Every time a storm kicks up that might head into the Gulf of Mexico, folks in my neck of the woods start to hyperventilate. And twitch. And pack the cars.
“When should I evacuate from Katy?” or “What can we expect in Katy?”
I’ve been puzzled by this for years. We’re not directly on the coast, and we’re not in a floodplain. Furthermore, most of the houses out here positively dwarf the puny, newly-planted wannabe trees, so the chances of a limb falling on one’s house are pretty low. Yet this area was heading for the hills when Rita was coming in.
So why the Texas-sized palpitations?
I think it’s because most of the people out here aren’t from here; they just don’t know what to expect. And since (imho) most of the reporting done in front of a hurricane is hugely sensationalized, folks are bound to think the worst.
With Gustav past, Hanna chugging up the East Coast, and Ike on its way into the Gulf, perhaps now’s a good time to feed some direct, locally specific information into the blogosphere. To that end, I asked our regional expert and Houston Chronicle Science Writer, Eric Berger, some questions.
Polimom: The most common question I hear from people I know here in Katy goes along the lines of, “If a major hurricane (such as Gustav, or another Katrina or Rita) came directly at Houston, should Katy evacuate?”
Eric Berger: No. Katy is far from any surge zone and winds there would probably be manageable. If I lived along the coast I would consider evacuating to [a] hotel in Katy rather than all the way to Austin or Houston.
Polimom: Under what conditions (if any) should Katy residents evacuate?
Eric Berger: Maybe a category 5 hurricane moving due north with a projected landfall in Freeport or east Matagorda Bay. Even then I probably wouldn’t go unless I lived in a poorly built home.
Polimom: What does “run from the water, hide from the wind” mean – and how does it apply to the Katy area, specifically?
Eric Berger: Run from water means avoid the storm surge. Hide from the wind means find the most sheltered location in your home and ride out the storm. For Katy residents that means, simply, finding a safe room in your home and securing provisions for the duration of the storm.
Polimom: Even if we’re not at risk from flooding, there’ll be wind, right? So
should we board the windows? What conditions would make this a practical effort for Katy-ites?
Eric Berger: You could board the windows, and that’s probably a good idea if a category 4 or larger hurricane is moving into Galveston or just southwest of Galveston.
Polimom: You’ve said, “A good rule of thumb is that a storm loses half its power every 12 hours it is inland.” So using that rule — if a hurricane packing winds of, say, 135 mph came at us at 10 mph, what would wind conditions likely be out here? Would it do serious damage to a “well built” home?
Eric Berger: At its closest point Katy is about 70 miles from the coast, so a storm moving inland would probably have less than 110 to 115 mph winds that most new homes should easily withstand.
Polimom: What do you mean by “well-built home”?
Eric Berger: Take the test for yourself and see how your home does: http://www.flash.org/DIYWindInspection/
Let me add that if I lived in Katy I would have little fear of major damage from any kind of hurricane. It’s well inland and not likely to flood. Really, of all parts of metro Houston, it’s best positioned to withstand a major hurricane.
So there you have it, Katy neighbors.
If Ike (or one of his many successors) turns our way, remember: we’re not going under, or over, out here. Yes, hurricanes are hair-raising. No, they’re not picnics. Even Polimom was nervous in front of Rita… but a healthy application of common sense (and cherry pie) will see you through.
I guess there are more reasons than good schools to live out here, eh?
Added 9/12: All Polimom posts specific to Hurricane Ike can be found via this link.