Flooding in La Grange, Texas, as seen from an Austin PD helicopter; courtesy: Fayette County
This story has been updated
WASHINGTON (TVR) – After ravaging south Texas with record rainfall and still poised to disrupt travel through several states for the rest of the week, Harvey weakened into a tropical depression Wednesday night, as Houston’s two main commercial airports, closed since the then-category four hurricane made landfall, reopened and flights began resuming.
The airports resumed with “limited domestic airline passenger service” for those travelers who already have confirmed tickets.
In a Facebook post, airport authorities warned flyers, “Many roads around the City of Houston are still unsafe for travel, therefore, we urge all passengers to take their time arriving to the airports and to solidify a safe route to and/or from our facilities.”
The airports said they will “attempt to begin a phased return to service, with full service expected by this weekend,” just in time for the long Labor Day holiday.
Harvey Closes Airports
Houston’s Hobby Airport (HOU) was initially closed because of “water on runways,” the airport’s verified Twitter account posted.
Houston’s other main airport, Houston Bush Intercontinental (IAH), had more than 1,000 flights cancelled each day on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, with hundreds more scrapped Wednesday and Thursday.
At one point, the FAA announced the closure of 11 airports. Now, with IAH and HOU reopening, there were just three airports that remained closed, but expected to resume operations within hours: BPT, SGR, and TME.
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A UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopter and crew from US Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine Operations rescues residents in areas flooded by Hurricane Harvey on August 28, 2017; courtesy: CBP
This animation of IMERG data for Harvey were compiled August 23 to 29, 2017 and shows more than 30 inches of rainfall in the Houston metro area; courtesy: NASA/JAXA, Hal Pierce
9,500 Flights Cancelled; Cruise Ships Rerouted
Harvey affected travel across the South, with airlines cancelling flights and issuing weather waivers for flyers to change their flights without penalty or fees while cruise lines scramble to keep ships and passengers out of harm’s way.
Airlines cancelled at least 1,600 flights for Wednesday and more than 1,600 for Thursday, according to FlightAware.
On Tuesday, carriers scrapped more than 1,600 flights, 1,700 flights on Monday, more than 1,785 on Sunday, 1,000 or so on Saturday, and about 170 on Friday.
That brings the storm-related cancellations to around 9,500.
Carnival Cruise Line’s Freedom and Valor ships did not disembark passengers in Galveston on Saturday, as originally scheduled, but instead diverted to New Orleans, CNBC reported.
Carnival’s Breeze stayed over in Cozumel an extra night.
Royal Caribbean says it was “actively monitoring” the storm to determine where its Liberty of the Seas will eventually dock, the network said.
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Airlines Issue Weather Waivers
Delta Air Lines had a Harvey-related waiver that allowed flyers from nine airports to rebook travel planned through Thursday, September 7. Those airport were: Alexandria, LA (AEX); Austin, TX (AUS); Baton Rouge, LA (BTR); Houston, TX (HOU & IAH); Lafayette, LA (LFT); New Orleans, LA (MSY); San Antonio, TX (SAT); and Shreveport, LA (SHV).
United Airlines issued a waiver that covered 15 airports for through Sept. 12.
Those airports include: Alexandria, TX (AEX); Austin (AUS); Baton Rouge, LA (BTR); Brownsville, TX (BRO); College Station, TX (CLL); Corpus Christi, TX (CRP); Harlingen, TX (HRL); Houston (IAH); Lafayette, LA (LFT); Lake Charles, LA (LCH); Laredo, TX (LRD); McAllen, TX (MFE); New Orleans (MSY); San Antonio (SAT); and Shreveport, LA (SHV).
American Airlines included 16 airports in two states on its waiver for travel until Sept 7.
The airports covered are: Alexandria, TX (AEX); Austin (AUS); Baton Rouge, LA (BTR); Beaumont/Port Arthur, TX (BPT); Brownsville, TX (BRO); College Station, TX (CLL); Corpus Christi, TX (CRP); Houston (IAH & HOU); Lafayette, LA (LFT); Lake Charles, LA (LCH); Laredo, TX (LRD); McAllen, TX (MFE); New Orleans (MSY); San Antonio (SAT) and Shreveport, LA (SHV).
Frontier Airlines’ waiver included travel through Thursday for AUS and SAT; the waiver for IAH in Houston extends until Sept. 5.
Storm surge near Corpus Christi, TX; courtesy: NWS
Southwest Airlines issued a waiver for six airports and extended it for various dates for AUS, CRP, HOU, HRL, MSY, and SAT; in the case of HOU, the date extends to Sept. 12.
JetBlue posted a waiver that covers AUS and MSY through Tuesday and HOU through Sept. 5.
Spirit is waiving change fees for passengers traveling to or from IAH and MSY airports through Sept. 5.
Alaska Airlines was the last major carrier to post a waiver, listing AUS, SAT, and IAH for travel through Sept. 3.
Just as the busy Labor Day travel period approaches, gas prices rose to a two-year high, Reuters reported, as refineries along the Gulf Coast closed.
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Harvey Makes Three Landfalls
Harvey’s eye made a total of three landfalls, “exacerbating” what the National Weather Service (NWS) has dubbed a “catastrophic flood event.”
The NWS predicted the storm will now move into the Lower Mississippi and Tennessee Valleys over the next several days, bringing rain and strong winds as far north as Kentucky, as winds “gradually” decrease.
Houston police confirmed Sgt. Steve Perez drowned in the floodwaters while on his way to work in his patrol car. It is one of 21 deaths blamed on Harvey, the Houston Chronicle reported.
Travel was further impacted this week by potential Tropical Cyclone Ten, as it slowly climbed the East Coast before heading out to sea.
At one point, electricity went out in Texas for more than 400,000 people, plunging communities into the dark, amid wind gusts during landfall that measured as high as 132mph in Aransas, TX.
Flooding ‘Catastrophic, Unprecedented’
The water was part of “catastrophic, unprecedented, and life threatening flooding,” the National Weather Service said Sunday morning, with predictions of a record-breaking 50 inches of rainfall.
The extreme flooding meant the recovery from Harvey in some parts of Texas is “going to be years,” Brock Long, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said Sunday on NBC’s Meet The Press program.
Local media reported some buildings “blew away” as the storm lashed the Texas coastline, the first category four hurricane to hit Texas since 1961.
Charles Wax, the mayor of Rockport, TX, said the city had “widespread damage.”
Courtesy: City of Corpus Christi, TX
On his verified Twitter account, storm chaser Jeff Piotrowski showed pictures of apartment buildings in Rockport that had collapsed; “Help needed ASAP,” he wrote.
The city of Corpus Christi published a photo showing scattered damage, including street lights and street signs toppled by the hurricane.
Despite Harvey being downgraded to a tropical storm with winds around 50mph, forecasters warned the threat was far from over, with “life-threatening, catastrophic flooding expected through Tuesday.”
At least three homes burn in Bolivar Peninsula, TX; courtesy: KMBT-TV
Facebook activated its ‘Safety Check’ feature Saturday so residents could let friends and family know their condition and location, CBS News reported.
Police said a Corpus Christi homeowner shot an intruder in the head as he broke into the house just after Hurricane Harvey made landfall, the Corpus Christi Caller-Times reported. The man’s condition is not known.
Fire destroyed several homes on Bolivar Peninsula, according to video captured by CBS affiliate KMBT-TV.
Up to 50 Inches of Rain Possible
Brian McNoldy, a hurricane researcher at the University of Miami, told the Associated Press in an interview that “in terms of economic impact, Harvey will probably be on par with Hurricane Katrina.”
Pres. Trump signed a disaster proclamation Friday night to speed more federal aid to the region hours before the hurricane made landfall between Ports Aransas and O’Connor, in Texas, around 11pm ET.
On Monday, Texas Governor Gregg Abbott activated the entire state National Guard—about 12,000 troops—to help with search, rescue, and recovery.
A boy rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard in Houston on Aug. 27, 2017; courtesy: USCG
At least 30,000 evacuees had sought the safety of shelters, the governor said, including 21 set up by the Red Cross, and three as far away as Dallas.
The Houston Independent School District cancelled the first day of school, which had been scheduled for Monday, and the entire week of classes, CNN reported.
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Cameras outside the International Space Station captured views of Hurricane Harvey during a flyover of the massive storm at 5:15 p.m. EDT Aug. 25; courtesy: NASA
‘Above-Normal’ Hurricane Season Predicted
NOAA has predicted the 2017 hurricane season will be “above-normal” this year, with far-reaching implications for airlines, cruise ships, and travelers in North America.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration updated its hurricane forecast to increase the number of named storms and major hurricanes it expects, as well as predicting a “higher likelihood” of an above-normal season.
In fact, the hurricane season that began June 1st and lasts until the end of November could be “the most active since 2010,” NOAA said in its forecast.
“This season has had a running start,” Ben Friedman, NOAA’s acting administrators, told reporters this month.
“We’re now entering the peak of the season when the bulk of the storms usually form,” added Dr. Gerry Bell, the lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at the Climate Prediction Center.
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2017 Hurricane Season ‘Extremely Active’
NOAA forecasters predict the 2017 hurricane season will be “extremely active,” with 14 to 19 named storms.
The outlook is based on warmer waters in the Atlantic and a reduced chance of an El Nino pattern forming, which can prevent storms from gathering strength.
In just the first nine weeks of the 2017 hurricane season, there have been six named storms—Arlene, Bret, Cindy, Don, Emily, and Franklin.
That’s half the total number of storms in an entire average season, NOAA said.
Two of the storms hit the United States.
“As we enter the height of hurricane season, it’s important for everyone to know who issues evacuation orders in their community, heed the warnings, update their insurance and have a preparedness plan,” said FEMA Administrator Brock Long in a statement.
A major hurricane with sustained winds of 111 mpg and higher has not made landfall in the U.S. in 12 years, not since Hurricane Wilma in 2005, CNN reported.
This is a developing story and will be updated…
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6 comments. Leave new
A major hurricane has not made landfall since Wilma!?
Yes. The term “major hurricane” is a classification of hurricanes that are Category 3 or higher. We haven’t one hit the US coastline since Hurricane Wilma in 2005.
What about Hurricane Ike in 2008?
Aug 25 is the anniversary of Katrina.
Hurricane Ike was a category 2.
According to The Weather Channel and other reputable sources, Harvey is the strongest or greatest hurricane categorically to strike the Texas coast since Carla in 1961, however Hurricane Alicia struck August 16, 1983 when I was living in the Houston – Galveston area and was considered a Category 3 with sustained winds in excess of 130 miles per hour. I will never forget that nightmarish experience….