HURRICANE HARVEY FOURTH DAY AFTER LANDFALL. Part 1. TUESDAY, AUG. 29

1. HURRICANE HARVEYFOURTH DAY AFTER LANDFALL. Part 1.TUESDAY, AUG. 29 Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction, Vienna, Virginia, USA

2. THE USA HAS NEVER SEEN ANOTHER HURRICANE LIKE HARVEY THAT MADE LANDFALL AS A CAT 4 HURRICANE AND THEN JUST SAT THERE FOR 3 DAYS, DUMPING 9 TRILLION+ GALLONS OF RAIN THAT HAD NO PLACE TO GO EXCEPT TO FLOOD CITIES.

3. NOW, THE AREA UNDER WATER IS AN AREA THE SIZE OF NEW YORK TO BOSTON

4. GREAT TIMING: PRESIDENT TRUMP SIGNED A DISASTER DECLARATION TO FACILITATE PROVISION OF FEDERAL AID FOR THE IMPACTED AREA BEFORE THE STORM MADE LANDFALL IN TEXAS ON FRIDAY, AUG. 25th

5. AUGUST 25, 2017: HARVEY MADE LANDFALL AROUND 9:45 pm • HARVEY – A HUGE RAINMAKER AND STORM-SURGE MAKER, MADE LANDFALL NEAR CORPUS CHRISTI, TX AS A CAT 4 HURRICANE WITH 130 MPH WINDS; IT QUICKLY DETEORIATED TO A CAT 1 STORM AND STALLED IN PLACE DUE TO THE LACK OF CONTROLLING STEERING WINDS.

6. LONG-TERM FORECAST OF IMPACTS INTO AUGUST 30th

7. MONDAY, AUGUST 28Day 3 After Landfall: Summary: Incredible Rainfall Caused Catastrophic VERY RAPID Flooding in Houston, isolating it internally and externally

8. UNPREPARED:YOU CAN NOT PREPARE FOR A CAT 4 HURRICANE THAT STALLS JUST AFTER LANDFALL NEAR LARGE CITIES PRONE TO FLOODING AND BECOMES A CONTINUOUS RAINMAKER FOR 4-5 DAYS.

9. WHAT HAPPENED: Rainfall totals were staggering. The National Hurricane Center said that an automated rain gauge near Victoria, a city of about 68,000 in the vicinity of the landfall, recorded more than 40 cm (16 inches) in 24 hours

10. PUBLIC THINKING NOW • HARVEY IS NOW THE STORM OF 2017, AND OF THE DECADE, AND TIME WILL LIKELY SHOW THAT IT WAS ALSO THE CAUSE OF THE USA’s WORST CATASTROPHIC FLOOD DISASTER IN HISTORY.

11. HOUSTON’s STREETS AND BAYOUS WERE TURNED INTO RIVERS AT OR NEAR FLOOD-STAGE IN A MATTER OF MINUTES TO A FEW HOURS OR FEW DAYS

12. HARVEY, WITH A STALLED CENTER OF CIRCULATION, WAS DUMPING RAIN ON HOUSTON AT RATE OF 15 CM/HOUR (6 IN/HOUR), CAUSING IT AND OTHER NEAR-BY CITIES TO BECOME IMPASSABLE BY CAR AND ISOLATED FROM EACH OTHER

13. DOWNTOWN HOUSTON: FLOODED

14. HOUSTON: NEIGHBOR-HOODS FLOODED

15. HOUSTON: NEIGHBOR-HOODS FLOODED

16. ROADS ALMOST IMPASSABLE

17. ROADS ALMOST IMPASSABLE

18. FLOODED INTERSTATE 225

19. FLOODED INTERSTATE HIGHWAY 610

20. NEW RISK: GIANT SINKHOLES ARE OPENING UNDER SOME HIGHWAYS

21. A RESCUE

22. INTERSTATE 610 FLOODED

23. A RESCUE OF ELDERLY ASSISTED LIVING RESIDENT

24. FLOODED HIGHWAY AND RESCUES

25. FLOODED HIGHWAY AND RESCUE

26. TUESDAY, AUGUST 29Day 4 After Landfall: Summary: TEXANS HELPING TEXANS and USA HELPING TEXANS as Incredible Rainfall Continues, Increasing Risk in Texas and now Louisiana

27. HARVEY IS REPORTED TO HAVE NOW DUMPED MORE THAN 9 TRILLION GALLONS OF RAIN A GOOD FRACTION OF WHICH WAS IN THE HOUSTON AREA,WITH MORE TO COME.

28. IMPACT: EVACUEES CAN NOT RETURN; THOSE STILL IN HOUSTON CAN NOT LEAVE EXCEPT BY BOAT OR HELICOPTER WITHOUT POSSIBLE LOSS OF LIFE

29. TEXANS ARE HELPING TEXANSAND ALL 50 STATES OF THE USA ARE HELPING TEXANS IN AN AREA THE SIZE OF NEW YORK TO BOSTON THAT IS NOW UNDER WATER

30. THOUSANDS OF EMERGENCY RESPONDERS ARE JOINING WITH THE AMERICAN RED CROSS AND OTHERS AND TEXAN VOLUNTEERS TO PROVIDE SUPPLIES OF ALL KINDS AND WITH BOATS AND HELICOPTERS TO CONDUCT URBAN SEARCH AND RESCUE OPERATIONS.

31. STATE OFFICIALS ARE STILL RECEIVING 2,000 EMERGENCY 911 CALLS PER HOUR AND TWEETS FROM PEOPLE WANTING TO BE RESCUED FROM CARS, HOMES, NURSING HOMES, ETC, THAT ARE AT RISK FROM RAPIDLY RISING FLOOD WATERS

32. HEAVY RAINFALL IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR 2-3 DAYS BECAUSE HARVEY’S CENTER OF CIRCULATION IS STILL STALLED AND BEING ENERGIZED BY THE WARM GULF WATER AND THE WARM LAND; AND WORSENING IF IT MOVES AND MAKES LANDFALL AGAIN.

33. NEW RISK: CORPS OF ENGINEERS IS NOW RELEASING WATER IN A CONTROLLED WAY FROM TWO DAMS NORTH OF HOUSTON; ADDING TO THE WATER AVAILABLE TO FLOOD HOUSTON.

34. NEW RISK: CONROE TX IS NOW FACING POSSIBLE FLOODING AS THE SAN JACINTO RIVER OVERFLOWS ITS BANKS; CREATING THE POSSIBILITY OF A SECOND SURGE OF FLOODING IN HOUSTON AND OTHER CITIES.

35. RESCUES • Emergency responders have completed more than 5,000 high-water rescues. • The Coast Guard now has one-half of its helicopter fleet doing rescues in Houston area. • Texas has dispatched all of its National Guard

36. 40,000+ NOW RELOCATED TO FEMA SHELTERS

37. DEATH TOLL AT 11 NOW, BUT COULD RISE QUICKLY: 6 PEOPLE ARE REPORTED TO HAVE DIED ON MONDAY TRYING TO DRIVE THROUGH THE HIGH WATER.

38. BOTH HOUSTON AIRPORTS STILL CLOSED

39. HOUSTON WATER PLANT WAS COMPLETELY SUBMERGED FOR A PERIOD OF TIME.

40. 250 HIGHWAY SYSTEMS IN HOUSTON ARE STILL CLOSED

41. PETS ARE INCLUDED IN RESCUE OPERATIONS

42. ALIGATORS FOUND IN SOME LOCATIONS

43. UNEXPECTED RISK: 20,000 PASSENGERS ARE STRANDED ON CRUISE SHIPS IN GULF OF MEXICO WAITING FOR PORT OF GALVESTON TO BE OPERABLE

44. NEW RISK: LOUISIANA IS NOW RECEIVING SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL AS A RESULT OF HARVEY THAT COULD ALSO CAUSE FLOODING.

45. NOW,100 BILLION DOLLARS+ IN LOSSES?? • OIL REFINERIES AND PIPELINES SHUT DOWM FOR INDEFINITE PERIOD. • BUSINESSES SHUT DOWN FOR LONG PERIODS. • THOUSANDS OF HOMES NEEDING REHABILITATION/DEMOLITION • MANY AREAS WILL BE UNINHABIT-ABAL FOR MONTHS TO YEARS

46. NOW,100 BILLION DOLLARS+ IN LOSSES?? • RESTORATION OF HIGHWAYS, INTERSTATE FREEWAY SYSTEMS, AND BRIDGES • RESTORATION OF WATER SYSTEMS • RESTORATION OF AIRPORTS • RESTORATION OF HOSPITALS • RESTORATION OF SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES