NEW: #Harvey continues to intensify and is now a category 4 #hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph. hurricanes.gov
Eye of Category 4 #Harvey almost onshore in Texas. Hurricane force winds reported at many observing stations. Landfall expected very soon.
#Harvey made landfall at 10 PM CDT as a category 4 hurricane near Rockport, Texas, with max winds of 130 mph and min pressure of 938 mb.
It may not affect Boca Chica as much, except for flooding, but what about McGregor?
What happens with ISS mission control? Is there a backup facility elsewhere?
Buffalo Bayou in Downtown Houston, a little after 9:00 am, more rain coming. #Harvey
I understand JWST is at JSC for testing. Any idea what precautions have been taken to protect the $8 billion instrument?
Good they've activated the entire State's national guard. A lot will be well trained in flood disaster mitigation and recovery.
Does anyone know if the Saturn V rocket from JSC is damaged?
Quote from: wally on 08/28/2017 06:02 pmDoes anyone know if the Saturn V rocket from JSC is damaged?No problems reported with it or N905NA/Independence. You can see both here: http://www.insecam.org/en/view/227116/
https://twitter.com/PaulFox13/status/901877188525510657/photo/1Amazing picture. There's still another ~2 feet of rain to go.
Is this a dirt dam, or does it have a concrete emergency spillway. Bad things can happen if it's emergency spillway erodes during the unplanned release. That was the worry with the Orville dam in northern CA during the spring runoff. The emergency dirt spillway came very close to failing.
Quote from: kevin-rf on 08/29/2017 02:35 pmIs this a dirt dam, or does it have a concrete emergency spillway. Bad things can happen if it's emergency spillway erodes during the unplanned release. That was the worry with the Orville dam in northern CA during the spring runoff. The emergency dirt spillway came very close to failing.Wikipedia doesn't say what the spillway is made of but does have some contstruction info.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addicks_ReservoirThe article hints at "risk reduction" measures that the Corps of Engineers were implementing but doesn't say what they are.
This dam and reservoir is almost entirely unlike Oroville. It's seasonally dry land which floods in heavy rain. Primary land use when it's not flooded appears to recreational - I see roads, rifle ranges (this is Texas!), playing fields, a dog park, etc.,
Quote from: launchwatcher on 08/29/2017 05:52 pmThis dam and reservoir is almost entirely unlike Oroville. It's seasonally dry land which floods in heavy rain. Primary land use when it's not flooded appears to recreational - I see roads, rifle ranges (this is Texas!), playing fields, a dog park, etc., The worry would be that it over tops the earthen parts of the dam (inflow exceeds spillway outflow) eroding the earthen part of damn as it flows over causing it to fail. The are getting boat loads of rain. The worry with Oroville was the water flowing over the emergency spillway (not the main spillway) would erode the soil out from under the emergency spillway to the point it would fail. Not much different, over topping onto unprotected areas removing enough soil to cause a section of the dam to fail. The acreage of water being held back by the two dams (Addict and Barker) looks larger than the acreage of Houston proper. With all the rain I would be very afraid.btw. Oroville on top of providing recreation, drinking water, and power also serves the same purpose of flood control. Before this years spring melt, it was basically empty.
Actually reading the coverage, it sounds like what will happen when the water reaches 109.5' (33 meters) is it will be high enough to start flowing around the ends of the dam!!!???!!! Still trying to wrap my head around how that is possible.
How NASA’s Johnson Space Center is riding out the hurricaneThe Johnson Space Center is still managing ISS mission control and Webb testing.by K.N. Smith - Aug 30, 2017 1:05am JST
David Fahrenthold @FahrentholdTX flood control official just told @sullivank: of the 1,777 square miles in Harris County (including Houston), 25-30% now underwater.
Maps of likely path of water as it overtops the ends.
Quote from: mlindner on 08/29/2017 07:44 pmMaps of likely path of water as it overtops the ends.(attach images please if you can)Oh goodie[1]. The water flowing around the end of the dam will then flow along the bottom edge of the earthworks. That's not going to soften them at all or weaken them in any way.I'm still trying to find out what the remediation the Corps was contemplating was, and how far they got.
There's talk on the news about the Arkema Chemical Plant near Crosby. They lost refrigeration on some of their chemicals. There is risk of explosion/fire if they warm up to room temperatures. They had backup generators for the refrigeration but those got flooded (obviously). That's something to watch and could turn quite bad if that occurs. The chemical I hear is liquid hydrogen peroxide, quite dangerous.There's also news that two ExxonMobil oil refineries were damaged and are leaking chemicals into the flood waters and air.https://www.texastribune.org/2017/08/29/exxonmobil-refineries-are-damaged-hurricane-harvey-releasing-hazardous/
Here is a counterpoint article.... says that the dams are not likely to fail, that they won't actually overtop because there are auxiliary spillways, and that they were placed on a watchlist not because they are in bad shape but rather because the damage if they did let go would be enormous (60 billion USD and one million people displaced). I don't know how accurate the article is but it IS a counterpoint... https://www.texastribune.org/2017/08/29/q-why-houstons-reservoirs-arent-going-fail/
Some additional pics from inside Mission Control Houston. Very proud of these teams! Flight Operations #CanDo #Harvey #HoustonStrong
Tue 8/29 8:33pm: Facility Managers report on Wednesday 8/30, 9am, b45 rm128. Safety briefing and tasking for assessments. Recovery begins.
This is probably the worst US flood storm ever, and I’ll never be the same https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/08/this-is-probably-the-worst-us-flood-storm-ever-and-ill-never-be-the-same/ by @SciGuySpace
I know this and some posts aren't specific to the site's subject matter, but.....https://twitter.com/DadePhelan/status/902683973696065536
Aug. 30, 2017NASA’s Johnson Space Center Closes for Hurricane HarveyNASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston will remain closed to all but essential personnel through Labor Day, Sept. 4, due to the effects of now-Tropical Storm Harvey. The center originally closed Aug. 25 and will reopen Tuesday, Sept. 5.The center’s leadership team continues to closely monitor weather conditions and the overall situation in Houston, and is preparing a full assessment of the center’s status once the storm abates.“Our primary concern is the safety of our employees and all our fellow Houstonians," said JSC Director Ellen Ochoa. “We’re taking these measures to ensure the members of our team and their families can take care of themselves and their neighbors.”The closing allows employees to avoid treacherous road conditions, and to attend to the needs of their families. It also allows the center to focus on the highest priority mission activities, including the landing of three crew members this weekend.Flight control of the International Space Station is continuing in the Mission Control Center in Houston. Mission Control is expected to remain in operation throughout this period.All backup systems required to maintain the James Webb Space Telescope, which is at JSC for testing, were checked prior to the arrival of the storm, and are ready for use if necessary.Space Center Houston, the official visitor center for NASA Johnson, has announced it will extend its closure through Friday, Sept. 1. The visitor center’s leadership is monitoring conditions and will announce Saturday’s operating hours on Friday.
Quote from: Chris Bergin on 08/30/2017 07:27 pmI know this and some posts aren't specific to the site's subject matter, but.....https://twitter.com/DadePhelan/status/902683973696065536I saw that pic earlier on the news today and it boggles my mind as I have driven that road many times...
the opossum’s exhausted pose embodies how so many in Houston are feeling after enduring days and days of rain.
Michael VentriceThese are the highest windspeed forecasts I've ever seen in my 10 yrs of Atlantic hurricane forecasting. #Irma is another retiree candidate.
Even if Irma is weaker than Harvey, from the point of view of water dropped, it could end up worse if it hits the Houston area for the simple reason that much of the water from Harvey won't have drained out by the time Irma gets there, and the soil moisture content will still be extremely high. In other words, Harvey has made Houston much more susceptible to flooding for the next few weeks than it was before Harvey hit.
Quote from: Lee Jay on 09/01/2017 01:32 pmEven if Irma is weaker than Harvey, from the point of view of water dropped, it could end up worse if it hits the Houston area for the simple reason that much of the water from Harvey won't have drained out by the time Irma gets there, and the soil moisture content will still be extremely high. In other words, Harvey has made Houston much more susceptible to flooding for the next few weeks than it was before Harvey hit.Is there any chance of widespread soil liquefaction in the Greater Houston area if there is another downpour of 24+ inches of rain?
Arkema plant is up in flames at this time...
Unless you have gone through some sort of flooding event, I doubt most people realize how serious mold mitigation is goin to be once the water receeds.If you have compromised lungs, mold can be life threating. Personal experience there.
Quote from: Kenp51d on 09/01/2017 06:39 pmUnless you have gone through some sort of flooding event, I doubt most people realize how serious mold mitigation is goin to be once the water receeds.If you have compromised lungs, mold can be life threating. Personal experience there.It wrecks the guts of the property. They are still working on the homes down the street from me (in the photo) from the Christmas 2015 major flood (not even a patch on Houston, obviously) in my city.The area stunk for weeks and weeks - which was the first bad sign no one was going to be moving back any time soon. They had industrial dryers in for months, running day and night and then they got to rebuild from the guts upwards. Property damage is one thing, but the health issue is another. Long process of recovery.
Quote from: Rocket Science on 09/01/2017 10:39 pmArkema plant is up in flames at this time...video..
Very heartbreaking to see the human tragedy and suffering unfolding in the aftermath of this storm.Here's an article I came across about newer engineering solutions to water management and disasters:https://www.thoughtco.com/how-engineers-stop-floods-177699
There's a new hurricane called Irma which seems to be tracking towards the US East Coast. Apparently, it shot up to a Category 3 from nothing in its first 24 hours. While's it's currently straddling the edge between Category 2 and 3, it may potentially reach Category 5, and could hit land anywhere from Florida to NY or even higher, after a week's time.Can facilities like those at Cape Canaveral withstand Category 5 hurricanes?
Gene Kranz talks about rescue from his flooded home, parallels of Mission Control and the Harvey first responders https://www.facebook.com/i45now/videos/1424248337663769/
