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WHAT HOUSTONIANS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT HURRICANES

BY: Jill F. Hasling
Certified Consulting Meteorologist
Weather Research Center - Houston, Texas

Anyone that lives along the Gulf coast, including Houston, should be aware of the threat from hurricanes and tropical storms to their lives and property. Every resident of Houston should know the risk that they are exposed to by the weather. The devastation from a hurricane is caused by wind, rainfall flooding, tornadoes and storm surge flooding.

Storm surge is responsible for 90% of the deaths in hurricanes and a very large portion of the property loss associated with hurricanes. It is generally accepted that buildings and houses along the coast that lie below the 25-foot elevation are vulnerable to storm surge flooding. Within the Houston city limits, only a small portion of far southeast Houston could be expected to be affected by a storm surge from an intense hurricane. Therefore, most of Houston would not need to evacuate. If your property lies below the 25-foot elevation and has flooded before; if you live on the edge of bayous that are liable to overflow; or if you live in a mobile home, make plans to evacuate when a hurricane threatens the upper Texas Coast.

Most of the damage in Houston will result from high winds, tornadoes and rainfall flooding. It would be reasonable for residents of Houston to expect winds, from a nominal hurricane, in excess of 75 mph, and the damage that would result from these type of winds. Along with high winds, it would not be unreasonable for residents of Houston to be affected by tornadoes associated with hurricanes. Tornadoes always pose a threat in a hurricane area. Loss of life by the high winds or a tornado can be minimized by locating a safe place within your home, such as an inside closet or bathroom.

Another danger from hurricanes for Houston, is flooding. Hurricanes sometimes produce enormous amounts of rainfall, which can cause widespread damage to homes and businesses. During a hurricane, when the storm surge is pushed up into the natural drainage system such as bayous, the runoff from rainfall is a slower process, allowing bayous and ditches to back up and cause flooding. If you live in an area of Houston that is in the 100-year flood plain, or in an area that is at a low elevation (the height of your property above mean sea level), you would most likely want to seek higher ground. You can expect to experience flooding.

The most important things to remember when a hurricane threatens are not to panic and to be prepared. Have a plan of action before the weather threatens and know what you will do in advance.

If you are building you own home, have the builder use hurricane clips. This can prevent lots of damage from severe weather.

The following table gives the hurricanes in the past that have affected the Houston area.

YEAR

DATES

NAME

CATEGORY
2008 SEP 13 IKE 2

2001

JUN 5 - 6

TS ALLISON

0

1989

OCT 12 - 16

JERRY

1

1989

JUL 30 - AUG 3

CHANTAL

1

1986

JUN 23-26

BONNIE

1

1983

AUG 15-21

ALICIA

3

1979

JUL 16-29

TS CLAUDETTE

0

1963

SEP 16-19

CINDY

1

1961

SEP 3-15

CARLA

4

1959

JUL 22-26

DEBRA

1

1949

SEP 22-OCT 6

-

2

1947

AUG 18-27

-

1

1943

JUL 25-29

-

2/3

1942

AUG 17-22

-

1

1915

AUG 5-24

-

4

1909

JUL 13-22

-

3

1900

AUG 27 - SEP 15

-

4

1888

JUN 16-18

-

1

1886

AUG 12-21

-

4

1875

SEP 6-19

-

4

1871

SEP 30- OCT 6

-

1

1867

OCT 1-3

-

1

1854

SEP 15-19

-

2