Storm Beryl shifts towards Houston, could make landfall as Category 2 hurricane
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Men boarding up a restaurant in Port Lavaca, Texas, on July 7 to prepare for the arrival of Tropical Storm Beryl.
PHOTO: AFP
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TEXAS – Tropical Storm Beryl could grow into a Category 2 hurricane when it makes landfall in the Houston area early on July 8 as it regains strength moving north-west over the Gulf of Mexico, according to the US National Hurricane Centre (NHC).
The storm was expected to strengthen back into a Category 1 hurricane on July 7 as it travels over warm waters and shifts north-north-west in the afternoon. The NHC issued hurricane warnings across much of the Texas coast.
Forecasters warned that the storm could bring punishing winds and 13cm to 25cm of rain to the Texas coast and beyond.
Coastal areas were already seeing waters rise on July 7 and county officials ordered one beach town evacuated.
The US Coast Guard shut the port of Houston on the afternoon of July 7 because of worsening sea conditions. It also closed the ports of Texas City, Freeport and Galveston in Texas.
School systems – including Houston’s, the state’s largest – said they would be closed on July 8.
NHC director Michael Brennan warned on the afternoon of July 7 that residents had only a few more hours to prepare. “If you have been asked to leave by local officials, please do so,” he said.
Acting Texas Governor Dan Patrick said Beryl “will be a deadly storm for people who are directly in that path”. He declared 120 counties to be in a disaster area.
The storm has prompted closures or vessel traffic restrictions at multiple ports in cities from Houston to Corpus Christi, which is the top crude oil export hub in the US. The closures could disrupt crude oil exports, shipments of crude to refineries, and motor fuel from these plants.
Temperatures in the region are forecast at above 32 deg C in the coming days, including heat indexes as high as 108 on July 7. Parts of eastern Texas were on flood watch ahead of the storm, which had maximum wind speeds of 96.6kmh as of July 7 morning.
Earlier this week the storm, which at one point intensified to a Category 5 hurricane, left a deadly trail of destruction across the Caribbean.
It has claimed at least 11 lives, tearing apart buildings while felling power lines and trees.
Storm Beryl last made landfall on July 5, crossing Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and causing blackouts in some areas. However, it largely spared the top beach destinations there and caused no casualties. Video footage showed the international airport at Cancun packed with tourists on July 6 as they rescheduled their flights home after the storm.
With the storm now approaching Texas, the National Weather Service warned of storm surges causing coastal flooding and rip currents.
Oil refineries
Most of the northern gulf’s offshore oil and gas production is east of the storm’s forecast track.
Some oil producers, including Shell and Chevron, had evacuated personnel from their Gulf of Mexico offshore production platforms ahead of the storm.
Citgo Petroleum Corp has said it plans to keep the Corpus Christi refinery running at minimum production as the storm moves up the coast.
Gibson Energy, which operates a large oil terminal in Corpus Christi, said operations were continuing, but it would take further steps depending on the forecast. REUTERS
