My aunt and uncle in Beaumont made it to Austin yesterday. Praying that their house survives. Two people in their 80s might have a hard time rebuilding.
It was noted on Space City Weather this morning that Laura is very similar to 2005ās Rita. Similar tracks and relatively similar size. They say to expect similar impacts.
For the Golden Triangle that was pretty bad, as I recall. The Rita evacuation got all the press, but I remember they got hit hard. I wish them all the best.
Space City Weather also commented on what Rita was for Houston. I had evacuated so I donāt exactly know what happened at our house. From what I recall I came home to a bunch of leaves in the yard.
SCW says to expect some strong winds tonight in Houston, maybe lose tree limbs and maybe some will lose power. They predict an inch of rain.
https://twitter.com/nhc_atlantic/status/1298638836197548035?s=21
Having fished Lake Calcasieu multiple times, have come to know a couple of the guides fairly well. Heartbreaking to potentially lose their homes and livelihoods from this hurricane.
Another report projects over 10-15 feet surge as far north as Lake Charles.
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Looks like we dodged that bullet. But our gain is someone elseās loss. So prayers to those people.
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We really need that barrier system in the ship channel and Galveston. They are in the planning stages but will take yrs.
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So far my stand by generator has repelled 2 storms now.
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Thank you!!!
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100% agree that we need it. The so-called āIke Dikeā has been in planning since Ikeā¦back in 2008.
https://www.eenews.net/stories/1063712489
US Army Corps of Engineers officially adopted the plan in 2018 and looking to get it funded. According to the article above, construction is anticipated to be complete in 2031. Also from the article, the Commander in Chief is not a fan of the idea: āThe money did not materialize under the presidentās infrastructure plan. Instead, Trump at a 2019 rally in Dallas mocked Texas officials for wanting to build āa dam in the ocean,ā calling it a ācrazy thing that may work or it may not,ā adding the state āmade a fortuneā from federal aid post-Harvey.ā The Art of the Dealā¦I guess we āwonā that business negotiation after Harvey. 
Riceās SSPEED Center has proposed the smaller, cheaper, more easily constructed āGalveston Bay Parkā plan that would incorporate a gate across the Ship Channel in Galveston Bay. SSPEED Center has been proposing smaller, cheaper (and greener) alternatives to the USACEās Ike Dike ever since Hurricane Ike, but theyāre not getting traction.
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Thing is hurrricanes are only going to get more powerful; this one is cat 4, potentially cat 5. Scientists say Harvey would have been a once in 100 years event in 1900 but is now a roughly once in 16 years occurrence. So Iām all for any barrier that would enervate such storms. We might eventually be living in Huntsville if we donāt do something. The Ike Dike doesnāt seem like a bizarre idea at all. It just extends the sea wall, adds flood gates, and a bit more. The model for the idea is a barrier in the Netherlands thatās already used successfully.
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The Ike Dike would have helped against Ike, but done nothing for Harvey, a storm that basically got stuck in our standard high-pressure system over Texas. That same Texas high-pressure system that has protected Texas from storms over the decades.
Greater and far more modern reservoir capacity was needed for Harvey versus what was built when Houston had 10% of the population it does today.
The Ike Dike, or other versions, are there to protect the shipping channel and all the refineries. If it got blasted, Houston wouldnātā just be done for, it would cause long lasting economic hardship on the entire country.
My father in-law is currently getting hammered by Laura. Heās about an hour south of Shreveport. We got extremely lucky. This thing is still a monster.
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Pretty rough pics coming in from Lake Charles. Looks like the Nugget faired well under the circumstances. Fortunately, it looks like the storm surge was about half of what was predicted. Still brutal for some tho.
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This is absolutely trivial in light of everything else going on, but I still got a kick out of it.
https://twitter.com/travisakers/status/1298992281802825731/photo/1
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That hurricane is trying to take away history
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Are you trying to cancel hurricanes? Not on my watch!!! Hurricanes are part of our beautiful heritage.
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