Current Articles | Categories | Search | Syndication

Hurricane Humberto surprises Bolivar Peninsula 472 Views :: 7 Comments :: :: Local News Hurricane Humberto, which grew faster than any storm on record, from tropical depression to full-scale hurricane at landfall, surprised the Bolivar Peninsula early Thursday, September 14 2007, with 85-mph winds and heavy rain that knocked out power, shut down three oil refineries and created some housing damage. The only reported death was a man killed in southeast Texas when the carport at his home collapsed, police said. High Island on the northern end of the peninsula, known for its sanctuary where exotic migratory birds rest each spring and fall, was hit the hardest and over 30 power poles were knocked down. Streets were littered with uprooted trees and other debris. Power lines and telephone poles blocked streets and roofs were torn off convenience stores and homes. Meteorologists were at a loss to explain the rapid, 16-hour genesis of the first hurricane to hit the United States since 2005. "Before Humberto developed, you looked at the satellite imagery the day before, and there was virtually nothing there. This really spun up out of thin air, very, very quickly," said National Hurricane Center specialist James Franklin in Miami. "We've never had any tropical cyclone go from where Humberto was to where Humberto got." Most of the Bolivar Peninsula survived the direct hit from hurricane Humberto with little ill effect. Residents did not have time to evacuate as Humberto was classified as a tropical storm until right before it struck land at 1:30am. This example clearly identifies the need to have the safety of hurricane resistant homes and reinforced protected beachfronts. Family safety is more important than property losses and insurance coverage issues. Even with today's technology, weather experts did not predict tropical storm Humberto would transform into a hurricane and the majority of Bolivar's coastal residents had to "ride it out" counting on their homes to protect their family. In an interview with weather.com, Michael Stuart, a Bolivar Peninsula resident who lives in one of Bolivar's new hurricane resistant homes, said  "We were shocked in the middle of the night by extremely violent winds and told ourselves 'this is way more than a storm', but were comforted knowing we were anchored on top of concrete and steel pillars - still my wife was afraid." The Gulf Coast Market, called the "Big Store" on Crystal Beach, fired up a large generator and provided coffee and ice to the Bolivar Peninsula residents who woke up without power, and provided a central meeting place for many in the community. Fortunately, the State of Texas, Galveston County and an innovative group of local developers on the Bolivar Peninsula have put in place a storm resistant coastline and housing products that could become the model answer to the nation's mounting coastal hurricane damage costs and insurance problems. The Corps of Engineers installed a geo-tube on the coastline extending five miles on each side of Rollover Pass in Gilchrist Texas. The project provides protection of public beach and public infrastructure using a natural beach restoration technique. The project uses the cost-effective and beneficial use of dredged material and has been deemed as one of the most successful projects implemented by the Government to protect and enhance the Texas Coastline. Having suffered several devastating storms in its early history, and with the surge in homeowners flocking to its coasts, Galveston County officials have put in place stricter building code requirements for new coastal properties, including a living height requirement that all homes be at least 17ft above sea level. The geo-tube has already been credited with saving over 200 homes on the Bolivar Peninsula coastline from previous storms. County Office of Emergency Management officials credit the geo-tubes with saving parts of Texas 87 and preventing about $11 million in property damage when rains and wind from Hurricane Claudette blew through Bolivar Peninsula. "If we had not had the tube it would have gotten two to three rows of homes," said Oehlers, president of the Gilchrist Association, in a telephone interview. "We didn't realize how bad it was because we had the tube," said Oehlers, who has lived in Gilchrist for 26 years. Watch Live Video