As Hurricane Harvey barrels towards the Texas gulf coast, residents are preparing for what could be the strongest storm to make landfall since Hurricane Katrina decimated the Louisiana coast in 2005.
The outer bands of the storm, which was upgraded to a Category 2 hurricane, could make landfall as a Category 3 hurricane with winds of at least 111 miles per hour. Forecasters said Friday that the storm could make landfall twice, coming back in a week as a tropical storm to hit the coast a second time.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which tracks ocean and atmospheric conditions, tweeted an image of the hurricane early Friday afternoon.
This #GOES16 visible/infrared loop shows #Harvey‘s outer rainbands reaching the #Texas coast. Latest information @ https://t.co/cSGOfrM0lG pic.twitter.com/Y6WXQho8a8
— NOAA Satellites (@NOAASatellites) August 25, 2017
Texas residents stocked their shelves and prepared for major flooding after being warned that the storm is likely to hold over the Lone Star state through the weekend, which could exacerbate the flooding to record levels.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner warned residents that the storm is going to last for days, and that people need to plan accordingly.
“People need to know, this is not a one, two-day event and done. Even though it may seem like it will get better, this is a four or five-day event starting tomorrow evening going through Monday or Tuesday,” Sylvester told CNN.
The NFL’s Dallas Cowboys offered their stadium as an alternative to the Houston Texans’ NRG Stadium if the hurricane impacts their scheduled preseason game Aug. 31, which shows how long officials expect to be affected by the storm.
Cowboys have offered AT&T Stadium as an alternative to NRG Stadium in Houston if Hurricane Harvey impacts final preseason game.
— David Moore (@DavidMooreDMN) August 25, 2017
President Donald Trump was photographed reviewing the storm’s progress inside the oval office Friday afternoon. The president was briefed Friday by acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke and Brock Long, who will face his first major test as the new administrator at the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Received a #HurricaneHarvey briefing this morning from Acting @DHSgov Secretary Elaine Duke, @FEMA_Brock, @TomBossert45 and COS John Kelly. pic.twitter.com/cnkRZd6D6Z
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 25, 2017
Dozens of inches of rain are expected to start pounding the coast Friday afternoon as wind speeds reach the triple digits. In addition to a storm surge warning for much of the state, tornados could pop up on the storm’s eastern edge.
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