Please...Let's Stay Calm and Prepared

[bayoubebe]

http://www.storm2k.org/phpbb2/viewforum.php?f=29

you can find that in the analysis forum above

Thanks.

It's a nice set up.

[Raider Power]

On the freeways in Houston, the big automated signs are flashing a message that states "Hurricane developing in the Gulf. Keep your fuel tanks full".

[jlauderdal]

On the freeways in Houston, the big automated signs are flashing a message that states "Hurricane developing in the Gulf. Keep your fuel tanks full".

This billboard sponsored by Exxon.

[Jevo]

Texas has in no way, shape or form, declared a SOE.

Coastal OEM's have begun to meet - nothing more.

Out of everything posted this is what you come up with. Next time before you spout off do some research.


Aug. 17, 2007

Gov. Perry Declares Hurricane Dean Imminent Threat to Texas
Activates State Resources as Dean Approaches the Gulf

AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry today 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.”

Gov. Perry ordered the following state resources activated and actions to be taken:

250 Texas Military Forces (TMF) command personnel to support the potential activation and deployment of up to 10,000 TMF soldiers, if necessary
Texas Task Force 1 in Bryan/College Station - 300 personnel
Texas Task Force 2 in Dallas - 160 personnel
Texas Forest Service Lonestar Task Force - 80 personnel
250 Texas Parks and Wildlife Department crews with boats
The Texas fuel industry has begun surging fuel loads to all coastal counties to ensure adequate fuel supply
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) will begin displaying public service announcements at noon today in costal counties advising residents to keep their gas tanks full
TxDOT has also begun pre-positioning resources and sweeping evacuation corridors in preparation of extra evacuation lanes and contraflow
The State Operations Center (SOC) will be fully activated at 7:30 a.m. tomorrow, 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.
If Dean continues to strengthen and threaten Texas, additional emergency forces could be activated and deployed in the coming days to appropriate staging areas near the Texas coast.

“As the state works with local leaders to activate emergency response plans, it is imperative that Texans living along the coast pay close attention to threatening weather conditions and heed the warnings of their local leaders,” Perry said.

[Stratosphere747]

Well Jevo.....

It is how you interpret a SOE. Those listed above are parameters set forth post-Rita. If you want to get technical they have been ongoing since Wednesday and in actuality since Erin. A full scale SOE will not take effect until Sunday, with evacuations called for Monday/Tuesday - if warranted.

I'll be sure to keep you advised once my wife gets out of the meetings.

Scott

Edit - My initial wording of no SOE was a bit misleading, again Sunday will be the critical day.

[hiflyer]

cat fight cat fight

Jevo...I read that Texas posting and I would have thought that the statement described as a Imminent Threat would be texas wording for a SOE. However, from the land of Lonestar and Pearl I guess it is a matter of semantics....

No matter what it is good news that the states are looking at this earlier and not later.

[Stratosphere747]

cat fight cat fight

Jevo...I read that Texas posting and I would have thought that the statement described as a Imminent Threat would be texas wording for a SOE. However, from the land of Lonestar and Pearl I guess it is a matter of semantics....

No matter what it is good news that the states are looking at this earlier and not later.

The Governor has taken some flack for using the word "imminent" so soon - it was a bit overzealous.

I'll give the state credit for beginning preparations. Lets hope they are not needed....

[Starburst]

STATE OF TEXAS, STATE OPERATIONS CENTER (SOC)
SUBJECT: Hurricane Dean
SITUATION REPORT # 5
DATE AND TIME COVERED: Thursday, August 16, 2007, 10:30 a.m. through
Friday, August 17, 2007, 4:00 p.m.
1. CURRENT SITUATION: Dangerous Dean continues racing westward across the Caribbean Sea. At 4:00 p.m. CDT, the center of Hurricane Dean was located near Latitude 15.0 North, Longitude 64.5 West or about 840 miles east-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica and about 260 miles south-southeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Dean is moving toward the west near 21 mph. This motion is expected to continue through Saturday with a gradual decrease in forward speed. On this track, the core of the hurricane will be moving well south of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic tonight and Saturday.
Maximum sustained winds are near 125 mph with higher gusts. Dean is a Category Three hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Some strengthening is forecast during the next 24 hours. Another reconnaissance plane is scheduled to reach Dean tonight. Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 30 miles from the center and Tropical Storm force winds extend outward up to 185 miles. Estimated minimum central pressure is 961 MB or 28.38 inches of mercury.
An intermediate advisory will be issued by the National Hurricane Center at 7:00 p.m. CDT, followed by the next complete advisory at 10:00 p.m.

The Texas Sheriff’s Association will provide necessary personnel to provide security at shelter operations.
Because Hurricane Dean poses a threat of imminent disaster along the Texas Coast, the Governor of Texas has issued a Disaster Proclamation, effective today. In preparation for impacts from Dean, the Governor has activated the following State assets:
• 700 buses to be staged in San Antonio on Saturday/Sunday, with up to 1,100 buses if needed.
• 4500 TXARNG soldiers to be activated by end of the day Sunday with a potential of up to 10,000 soldiers.
• Texas Task Force 1 (TTF1) and Texas Task Force 2 (TTF2)
• 250 Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) special boat crews to support TTF1 and TTF2 operations.
• Texas Forest Service (TFS) 80-member Lonestar Incident Management Team
• 4 Regional Incident Management Teams (IMTs)
• 33 UH60 and 14 CH47 utility and cargo military helicopters.
• Alamo Regional Unified Command in San Antonio
State wide Mutual Aid has committed resources in response to Hurricane Dean. Current assets committed are:
• 5 Strike Teams with 5 engines each
• 5 Heavy rescue units
• 1 Catastrophic Hazmat unit
It is anticipated additional assets will be committed as needs are identified.
The FEMA ERT-A Team will arrive on Saturday to support State response operations. A multiple federal agency Air Ground Coordination Team will arrive Sunday to begin operational activities
A multi State agency Search and Rescue Joint Air/Ground Coordination Control Element will arrive Saturday to begin coordination of ordering aircraft.

The SOC will go to Level I (Emergency Operations) on a 24-hour basis with 34 state agencies and organizations, in response to Hurricane Dean, beginning Saturday at 7:30 a.m. August 18, 2007.
The State Fuel Coordinator has begun coordinating the movement of fuel to coastal area retailers in preparation of Dean.
Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) has activated electronic signs from Brownsville to the Beaumont-Port Arthur areas, urging citizens to fill their tanks with gasoline now instead of later. Local officials have been asked to encourage different organizations to utilize Public Service Announcements (PSAs) to urge their citizens to do the same. TXDOT has begun preparations for the expected impact of Hurricane Dean that include the following:
• Conducted a preparedness conference call at 9:00 a.m. today to discuss various roles and responsibilities.
• Reviewing and updating existing hurricane plans, including contraflow, pre-staging and fuel preparedness.
• Sweeping shoulders on appropriate evacuation routes in preparation for conversion to travel lanes.
• Evaluating which construct and maintenance projects can be removed from travel lanes so that lane capacity is maximized for a potential evacuation.
• Ensuring personnel are available and prepared to stage as Emergency Evacuation Roadside Assistance Operators (Courtesy Patrol).
• Displaying messages on Dynamic Message Signs that encourage the public to fill their vehicle’s fuel tank. These messages began at noon today on signs along the coast.
• Opening the TXDOT Emergency Operations Center at Level 2 on Sunday, then going to Level 1 (24 hour operations) beginning Monday, August 20th at 8:00 a.m.
• Staffing the State Operations Center for 24-hour operations beginning Saturday, August 18th.
• Mobilizing additional district personnel and division call centers to support the road condition hotline (800) 452-9292 so that a live operator will be available 24/7.
• Reviewing critical employee rosters to ensure employee availability for evacuation and mitigation activities.
• Reviewing resource requisitions, including fuel, water, ice, portable toilets, wreckers, etc. and working with those vendors to ensure resource availability.
• Working the Texas Division of Emergency Management to assist in preparations as needed.
Until Dean has made landfall or the threat has diminished, TXDOT EOC will update and publish a new SITREP before 9:00 a.m. each day.
Disaster District Chair (DDC) 8A has identified evacuation hubs in Cameron, Willacy, and Hidalgo Counties, a Resource Staging Area (RSA) in the City of Edinburg, and Points of Distribution (PODs) in Cameron, Willacy, and Hidalgo Counties, in preparation for Dean.
Mass Care is coordinating with host shelter jurisdictions to identify needed resources such as; cots, blankets, food and water or other shelter operations resources.
2. AREAS AFFECTED BY EVENT: Potential impact along the entire Texas Coast.
3. RESPONDING AGENCIES/ORGANIZATIONS, RESOURCES COMMITTED:
Agency
Resources
Texas Military Forces
4500 – 10,000 Troops
33 UH60 and 14 CH 47 Helicopters
Statewide Mutual Aid
5 Strike Teams w/5 Engines Each
5 Heavy Rescue Units
1 Hazmat Unit
TXDOT
Public Service Announcements
Texas Sheriff’s Association
Shelter Operation Security
TFS
80 Member Lonestar Incident Management Team
4 Regional Incident Management Teams (IMTs)
TEEX
Texas Task Force 1 and 2 (TTF1) (TTF2)
FEMA
ERT-A Team
TFS, TEEX, (TTF1), TMF, TPWD, GLO
Search & Rescue Joint Air/Ground Coordination Control Element
TPWD
250 Special Boat Crews
Multiple Federal Agency
Air/Ground Coordination Team
Mass Care
Shelter Resource Coordination
4. CASUALTIES: None.
5. DAMAGES: None.
6. EVACUATION: None.
7. SHELTER: None.
8. ROADS CURRENTLY CLOSED: None.
9. CURRENT UTILITY OUTAGES: None.
10. COMMENTS: The Governor’s Division of Emergency Management is closely monitoring this situation. Conference calls are being conducted twice daily with the National Weather Service and coastal jurisdictions to maintain maximum situational awareness of the potential threat to Texas. The State Operations Center (SOC) is activated at Level I for response to Hurricane Dean.
The four levels of SOC activation are:
Level I (Emergency Conditions)
Level II (Escalated Response Conditions)
Level III (Increased Readiness Conditions)
Level IV (Normal Conditions)
This Situation Report can be found on the DEM Homepage at http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/dem
Jack Colley
Chief, Emergency Management Division

[Stratosphere747]

Thanks for posting that Starburst.... It better explains what I was beginning to butcher....

The SOC will go to Level I (Emergency Operations) on a 24-hour basis with 34 state agencies and organizations, in response to Hurricane Dean, beginning Saturday at 7:30 a.m. August 18, 2007.

Heh. I wondered why my wife said she may not see me for awhile, earlier this morning.

[Starburst]

Speaking of being prepared etc.. I just witnessed horrible sitings..people and lots of people returning bottled water, snacks, gas cans, batteries you name it back to Wal-Mart. The customer service line is full. I live in south Texas mind you, and to me Texas and especially south Texas is no where in the clear until it is on land in Mexico. I blame the media for this as most of the evening I hear Texas now in the clear!!!! It just angers me so much as they have no idea what model runs could do next.

[jhamps10]

Speaking of being prepared etc.. I just witnessed horrible sitings..people and lots of people returning bottled water, snacks, gas cans, batteries you name it back to Wal-Mart. The customer service line is full. I live in south Texas mind you, and to me Texas and especially south Texas is no where in the clear until it is on land in Mexico. I blame the media for this as most of the evening I hear Texas now in the clear!!!! It just angers me so much as they have no idea what model runs could do next.

WOW, They may be back in 2 days should Dean happen to mis-behave to the models. Yep I am blaiming the media as folks Texas you are in the clear as of NOW, that may change tomorrow, the models could change again.

[Pebbles]

Speaking of being prepared etc.. I just witnessed horrible sitings..people and lots of people returning bottled water, snacks, gas cans, batteries you name it back to Wal-Mart. The customer service line is full.

Question really should be why are they returning these things instead of keeping them for a hurricane/emergency kit?!! They must of thought this was needed for emergency situations... unfortunately there could also be those that aren't hurricanes with up to a week worth of warnings.

[KBFinLRD]

Hi, first time poster here. I live in Laredo, which is a bit over 120 miles from Corpus & about 180 from Brownsville. If Dean were to hit northern Mexico as a Category 5, what type of storm am I going to be dealing with in Laredo?

I went through Allen & Gilbert, evacuated from Celia & Brett, but all of this was when I lived along the coast. Now that I'm further inland, I'm not sure how to calculate what level of storm Dean would be if it hit Brownsville or northern Mexico as a 5.

TIA & I hope this isn't a stupid question.

[lantanatx]

Another first time poster here from Kingsville...

I agree that the people returning water to Walmart are likely going to need those same supplies in the future, and it seems short-sighted. However South Texas is one of the poorest regions in the country and many people just don't have the money to invest in hurricane supplies that are not immediately used. It is easy for those of us who are relatively well off to forget the daily challenges of those less fortunate.

School is starting soon and it is past the middle of the month, so a lot of families may have used next week's grocery money or electric bill money to buy batteries/water - I'm not surprised they are returning them. My children's baby sitter was in a panic Friday because she had just paid utility bills and had no available money to buy plywood, or supplies, etc. Like many working people on the edge, she's maxed out her credit cards on car repairs, medical expenses, etc. I doubt you can use food stamps to buy gas, plywood, flashlights - can you even buy water? - btw I did offer to loan her money, but she wanted to wait until it was absolutely necessary.

[SETXweatherwatcher]

Hi, first time poster here. I live in Laredo, which is a bit over 120 miles from Corpus & about 180 from Brownsville. If Dean were to hit northern Mexico as a Category 5, what type of storm am I going to be dealing with in Laredo?

I went through Allen & Gilbert, evacuated from Celia & Brett, but all of this was when I lived along the coast. Now that I'm further inland, I'm not sure how to calculate what level of storm Dean would be if it hit Brownsville or northern Mexico as a 5.

TIA & I hope this isn't a stupid question.

Well K - All I can do is tell you what happened to us with Rita and let you make your own discission. We evacuated to our lake camp about 100 miles inland from where Rita can in and she tracked directly in our path- We had Cat 1 possibly Cat 2 conditions to deal with the wind and rain were relentless for about 6 hours and this was a heavily wooded area - Pine trees. The effects were felt another 60 miles north of us - not as bad as what we had gone thru because they regained power 4 days later and we were out of power for 3 weeks at home.

No power, no water until we decided to evac further north and pray that there was gas up ahead of us.

Rita was a Cat 3 at landfall. If you are in a direct line norh of Brownsville - I would leave - or prepare yourself with plenty of food and water - and don't forget with no power and water - the toilet can be a problem - so fill up the bathtub to be able to use it to fill up the toilet tank so that you can flush - I'm sorry I know that is gross - but it became something that we had to deal with - especially with 13 people in one house. The things you learn in the event of a hurricane....

[lantanatx]

My family has a ranch near Hebbronville, and we have experienced 11 inches or more of rain in a day and tornadoes after tropical storms/hurricanes move inland.

My guess is that a large cat5 storm hitting near the border might throw out thunderstorms with TS force winds up into your area - that is what I'm preparing for in Kingsville in the event of a close strike. If the storm tracks to the NW after landfall as some models have suggested, I would prepare for flash flooding and the possibility of tornadoes. Just look what happened in San Antonio after Erin and that was a yawner of a TS.

It depends on where you are living in Laredo and what the probability of flooding is in your neighborhood as to stay or leave. I personally think it is generally better to shelter in place if you are out of the storm surge or highest wind areas, unless you know your house floods or you live in a mobile home. In lots of areas in these semi-arid region towns, the streets are actually designed to act like storm drains in the infrequent heavy rains and will flood deep enough to ruin your engine if you go out driving in it - or worse.

[SETXweatherwatcher]

Sorry - I didn't think about flooding - it wasn't an issue for us with Rita.

[sphelps8681]

I will tell you we stayed for Rita and that was the worst thing we could have done. We were lucky not to have been killed. It hit during the dark could not see a thing which made it seem worse. Trees in the front of the house fell toward the street if they came back the other way we would have been killed or seriously injured. One limb went through the window. The homes across the street had huge trees fall down write on top and through their homes. We were in Lumberton, Tx north of Beaumont, Tx. The aftermath was much worse than the storm. It felt like a third world country. No help came for several days.
We were with out power for over a month.

Your just better off getting out.

[Pebbles]

I doubt you can use food stamps to buy gas, plywood, flashlights - can you even buy water? - btw I did offer to loan her money, but she wanted to wait until it was absolutely necessary.

I in no way meant to bash anyone in my post. I actually have lived in extreme poverty ($150 a month and foodstamps to support myself an my daughter for a couple years) so totally understand living day to day. God has blessed me beyond measure the past 8 years but I have never forgotten.

To answer your question, yes bottled water can be bought on food stamps... actually you would be AMAZED what can be bought on them. They provide you with quite a bit of money for food... honestly more then what's needed. As for supplies such as flashlights and batteries, first aid stuff for an emergency kit... if you are poverty level there are orgs and churches that will help out with these things.
Not everything is easy of course... transportation is a whole different ball game.

Unfortunately I have found that too often that people (many that actually could do this) will put off putting together a kit for various reasons instead putting few dollars aside a week for the 'basics' needed for a kit. Then they are forced last minute to run out trying to purchase when they can least afford to.

There are always exceptions, of course, but I just felt a need to share my experiences.

[KBFinLRD]

Thanks for all the information! Due to the Coastal Bend as well as the way the Rio Grande meanders along the border, Laredo is not in a direct line with Brownsville. However, we are closer to Corpus than Brownsville & any storm approaching those areas will affect us. We were supposed to get slammed by Erin, but it went in too far north to impact us. We were also gearing up for Rita, but again, it came in too far north to affect us.

Laredo does have a flooding problem, especially the low-lying areas that serve as run-offs for the creeks feeding into the river. I plan to shelter in place, but I will keep my eyes open if the storm starts to track further north than they are now suggesting.