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HURRICANE SEASON 2008

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« Reply #15 on: July 14, 2008, 06:05:16 pm »










                                                 Hurricane Season Getting Longer







Andrea Thompson

Senior Writer
LiveScience.com
Mon Jul 14, 2008
 


Hurricane seasons have been getting longer over the past century and the big storms are coming earlier, LiveScience has learned. The trend has been particularly noticeable since 1995, some climate scientists say.

Further, the area of warm water able to support hurricanes is growing larger over time. The Atlantic Ocean is becoming more hurricane friendly, scientists say, and the shift is likely due to global warming.

"There has been an increase in the seasonal length over the last century," Jay Gulledge, a senior scientist with the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, told LiveScience. "It's pretty striking."

A study Gulledge co-authored with other climate scientists found a five-day increase in season length per decade since 1915.

Hurricane season officially starts June 1, but the first named storm of the 2008 season, Tropical Storm Albert, formed on May 31. The first hurricane of the season, Hurricane Bertha, formed on July 1, reaching hurricane strength on July 7, relatively early in the season for a major storm.

In the last decade, more strong storms have been forming earlier in the season, said hurricane researcher Greg Holland of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo.

While this trend hasn't been formally linked to global warming because climate models can't reproduce individual storms, Holland thinks it's likely that the warming caused by manmade greenhouse gases is a major factor in the seasonal shift based on observations of changes in recent decades and the predictions models are making for the changing conditions in the Atlantic basin.

The length of the hurricane season is "one of the potentially big signals" that could change in response to global warming, Holland said.






Defining the season

The definition of the hurricane season depends on who you ask: For hurricane forecasters and coastal residents living in an area prone to hurricane landfalls, the standard dates are June 1 to Nov. 30. The National Hurricane Center uses these dates because historically most storms occur within that span of six months and because having a definitive time frame helps to heighten the public's awareness of the dangers of hurricanes.

But for researchers looking at how hurricane activity has changed over time, those dates don't really matter - meteorologists look at the dates of the first and last named storms in a given year, which allow them to evaluate the actual length of each hurricane season.

Since 1995, hurricane seasons have been increasing in length based on the latter definition, Holland said, with stronger storms that typically wouldn't be seen until mid-August showing up in July (Bertha, which became a Category 3 storm in the Atlantic last week, is one example).






Expanding warm pool

Like a hurricane's intensity, the length of the hurricane season is affected by the temperature of the ocean that fuels the storms. The warmer the water, the more energy a storm has to draw from.

Hurricanes and tropical storms have been forming earlier in the season recently because "we now get warmer sea surface temperatures earlier in the year," Holland explained. "The whole season has extended out."

Peter Webster of Georgia Tech put a finer point on it. "There is some work that says that the length of the North Atlantic hurricane season has become longer as SSTs [sea surface temperatures] warm up more quickly early in the season," he said.

Tropical storms and hurricanes need water of at least 80 degrees Fahrenheit (26.5 degrees Celsius) to form. The area where water temperatures meet or exceed that mark is called the warm pool.

In recent years, the warm pool has expanded, creating a larger area over which hurricanes can develop and strengthen, Holland told LiveScience. It is now reaching all the way to the coast of Africa, allowing storms to form farther east, and so giving them more time to strengthen as they traverse the Atlantic.

Bertha, for example, formed farther east than any other July storm on record.

These storms that form so far over in the eastern Atlantic are called "Cape Verde-type" storms, after the chain of islands off the western coast of Africa. Cape Verde-type storms account for a major proportion of all major hurricanes (Category 3 and higher), Holland said.

These storms tend to take a straight westward path across the Atlantic, avoiding land and cooler waters, which can kill a storm. Hurricane Andrew, which devastated southern Florida in 1992, and 2007's Hurricane Dean, which wreaked havoc in the state of Yucatán in Mexico, were both Cape Verde-type storms, along with Bertha.

Holland thinks that the growth of the warm pool will be a factor in the length of future hurricane seasons by promoting these and other early-forming storms.






Outliers


 
Other early storms, outliers to the standard June 1 to Nov. 30 season, such as this season's Tropical Storm Arthur or last year's Subtropical Storm Andrea (which formed on May 9), aren't all that unusual. Such early birds were seen even before global warming became an issue - the earliest-forming storm in recorded weather history was observed on March 7, 1908.

"There's always been the odd one out," Holland said, adding that we'll likely see more of these in a warming world.

"We have to expect that they'll be more outliers," he said, though he doubts that the official dates of hurricane season will change, since most will still lie within that window.

But these aren't the early-forming storms that Holland is worried about, because they tend to be weaker. It's the major storms, like the Cape Verde-type, that are forming in July and later that are the ones to watch out for, he said.

These shift to more major storms is also cause for concern because the Atlantic historically had fairly timid hurricane seasons compared to other storm-producing basins such as the Indian Ocean. Because the Atlantic basin wasn't optimized for hurricane formation already, "it didn't take much of a change to see a difference," Holland said.

One other way the Atlantic basin is becoming more hurricane-friendly, besides warmer oceans, is more favorable atmospheric conditions. Warming ocean temperatures also change atmospheric circulation patterns. Holland said some changes are already happening over the Atlantic and climate models predict that these changes will also tend to promote the development of storms off the coast of Africa.

"All of the stars are lining up," he said.
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« Reply #16 on: July 20, 2008, 10:23:30 am »










                                Tropical Storm Cristobal strengthens off NC coast





By BRUCE SMITH,
Associated Press Writer
July 20, 2008
 
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Tropical Storm Cristobal, the first system to menace the Southeast seaboard this hurricane season, strengthened slightly off the North Carolina coast Sunday, and was expected to dump several inches of rain in some areas of the drought-stricken state.
 
At 8 a.m. EDT, the center of the storm was about 40 miles south-southwest of Cape Lookout, N.C., and about 105 miles southwest of Cape Hatteras, N.C. The National Hurricane Center said Cristobal was moving northeast at about 6 mph. Maximum sustained winds increased about 5 mph Sunday to 50 mph, with some higher gusts.

The storm was expected to skirt the Outer Banks on Sunday, fueling tides 2 to 3 feet above normal. The National Weather Service said a few areas could see flooding from heavy rain.

"Unless this thing does something really unusual, we're only expecting minor problems — some gusty winds and maybe a few heavy rain bands," said John Elardo, a National Weather Service meteorologist.

Tropical storm warnings remained in effect from north of Little River Inlet in South Carolina to the North Carolina-Virginia state line.

Minor flooding was reported in Wilmington, N.C., on Saturday, and the area picked up 3.43 inches of rain, a record for the day.

The storm's heaviest winds and rains have stayed well offshore, though the winds have created strong rip currents along the beaches, and forecasters advised people not to swim in the ocean Sunday even if the weather cleared.

The National Hurricane Center said by early Monday that Cristobal was expected to move faster and farther away from the coast.

The rain could provide some benefits. Eastern North Carolina is under a moderate drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Officials have blamed the drought for a huge wildfire that has charred more than 62 square miles in eastern North Carolina since it began June 1 with a lightning strike.

At the By The Sea Motel in North Myrtle Beach, S.C., out-of-state visitors photographed outer storm bands Saturday as Cristobal churned off the coast, said hotel manager Charlie Peterson. Intermittent light rain fell in the afternoon but that wasn't enough to chase them away.

"They've got their cameras set and they think there is going to be lightning over the water," he said.

Elsewhere, Hurricane Fausto was expected to weaken far off Mexico's Pacific coast, while Hurricane Bertha, the longest-lived July tropical storm in history, was downgraded to a tropical storm.

____

Associated Press Writers Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, S.C., and Bill Cormier in Atlanta contributed to this report.
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« Reply #17 on: July 20, 2008, 10:42:34 am »









                                          Cristobal moves parallel to North Carolina






CHARLESTON, South Carolina (CNN) -- Tropical Storm Cristobal moved "parallel and very close" to the North Carolina coast Sunday morning, but the storm was expected to move away from the eastern U.S. coast by Monday.

 Cristobal had not strengthened beyond the 45 mph (75 km/hr) top winds measured Saturday afternoon when it reached tropical storm status, according to the 5 a.m. ET Sunday advisory from the National Hurricane Center said.

"The center of the tropical storm is expected to move parallel and very close to the coast of North Carolina today and begin to move away from the coast by Monday," the NHC said. It is expected to dump 1 or 2 inches of rain along the North Carolina coast Sunday, it said.

A discussion posted online by NHC forecasters said the satellite view of Cristobal "remained unimpressive-looking" and predicted the storm would "lose tropical characteristics" over the next two or three days.

A tropical storm warning -- meaning that tropical storm conditions with maximum winds of 39 mph are expected within the next 24 hours -- remained in effect for an area from north of Little River Inlet, North Carolina, to the North Carolina-Virginia border.

As of 5 a.m. ET Sunday, Cristobal's center was located about 60 miles (95 km) southwest of Cape Lookout, North Carolina, and about 130 miles (210 km) southwest of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. It was moving northeast at near 6 mph (9 km/hr).

The storm's maximum sustained winds were near 45 mph (75 km/hr) with higher gusts. "Some strengthening" is expected within the next day, the National Hurricane Center said.

Meanwhile, Bertha was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm Saturday evening. The storm, centered about 670 miles (1080 km) east-northeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland, is moving quickly into the northern Atlantic, the NHC said Sunday morning.


Bertha, the first hurricane of the 2008 Atlantic season, formed July 3 in the eastern Atlantic and dealt a glancing blow to Bermuda before heading north.

The storm set several records: It is the longest-lived tropical cyclone on record during the month of July, and the third-strongest July storm on record, behind Dennis and Emily, in the 2005 hurricane season.
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« Reply #18 on: July 22, 2008, 07:36:45 am »











                                    Texas, Mexico prepare for Tropical Storm Dolly






By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN,
Associated Press Writer
July 22, 2008
 
McALLEN, Texas - Texas mobilized National Guard troops and residents along the Gulf Coast near the Mexican border were buying plywood, flashlights and other supplies as Tropical Storm Dolly — expected by forecasters to strengthen into a hurricane this week — headed their way.
 
Hurricane warnings were issued late Monday for parts of the Texas and Mexico coasts, meaning hurricane conditions were expected in those areas by the end of Tuesday.

Dolly was expected to make landfall later this week and bring with it high winds and 10 to 20 inches of rain in coastal areas. Emergency officials feared major flooding problems and urged coastal residents to prepare. Gov. Rick Perry activated 1,200 National Guard troops and other emergency crews and Shell Oil said it was evacuating workers from oil rigs in the western Gulf Of Mexico.

Even as far up the coast as the Houston area, Harris County officials told residents to be ready in case the storm changes course and heads their way.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami issued a hurricane warning from Brownsville north to Port O'Connor. Meanwhile, a tropical storm warning was issued from Port O'Connor to the San Luis Pass, a strait south of Galveston.

Mexico also announced a hurricane warning from Rio San Fernando north to the U.S. border. A tropical storm warning and a hurricane watch were also in effect from La Pesca to Rio San Fernando.

Forecasters said Dolly was expected to make landfall late Tuesday or early Wednesday as a Category 1 hurricane, which has with sustained winds of 74 mph to 95 mph.

Texas officials said they wouldn't order evacuations along the coast unless Dolly strengthens to a Category 3, with sustained winds of at least 111 mph.

At 5 a.m. EDT Tuesday, the center of Tropical Storm Dolly was located about 295 miles southeast of Brownsville. It was moving west at about 15 mph and had maximum sustained winds near 60 mph. Tropical storm-force winds extended outward up to 160 miles.

Dolly's winds were expected to strengthen Tuesday to hurricane force, which would mean at least 74 mph.

There are about 2 million people in the Rio Grande Valley, which includes popular summer beach resort South Padre Island. Officials readied to evacuate residents in flood-prone areas and urged RV owners on South Padre to head for higher ground.

"That amount of rain will present a big flooding problem for us," said Cameron County Emergency Management Coordinator Johnny Cavazos.

Mindful of the disastrous evacuation before Hurricane Rita hit the Texas Gulf Coast in 2005 — when far more people died from heat-related injuries and auto accidents fleeing the storm than from the severe weather — Gov. Perry also ordered 250 buses to be staged in San Antonio. He also ordered fuel teams to be ready to keep gas stations supplied and to help stranded motorists.

In the Houston area on Monday, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett asked residents of the state's most populous county to keep their gas tanks full, stock up on supplies and make sure they have plans ready to either evacuate or ride out a storm.

At a Home Depot in Brownsville near the border between the two countries, residents bought plywood, generators, batteries and flashlights, said store operations manager John Paul Martinez. He said a lot of people were just learning of Dolly, which became a tropical storm Sunday.

The federal government was trying to decide whether they could begin construction on a new border fence, which was to be combined with levee improvements along the Rio Grande in Hidalgo County.

While project supervisors met with emergency officials about the storm, large cranes unloaded steel beams and other supplies at a staging area near the levee Monday. Concrete walls will be incorporated into the river side of the levees to keep floodwaters, illegal immigrants and smugglers out.

The county is upgrading other levees and informed contractors Monday they should activate plans to prevent flooding, said Godfrey Garza, head of Hidalgo County Drainage District 1.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Cristobal was moving toward the northeast at about 21 mph, away from the U.S. Cristobal was located about 485 miles northeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C., with maximum sustained winds near 60 mph. Forecasters said the storm, which dumped rain on the coast of the Carolinas, was no longer an immediate threat to the U.S.

In the Pacific, Tropical Storm Genevieve strengthened slightly off Mexico's coast, but forecasters said the storm was not expected to threaten land. Tropical Storm Fausto, which had been a hurricane, also was weakening and moving out to sea.
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« Reply #19 on: July 22, 2008, 11:12:15 pm »











                                     Dolly becomes hurricane, churns toward Texas






By Chris Baltimore
JULY 23, 2008
 
HOUSTON (Reuters) - Dolly became a hurricane on Tuesday and bore down on southern Texas, but forecasters don't expect it to pack too much of a punch when it comes ashore near the Mexican border on Wednesday.
 
Dolly intensified from a tropical storm and became the second hurricane of 2008 Atlantic storm season after gathering strength over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico and reaching nearly 80 miles per hour (130 km per hour).

The U.S. National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane watch for the southern Texas coast as far north as Corpus Christi.

At 11 p.m. EDT, Dolly was 110 miles east-southeast of the border town of Brownsville, Texas, where it was due to come ashore on Wednesday afternoon as a low-grade hurricane. Tropical-force winds will begin to lash the region's coast this evening.

The storm's predicted landfall and strength are unlikely to jeopardize sensitive offshore drilling rigs and production platforms in the U.S. and Mexican waters of the Gulf of Mexico. U.S. crude oil prices hit 6-month lows before recovering.

The National Hurricane Center has said Dolly is unlikely to become a major hurricane prior to landfall, but could dump as much as 15 inches of rain on South Texas and northeastern Mexico in coming days.

Though Dolly will be the weakest category of hurricane, officials in low-lying South Texas counties are worried that torrential rains could overcome levees holding back the Rio Grande River and cause flooding.

The United States has largely escaped the past two Atlantic hurricane seasons, with just one hurricane -- Humberto in November 2007 -- making landfall on its coasts.

But it was pummeled in 2004 and 2005, when a series of powerful hurricanes, including the catastrophic Katrina, ravaged Florida and the U.S. Gulf Coast.






AHEAD OF SCHEDULE



The 2008 Atlantic hurricane season is already a month ahead of schedule, but is unlikely to see a repeat of the devastating 2005 season. On average, the fourth tropical storm of the six-month season does not occur until August 29. Dolly, this year's fourth, formed on July 20.

"I definitely think that the activity we have seen so far this year is a harbinger of things to come," said Jeff Masters, co-founder of meteorological Web site The Weatherunderground.

In Texas, Gov. Rick Perry put 1,200 National Guard troops on alert and issued a disaster declaration for 14 low-lying counties in the southern part of the state, although no mandatory evacuations were ordered.

Some 250 buses stood by in the inland city of San Antonio to evacuate coastal residents if needed.

In the Rio Grande Valley, Veronica Mascor was one of hundreds of volunteers filling sandbags in an attempt to keep the flooded Rio Grande out of nearby neighborhoods.

"They gave us 20 each," Mascor said. "I hope it will be enough."

Brownsville residents scurried to hammer plywood over windows and shore up their homes.

"I'm worried," said Angel Rivera, who was boarding up his home. "It's a wooden house. Can't take any flooding."

In the Mexican city of Matamoros, across the border from Brownsville, authorities evacuated 23,000 people from flood-prone areas and urged residents to seek temporary shelter.

"If they wish to leave for a shelter, we will gladly transport them," said Saul Hernandez, head of civil protection.

At Mexico's Playa Bagdad beach near the U.S. border, police put up road blocks to keep people away from increasing choppy waters.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Cristobal strengthened on Tuesday as it sped away from the U.S. East Coast but forecasters said it was likely a "last hurrah" before the third named storm of the 2008 hurricane season faded over cool Atlantic waters.

By 11 p.m. EDT Cristobal was around 230 miles

east of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and moving northeast over open waters at 35 mph (56 kph), the Hurricane Center said. Top sustained winds were near 50 mph (85 kph).

(Reporting by Chris Baltimore in Houston, Jim Forsyth in San Antonio, Michael Christie in Miami, Tomas Bravo in Playa Bagdad, Mexico, and Mariano Castillo in Mexico City, Editing by Eric Beech)



(For latest U.S. National Hurricane Center reports, see http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/)
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« Reply #20 on: July 23, 2008, 07:01:52 am »










                                  Hurricane Dolly bears down on Texas-Mexico coast





By ELIZABETH WHITE,
Associated Press Writer
July 23, 2008
 
BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Rain started to fall along the Gulf Coast as Hurricane Dolly closed in on towns straddling the Texas-Mexico border, packing 85 mph winds that could strengthen when it hits land later Wednesday.

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The Category 1 hurricane was expected to dump up to 15 inches of rain, threatening flooding that could breach levees in the heavily populated Rio Grande valley.

Dolly was upgraded from a tropical storm Tuesday afternoon, and sustained winds have strengthened to about 85 mph. At 7 a.m. EDT Wednesday, the storm's center was about 55 miles east of Brownsville, moving northwest at about 8 mph.

The National Hurricane Center said Dolly could approach Category 2 strength, meaning wind speeds of at least 96 mph, when it reaches the coastline later Wednesday.

A hurricane warning was in effect for the coast of Texas from Brownsville to Corpus Christi and in Mexico from Rio San Fernando northward.

Cities and counties in Rio Grande valley were preparing Tuesday night as officials feared heavy rains could cause massive flooding and levee breaks.

Texas officials urged residents to move away from the Rio Grande levees because if Dolly continues to follow the same path as 1967's Hurricane Beulah, "the levees are not going to hold that much water," said Cameron County Emergency Management Coordinator Johnny Cavazos.

There was intermittent light rain late Tuesday in Brownsville, and Cavazos said he expected outer bands to move over the area overnight. Charles Hoskins, deputy emergency management officer for Cameron County, said there were nearly 2,000 people in six shelters in the county.

In Hidalgo County, a little bit farther inland, eight shelters holding about 900 were open, said Cari Lambrecht, a county spokeswoman. She said people living in low-lying areas were encouraged to come to shelters.

"It's so much easier for them to go now instead of us having to pull them out later," she said.

Late Tuesday, the causeway linking the mainland to South Padre Island was closed as winds ramped up, said Dan Quandt, a spokesman for the town's emergency operations. He said no one would be allowed onto or off of the island, with the causeway not likely to open again until Wednesday evening at the earliest. He said winds were not predicted to reach speeds requiring evacuation.

In Mexico, Tamaulipas Gov. Eugenio Hernandez said officials planned to evacuate 23,000 people to government shelters in Matamoros, Soto La Marina and San Fernando.

People began trickling in Tuesday night to five shelters set up throughout the border city of Matamoros. City officials said three other shelters were ready in case they were needed.

Forecasters predicted Dolly would dump up to 15 inches of rain and bring coastal storm surge flooding of 4 to 6 feet above normal high tide levels. Forecasters said Dolly's eye should hit the coast around midday Wednesday.

The U.S. Census Bureau said that based on Dolly's projected path, about 1.5 million Texans could feel the storm's effects.

Tropical storm warnings were issued for areas adjacent to the hurricane zone, and Gov. Rick Perry declared 14 south Texas counties disaster areas, allowing state resources to be used to send equipment and emergency workers to areas in the storm's path.

Mike Castillo, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Brownsville, said conditions were favorable for tornadoes Wednesday morning, especially in deep south Texas and the adjacent coastal waters. A tornado watch was in effect for several counties in the area until 10 a.m. CDT Wednesday.

The storm, combined with levees that have deteriorated in the 41 years since Beulah swept up the Rio Grande, pose a major flooding threat to low-lying counties along the border. Beulah spawned more than 100 tornadoes across Texas and dumped 36 inches of rain in some parts of south Texas, killing 58 people and causing more than $1 billion damage.

"We could have a triple-decker problem here," Cavazos told a meeting of more than 100 county and local officials Tuesday. "We believe that those (levees) will be breached if it continues on the same track. So please stay away from those levees."

Around Brownsville, levees protect the historic downtown as well as preserved buildings that were formerly part of Fort Brown on the University of Texas at Brownsville campus. Outside the city, agricultural land dominates the banks of the Rio Grande, but thousands of people live in low-lying colonias, often poor subdivisions built without water and sewer utilities.

The International Boundary and Water Commission, which operates a series of levees, dams and floodways in the lower Rio Grande Valley, put its personnel on standby alert. If needed, the IBWC will begin patrolling the levees around the clock looking for seepage and erosion, said spokeswoman Sally Spener.

The IBWC made significant improvements to the levee system after Beulah and its studies showed that a 100-year flood in Cameron County would not top the levees, Spener said. Levees upstream in Hidalgo County are in the midst of improvements, but the river could spill over sections in a 100-year flood, a flood so big that it has only a 1 percent chance of happening in any given year.

Much of the damage to New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina was from levee breaks instead of wind.

Lines grew Tuesday at centers giving out sandbags in the Rio Grande Valley.

The Navy began flying 104 of its aircraft out of Naval Air Station Corpus Christi to bases inland. Other aircraft will be sheltered on base in hangars and no evacuation was planned.

Maj. Jose Rivera of the Texas Army National Guard said troops were preparing at armories in Houston, Austin and San Antonio, after Gov. Perry called up 1,200 Guard members to help.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement was evacuating its Port Isabel Detention Center, said spokeswoman Nina Pruneda. Fewer than 1,000 people were being sent to other detention centers in Texas.

In the Gulf of Mexico, Shell Oil evacuated workers from oil rigs, but said it didn't expect production to be affected. It also secured wells and shut down production in the Rio Grande Valley, where it primarily deals in natural gas.

Mexico's state-run oil company, Petroleos Mexicanos, said it had evacuated 66 workers from an oil platform off the coast of the port city of Tampico. Pemex said in a statement that it had readied a team and the resources needed in case of damage to oil installations in the region.

Residents of northern Mexico were taking the impending storm in stride.

Blas Garica, a 62-year-old builder in Reynosa, was taping up his windows and putting sandbags in front of his porch to prepare.

"I'm not afraid because we flood frequently around here," he said. "If my house floods, we'll just run to the roof."

___

Associated Press writers Christopher Sherman in Harlingen, Texas; Betsy Blaney in Lubbock, Texas; Mark Walsh in Matamoros, Mexico; Jaime Zea in Mexico City; Regina L. Burns in Dallas and videographer Rich Matthews on South Padre Island contributed to this report.
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« Reply #21 on: July 23, 2008, 11:49:50 am »









                                   Dolly lashes Texas coast as Category 2 hurricane





By ELIZABETH WHITE,
Associated Press Writer
JULY 23, 2008

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Hurricane Dolly churned into a Category 2 storm as its eye neared the Texas-Mexico border Wednesday, bringing fierce winds and heavy rains that blew down signs, damaged an apartment complex and knocked out electricity to thousands.

Forecasters warned of up to 15 inches of rain that could produce flooding and breach levees in the heavily populated Rio Grande Valley. Thunderstorms were attributed to Dolly as far away as Houston, 400 miles up the Texas coastline.

In Mexico, fields were filling with water, palm trees were bent over in the wind and beaches were closed to the public.

Maria Miguel, 102, and seven family members fled their wooden shack in the Mexican fishing community of Higuerilla and spent the night at a convention center-turned-shelter in Matamoros. "I don't know if my poor house will withstand the rain and wind," Miguel said.

Mexican soldiers made a last-minute attempt to rescue people at the mouth of the Rio Grande. The soldiers battled storm-charged waves in an inflatable raft to rescue at least one family trapped in their home, while others further inland were still refusing to go to government shelters, said Matamoros spokeswoman Leticia Montalvo.

"These are people who did not want to leave, and now they are in trouble," Montalvo said.

On Texas' South Padre Island, an apartment complex roof partially collapsed early Wednesday. Residents said they didn't believe anybody was injured. Melissa Zamora, a spokeswoman for the town of South Padre Island, said the roof collapse caused a plumbing leak and few residents were being relocated.

"I thought it was just a big clap of thunder, (then) saw this stuff flying around and it's the roof," said Buck Dopp, who lives in the ground floor apartment under the collapsed roof. Dopp and his family packed up and left the building, despite their plans to ride out the storm.

The causeway linking the island to the mainland remained closed early Wednesday.

Dan Quandt, a spokesman for South Padre Island emergency operations, said winds were picking up to around 50 mph and were expected to increase later Wednesday morning. He said there was a steady rain falling, but no reports of flooding. A sign on a hotel blew off, but no one was injured and it did not pose a hazard, he said.

Power was knocked out to more than 13,000 customers in Cameron County, where Brownsville is located, utility company AEP Texas said. Power also was out on South Padre Island.

In Brownsville, palm trees leaned and small debris was strewn across the all-but empty streets. The windows and doors of shops were boarded up with plywood and most businesses — including gas stations — were closed. At one gas station, workers were pelted by horizontal rain as they scrambled to lock pumps and close down.

Thousands of people fled to shelters in towns on both sides of the border. Evacuees flowed into an emergency shelter at Gladys Porter High School, even as Dolly's winds dismantled a school sign. Principal Dora Sauceda said people were lined up outside when she arrived at 4:30 a.m. The shelter was quickly nearing its 300-person capacity.

Miguel Angel Cruz and his wife Maria Hernandez brought their four children to the shelter because they feared the trailer they lived in wouldn't withstand the wind and a nearby resaca — or pond formed by a bend in the Rio Grande — would flood.

"Yes, we're scared," Cruz, a welder, said in Spanish as his family settled in. "It's our first hurricane."

At noon EDT Wednesday, the storm's center was about 35 miles northeast of Brownsville, moving northwest at about 7 mph. The storm had maximum sustained winds of near 100 mph, and its eye was expected to hit near the border midday.

Cities and counties in the Rio Grande Valley were bracing for massive flooding and levee breaks. Tornado watches were in effect for coastal counties between Corpus Christi and Houston until Wednesday afternoon.

Local officials urged residents to move away from the Rio Grande levees because if Dolly continues to follow the same path as 1967's Hurricane Beulah, "the levees are not going to hold that much water," said Cameron County Emergency Management Coordinator Johnny Cavazos.

The U.S. Census Bureau said that based on Dolly's projected path, about 1.5 million Texans could feel the storm's effects.

Gov. Rick Perry declared 14 south Texas counties disaster areas, allowing state resources to be used to send equipment and emergency workers to areas in the storm's path.

The storm, combined with levees that have deteriorated in the 41 years since Beulah swept up the Rio Grande, poses a major flooding threat to low-lying counties along the border. Beulah spawned more than 100 tornadoes across Texas and dumped 36 inches of rain in some parts of south Texas, killing 58 people and causing more than $1 billion damage.

"We could have a triple-decker problem here," Cavazos told a meeting of more than 100 county and local officials Tuesday. "We believe that those (levees) will be breached if it continues on the same track. So please stay away from those levees."

Around Brownsville, levees protect the historic downtown as well as preserved buildings that were formerly part of Fort Brown on the University of Texas at Brownsville campus. Outside the city, agricultural land dominates the banks of the Rio Grande, but thousands of people live in low-lying colonias, often poor subdivisions built without water and sewer utilities.

In the Gulf of Mexico, Shell Oil evacuated workers from oil rigs, but said it didn't expect production to be affected. It also secured wells and shut down production in the Rio Grande Valley, where it primarily deals in natural gas. Mexico's state-run oil company, Petroleos Mexicanos, said it had evacuated 66 workers from an oil platform off the coast of the port city of Tampico.

___

Associated Press writers Christopher Sherman in Brownsville; Mark Walsh in Matamoros, Mexico; Jaime Zea in Mexico City; Regina L. Burns in Dallas and videographer Rich Matthews on South Padre Island contributed to this report.
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« Reply #22 on: July 23, 2008, 01:35:31 pm »









Wheather we have members in Texas or not, my love and prayers go out to the people of

the affected areas.
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« Reply #23 on: July 23, 2008, 02:06:16 pm »




                                         







                                                     



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« Reply #24 on: July 23, 2008, 02:14:22 pm »











                                  Hurricane Dolly slams into Texas with 100 mph winds






By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN,
Associated Press Writer
July 23, 2008
 
BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Hurricane Dolly gathered strength and slammed into the South Texas coast Wednesday with punishing rain and winds of 100 mph, blowing down signs, damaging an apartment complex and knocking out power to thousands.
 
But local officials' greatest fear — that the levees holding back the Rio Grande would fail and cause massive flooding — eased when Dolly meandered 35 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border just before coming ashore on South Padre Island as a Category 2 storm.

"The levees are holding up just fine," said Cameron County Emergency Management Coordinator Johnny Cavazos. "There is no indication right now that they are going to crest."

Forecasters warned of up to 12 inches of rain that could produce flooding in the heavily populated Rio Grande Valley. Up to 20 inches was predicted for isolated areas. Thunderstorms were attributed to Dolly as far away as Houston, 400 miles up the Texas coastline.

But South Texas residents still needed breakfast and the few stores that were open — even without electricity — were doing brisk business before Dolly fully revved up.

"Tienes tortillas?" Jorge Herrera shouted, rushing soaking wet into Johnny's Grocery and Meat Market #2. His 3-year-old son Michelangelo, sporting a Superman T-shirt and matching underpants, was in tow.

Discovering the tortilla factories had closed before the storm and the store didn't have any to sell, the Herreras settled for a bag of charcoal, chocolate cookies and two tall cans of beer.

Store owners were most worried about the pounds of meat now sitting unrefrigerated in the July heat, but cashier Elvira Farias said her boss "wanted to stay open to serve the community. We know that some people need to buy a meal for their kids."

Residents were apparently staying put. Food was selling fast, but gas pumps were idle.

In Mexico, fields were filling with water, palm trees were bent over in the wind and beaches were closed to the public.

Maria Miguel, 102, and seven family members fled their wooden shack in the Mexican fishing community of Higuerilla and spent the night at a convention center-turned-shelter in Matamoros. "I don't know if my poor house will withstand the rain and wind," Miguel said.

Mexican soldiers made a last-minute attempt to rescue people at the mouth of the Rio Grande. The soldiers battled storm-charged waves in an inflatable raft to rescue at least one family trapped in their home, while others further inland were still refusing to go to government shelters, said Matamoros spokeswoman Leticia Montalvo.

"These are people who did not want to leave, and now they are in trouble," Montalvo said.

On Texas' South Padre Island, an apartment complex roof partially collapsed early Wednesday. Residents said they didn't believe anybody was injured. Melissa Zamora, a spokeswoman for the town of South Padre Island, said the roof collapse caused a plumbing leak and few residents were being relocated.

"I thought it was just a big clap of thunder, (then) saw this stuff flying around and it's the roof," said Buck Dopp, who lives in the ground floor apartment under the collapsed roof. Dopp and his family packed up and left the building, despite their plans to ride out the storm.

The causeway linking the island to the mainland remained closed early Wednesday.

Dan Quandt, a spokesman for South Padre Island emergency operations, said winds were picking up to around 50 mph and were expected to increase later Wednesday morning. He said there was a steady rain falling, but no reports of flooding. A sign on a hotel blew off, but no one was injured and it did not pose a hazard, he said.

Power was knocked out to more than 13,000 customers in Cameron County, where Brownsville is located, utility company AEP Texas said. Cavazos said 11 power poles were down near the Port of Brownsville and transformers were popping downtown. Power also was out on South Padre Island.

In Brownsville, palm trees leaned and small debris was strewn across the all-but empty streets. The windows and doors of shops were boarded up with plywood and most businesses were closed.

Thousands of people fled to shelters in towns on both sides of the border patrolled by local police and National Guard troops. Evacuees flowed into an emergency shelter at Gladys Porter High School, even as Dolly's winds dismantled a school sign. Principal Dora Sauceda said people were lined up outside when she arrived at 4:30 a.m. The shelter was quickly nearing its 300-person capacity.

Miguel Angel Cruz and his wife Maria Hernandez brought their four children to the shelter because they feared the trailer they lived in wouldn't withstand the wind and a nearby resaca — or pond formed by a bend in the Rio Grande — would flood.

"Yes, we're scared," Cruz, a welder, said in Spanish as his family settled in. "It's our first hurricane."

At 2 p.m. EDT Wednesday, the storm's center had come ashore on South Padre Island about 35 miles northeast of Brownsville and was moving northwest at about 7 mph.

Tornado watches were in effect for coastal counties between Corpus Christi and Houston through Wednesday afternoon.

The U.S. Census Bureau said that based on Dolly's projected path, about 1.5 million Texans could feel the storm's effects.

Gov. Rick Perry declared 14 south Texas counties disaster areas, allowing state resources to be used to send equipment and emergency workers to areas in the storm's path.

The storm, combined with levees that have deteriorated in the 41 years since Beulah swept up the Rio Grande, posed a major flooding threat to low-lying counties along the border. Beulah spawned more than 100 tornadoes across Texas and dumped 36 inches of rain in some parts of south Texas, killing 58 people and causing more than $1 billion damage.

Around Brownsville, levees protect the historic downtown as well as preserved buildings that were formerly part of Fort Brown on the University of Texas at Brownsville campus. Outside the city, agricultural land dominates the banks of the Rio Grande, but thousands of people live in low-lying colonias, often poor subdivisions built without water and sewer utilities.

In the Gulf of Mexico, Shell Oil evacuated workers from oil rigs, but said it didn't expect production to be affected. It also secured wells and shut down production in the Rio Grande Valley, where it primarily deals in natural gas. Mexico's state-run oil company, Petroleos Mexicanos, said it had evacuated 66 workers from an oil platform off the coast of the port city of Tampico.

As Dolly approached, oil and gas producers in the Gulf of Mexico evacuated workers from 62 production platforms and eight rigs, according to the U.S. Minerals Management Service, which monitors offshore activity.

Oil production in the Gulf was down about 4.5 percent, while natural gas production was down 7.8 percent.

Dolly is the first hurricane to hit the U.S. since the fast-forming Humberto came ashore in South Texas last September. It is the 26th hurricane known to make landfall in the U.S. in July since record keeping started in 1851, according to federal researchers.

The busiest part of the Atlantic hurricane season is usually in August and September. So far this year, there have been four named storms, two of which became hurricanes. Federal forecasters predict a total of 12 to 16 named storms and six to nine hurricanes this season.

___

Associated Press writers Elizabeth White in Brownsville; John Porretto in Houston; John Pain in Miami; Mark Walsh in Matamoros, Mexico; Jaime Zea in Mexico City; Regina L. Burns in Dallas and video journalist Rich Matthews on South Padre Island contributed to this report.
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« Reply #25 on: July 24, 2008, 07:22:04 am »










                                   Dolly downgraded to tropical storm in South Texas


 


NEW YORK (Reuters) - Dolly, the 2008 Atlantic season's second hurricane, was downgraded to a tropical storm early Thursday as it moved further inland in South Texas, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in its latest report.
 
In its 5 a.m. EDT advisory, NHC said Dolly was located about 95 miles northwest of Brownsville, moving west-northwest at 7 miles per hour with winds down to 60 mph.

Dolly was expected to weaken as it moved further inland, dumping up to 12 inches of rain and causing widespread flooding.

Energy traders closely watch storms that enter the Gulf of Mexico and threaten U.S. oil and gas production facilities.

Dolly strengthened into a category two hurricane with winds of 100 mph before hitting the South Texas coast Wednesday afternoon. But its track was too far south to damage or disrupt Gulf of Mexico gas supplies.

Several oil and gas producers evacuated some staff from offshore Gulf platforms as a precaution against the storm, but the reported impact on production was minimal.

The U.S. Minerals Management Service said Wednesday that Dolly had forced producers to shut in nearly 5 percent of Gulf oil output, or about 58,000 barrels per day, and about 8 percent of gas output, or 606 million cubic feet per day.

So far this week, producers shut in a total of about 1 billion cubic feet of natural gas output due to the storm.

Commodities traders also watch storms that could hit agriculture crops like cotton in Texas and citrus in Florida.

An intermediate advisory will be issued by the NHC at 8 a.m.




(Reporting by Joe Silha, editing by John Picinich)
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« Reply #26 on: July 24, 2008, 07:24:42 am »










                                    Texas levees hold but waters rise in Dolly's rains






By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN,
Associated Press Writer
July 24, 2008
 
BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Hurricane Dolly slammed ashore and then loitered over deep south Texas as a tropical storm, dumping as much as a foot of rain in places and ripping roofs off buildings with 100 mph winds.
 
Emergency managers waited for Dolly to move on late into the night Wednesday and hoped to begin assessing the storm's damage Thursday even as they began to rescue people from flooded or damaged homes.

Dolly had weakened to a tropical storm by 10 p.m. CDT Wednesday after hitting South Padre Island around midday as a Category 2 hurricane. But the storm drenched south Texas as it crept westward at an excruciating 7 mph into the evening. The National Weather Service expected Dolly to weaken to a tropical depression, turn to the northwest and accelerate slightly Thursday.

By 4 a.m. Thursday, the tropical storm was centered about 95 miles northwest of Brownsville with maximum sustained winds that had dropped to about 60 mph.

Still the danger had not passed as power lines hung across streets and water surrounded neighborhoods.

"Unless it's life or death," Tony Pena, Hidalgo County emergency management coordinator, urged residents to stay at home.

While the rain set records in Brownsville's Cameron County — ranging from six to 12 inches with another three to seven expected overnight — they did not appear to pose the threat to the Rio Grande's levees that had been feared.

The river rose steadily through the day in Brownsville, but did not reach flood stage.

"We're not experiencing any issues with the levees right now," Sally Spener, spokeswoman for the International Boundary and Water Commission, said late Wednesday. "The water is just not high enough."

But the torrential rains and fierce winds that lasted much of the day in south Texas still caught some by surprise.

By Wednesday afternoon, the community of Laureles north of Los Fresnos had been reduced to a chain of sunken islands, separated from the main roads by floodwaters of two feet or more in places.

Mailboxes barely peaked above murky, wind-swept waters where neighborhood loops met county roads.

Pedro Zuniga, his wife and their six children fled their mobile home for the comparative safety of a relative's wood-frame house next door. That home's owner had already left to take shelter in another relative's brick house.

Peering out the back door at the trailer he deemed to wobbly for his family, Zuniga said the water crossing his yard toward a canal behind was not as high as he had seen it a few years ago when it reached the base of his elevated trailer.

"We were going to go to a shelter, but they said there was only one so we decided to stay," said Zuniga's wife, Aleida Cardenas, 29. "But we didn't know it would be this bad."

But others did head to shelters. More than 5,000 people moved to public shelters in the three hardest-hit counties and the numbers were expected to grow Thursday as more people became stranded by floodwaters.

In Hidalgo County, Pena said there were several incidents late Wednesday requiring emergency personnel to rescue people from homes.

One family was left huddling in their **** house after winds blew the roof off in the northeast part of the county until rescuers arrived, Pena said. In Cameron County, sheriff's deputies rescued a family of eight from Los Fresnos after floodwaters surrounded their home.

The only serious injury reported Wednesday occurred when the wind knocked a 17-year-old boy from a seventh-story balcony on South Padre Island. The boy suffered a broken hip, leg and a head injury but could not be transported off the island until about 5 p.m. The causeway linking the island to the mainland reopened to the public at 8:30 p.m., said Melissa Zamora, an emergency management spokeswoman on the island.

The island sustained some of the storm's heaviest damage and was still without power Wednesday night. Roofs were torn off hotels and homes, there was significant flooding that had begun to subside and debris was everywhere. A curfew was imposed for 8 p.m., Zamora said.

No deaths were immediately reported in Mexico, but Tamaulipas state Gov. Eugenio Hernandez said 50 neighborhoods were still in danger from flooding. About 13,000 people had taken refuge in 21 shelters, he said.

"Strong winds are no longer the problem. Now we have to worry about intense rain in the next 24 hours," Hernandez said.

Earlier in the day, Mexican soldiers made a last-minute attempt to rescue people at the mouth of the Rio Grande, using an inflatable raft to retrieve at least one family trapped in their home. Many people farther inland refused to go to government shelters.

Many Texans heading north were stopped at inland Border Patrol checkpoints, where agents opened extra lanes to ease traffic flow while still checking documentation and arresting illegal immigrants, said sector spokesman Dan Doty. At one checkpoint on U.S. 77, smugglers were caught with nearly 10,000 pounds of marijuana.

The U.S. Census Bureau said that based on Dolly's projected path, about 1.5 million Texans could feel the storm's effects. Texas Gov. Rick Perry declared 14 south Texas counties disaster areas and sought federal disaster declarations.

Perry was scheduled to fly over the region Thursday.

The last hurricane to hit the U.S. was the fast-forming Humberto, which came ashore in south Texas last September.

The busiest part of the Atlantic hurricane season is usually in August and September. So far this year, there have been four named storms, two of which became hurricanes. Federal forecasters predict a total of 12 to 16 named storms and six to nine hurricanes this season.

___

Associated Press writers Elizabeth White in Harlingen; John Porretto in Houston; John Pain in Miami; Stephanie Garlow in Washington; April Castro in Austin; Mark Walsh in Matamoros, Mexico; Jaime Zea in Mexico City; Regina L. Burns in Dallas and video journalist Rich Matthews on South Padre Island contributed to this report.
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« Reply #27 on: July 24, 2008, 07:40:37 am »









                                      The Real Dangers of Dolly: Rain and Floods







Andrea Thompson
Senior Writer
LiveScience.com

As Hurricane Dolly batters the coasts of Texas and Mexico, it's not the whipping winds that residents should be most worried about. It's the water.

Storm surge accounts for the majority of hurricane-related deaths.

As history and studies of severe weather have shown, storm surge and torrential rains can wreak havoc on coastal communities; the power of water, along with the suddenness with which floods can happen, often catches people by surprise, with potentially devastating consequences.

Flooding, which can result from both torrential rains and the ocean surf a storm can push ashore, is what officials in Texas were most concerned about after Dolly made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane at 9 am EDT on Wednesday. Residents of the Rio Grande Valley have been warned of potential severe flooding and possible levee breaks.

The National Hurricane Center predicted that Dolly could drop a total of 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 centimeters) of rainfall in the next few days, with some isolated spots potentially getting soaked by up to 15 inches.

When an area receives such a large amount of rain in a short period of time, it can cause flash flooding. As the name implies, these floods can happen suddenly, with water rising several feet in a matter of minutes and taking unsuspecting communities by surprise.

On average over the last 30 years, more people have died as a result of flooding than from lightning, tornadoes or hurricanes, according to the National Weather Service. And almost half of all fatalities that result from flash flooding are vehicle-related, as rapidly rising waters can quickly inundate roads. Many drivers try to cross the water, only to be swept away in the current - it only takes about 2 feet of water to float a car, and 500 pounds of force pushes on a car for each foot of water rise, according the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Pedestrians fare no better: Six inches of fast-moving water can knock a person off their feet. Not to mention the debris that can be carried along by the floods, which can often tear down trees and roll boulders.

Flash floods typically occur when a slow-moving thunderstorm or large storms such as a tropical storm or hurricane pelt an area with rain so fast that the ground can't soak all the water up. Flooding can be particularly bad in urban areas, because roads and parking lots don't soak up as much water as soil might, turning streets into rivers. (An intense thunderstorm that dumped 1.5 inches of rain over Manhattan in just one hour in August of 2007 flooded the subway system and several stations, crippling the city for several hours.)

Another watery force, storm surge, is viewed as the most destructive part of a hurricane. Storm surge can build for hours before a hurricane makes landfall as the storm's winds push against the ocean and cause the water to pile up higher than the sea's usual level.

As the hurricane makes landfall, the water is pushed onshore and can quickly wash many miles inland, destroying homes and businesses. The storm surge from Hurricane Katrina, for example, was estimated to have reached heights of 24 to 28 feet (7 to 8.5 meters) along a 20-mile swath of the Gulf Coast and washed up to 12 miles inland, devastating the Mississippi coast.

The National Weather Service warned coastal residents of Texas that storm surges of 4 to 6 feet above normal tide level could inundate the coast north of the center of the storm and that the storm would bring with it "dangerous battering waves."

While Dolly is unlikely to be the disaster that Katrina was, officials are still warning residents of low-lying areas to stay in shelters, out of the way of floods and storm surge.
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« Reply #28 on: July 28, 2008, 01:53:41 pm »









                                One dead as ex-Hurricane Dolly floods parts of New Mexico





By ALICIA CALDWELL,
Associated Press Writer
July 28, 2008
 
RUIDOSO, N.M. - Flooding caused by torrential rainfall from the remnants of Hurricane Dolly kept hundreds of evacuees away from their homes and campgrounds Monday, authorities said.
 
The body of a man reported missing during the flooding was found Monday.

The National Weather Service posted flash flood watches Monday across much of eastern New Mexico. The sun broke through Monday morning, but isolated thunderstorms were forecast throughout the week.

The state Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management said up to 9 inches of rain had fallen since Friday in the mountainous area around Ruidoso, in south-central New Mexico.

The Rio Ruidoso was still running high and muddy Monday, with water flowing over roads in low-lying areas. A main thoroughfare in the center of Ruidoso, Paradise Canyon Road, was partially washed away, and two mud-covered mobile homes sat askew, washed off their foundations.

An estimated 350 to 500 houses, campers, mobile homes and structures were damaged by the flooding that struck early Sunday, authorities said. Ruidoso's business district was largely untouched, with most of the damaged bridges and roads in residential areas.

Public officials said 300 to 500 people were evacuated from homes, a campground and a recreational vehicle park after the Rio Ruidoso went over its banks early Sunday, and they were still unable to return early Monday.

"If Noah'd been around, it would have been good to build an ark," said state Department of Public Safety spokesman Peter Olson.

Authorities on Monday found the body of a 20-year-old man reported swept away by high water Sunday, said Darlene Hart, a spokeswoman for the state of New Mexico. Earlier, two people had been reported swept away, but Hart said authorities had no definite information Monday on any other missing persons.

She said an unknown number of people remained stranded because of washed out roads and bridges, but that some had told authorities they didn't want to leave.

Nine bridges were reported under water and several roads were closed, but U.S. 70, the area's main highway, was reopened Monday, authorities said.

Tom Schafer, Ruidoso's emergency management coordinator, said there were 25 water rescues Sunday, mostly from vehicles but a few from homes. "A lot of people were trying to get through in deep water areas and they got stuck," he said.

National Guard helicopter crews rescued about two dozen campers stranded by high water, Schafer said.

However, some campers remained stranded. "They had to hunker down last night" to await rescue Monday, he said.

In Texas, the weather service said some areas of El Paso got as much as 3 inches of rain during the weekend and city officials said they received 17 reports of flooding in homes.
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« Reply #29 on: August 05, 2008, 05:56:48 am »










                                    Texas-La. coast begin to feel tropical storm






By JUAN A. LOZANO,
Associated Press Writer
Aug. 5, 2008
 
GALVESTON, Texas - The winds were beginning to pick up and the surfs were rising in Galveston early Tuesday as Tropical Storm Edouard closed in on the Texas Gulf Coast.
 
Meanwhile, rain bands and tropical storm force winds were spreading across coastal Louisiana, according to the National Hurricane Center.

But despite concerns the storm would pour cold water on Galveston's vacation season, some tourists seemed willing to stay and ride out the storm.

Beth Bronson said Monday she's determined not to have her trip ruined.

"We spend money to come here with our families. It's an inexpensive place to stay," said Bronson, 49, who was vacationing from Allen. "If they were to say evacuate, then yeah we would do it. But otherwise no."

Tropical Storm Edouard was expected to come ashore midday Tuesday anywhere from western Louisiana to Port O'Connor, Texas. But tourism officials in Galveston said many vacationers were planning to stay, hoping the area isn't hit as hard as South Padre Island was by Hurricane Dolly on July 23.

Still, officials in Texas and Louisiana were busy Monday preparing just in case Edouard intensified. It could reach near-hurricane strength as it churns in the warm Gulf of Mexico waters before making landfall.

Officials in both Texas and Louisiana on Monday prepared for Edouard's arrival.

A tropical storm warning was in effect from Grand Isle, La., westward to Sargent in Texas. A hurricane watch was in effect from west of Intracoastal City, La. to Sargent. The tropical storm warning and hurricane watch were discontinued for areas south of Sargent early Tuesday.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry issued a disaster declaration for 17 Texas counties that could be in Edouard's path. The state activated a number of emergency teams, including calling up 1,200 Texas National Guard troops and six UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters.

In Louisiana, Gov. Bobby Jindal declared a statewide emergency. Cameron Parish told up to 3,000 residents to evacuate low-lying coastal areas prone to flooding. Vermilion Parish, also in western Louisiana, advised people in mobile homes or FEMA trailers along the coast to leave.

The hurricane center predicted Edouard's center could make landfall just east of Galveston, across the Bolivar Peninsula. No evacuations were ordered in Galveston but local officials in the storm-seasoned town were urging caution.

"We're used to this," Sherry Mallia said as her Galveston bridal registry and gift shop was being boarded up with plywood on Monday.

About 50 miles northwest, Houston officials asked residents to safely store large, heavy items outside their homes to prevent flying debris.

Galveston officials were hoping Edouard wouldn't derail its successful tourist season. They said many visitors were staying and riding out Edouard.

Hotel occupancy rates and sales tax figures this summer are 10 to 15 percent higher than last year, the city's best for tourist-related income.

Edouard was not forecast to bring the 100-mph winds to Galveston that punished another tourist hotspot in Texas, South Padre Island, when Hurricane Dolly tore off roofs and knocked down signs last month.

Since Dolly, South Padre has regained electric power but its four biggest full-service hotels remain closed as well as the convention center in the community about 260 miles down the coast from Galveston.

The Texas coast counts on tourism this time of year. About 50 million visitors to the Texas coast spent about $15 billion in 2006.

"This is not the time of year for anyone along the Texas coast to be interrupted by these storms," said Dan Quandt, executive director of the South Padre Island Convention and Visitors Bureau.

At 5 a.m. EDT Tuesday, Edouard's maximum sustained winds had strengthened to near 65 mph, with higher gusts. The storm's center was located about 50 miles southeast of Port Arthur, Texas, and 85 miles east of Galveston.

The storm was moving toward the west-northwest near 12 mph and forecasters said the storm could intensify and approach hurricane strength by time it reached the coast.

Edouard also forced oil and gas companies in the Gulf to evacuate workers from 23 production platforms and six rigs, according to the U.S. Minerals Management Service. The service said there are 717 manned platforms and 125 operating rigs in the Gulf.

Shell Oil Co. said Monday it evacuated 43 workers from Gulf operations but expected no effect on production. Apache Corp. evacuated about 110 workers from the Gulf, shutting about 7,800 barrels per day of oil output.

Marathon Oil Corp. temporarily shut down a refinery that processes about 76,000 barrels of crude per day in Texas City, about 10 miles north of Galveston.

The Louisiana Offshore Oil Port temporarily suspended the offloading of tankers in the Gulf but said customers weren't affected because of pipeline deliveries.

__

Associated Press Writers John Porretto and Ana Ley in Houston, Regina L. Burns and Jamie Stengle in Dallas, Christopher Sherman in McAllen and Mary Foster in New Orleans contributed to this report.
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