Update: Hurricane Harvey slammed into southwestern Texas Friday night as the storm's "eyewall" - the area where storm-related damage is typically the heaviest - battered communities along the coastline as the storm headed straight toward densely populated Corpus Christi, according to the National Weather Service.
The storm arrived more quickly than some expected, leaving hundreds of thousands of Texans scrambling to evacuate from towns and cities in the storm's path.According to ABC, a station at Aransas Pass run by the Texas Coastal Observing Network sustained winds were reported to be over 100 mph, with over 120 mph gusts.
President Donald Trump made a disaster declaration Friday night - a decision that he touted on his twitter feed, claiming that it would unleash "the full force of government help!"
At the request of the Governor of Texas, I have signed the Disaster Proclamation, which unleashes the full force of government help!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)
One live feed in coastal Galveston, Texas depicted heavy rains and wind.
...and another feed from the Galveston seawall:
Trump has left for Camp David for the weekend, but he will continue to be briefed on the storm by his advisers.In a statement, the White House urged citizens to heed voluntary and mandatory evacuation orders.
Read the full text of the statement below:
"President Donald J. Trump continues to closely monitor Hurricane Harvey and the preparedness and response efforts of State, local, and Federal officials. Today, the President received a briefing from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Brock Long, Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke, his Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Advisor Thomas P. Bossert, and his Chief of Staff John F. Kelly. Yesterday, the President spoke with Governors Greg Abbott of Texas and John Bel Edwards of Louisiana and committed to providing assistance as appropriate.
This storm will likely be very destructive for several days. The President encourages people in the path of this dangerous storm to heed the advice and orders of their local and State officials. The President’s highest priority is the safety of the public and of first responders. Those who ignore evacuation orders could be putting both themselves and first responders in danger. We encourage all Americans in the affected areas to be prepared, including by visiting Ready.gov, which provides preparedness plans and important links to information."
...
* * *
Gartman has done it again.
Yesterday, on CNBC the world-renowned commodities guru predicted that Hurricane Harvey would be a mostly a non-event, saying that he "doubts Harvey gets much past a Category 1 hurricane", and that "this is going to be a short-term event."
The storm "could be very serious. My guess is that it shan't be," he said...
... to which our response was simply "bye Texas":
Gartman "I doubt Harvey gets much past a Category 1 hurricane"
Bye Texas
— zerohedge (@zerohedge)
24 hours later the Gartman curse has hit again, because with Hurricane Harvey barreling toward Corpus Christi, and just hours away from landfall, moments ago the NHC said that it upgraded Harvey to a Category 4 (out of 5) hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph
NEW: #Harvey continues to intensify and is now a category 4 #hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph. https://t.co/tW4KeGdBFb pic.twitter.com/7CkJkuafTb
— NHC Atlantic Ops (@NHC_Atlantic)
Forecasters are labeling it a “life-threatening storm.” The storm quickly grew Thursday from a tropical depression into a Category 1 hurricane, and then developed into a Category 2 storm early Friday. By Friday afternoon, it had become a Category 3 storm before strengthening to a Category 4. It’s forecast to make landfall in Texas late Friday or early Saturday.
The storm is 45 miles (72 kilometers) east of Corpus Christi.
Here is the latest update from the NHC on the hurricane which is now so powerful, the damage across the coastline and energy infrastructure will likely be in the tens of billions:
Hurricane Harvey Tropical Cyclone Update
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL AL092017
600 PM CDT Fri Aug 25 2017
...6 PM CDT POSITION AND INTENSITY UPDATE...
...HARVEY BECOMES A CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE...
...SUSTAINED HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS SPREADING ONTO THE MIDDLE TEXAS COAST...
Air Force Reserve Reconnaissance aircraft data indicate that Harvey has become a category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (215 km/h).
A station at Aransas Pass run by the Texas Coastal Observing Network recently reported a sustained wind of 74 mph (119 km/h) with a gust to 96 mph (154 km/h).
SUMMARY OF 600 PM CDT...2300 UTC...INFORMATION
----------------------------------------------
LOCATION...27.7N 96.7W
ABOUT 45 MI...70 KM E OF CORPUS CHRISTI TEXAS
ABOUT 50 MI...85 KM SSW OF PORT OCONNOR TEXAS
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...130 MPH...215 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT...NW OR 325 DEGREES AT 8 MPH...13 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...941 MB...27.79 INCHES
