HomeMy WebLinkAboutHurricanes on the Texas Coast - The Destruction 2 1975 .
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on the Texas Coast
The Destruction
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Walter K. Henry
Dennis M. Driscoll
' J. Patrick McCormack
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Center for Applied Geosciences
College of Geosciences
Texas A &M University
March 1975
TAMU -SG -75 -502
I. FOREWORD
AP
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This booklet is the second in a series of three discussing � �`� �
tropical storms and hurricanes, and their effects. This `� 1
series is designed primarily for residents of the Texas Gulf �` �� �
coast and is intended to increase awareness of the potential �. �"
destructiveness of hurricanes so that plans can be prepared ,�
and actions taken to reduce casualties and property damage. 4"
The first booklet, which describes the hurricane from i �,`
birth through maturity, presents facts and figures on Texas' `
most destructive hurricanes. Historical listings of tropical ..
cyclones and their probabilities of occurrence along 50 -mile
segments of the Texas coast also are included.
This booklet describes and explains the types of damage
a hurricane can cause along the Texas coast and adjacent,
inland areas. Hurricane - related events, such as storm surge,
heavy rains, high winds, tornadoes, and resulting hazards,
such as floods and downed electrical wires, are discussed.
Special emphasis is given to types of destruction that
occurred during previous hurricanes. .. /
The third booklet provides guidelines and checklists to v. ° / r
help individuals plan for safety and specifies actions taken
by government and civilian agencies before, during, and Fig. 1. This picture of Celia was taken from the Brownsville
after a hurricane. Responsibilities of local governments radar. The eye of the hurricane is the black hole to the
and individuals in preparing for hurricanes also are dis northeast at the second ring from the center of the radar
cussed. scope. The white area represents the heavy cloud and rain
area. (Photo courtesy of the National Hurricane Center.)
A .
Galveston Hurricane in 1900 caused the most deaths
II. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS IF (6,000 to 8,000), and, in Texas, Hurricane Celia (1970)
was responsible for the greatest estimated damage of
We extend our most sincere appreciation to Dr. Cecil property ($500 million). Appendices I I and III detail
Gentry and Dr. Neil Frank of the National Hurricane costs of the most recent Texas hurricanes.
Center for their helpful comments and suggestions. We Dollar damages soar with almost every hurricane due to
wish to thank Dr. James R. Scoggins, Director of the increases in coastal populations and property values. Yet
Center for Applied Geosciences, Texas A &M University, the death toll generally has decreased because of better
for his continued guidance and support throughout this warning systems. With radar and satellites to make remote
project. We would like to acknowledge the help of Mr. observations, it is improbable that a hurricane could
Joseph Pelissier of the National Hurricane Center, who arrive unannounced at the Texas coast. The combination
furnished background information, and Ms. Teena Conklin of radio and television alerts together with local warning
of the Texas Highway Department for assistance in networks should provide sufficient notice so that
obtaining many photographs used in this study. Special everyone can be prepared.
thanks are extended to Ms. Polly Luther for her A glossary of hurricane terms is presented in Appendix I
professional typing of the many drafts. for convenient reference.
III. THE GREATEST STORM ON EARTH IV. DAMAGE BY WINDS
,
The hurricane, rightfully called "the greatest storm on Tropical cyclones are classified by their central pressure
I
earth," is one form of tropical cyclone--a swirling mass of (see glossary in Appendix I and by the speed Y g ( g rY • pP ) Y eed of their winds. p
air and precipitation that can cause extreme damage. In the The tropical depression contains winds of less than 39
United States, hurricanes have caused more damage than m.p.h. Tropical storms contain winds of 40-73 m.p.h.
any other type of natural disaster. During the first 60 Hurricanes have sustained winds of 74 m.p.h. or more.
years of this century, 17,000 lives were lost and property When winds are between 100 and 135 m.p.h., the
damage amounted to $5 billion (Maunder 1970). The hurricane is designated as a major hurricane, and if the
3
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winds are greater than 135 m.p.h., as an extreme hurricane. bution around an extreme hurricane like Carla (1961).
The strongest gusts in a hurricane may exceed 200 m.p.h. Fig. 4 represents a smaller hurricane with hurricane - strength
but occur rarely. winds in only one sector of the cyclone. This hurricane is
In the recent history of hurricanes along the Texas more representative of those found on the Texas coast than
coast, Celia (August 1970) is the outstanding example of is the extreme hurricane of Fig. 3. Both are represented on
damage caused by extremely high winds. As Celia moved the same scale so that comparisons can be made.
inland just north of Corpus Christi, the peak gust at the At wind speeds between 35 and 40 m.p.h., twigs
airport was measured at 161 m.p.h. The anemometer are broken from trees and walking against or with the wind
(wind- measuring instrument) at Aransas Pass was blown is difficult. With speeds in the 40's, slight structural damage
away at 150 m.p.h.; later the wind was estimated at 180 occurs; shingles can be blown off roofs, and unsecured
m.p.h. trash cans are scattered. When wind speeds reach 49 to
Hurricane Carla (September 1961) was another extreme 56 m.p.h., tree branches can break and significant damage
hurricane. Carla had all the features (high winds, heavy can occur to structures.
rains, extensive storm surge, and tornadoes) that cause The wind force applied to any object increases with the
damage. Her strongest winds were estimated to be 170 square of the wind speed (Fig. 5). Consider a house 100
m.p.h. at Port Lavaca. feet long and 10 feet high with a 100 m.p.h. wind blowing
The "eye" is the focal point of a hurricane. Fig. 1 is a against it. Since wind at 100 m.p.h. exerts a force of about
picture of Celia taken from the radar scope at Brownsville. 40 pounds per square foot, the total force exerted against
The eye is identified easily as the cloudless, circular area in one side of the house would be 40 x 100 x 10 or 40,000
the upper right (northeast) portion of the cloud mass. As pounds! With a wind of 160 m.p.h., this force would be
in most cases, the eye is not centered in the cloud mass and 100 x 100 x 10 or 100,000 pounds! When rain is driven
the winds are not distributed uniformly around the eye. In by the wind, the force exerted on the side of a building is
the satellite picture of Hurricane Beulah (September 1967) even greater. Few buildings are designed to withstand such
shown in Fig. 2, the eye is barely visible. Hurricanes are force without damage. Figs. 6 and 7 illustrate damage by
eccentric, and each has different characteristics. high winds to buildings.
The general structure of hurricane winds is shown in Trees also are blown over or uprooted by hurricane -
Figs. 3 and 4. Fig. 3 illustrates the schematic wind distri- force winds (Fig. 8), and whole forests may be leveled.
During Hurricane Camille (1969, Mississippi), trees to the
west of the eye (where winds were from the north) were
lying parallel to each other with their crowns pointed south.
; 11111.410111"- To the east of the eye (where winds were from the south),
l air y the trees were lying parallel with crowns pointed north.
Overhead power and telephone lines frequently are
broken by strong winds. These downed electric lines are
a hazard if the power is on Furthermore, blowing debris
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from destroyed buildings can cause extensive damage to
• :� other structures, and serious injuries to people not in
1 ] +,
shelter.
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V. DEVASTATION BY STORM SURGE
•
Storm surge, an abnormal rise in the level of the sea,
causes the greatest concentration of death and destruction
in a hurricane. The continual pounding of the storm surge
(which may reach heights up to 20 feet) with waves super -
imposed can destroy almost any manmade structure. Fig. 9
10 it. ' shows the storm surge during Hurricane Carla.
Many people who stayed in their homes near the coast
Fig. 2. A satellite picture of Hurricane Beulah over the during the Great Galveston Hurricane of 1900, and during
Gulf of Mexico. The eye is the small black dot just below the Indianola hurricanes of 1875 and 1886, were buried in
the + in the center of the picture. The white areas are the resulting rubble. Some persons who left during the height
clouds. The size of the hurricane and the general circulation of the storm, because their homes were being destroyed,
features are illustrated well. (Photo courtesy of the were washed away and never found. When Hurricane Camille
National Hurricane Center.) hit the Mississippi coast near Pass Christian in 1969, her storm
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surge destroyed numerous structures, including a three
story, 40 -unit apartment building. Only the foundation of
the apartment building remained. About a dozen tenants
held a hurricane party during the storm- -their bodies were
never found.
In some areas of the world, the storm surge can reach
heights of 40 feet or more. A few years ago an extreme
hurricane (called cyclones in the Indian Ocean) hit the
islands off the coast of Pakistan (now Bangladesh). The ,,!!"°
'III ,
storm surge killed an estimated one million people and ;
destroyed almost all the crops and housing on the low, flat
islands.
Another hazard of the storm surge was demonstrated by
Hurricane Audrey, which hit the west Louisiana coast near
Cameron in June 1957. Even though a hurricane watch Fig. 6. After the masonry wall in Corpus Christi yielded to
had been issued two days in advance and hurricane warnings the winds of Hurricane Celia (1970), the roof fell. (Photo
were issued 14 hours before high winds and high tides courtesy of the Texas Highway Department.)
reached the coast, few people evacuated the area. Many
people who stayed were drowned. It is thought that the
majority of people who drowned sought safety by climbing
into high trees and then fell into the rising flood waters �9
after they were bitten by snakes also taking refuge in the
trees.
The storm surge is highest where onshore winds are y '.`
strongest - -in the right front quadrant of the hurricane. Fig.
10 (Harris 1963) shows the distribution of storm surge
height above mean sea level at varying distances from the
eye of Hurricane Audrey (1957). Audrey was moving '
northward so the highest storm surge occurred to the .+ —
right (east) side of the eye. (Note that a stornnsurge
g , i tid pi
itt
"
200 —
Fig. 7. Hurricane Celia left the Patricio County road sign
shop, some 20 miles inland, a matchstick shamble. (Photo
courtesy of the Texas Highway Department.)
150 —
greater than eight feet high can extend 150 miles along the
WLL coastline.) Surf conditions and riptides also are dangerous
for hundreds of miles along the coast.
100
ya The height of the storm surge depends on a variety of
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factors. In addition to hurricane size and intensity, the
a s angle at which the storm strikes the coast is one factor.
Storms that move onshore at right angles to the coast will
50 — cause a higher storm surge than those that hit obliquely.
The height of regularly occurring tides can add to or sub -
, tract from the storm surge. The slope and profile of the
shoreline and ocean bottom near the beach are important
0 50 100 150 200 because they can create a bottleneck ettect, causing much
WIND SPEED higher storm tides. Barrier islands, inlets, and estuaries also
m.p.h .
affect size of the storm surge, as do the amount of vegetation
and construction in the impact area. Because many complex
Fig. 5. The wind pressure exerted on a surface perpendi- factors are involved, height forecasts for the storm surge
cular to the wind flow varies with the wind speed, as shown. in a given area are not always accurate.
6
1
Flood waters of the storm surge usually come in like a
high tide but rise much faster. Sometimes in bays the storm i
surge starts a series of fast - moving waves that oscillate from ��
one side of the bay to the other. The condition is illustrated g
by try ing to carry water in a flat pan; the rush of water from
one end of the pan to the other represents the oscillation in
bays. This water movement is called a "seiche" (pronounced''
A . t *� ' ,
sayche). Survivors have described the sudden inflow as '.
"great walls of water which swept all before them."
Forecasts of this condition are beyond present capability.
Tannehill (1956) gives an account of a seiche at Coringa
on the Bay of Bengal that illustrates the destructiveness of
the storm surge, during which the town and 20,000 y,
inhabitants disappeared:
fi ..
Coringa was destroyed in a single day. A frightful
phenomenon reduced it to its present state. In the Fig. 8 Thousands of trees were snapped by the winds of
mon th of December 1789, at the moment when a Hurricane Celi (Photo courtesy of the Texas Highway
high tide was at its highest point, and that the Department.)
northwest wind blowing with fury, accumulated the
waters at the head of the bay, the unfortunate After the hurricane passes, authorities must dispose of the
inhabitants of Coringa saw with terror three monstrous carcasses before they become health hazards.
waves coming in from the sea, and following each Along the Texas coast areas of land subsidence are more
other at short distances. The first, sweeping every- vulnerable to destruction by the storm surge. During the
thing in its passage, brought several feet of water into last 30 years, some places have sunk as much as seven feet,
• the town. The second augmented these ravages by and subsidence is expected tov continue at about the same
inundating all of the low country, and the third rate. If the storm surge from Carla (1961) was two feet
overwhelmed everything. where the land has since subsided two feet, a similar storm
Damage by the storm surge occurs along the coastline today could cause the storm surge to be four feet deep.
for hundreds of miles from the center of the hurricane. Areas that survived previous storm surges may not be safe
Far from the eye, the storm surge is evidenced by numerous today. Locations lower than 20 feet above mean sea level
Portuguese men -of -war or increased seaweed and other debris must be considered prime areas to be flooded by the storm
washed up on beaches. Closer to the center there is vast surge, an d areas higher than 20 feet above mean sea level
erosion of some beaches and considerable deposition of are not always secure from flooding.
debris on others. Marine and shore equipment, as well as According to some specialists, the effects of the storm
boats, often are torn from their moorings and washed surge are not always detrimental. Bays are flushed of
hundreds of yards inland (Fig. 11). Fig. 12 shows houses pollutants, and sand is transported from the continental
lifted from their foundations and floated onto the road. shelf onto beaches toi replenish previously lost sand.
Often during the evacuation before a hurricane, livestock Sometimes this shifting of sand exposes old shipwrecks
must be left to become victims of the storm surge (Fig. 13). and artifacts.
x �, e
Amy � �
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Fig. 9. This view shows land inundated by the storm surge during Hurricane Carla (1961). The w have diminished, but
the floods remain. (Photo courtesy of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.)
7
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Fig. 71. This is one of three large boats
AM that were washed almost half a mile
inland from Lavaca Bay onto Texas
S ate Highway 376 between Indianola
.._ — ad Port Lavaca during Hurricane Carla.
fa' , ^_ X (hoto courtesy of the Texas Highway
epartment.) gh
VI. DISASTER FROM RAINFALL AND FLOODING flooding from rainfall of any reported tropical cyclone
in Texas. Beulah struck the coast just north of Browns-
Rainfall from tropical cyclones is extremely variable, ville, moved northward to a location close to Alice, Texas,
and depends on the diameter of the rainy area and the turned toward the southwest and moved slowly into
speed of cyclone movement. Total rainfall is greatest for Mexico, where she dissipated.
large hurricanes that move slowly. But even a tropical The total rainfall from Beulah exceeded 30 inches at
depression that is not named can drench a vast area. some places (Falfurrias reported 36 inches). The greatest
The world record for 24 -hour rainfall (73.62 inches) 24 -hour rainfall, an estimated 15 inches, was at Sebastian.
was associated with a typhoon in the Philippine Islands. Although not close to world records, these amounts did
Although hurricanes of the Texas coast have not produced cause severe flooding of river systems throughout south
such spectacular rainfall, heavy rains have occurred. Texas and northcentral Mexico. Rivers that flooded during
Heavy rainfall can cause flash floods and river system Beulah and some details about the floods are given in
floods, both of which can produce extreme damage. The Appendix IV. Fig. 14, taken after Hurricane Beulah,
flash flood, which lasts 30 minutes to four hours, is caused shows the Rio Grande overflowing its banks near Los
by heavy rainfall over a small area where drainage cannot Ebanos.
carry away excess water without overflow. For example,
a dry stream bed can fill with water and overflow low
bridges, underpasses, or low -lying areas. Danger to local
residents occurs in areas usually not subject to high water. , _°
The strong current can carry cars off the road, erode road-
beds, and wash out bridges.
The river system flood (Fig. 14) develops more slowly. iret
Larger rivers may overflow their banks as they gather run -
off, including that from flash floods. This type of flood,
which may not start until two or three days after the •- _
hurricane, may persist for a week or more. Although the
current in the river channel is strong, most of the flood-
water is overflow with comparatively weak currents.
While the flash flood may be the killer, the river flood
covers such an extensive area that destruction of property
and crops is greater. After the water retreats, buildings"
are full of mud, furniture is warped, and rugs are unusable.
Wind- driven rain also causes damage. Rain can enter
buildings around windows, through cracks, and under Fig. 12. Houses struck by the storm surge were floated and
shingles, causing damage to interiors. Fig. 15 shows the blown onto Texas State Highway 35 near Palacios city limits
driving rains of Hurricane Carla. during Hurricane Carla. (Photo courtesy of the Texas
Hurricane Beulah (1967) caused the most extensive Highway Department.)
9
VII. DEADLY TORNADOES
Two significant features of the hurricane - spawned Thr
tornado are its reduced size (about half the size of its
Great Plains cousin) and its short duration (usually
minutes). Consequently, the area affected is small,
usually 200 to 300 yards wide and less than a mile long. {
Nevertheless, this area often is ravaged completely.
Generally tornadoes occur to the right of the direction
of hurricane movement. The area within angles of 10 to
120 degrees from the direction of movement includes 94
percent of the tornadoes, most of which occur between
60 and 240 miles from the eye and outside the area of ;
hurricane -force winds. Tornadoes occur more frequently m�
when a hurricane moves northward, Tess frequently when
it moves westward. Hurricane Beulah (1967) was a
notable exception. Fig. 13. Livestock were left in the wake of Hurricane Carla's
In recent years, reporting systems have improved so storm surge on Texas State Highway 35 near Karankawa Bay.
that some general knowledge exists of the number and This sight was common along the Texas coast in September
geographical extent of hurricane - generated tornadoes. In 1961. (Photo courtesy of the Texas Highway Department.)
the United States, Beulah holds the record for hurricane -
associated tornadoes with more than 100; Carla (1961) is damage were small. If these small but deadly tornadoes hit
second with 26. Because Beulah's tornadoes hit larger cities during future hurricanes, casualty lists and
sparsely populated areas, the death toll and property property damage can increase.
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Fig. 14. These flood waters from Hurricane Beulah are near Los Ebanos. The double row of trees in the foreground mark
the beds of two creeks. (Photo courtesy of the Texas Highway Department.)
1 0
ter:
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Fig. 15. The wind and rain of Hurricane Celia is shown near the District Highway Office at Corpus Christi. No pictures were
taken outside during the height of the storm because of the danger. (Photo c ourtesy of the Texas Highway Department.)
VIII. DELAYED DANGERS IX. SURVIVAL AND RECOVERY
When a hurricane strikes, the immediate danger is The hurricane, the greatest storm on earth, is a killer,
caused by flooding and strong win But secondary or and each person in its potential path should take precautions
residual dangers continue after the major damage has to minimize damage and to save lives. The third volume
series lf,
Utility systems may not be his of fthis amily, and discusses his property. ways an T individual role of various can govern
i operating. There is danger
of shock from electric power lines that have bees blown agencies civi i helping citizens pr epare
down. Power for any use, from light to refrigeration, may for and recover and from ilian hurricanes organizatons also n
are considered.
not be available. If telephone and telegraph lines have
been blown down, direct communication can be limite d a to `.
battery- powered radios. "w z �"
Transportation systems can be inoperative. Bridges : ' = � - '� *�
and roads can be washed out or flooded. Debris can � "
block roads. Movement of food, medical supplies, and �" - '
necessary equipment can be impeded. Water systems can -...4,- � �� » * "1r L, � '
be flooded and polluted. Sewage and waste cannot be , , +. ` � '
4. disposed of as usual. "S `, t_� 1.
Drowned animals, lack of drinking water, failure of
z , ., ``
sewage systems, and living in sheirer conditions are ,; a 4x i`
conducive to outbreak of disease. Numerous problems, ` � '
including the threat of epidemics, confront public health �_ �`
services.
Snakes driven from their natural habitats by the high . ;, � t r
water (Fig. 16) also can cause a minor problem. During `; <<,, r x"
almost every hurricane people are bitten by snakes and 4. � .,,� �+ ` '"
have difficulty getting medical attention because of .• -x
transportation and communication breakdowns. Snakes, � * '' "�`" ,
which are strong swimmers, will be along roads, in the a r.,
remains of buildings, in trees, and in other high and dry ., r ,
places.
Finally, there is man. During every disaster there are Fig. 16. This large rattlesnake moved to the shoulder 'of the
people who take advantage of the confusion and misery highway to escape the flood waters of Hurricane Car /o.
to loot and pilfer. (Photo courtesy of the Texas Highway Department.)
11
APPENDIX I
Hurricane terms are defined in the following glossary.
Bulletin: A public release from a Weather Service Major Hurricane: A tropical cyclone with maximum
Hurricane Warning Office issued at times other than winds of 101 m.p.h. to 135 m.p.h. (88 to 117 knots)
those when advisories are required. A bulletin is and a minimum central pressure of 28.01 to 29.00
similar in form to an advisory but includes additional inches Hg (711.45 to 736.60 mm Hg or 948.53 to
general newsworthy information. 982.05 mb).
Cautionary Advice to Small Craft: When a hurricane is Seiche: A series of fast - moving waves that sometimes
within a few hundred miles of a coastline, small are superimposed upon the storm surge. This pheno-
craft operators are warned to take precautions and to menon may cause total destruction and great loss
avoid entering the open sea. of life.
Cyc /one: A closed system of cyclonic (counterclockwise Storm Surge: An abnormal rise in the level of the sea
direction) circulation characterized by low pressure produced by the hurricane. This inundation is
and inclement weather. usually responsible for the greatest loss of life and
destruction of property.
Extreme Hurricane: A tropical cyclone with maximum
winds of 136 m.p.h. (118 knots) or higher and Storm Warning: A notice added to small craft advisories
minimum central pressure of 28.00 inches Hg (711.20 when winds of 56-73 m.p.h. are expected. Both
mm Hg or 948.19 mb) or less. gale and storm warnings indicate the coastal area to
be affected and the expected intensity of the
Eye: The roughly circular area of comparatively light disturbance.
winds and fair weather at the center of a hurricane. Tornado: A violently rotating column of air, nearly
Gale Warning: A notice added to small craft advisories always observable as a funnel cloud.
when winds of 38-55 m.p.h. are expected. Tornado Forecast Information: An advisory stating
Hurricane: A tropical cyclone with sustained winds of that conditions are such that tornadoes may occur.
74 m.p.h. (64 knots) or greater. Tornado Warning: An advisory stating that a tornado
Hurricane Warning: A warning that within 24 hours or actually has been sighted by human eye or indicated
less a specified coastal area may be subject to (a) by radar.
sustained winds of 74 m.p.h. (64 knots) or higher and /or Tropical Cyclone: A general term for the nearly circular
(b) dangerously high water or a combination of cyclones that originate over tropical oceans. It
dangerously high water and exceptionally high waves, includes tropical storms, tropical depressions and all
even though winds expected may be less than hurricane types of hurricanes.
force.
Tropical Cyclone /Hurricane Advisories: Messages issued
Hurricane Watch: The first alert when a hurricane poses simultaneously by the Hurricane Warning Offices
a possible, but as yet uncertain, threat to a certain and the National Hurricane Center in Miami every six
coastal area, or when a tropical storm threatens the hours describing the storm, its position, anticipated
watch area and has a 50 -50 chance of intensifying movement, and prospective threat.
into a hurricane. Small craft advisories are issued
as part of a hurricane watch advisory. Tropical Depression: A tropical cyclone with sustained
winds of less than 39 m.p.h. (34 knots).
Land Subsidence: The sinking of the land, caused mainly
by the withdrawal of underground water from wells Tropical Storm: A tropical cyclone with sustained winds
supplying cities and industries. This phenomenon of 39 to 73 m.p:h. (34 to 63 knots).
may cause coastal areas to become more vulnerable to
tropical storm flooding.
Local Action Statement: A public release prepared by a
Weather Service Office in or near a threatened area
giving specific details for its area of responsibility on
weather conditions, evacuation notices, and other
precautions necessary to protect life and property.
12
APPENDIX II
This summary lists the largest number of deaths and the greatest amount of dollar damage caused by hurricanes affecting
the Texas coast.
Largest Number of Deaths
Hurricane and Date Texas Deaths Dollar Damage
Great Galveston Hurricane
8 -10 September 1900 6,000 -8,000 $30 -40 million
Corpus Christi Storm
14 September 1919 284 20 million
Galveston Storm
16 -19 August 1915 275 56 million
Indianola Storm
15 -18 September 1875 176 No estimate
Greatest Amount of Dollar Damage
{ Hurricane and Date Texas Deaths Dollar Damage
Celia 11 500 million
34 August 1970 5 outside Texas _ No estimate outside Texas
Carla 34 400 million
11 -14 September 1961 12 outside Texas 25 million outside Texas
Beulah 15 200 million
8 -21 September 1967 44 outside Texas No estimate outside Texas
Galveston Storm 275 56 million
16 -19 August 1915 No estimate outside Texas
Great Galveston Hurricane 6,000 -8,000 3040 million
8 -10 September 1900 No estimate outside Texas
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APPENDIX III APPENDIX IV
Estimated costs of the last three extreme hurricanes are Rivers and creeks flooded by rainfall during Hurricane
listed by type of damage. Beulah (1967) are given.
Aransas River Basin: Flooded Beeville, Sinton, and Odem.
HURRICANE COSTS Guadalupe River Basin: Coleto Creek flooded roads and
washed out bridges, flooded Yorktown; Gohle Creek
Carla (1961) flooded Cuero; Guadalupe River flooded parts of
Victoria.
Damage by storm surge $200,195,000 Lavaca River Basin: Flooding not severe.
Damage by wind, rain, and tornadoes 203,584,000
Cost of rescue efforts 4,51 1,000 Los O/mos Creek Basin: Flooded large rural area and
covered roads.
TOTAL $408,290,000
Mission River Basin: Mission River set new records for
Acres flooded 1,560,565 flooding at Refugio; Medio Creek set new high levels.
Nueces River Basin: Nueces River set new flood records
and flooded Tilden, Three Rivers, and Mathis; extensive
flooding throughout the area.
Beulah (1967) Oso Creek Basin: Flooded Robstown.
Palo Blanco Creek Basin: Flooded Falfurrias (worst
Damage by storm surge $ 5,449,000 in history) and much rural land.
Damage by wind, rain, and tornadoes 46,491,000
Damage by floods (river system and flash) 108,158,000 Petronila Creek: Severe flood at Driscoll.
Cost of rescue efforts 8,746,000,
Rio Grande River Basin: Flooded three to five miles
TOTAL $148,844,000 wide in the areas of San Benito, La Grulla, Los Ebanos,
Rio Grande City, and other places.
5 deaths and $2 million damage by tornadoes San Antonio River Basin: Nichols Creek flooded Kenedy;
Acres flooded by storm surge — 630,000 San Antonio River flooded parts of San Antonio and
Acres flooded by overflow from 50 streams -- 1,400,000 set new records at Goliad.
San Fernando Creek Basin: Flooded Alice, Bishop, and
the countryside south of Kingsville.
Celia (1970) The U. S. Floodway System: Flooding at Mission and
Harlingen; overflow from floodway canals flooded
Damage by storm surge $ 27,570,000 parts of McAllen, Edinburg, Elsa, LaVilla, Sebastian,
Lyford, Raymondville, San Perlita, and adjacent
Damage by wind, rain, and tornadoes 439,738,000 rural areas.
Cost of rescue efforts 32,692,000
TOTAL $500,000,000
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REFERENCES
Carr, J ohn T. Report 49, Hurricanes Affecting the Texas Harris, D. L. Technical Paper No. 48, Characteristics of
Gu /f Coast. Texas Water Development Board, Austin, the Hurricane Storm Surge. U. S. Department of
Texas. J une 1967. Commerce, Weather Bureau. Washington, D. C. 1963.
Davis, W. R. "The 1957 Hurricane Season." Weatherwise, Hill, E. L. et al. "Tornadoes Associated with Cyclones
Vol. 11, No. 1. February 1 958. of Tropical Origin -- Practical Features." Journal of
App lied Meteorology, Vol. 5, No. 6. December 1966.
Environmental Geologic Atlas of the Texas Coastal Zone:
Beaumont -Port Arthur Area. Bureau of Economic Maunder, W. J. The Value of Weather. Methuen and
Geology, The University of Texas at Austin. 1973. Co. Ltd., London. 1970.
Fisher, W. L. et al. Environmental Geologic Atlas of Moore, Paul L. et al. "The Hurricane Season of 1957."
the Texas Coastal Zone: Galveston- Houston Area. Monthly Weather Review, p. 401 -406. December 1957.
Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of
Texas at Austin. 1972. Tannehill, I. R. The Hurricane. U. S. Department of
Commerce, Weather Bureau, Washington, D. C. 1956.
Glossary of Meteorology. American Meteorological
Society, Boston, Massachusetts. 1959. Report on Hurricane "Beulah," 8 -21 September 1967.
U. S. Army Engineer District, Galveston, Texas.
Grice, G. K. An Investigation of the Tornadoes September 1968.
Associated with Hurricane Beulah. Unpublished thesis.
Texas A &M University, College Station, Texas. 1968. Report on Hurricane "Carla," 9-12 September 7961.
U. S. Army Engineer District, Galveston, Texas.
Grozier, R. V. et al. Report 83, Floods from Hurricane J anuary 1962.
Beulah in South Texas and Northeastern Mexico,
September- October 7967. Texas Water Development Report on Hurricane "Celia, "30 July -- 5 August 1970.
Board, Austin, Texas. September 1968. U. S. Army Engineer District, Galveston, Texas.
February 1971.
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