HOUSTON – The City of Houston is preparing for significant impacts from Hurricane Harvey as it is expected to make landfall as a Category 3 Hurricane between Matagorda Bay and Corpus Christi, Texas.
Impacts to the City of Houston are expected to mostly be significant rainfall. The National Weather Service forecast currently indicates that Houston will see close to 20 inches of rainfall over the weekend and into early next week. This is likely to cause dangerous flash flooding, and will cause area flooding throughout the entire Houston region.
Make Preparations Now
Houston residents should prepare for both the impact of flooding and Tropical Storm force winds.
This includes:
- Ensuring you have enough supplies for 5-7 days, such as water, food, medications and emergency supplies. For a full list of what should be in your kit, visit houstonemergency.org/harvey.
- Identify your risk of flooding. For a map of floodplains in Harris County, visit harriscountyfemt.org. Remember, any portion of Houston is subject to flooding, so residents should be prepared whether or not they live in a flood plain.
- Anticipate damage to your home. You can take steps to reduce the damage that this hurricane causes but you may still need to get your car fixed if it’s flooded or look for a roof repair austin tx company. No one is totally safe and it’s important to prepare correctly.
- Beginning Friday, residents should plan to park their vehicles out of streets, especially those prone to flooding.
- Check that your gutters are secure and free from blockages. Clean Pro Gutter Cleaning Houston can do this for you if you don’t feel comfortable doing it yourself. Your gutters will be under immense pressure from the heavy rainfall so they need to be fully functioning.
- Please secure anything that can be picked up by the wind and thrown about. Remember, any debris the comes loose could potentially block storm drains.
- Residents who own generators should ensure they are in good working order and have enough fuel safely stored. CenterPoint Energy has safety tips available for the use of generators.
What is the City Doing?
The City is preparing emergency response resources to be able to meet the public safety needs of residents during the storm.
This includes:
- The Houston Fire Department is preparing evacuation boats and swift water rescue assets ahead of the arrival of the storm.
- The Houston Police Department and Public Works and Engineering Department (PWE) is preparing high water rescue vehicles to be used in the event they become necessary. In addition, PWE has identified 41 intersections that are prone to flooding, and will make barricades available as it becomes safe to do so.
- The General Services Department, Department and Neighborhoods and PWE are preparing to conduct rapid damage assessment following the impacts from this storm.
- The Office of Emergency Management is coordinating the City’s disaster response with neighboring jurisdictions, the State of Texas and federal agencies as necessary. In addition, OEM will activate the City’s Emergency Operations Center at 7:00am Friday in support of anticipated emergency actions.
Planned Closures
In anticipation of the arrival of the Hurricane, some City events and facilities have preemptively closed or canceled:
The Houston Parks & Recreation Department (HPARD) says Lake Houston Wilderness Park will be closed Friday, August 25, through Sunday, August 27, due to forecasted weather conditions from Tropical Storm Harvey. Park visitors with reservations will receive a full refund.
The Theatre District Open House scheduled for Sunday has also been canceled.
The Houston Airport System reminds residents who are planning travel by air over the weekend to check with their carriers about possible cancellations. For a list of carriers and contact information, visit fly2houston.com.
Shelters
At this time, the American Red Cross has not opened any emergency shelters. If and when they become necessary, they will be posted to redcross.org. Additionally, residents who may need Red Cross Assistance can call 1-800-733-2767 (1-800-RED-CROSS).
The City of Houston will continue to provide updates on Hurricane Harvey as they become available through AlertHouston.