Abbott declares a state of disaster for 30 Texas counties

The first hurricane to hit the Texas coast since 2008 could pound the state as early as Friday as an escalating Tropical Storm Harvey churns toward the Houston region, forcing emergency officials to brace for a major rain event.

The storm is expected to make landfall near Matagorda Island late Friday, according to weather service models. In its 6 a.m. Thursday update, the National Weather Service said a hurricane warning is in effect from Port Mansfield to Matagorda, while a tropical storm warning is in effect from Matagorda to High Island. That warning includes Harris County.

Its growing strength and directed path toward the coast prompted Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday to preemptively declare a state of disaster for 30 counties.

Harvey's main threat, meteorologists say, is its prolong duration coupled with heavy rainfall.
The storm is projected to move slowly across southeast Texas and then stall while dumping between 10 to 15 inches over the state's middle and upper coast for three days, said National Weather Service meteorologist Dan Reilly.

Before it makes landfall, Reilly said it's likely the storm could strengthen into a hurricane, bringing strong winds, tornadoes and flooding.

Emergency crews from Corpus Christi to Houston elevated their readiness levels Wednesday morning after forecasts revealed remnants of Harvey resurged into a tropical depression and continued to intensify.

By Wednesday afternoon, the weather service issued several tropical storm watches for counties near the coast including Harris, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Victoria and Wharton.
The service also issued 15 hurricane watches along the coast for counties that include Brazoria, Matagorda and Nueces. Those were upgraded to warnings on Thursday morning.

For Houston, the potential for life-threatening flooding remains high. Officials predict at least 8 to 12 inches, with higher amounts scattered across the area.

"Depending on how quickly that rain falls, we could have major flash flooding in Houston," said Michael Walter, spokesman for the city's emergency operations center.

Officials say it's still too early to tell what the storm may do. Nevertheless, county officials are urgently telling residents to prepare.

"We're asking everyone to play it safe," said Steve Rose, Brazoria County's emergency management coordinator. "Now's the time to stock up on everything you need in case of an emergency — batteries, radios, food and water."

Counties closer to the Gulf are expected to receive the heaviest rain totals and see tides rise by Thursday.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Harvey's tides weren't expected to greatly affect the coast, but the National Weather Service issued its first ever storm surge watch for Texas for Calhoun County about 150 southwest of Houston.

With the surge watch the weather service warns of the potential for 4 to 6 feet of water above ground and the possibility of mandatory evacuation.

After the storm makes landfall, it's expected to hook eastward and slowly hover over Houston through Monday, pouring copious amounts of rain on the region, according to weather and emergency officials.

But officials warn that the storm's path could change.

"While the track of this storm is still very uncertain, we do know that this will be a significant rain event for our entire area," said Niki Bender, emergency management coordinator for the city of Galveston. "Residents should prepare their homes for tidal flooding, gusting winds and rains in excess of 15 inches from Friday to Monday."

One weather service model has the storm arriving late Friday, while another predicts a late Saturday landfall.

"The track could change," Reilly said. "But once it makes landfall it's forecast to sit for a while — a recipe for heavy rainfall."

Emergency crews prepared Wednesday by cramming into emergency meeting rooms, fueling rescue vehicles and staffing their operation centers.

The last hurricane to hit Texas was Ike in 2008. That catastrophic storm is known for the billions of dollars in damages it caused in a path that extended far into the Atlantic and along the Caribbean, devastating the coasts of Texas and Louisiana with 100 mph winds and a powerful storm surge.

Since then the gulf has remained relatively quiet and has adopted the nickname the "Ghost Coast" from observers for its lack of hurricane activity.

But after predictions of a very active hurricane season, the Texas coast and Houston region seem to be keeping their eyes on the Gulf more than usual.

More than two dozen state agencies — including the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Texas Attorney General's Office — are also involved and prepping for a possible hurricane.

"As the State Operations Center increases its readiness levels, I also encourage Texans in the storm's path to make their own emergency preparations, heed warnings from local officials and avoid high water areas," Abbott said.

He said preemptively declaring a state of disaster will allow Texas to quickly deploy resources for the emergency response effort in anticipation of the storm's hazardous conditions.

LEARN MORE: Forecasts, satellite, radar & maps to explain everything you need to know about tropical storm Harvey 

Late last week, Tropical Storm Harvey appeared to be of minimal impact for the Texas coast.

The storm was moving westward through the Caribbean, but reportedly posed no threat to the Gulf Coast, according to the National Weather Service. It brought heavy rains to northern Central America and the Yucatan Peninsula and by Saturday it became disorganized and degenerated into a tropical wave after losing strength.

But once it crossed over Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, it regained speed after hitting the Gulf of Mexico, said Brian Kyle, a National Weather Service meteorologist.

That's pretty typical behavior for storms, which often lose strength over land but regenerate over warm open water, he added.

Once winds hits 39 miles per hour, the depression will be re-categorized as a tropical storm.
Kyle said winds could reach hurricane level — upwards of 70 miles per hour — by the time it reaches the Texas coast.

The storm's resurgence has put oil and gas companies in the Gulf on high alert.

Shell, ExxonMobil and Anadarko Petroleum have each announced a reduction of production and personnel in the Gulf of Mexico.

"We are closely monitoring weather updates, determining which of our facilities may potentially be in the path of the storm and preparing those structures," said Susan Guthrie, ExxonMobil operations media coordinator. "We will evacuate personnel from those offshore facilities expected to be in the path of the storm."

Regional stores from Walmart to Lowe's have stocked up on supplies in case of a disastrous storm.

"We've got an entire aisle for storm prep as soon as you walk in," said Dustin Spacey, manager of the Lowe's in Pearland.

Spacey said the store was fully stocked with pallets of water, charcoal grills, generators, flashlights, batteries and portable AC units. After the Tax Day flood of 2016, Spacey said that what he needed most — and what people came in looking for the most — was water.

Jordan Blum, Emily Foxhall and Marialuisa Rincon contributed to this report.