and leaving 
thousands stranded on flooded freeways and side streets. 
Among the dead were three motorists who were killed in accidents caused by 
the heavy rains as well as a truck driver who drowned when his18-wheeler 
overturned after he accidentally drove his rig into a flooded retention 
pond in the La Porte area, said a spokesperson for the Harris County 
Sheriff's Office.


A 19 year old man died in a rain-swollen San Antonio creek, while a grocer 
and a delivery man were found dead in Houston after the roof of a grocery 
loading dock and storage area collapsed without warning. 
National Weather Service meteorologist Matt Mooreland said Erin dumped the 
most rain on south and southeast Houston, where nearly nine inches were 
recorded at Hunting Bayou and Lockwood. At least 20,000 electricity 
customers in the area lost power Thursday, although service has now been 
restored to most homes and businesses. 
More rainfall is expected in central and eastern Harris County over the 
weekend. Texas was soaked in July with record rainfall that swelled rivers 
and saturated the ground. The city of Victoria recorded more than 20 
inches last month. 
While Erin drifted west into New Mexico, all eyes in Texas turned to 
Hurricane Dean now blowing westward across the Caribbean. The dangerous 
Category 4 hurricane is expected to enter the Gulf of Mexico Monday night. 

Currently, Dean is carrying winds of 135 miles per hour with higher gusts 
as it passes south of the U.S. Virgin Islands, reports from a U.S. Air 
Force Reserve reconnaissance aircraft confirm. 
The government of the Dominican Republic has issued a hurricane warning 
for portions of the island's southern coast. The government of Haiti, 
which shares the same island, issued a hurricane watch, as did the 
government of Jamaica. 
Texas Governor Rick Perry Friday declared Hurricane Dean an imminent 
threat to Texas, initiating full-scale state hurricane preparedness 
efforts.


Perry activated state resources, including search and rescue teams, as 
National Weather Service projections show Hurricane Dean could impact the 
Texas coast by the middle of next week. 
"With the potential of another major storm entering the Gulf of Mexico and 
threatening the Texas coast, now is the time to begin mobilizing our 
resources and implementing our plan to ensure an orderly response before 
landfall," Perry said. "As we continue to monitor Hurricane Dean, the 
state is preparing to deploy ample resources, manpower and equipment to 
meet any potential need to ensure the safety of Texas residents." 
The State Operations Center (SOC) was fully activated Saturday morning, 
and twice daily conference calls are being held with local elected 
officials, first responders, mass care providers, the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency, and the National Weather Service to assess the latest 
weather projections and to coordinate state and local preparation and 
response. 
The Texas fuel industry has begun surging fuel loads to all coastal 
counties to ensure adequate fuel supply, the governor said, and the Texas 
Department of Transportation, TxDOT, is displaying public service 
announcements in costal counties, advising residents to keep their gas 
tanks full in case evacuations become necessary. 
TxDOT has begun pre-positioning resources and sweeping evacuation 
corridors in preparation for extra evacuation lanes and contraflow. 
The governor says he is ready to deploy up to 10,000 Texas Military Forces 
soldiers if necessry. 
Eighty members of the Texas Forest Service Lonestar Task Force are on 
standby as are 250 Texas Parks and Wildlife Department crews with boats, 
reacy to help with evacuations.


In Baton Rouge, Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco declared a state of 
emergency so that the state is prepared for Hurricane Dean. She has also 
requested a presidential emergency declaration to ensure federal assets 
are available to Louisiana prior to the potential landfall of Dean. 
"These declarations are a necessary step that allows the state to move 
quickly if need be," Governor Blanco said. "I urge all citizens to be 
personally prepared, listen to your local officials and monitor your local 
media as this storm progresses. Please make sure your plans to get to 
safety should evacuation be in order. Be prepared for the worst and hope 
for the best." 
The Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, 
GOHSEP, activated its Crisis Action Team Thursday to monitor the storm and 
provide updates to parish, state and federal partners. 
On Saturday, GOHSEP will upgrade its level of readiness by activating 
personnel on a 24 basis from critical state agencies working within the 
Emergency Operations Center - the State Police, National Guard, Department 
of Transportation and Development, the Department of Agriculture and 
Forestry, the Department of Health and Hospitals, Department of Social 
Services, and the Division of Administration. 


"Louisiana is prepared. We will keep a close eye on Hurricane Dean 
throughout the weekend," said GOHSEP Director Jeff Smith. "I want to 
remind our citizens to also do their part and prepare. I strongly urge our 
citizens to pick up an evacuation guide and begin planning for your 
family's safety should this or a future storm head toward Louisiana." 
Criticized for its inadequate response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the 
Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, has already sent a five-member 
Federal Incident Response Support Team to Puerto Rico to meet Hurricane 
Dean. 
FEMA officials call the move an example of "the new FEMA leaning forward." 

A Coast Guard C-130 aircraft flew the FEMA team to Puerto Rico Thursday. 
Also on the plane were two trucks, one equipped with onboard satellite 
communications systems. 
To expedite life-saving federal assistance to Puerto Rico, the team and 
its equipment will be able to provide video-teleconferencing capability to 
the people in charge of the response - the federal coordinating officer 
and local emergency managers on the island - and help make real-time 
assessments of damage. 

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