Hurricane Humberto Roars Ashore in Texas

Right on the heels of the 107th anniversary of a powerful 1900 storm that killed more than 6,000 people in Galveston, Texas, Hurricane Humberto roared ashore in southeast Texas. The year’s eighth named storm became a Category One hurricane before coming ashore and bringing heavy rains and sustained winds of up to 80 mph on early Thursday morning. The storm is expected to weaken as it heads inland, making its way through Louisiana, from the Beaumont, Texas area. When MarEx went online, the storm was moving to the north-northeast at about 8 mph.

Most of the Beaumont, Texas metro area lost power as the storm passed through and a hurricane warning was issued from east of High Island to Cameron, Louisiana. A tropical storm warning was in effect from east of Cameron to Intracoastal City, Louisiana. Heavy rains were expected throughout the region, which was already saturated as a result of the wettest summer in recent memory there. Both Texas and Louisiana were preparing for localized flooding. Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco additionally declared a state of emergency. Cameron Parish, part of the area expected to be affected, was heavily impacted by Hurricane Rita in September 2005.

As Humberto came ashore and moved inland, weather forecasters were also watching another tropical depression located almost some 1,000 miles east of the Lesser Antilles. There were no initial reports of damage to offshore oil facilities. The ports of Lake Charles, Louisiana and Port Arthur, Texas were closed in advance of heavy winds and rains. Additonally, at least three refineries were idled in the fierce storm; one of because of a power failure in the Golden Triangle area. The storm has already been downgraded and is expected to weaken further as it continues its path inland.