Showing posts with label Texas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Texas. Show all posts

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Officials: Bastrop, Texas wildfire has now destroyed nearly 1,400 homes; blaze is 30 percent contained





http://www.kvue.com/news/Bastrop-evacuees--129443363.html

kvue.com

Posted on September 8, 2011 at 6:27 AM

Updated today at 7:39 AM

BASTROP, Texas -- Fire officials have confirmed new numbers from the Bastrop complex wildfire as it remains 30 percent contained.

As of 6:30 a.m. Thursday, firefighters confirmed 1,386 homes are destroyed. The fire caused major damage to four more homes; another four suffered minor damage. Three three are affected, meaning there is smoke damage or scorching.

Frustrations are growing for the thousands who evacuated.

“We only got what we have got on our backs. If our house is gone, everything we have is gone,” said Bastrop evacuee, Otis Jackson.

On Wednesday, firefighters released a partial list of the affected homes. Frustrations mounted as groups gathered at the Bastrop Community Center to view the list. It included about 200 confirmed addresses.

“It's devastating. It was a total loss. We are still in shock; kind of trying to deal with it and trying to move on,” said fire victim Christie Leisure.

Leisure found her address on the list of destroyed homes.

“(We) had an outpouring of love of friends, family, church-goers trying to help, trying to rebuild, trying to find any way at all they can help us.”

The wait continues for others in the community who remain in the dark about how their home is faring.

“The most frustrating thing right now is just not knowing 100 percent whether the house is safe or not, but I am thinking positive and I am not going to say it is gone until it's gone,” said Bastrop evacuee Joe Carter.

Firefighters are hopeful they can get more control over the blaze on Thursday. It has burned through 34,349 acres according to fire officials.

More than 400 firefighters from across the nation are working to contain the blaze. Despite their efforts, some homes cannot be saved.

“We actually came in and removed all the fuels and as the winds changed it brought the fire back over the top of them,” said firefighter Todd Jamison. “Now as we come back it is burned down after we tried to work in here for a while.”

Firefighters hope to make more progress containing the fire on Thursday. They say it is crucial because weather conditions do not look to be in their favor on Friday.

Monday, August 22, 2011

No relief in sight for deadly Texas drought conditions

www.finalcall.com
HOUSTON (FinalCall.com) - Lack of rainfall and baking temperatures has Texas in the midst of its hottest consecutive ten months in the last century according to a recent report by the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Early Morning Snow Blankets North Texas

FORT WORTH (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ― Feb 11, 2010 8:11 am US/Central

Snow started falling around 3 a.m. across North Texas and will be with us for most of Thursday. At times, the snow has come in bursts that reduce visibility to around one mile. The snow will continue on Thursday, occasionally heavy. It will taper off later Thursday night.

By Thursday's daybreak, two inches of snow covered some parts of the DFW Metro area. We are poised to see the snowiest February at DFW International Airport sine 1978.

Temperatures will hover right around 32 degrees most of Thursday. Thankfully, we have a southeast wind to keep temperatures in check. But a north wind will develop by late Thursday afternoon and evening, which will begin to lower our temperatures below freezing. READ MORE

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Record drought in Texas ends

HOUSTON, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- Climate experts in Texas say the state's worse drought in 50 years is over, ending a dry spell costing ranchers and farmers an estimated $4 billion.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Huge explosion rocks American Acryl plant near Seabrook, Texas


Posted on December 9, 2009 at 9:04 AM
Updated today at 10:42 AM


* Photos: Explosion rocks Seabrook area
* Home video: American Acryl blast
* Raw aerials: Crews fight fire at plant near Seabrook


SEABROOK, Texas—A huge explosion rocked a plant near Seabrook Wednesday.

It happened just before 9 a.m. at American Acryl, located in the 12100 block of Port Road at Highway 146 in Pasadena.

A thick, black cloud of smoke was visible for miles over the area. Fire was still burning at the plant about an hour after the blast, but crews appeared to be getting it under control.

Shelter-in-place orders were issued for Seabrook, League City and Kemah via automated messages from city officials. Residents should turn off their air conditioners and heaters.

Clear Creek ISD placed all schools south of Seabrook and east of I-45 under a shelter-in-place. Students there will stay indoors with the air and heat off until further notice.

District spokeswoman Elaina Polsen said all the children and teachers are fine and classes are continuing.

The schools included in the shelter-in-place are Armand Bayou Elementary, Bay Elementary, Brookwood Elementary, Clear Lake City Elementary, Falcon Pass Elementary, Ferguson Elementary, Goforth Elementary, Hyde Elementary, League City Elementary, McWhirter Elementary, Mossman Elementary, North Pointe Elementary, Ralph Parr Elementary, Robinson Elementary, Stewart Elementary, Ward Elementary, Whitcomb Elementary, White Elementary, Clear Creek Intermediate, Clear Lake High School, League City Intermediate, Seabrook Intermediate. Space Center Intermediate, Victory Lakes Intermediate, Clear Path Alternative School and the Clear View Education Center.

Kemah city manager Bill Kerber told 11 News at 10:40am that although the smoke from the explosion had generally cleared, he was waiting for word from the Fire Department about whether the air in the area was safe enough to lift the shelter-in-place. He said an automated phone system would let residents know when the alert was lifted.

Viewers in Bacliff, San Leon, Clear Lake, Dickinson, La Marque, Texas City, League City, Seabrook and Friendswood all reported hearing and feeling the blast.

"The explosion was strong enough to shake our building. We are located in Baytown by the Hwy 99 and FM 1405 intersection," one viewer e-mail read.

"FYI-I live in League City (Hwy96 near 146) and I felt and heard the explosion from there. It was loud and clear. Thought it was a home explosion b/c it sounded so close," another viewer reported.

"I’m directly south of the plant. I had just sat down at my computer, by a north window, when I heard the BOOM then felt the percussion," a viewer reported.

"This explosion took place just around the corner from our office. It violently shook our building. Thinking it was a car that had ran into the building, we ran outside to see the 1st plume of smoke from this explosion," viewer Jacob Varisco said in an e-mail.

It was unclear what caused the explosion. No injuries were reported.

A viewer in Seabrook reported a chemical smell permeating the air around 9:40 a.m.

The American Acryl plant makes acrylic acid, a building block for plastics.

A Shoreacres official said the chemical that was released was toluene.

According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registration with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, toluene is a respiratory tract irritant. It’s described as clear and colorless and has a distinctive smell.

The ATSDR said toluene can affect the nervous system. In low to moderate levels, it can cause tiredness, confusion, weakness, memory loss, nausea, intoxication, loss of appetite, loss of hearing and color vision loss. The symptoms usually stop as soon as exposure ends.

High levels of toluene can affect the kidneys, and inhaling high levels in a short time can cause unconsciousness and even death, the ATSDR said.

The effects of toluene in children are similar to those seen in adults.

Check back for more information as this story develops.

Source:

http://www.khou.com/news/Huge-explosion-rocks-plant-in-Seabrook-78865017.html

RELATED:

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=7161089&rss=rss-ktrk-article-7161089


Saturday, November 7, 2009

LA Times | Texas is the new retirement mecca - The Lone Star State's attractions include its low cost of living and no income tax.


Kevin Pete reels in his line while fishing in Galveston, Texas. The city, on the tip of a barrier island, overlooks the Gulf of Mexico on one side and Galveston Bay on the other. Its low cost of living is attractive for retirees. Brett Coomer / Associated Press

November 7, 2009 - Reporting from Galveston, Texas - After trying out Pasadena, Atlanta and Miami, Lilian Junco decided this was the place to retire. Being near her son was the first attraction, but soon she was drawn in by the same combination of features that has lured tens of thousands of others from out of state: Gulf Coast living and super-low costs.......

Monday, October 19, 2009

Examiner.com | Taxpayers' hoodwinked: freeway bonds steered to toll roads

Rick Perry's Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is about to launch Texans headlong into a similar financial crisis that caused the mortgage disaster - multi-leveraging debt. Except this time, it's being applied to toll roads. One of the reasons the mortgage crisis came about was this notion of using debt as collateral for other loans....

RELATED:

HANK GILBERT, Board Member, Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom (TURF), is outraged over the toll plans: Double Taxation, Secret Toll Agreements with Foreign Companies, selling OUR existing freeways and rights of way to special interests - - -
who's behind them, who's pushing them, and how we can work together to de-elect the politicians who IGNORE the will of the PEOPLE!
"Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is about to launch Texans headlong into a similar financial crisis that caused the mortgage disaster - multi-leveraging debt. Except this time, it's being applied to toll roads. One of the reasons the mortgage crisis came about was this notion of using debt as collateral for other loans."
Website: http://www.TexasTURF.org
Related Article: Taxpayers' hoodwinked: freeway bonds steered to toll roads
Democrat Candidate for Governor of Texas: http://www.HankGilbert.com

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Chron.com | Texas drought drying Austin's famed Barton Springs

AUSTIN, Texas — The most severe drought in the nation is drying up one of Austin's most treasured natural resources, the spring-fed Barton Creek Pool where more than 400,000 visitors from around the world flock each year.

The Texas drought is dragging into its third year in parts of central and southern Texas. Lakes, rivers and creeks are evaporating, cities have ordered residents to cut back on water use, and farmers' crops have been devastated.

read more.....

Monday, August 31, 2009

GALVESTON, TX (KTRK) --Water spout turned tornado tore through about five blocks of Galveston Island late last night.

CenterPoint energy says about 5,600 customers lost power on Galveston Island. Crews worked throughout the night and had everybody back online by 5am.

Friday, August 14, 2009

Chesapeake Closes Wells Connected to Quakes | Researchers have found a possible reason for all the recent earthquakes in North Texas

NBC Dallas-Fort Worth - Greg Janda - ‎37 minutes ago‎
"We have not proven it with scientific certainty, but we're looking at these as induced earthquakes." "Preliminary results have indicated there is no ...