Storm of the decade: ‘Perfect’ conditions could make Harvey the strongest hurricane to hit the US in 12 YEARS as Texans are told ‘get out of Dodge’ before 130mph winds and rain cause alligator-infested floods
Final preparations made for landfall Friday morning, as winds rise and window for evacuation quickly closes
Hurricane Harvey can now clearly be seen intensifying from space as it quickly approaches the coast of Texas
Officials say it is ‘quickly strengthening and forecast to be a major hurricane’ when it descends upon the state
Stores in southeast Texas are rapidly emptying of supplies as some customers fight over remaining water jugs
It is expected to become a Category 3 at landfall by Friday, with up to 30 inches of rain is possible across state
Harvey will become first hurricane to hit the state of Texas since 2008, when Category 2 Hurricane Ike struck
By Cheyenne Roundtree and Regina F. Graham
DailyMail.com
25 August 2017
Texas is bracing itself for the storm of the decade as Hurricane Harvey barrels towards the state, which is expecting catastrophic flooding, power outages, winds up to 130mph and 30 inches of rain.
Final preparations were being made on Friday morning, as officials emphasized that the situation was ‘very serious’ and said that the window for evacuation from flood-threatened coastal areas was closing quickly.
The National Weather Service on Friday morning urged that preparations should be ‘rushed to completion’ adding that ‘conditions are expected to deteriorate throughout the day’.
The US National Hurricane Center said Harvey has ‘rapidly intensified’ and experts say weather conditions have created the perfect recipe for the monster Category 3 hurricane to form and crash into Texas later on Friday.
The national guard has been mobilized amid fears over life-threatening flash flooding, which poses ‘a grave risk’ to Texans as the hurricane is expected to be the strongest to hit the United States mainland in 12 years since Hurricane Wilma in 2005.
Local mayors have warned residents ‘to get out of Dodge’ as flooded waters could cause alligators to wash up on people’s front door steps.
President Donald Trump is standing by and monitoring the hurricane, ready to provide necessary resources to the gulf region, the White House said on Thursday. Trump is asking citizens to plan ahead for the storm.
National Weather Service director Louis Uccellini said meteorologists expect the hurricane to hail down with winds of 130 mph or higher and up to 30 inches of rain, which could lead to major chaos in southeast Texas.
The powerful storm is set to hammer the Texas Gulf Coast with an extremely dangerous combination of ‘torrential rainfall, storm-surge flooding and destructive winds this weekend, before taking a strange, meandering path next week’, the Weather Channel reported.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered the State Operations Center to elevate its readiness level, making state resources available for possible rescue and recovery actions, in addition to activating 700 members of the Texas Army Guard, Texas Air National Guard and the Texas State Guard.
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