Hurricane Elijah: Texas Nightmare
It is important to note this case study is a work of fiction. It illustrates what can happen when a monstrous category 5 hurricane strikes the Texas coast. The damages illustrated in this case study from the strong winds, flooding, and tornadoes are not inconceivable. This case study also illustrates how damage to the infrastructure systems such as transportation, communication, sewage, water, and electricity from a monstrous category 5 hurricane striking the Texas coast can impact all Americans. This case is crucial for teaching emergency management practitioners, policymakers, and others how to prevent, protect, mitigate, respond, and recover from a monstrous category 5 hurricane striking Texas.
It was a beautiful Tuesday in Texas. The blue sky was filled with cumulus clouds and gentle south to southwest breeze at 13 miles per hour. The birds were singing. It was the second day of the new school year. School buses were cruising up and down the streets. School zone lights were flashing while parents were rushing to get their children to school. Texans were going about their daily routines. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) were monitoring satellite images and radar for any activity. Overnight, a small storm appeared to have formed off the coast of Honduras. The models did not show much in the way of concern with only a 10% to 20% chance for development. Despite the relatively benign forecasts, this small storm would become Hurricane Elijah, the nightmare that Texas was not prepared to face, the ‘end of the world’ hurricane.
Hurricane Elijah developments
A tropical depression off the coast of Honduras developed into Tropical Storm Elijah with max sustained winds of 70 mph by Saturday, August 25th. This was the beginning of the longevity for Hurricane Elijah.
Tropical Storm Elijah skimmed over the Yucatan Peninsula on Sunday, August 26th, causing minimal damage and flooding, but no loss of life. The minimal damage consisted of down trees and minimum structural damage to buildings. Tropical Storm Elijah decreased in intensity to 45 mph as he reentered into the Gulf of Mexico.
Elijah remained as a low-grade tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico with sustained winds at 55 mph on Tuesday, August 28th. The National Hurricane Center (NHC), National Weather Service (NWS), local weather forecast office/centers (WFO), and local Office of Emergency Management (OEM) along the coast of Texas were taking a strong interest once again at Tropical Storm Elijah.
Residents along the Texas coastline were strongly advised on Wednesday, August 29th, to heed the advice and warnings from the National Hurricane Center (NHC), National Weather Service (NWS), and their local Office of Emergency Management (OEM) to start preparing now. They were strongly advised by the mayor and their local elected government officials to also monitor all local media outlets for instructions and weather updates on Elijah.
Tropical Storm Elijah intensified in strength to a category 1 hurricane with sustained winds at 80 mph by Thursday, August 30th. The NHC broadcasted its first projected cone of uncertainty by 7 am. The cone of uncertainty showed Hurricane Elijah forecasted to make landfall near Port Mansfield as a strong category 2 hurricane on August 31st.
The counties of Cameron, Willacy, and Kenedy were feeling the effects of Hurricane Elijah from strong winds to flooding in low-lying areas. The governor of Texas requested a Presidential Disaster Declaration for the counties of Cameron, Willacy, and Kenedy. The mayor and local OEM issued a mandatory evacuation at 9 am for residents in Cameron, Willacy, and Kenedy counties. Residents with special needs were strongly advised to evacuate. If residents needed assistance with evacuation, they were strongly encouraged to contact their county Emergency Management office for evacuation assistance immediately. The NHC, local OEM, and local weather centers advised residents in Cameron, Willacy, and Kenedy counties who did not heed the mandatory evacuation to get the supplies needed for at least 72-hours if not more. Residents were told that help would not be available until after the storm has passed and it was deemed safe for first responders.
The NHC (National Hurricane Center) and OEM (Office of Emergency Management) advised residents closest to the coast in Kenedy, Kleberg, Nueces, San Patricio, Aransas, and Calhoun counties to continue to monitor local media outlets, get needed supplies, and start planning in case of evacuation. Corpus Christi International Airport started diverting and canceling flights by noon.
Friday, August 31st, Hurricane Elijah strengthened into a category 2 hurricane with sustained winds at 100 mph by 4 am and took a sharp right turn. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) at 5 am sent out an updated projection cone of uncertainty for Hurricane Elijah. Corpus Christi is now in the projected path for Hurricane Elijah. Kleberg, Nueces, San Patricio, Aransas, and Refugio counties were now in the projected cone for a possible impact from Hurricane Elijah.
The NHC broadcasted the tornado classification system scale and the hurricane classification system scale to all media outlets.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC), National Weather Service (NWS), and Office of Emergency Management (OEM) believed residents needed to be informed of all possible damage. Residents need to be reminded that it is very common for tornadoes to spawn off from hurricanes and cause damage as well.
The NHC felt residents needed to be informed on what to expected from a hurricane based on their category, wind speed, storm surge, and their level of destruction.
After the updated forecast for Hurricane Elijah was broadcasted, the governor of Texas requested additional counties for Presidential Disaster Declaration: Aransas, Brooks, Kleberg, Jim Wells, Nueces, Live Oak, San Patricio, Bee, Refugio, Goliad, Calhoun, Victoria, Jackson, and Matagorda.
The mayor and local OEM issued a mandatory evacuation order at 5:30 am for Zone A and Zone B. First responders were assisting with evacuations of local hospitals, retirement homes, and nursing homes in Zone A and Zone B.
Corpus Christi Independent School District (CCISD) and surrounding school districts at 5:30 am started sending out urgent notifications to all media outlets, parents, staff, and students of school closures. The principal of each school in the CCISD and surrounding school districts, went to their respected schools to assist any student who did not get the notification. CCISD and surrounding school districts had transportation on location for any student without access to return back to their home until 7:30 am.
The mayor and local OEM held another emergency press conference at 8 am, strongly encouraging residents to follow the mandatory evacuation order for Zone A and Zone B. The mayor and local OEM informed residents in Zone A and Zone B,
“If you choose to stay after 2 pm, help would not be available until after the storm passed. First responders are not going to risk their life and safety for you. Emergency services will resume once it is safe.”
Residents were reminded again that Hurricane Elijah had already shown to be unpredictable.
Residents in Zone A, who observed the mandatory evacuation order started heading out of Padre Island using Texas Park Road 22. Residents in Zone B, who observed the mandatory evacuation order started heading out of the area using Highway 358 to Interstate 37. Residents in Zone C and Zone D were issued a voluntary evacuation order by 12 pm. Some residents had already started evacuating once Zone A and Zone B were given mandatory evacuation orders. Residents in Zone C and Zone D were issued a mandatory evacuation order by 3 pm. The mayors of Violet and Robstown were two weeks into their new positions. Neither of them had experience with hurricanes or Texas weather. The mayor of Violet was from Colorado and the mayor of Robstown was from Nebraska. Therefore, residents in Zone E were only issued a voluntary evacuation at 5 pm. Highway 358, Highway 357, and Interstate 37 became overwhelmed with traffic. Some residents pursued alternative routes out of the area down back roads. Gas stations along the routes were busy with residents fueling up and getting supplies for the road. Some gas stations along the routes out of town were either running out of gas or completely out of gas. The few gas stations with fuel along the routes requested police officers for over watch.
Many residents did evacuate when the evacuation orders were given, but some opted to hunker down and ride out Hurricane Elijah. Many of these had ridden out previous Texas hurricanes and survived. Hurricane Carla in 1961, was a category 4 hurricane by landfall near Matagorda Island (Hurricane Carla- 50th Anniversary, n.d.). Hurricane Rita in 2005, was a category 3 hurricane at landfall near Sabine Pass. Hurricane Ike in 2008, was a huge category 2 hurricane by landfall near Galveston (Hurricanes in History, n.d.). Despite riding out previous storms and surviving, some residents decided to not ride out Hurricane Elijah after Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Hurricane Harvey was a category 4 hurricane at landfall near Port Aransas. Many Texans lost everything they owned or sustained severe damage. Texans were left picking up what was left of their lives. Many blamed the amount of damage and loss to their property on numerous poor decisions during Hurricane Harvey from officials (Hurricane Harvey & Its Impacts on Southeast Texas, n.d.).
By 9 pm on Friday, August 31st, the coastline of Texas started really feeling the effects of Hurricane Elijah. Hurricane Elijah intensified to a low-grade category 3 hurricane with sustained winds at 115 mph, gusting up to 125 mph, and a storm surge up to 9 feet. Hurricane-force winds were felt in Armstrong, Corpus Christi, and as far as San Antonio. Valero oil refineries platforms were destroyed by hurricane-force winds. Cell towers along the coast from Kenedy to Calhoun counties were spotty.
As Hurricane Elijah inched closer to the coastline, 50 tornadoes spawned out between Riviera and Port Lavaca. An EF-3 tornado took out the cell towers in Kleberg, Nueces, San Patricio, and Aransas counties. Another EF-3 tornado snapped power lines in Kleberg, Nueces, San Patricio, Jim Wells, and Aransas counties. Emergency Services radios went down throughout Kleberg, Jim Wells, Nueces, San Patricio, Aransas, Refugio, Bee, and Calhoun counties. Four homes in Nueces County were destroyed from sparks from snapped power lines. Corpus Christi and Rockport had three EF-4 tornadoes. Corpus Christi Fire Department Station # 15 was destroyed by storm surge. Corpus Christi Fire Station #13 and Nueces County Emergency Services were both destroyed by hurricane-force winds. Several other fire stations in Corpus Christi were damaged or without power. Rockport Volunteer Fire Department, Fulton Fire Department, and Lamar Volunteer Fire Department were destroyed by an EF-4 tornado that traveled down State Highway 35 from Rockport to Lamar. Sadly, Rockport Volunteer Fire Department, Fulton Fire Department, and Lamar Volunteer Fire Department lost five firefighters from each station from the tornado. Corpus Christi Independent School District (CCISD) lost three schools: a school bus was thrown into Early Childhood Development Center by an EF-3 tornado, the roof and ½ of the building collapsed on Woodlawn Elementary School from an EF-2 tornado, and W. B. Ray High School caught on fire when an EF-3 tornado snapped a power pole and tossed it on the school. Corpus Christi International Airport was totaled by an EF-4 tornado that hurled two airplanes into the airport and caught it on fire.
On Saturday, September 1st, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) gave an update at 4 am. Hurricane Elijah had intensified again overnight to a moderate category 3 hurricane with sustained winds at 121 mph, gusting to 135 mph, and a storm surge up to 11 feet. At 3 pm, Hurricane Elijah was still a moderate category 3 hurricane with sustained winds at 121 mph, gusting to 135 mph, and a storm surge of 11 feet. Hurricane Elijah was still on course to make landfall near Corpus Christi on Sunday, September 2nd. An emergency update by the NHC at 4:30 pm was given on Hurricane Elijah. Hurricane Elijah had picked up speed as he inched closer and closer to the coastline of Texas. He had once again intensified to a strong category 3 hurricane with sustained winds at 129+ mph, gusting up to 145+ mph, a storm surge at 14 feet, and moving at 10 mph.
Hurricane Elijah 1st landfall
On Saturday, September 1st at 6 pm, Hurricane Elijah made landfall near Mustang Island as a strong category 3 hurricane moving at 5 mph with sustained winds at 129+ mph, gusting up to 145+ mph, winds of 115+ mph on the edge of the eye wall, and a storm surge up to 14 feet.
Mustang Island lost 10 residents who refused to follow the evacuation orders. Mustang Island State Park lost all structural buildings, campsites, and wildlife. H.E.B in Corpus Christi had 4 foot of water inside the building, gas pumps damaged, and the roof ripped off. Del Mar College was severely damaged by strong winds. Harbor Bridge was washed away by storm surge. Harbor Bridge crosses over Corpus Christi Ship Channel as a major connector for SH 286 and US 181 (Harbor Bridge). The Port of Corpus Christi, the third-largest port in total revenue for the U.S. and a leader in U.S. crude oil exports, was struck by an EF-4 tornado causing severe damage (Port Corpus Christi ). Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and the Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi were demolished from storm surge and hurricane-force winds. The Corpus Christi Army Depot was also destroyed from hurricane-force winds.
Downtown Corpus Christi buildings were damaged from collapsed roofs, shattered windows, and fire. Corpus Christi had 10 fatalities from tornado damage and 5 fatalities from electrocution. Corpus Christi medical district was hit hard. PAM Rehabilitation Hospital and North Shore Emergency Center were washed out into Corpus Christi Bay from storm surge. It is unknown how many fatalities were from PAM Rehabilitation Hospital and North Shore Emergency Center. They were unable to evacuate all the patients due to a lack of transportation and the growing intensity of the high winds. Christus Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi-Shoreline, Memorial, and Emergency Care locations were severely damaged. Driscoll Children’s Hospital was deemed structurally unsound.
The town of Violet and Robstown in Zone E each had 12 fatalities. More than 18,000 residents from Kingsville to Matagorda and surrounding areas were without power and water for five to six weeks minimum. All banking services including ATM's were inoperable for several weeks. Debris from trees, structural buildings, down power lines, commercial equipment, and wildlife were all over the roads. Reports of oil rigs missing or severely damaged were reported. Historic and major landmarks near Corpus Christi such as Texas State Aquarium, Corpus Christi Watergarden, and the USS Lexington were severely damaged along with others. Texas State Aquarium lost many of their exhibits where they house wildlife that are either rare, threatened, or endangered such as the sea turtle (Texas State Aquarium).
Hurricane Elijah lingered around Corpus Christi for three days dropping 40+ inches of rain while moving at 5 mph.
Important to Note: Hurricane Elijah was only forecasted to be a low-grade category 3 hurricane at the time of landfall with sustained winds of 115+mph, gusting up to 125+ mph, and a storm surge of 9 feet near Corpus Christi on Sunday, September 2nd. He was not forecasted to intensify or make landfall early.
On Tuesday, September 4th, Hurricane Elijah was downgraded to a strong tropical storm when he returned to the Gulf of Mexico by 6 pm.
Tropical Storm Elijah stalled in the Gulf of Mexico between Rockport and Matagorda for two days regaining strength. While 50 miles off the coast, there were reports of more oil rigs and platforms as damaged, missing, or on fire.
On Thursday, September 6th, Tropical Storm Elijah slowly moved at 2 mph further up the Texas coast producing rain of 3 to 4 inches per hour. Localized flooding was reported all along the coastal counties. At 2pm, Tropical Storm Elijah intensified once again to a category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 80 mph. On Friday, September 7th, Hurricane Elijah moved further up the Texas coastline with minimal strengthening. Saturday, September 8th, Hurricane Elijah strengthened to a category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 105 mph as he continued to roam out in the Gulf of Mexico. Sunday, September 9th, Hurricane Elijah strengthened to a category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 115+ mph. National Hurricane Center (NHC), National Weather Service (NWS), local weather offices, and local Office of Emergency Management (OEM) encouraged residents to prepare now, make vital arrangements, and stay informed on Hurricane Elijah. Residents were cautioned again to remember that Hurricane Elijah had already proven several times his unpredictability.
On Monday, September 10th, still a category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 115+ mph at 7 pm, Hurricane Elijah stalled 60 miles south to southeast of Galveston in the Gulf of Mexico. He left everyone in a panic running and scurrying around to get the necessary supplies. Everyone was scratching their heads trying to guess what he was going to do or where he was going next. All airports in Southeast Texas shut down due to the high winds and damage from the tornadoes that spawned from Hurricane Elijah.
While stalled in the Gulf of Mexico, a massive storm developed over Baytown producing massive amounts of lightning. The storm spawned an EF-2 tornado that remained on the ground for 6 minutes and destroyed 20% of the city. Lightning struck the ExxonMobil plant in Baytown and started a fire in the storage farm. The winds gusted up to 100+ mph and caused the fire to consume 90% of the plant. The fire spilled over into the community where residents were rendered helpless. First responders were unable to reach the fire due to the high winds. Multiple tornadoes of EF-3 strength struck downtown Houston causing extreme damage. The downtown tunnel system flooded once again as in previous storms. Numerous ranchers and farmers worked diligently to save their cattle and crops from the floodwaters.
On Tuesday, September 11th at 5am, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) shared an updated projected cone of uncertainty for Hurricane Elijah. He was projected to make landfall near Galveston as a moderate category 4 hurricane on Thursday, September 13th.
While still stalled in the Gulf of Mexico, a strong EF-4 tornado hit the medical center in Houston. St. Luke’s Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, and MD Anderson Cancer Center were 100% destroyed. Memorial Hermann was left scouring around trying to evacuate their patients due to being severely damaged. Sadly, evacuations looked unlikely due to the amount of debris in the streets, continuous strong winds with debris flying around, and the torrential rainfall. First responders were unable to continuously assist for their safety due to the debris, strong winds, and torrential rainfall. The rail system in Port Arthur was damaged from flooding and strong hurricane-force winds. Rain and high winds continued as Hurricane Elijah gained strength and became more organized.
The mayor of Houston and local Office of Emergency Manageemnt (OEM) issued a mandatory evacuation order for residents in the coastal zone at 7 am.
Residents in the coastal zone who elected to evacuate once the mandatory evacuation order was issued started heading out down Texas State Highway 146, Interstate 45, Loop 610, and Texas State Highway 6.
The roads out of Galveston were not very bad for the moment with gridlock. The governor of Texas requested additional counties for Presidential Disaster Declaration: Wharton, Brazoria, Fort Bend, Waller, Montgomery, Harris, Galveston, Chambers, Liberty, San Jacinto, Polk, Hardin, Jefferson, Orange, Jasper, and Tyler.
The mayor and local Office of Emergency Management (OEM) at 8 am issued another mandatory evacuation order for the coastal zone residents. Then at 9 am, the mayor and local OEM encouraged coastal zone residents to immediately observe the mandatory evacuation order. The remaining residents headed out on Texas State Highway 146, Interstate 45, Loop 610, and Texas State Highway 6. The roads started to develop gridlock in some locations along the evacuation route. The mayor and local OEM at 12 pm encouraged residents to observe the voluntary evacuation order for zone A and zone B. Residents who observed the voluntary evacuation order headed out of town down Texas State Highway 146, Texas State Highway 321, Interstate 45, and U.S. 290. Hurricane Elijah still 60 miles south to southeast of Galveston gained more and more strength. Hurricane Elijah was still a category 3 hurricane, but with sustained winds at 125 mph. By 4 pm, the mayor and OEM announced a mandatory evacuation order immediately for residents who had not already evacuated from the coastal zone, zone A, and zone B. Wednesday, September 12th, still stalled out in the Gulf of Mexico, the NHC was still trying to fine-tune their projected forecast cone for Hurricane Elijah. Abruptly, Hurricane Elijah strengthened to a category 4 hurricane with sustained winds at 145+ mph, gusting up to 175+ mph, and storm surge of 18 feet. The mayor and local OEM announced an emergency mandatory evacuation for all residents within the coastal, A, B and C zones. Sadly, many residents in Zone C were unable to evacuate due to the intense weather conditions. Thursday, September 13th, Hurricane Elijah started inching at 3 mph toward the Texas coast. Numerous cattle were lost from the floodwaters. Cotton and rice fields were destroyed once again. Fields were covered with dead cattle and seaweed from the storm surge of 18+ feet. Hurricane Elijah impacted the same agriculture areas as Hurricane Harvey in 2017 (Fannin, 2017). Hurricane Elijah had already dumped 70+ inches of rainfall on the Galveston-Houston-Beaumont area. Friday, September 14th, Hurricane Elijah strengthened to a monstrous category 5 hurricane by 9 pm with sustained winds of 230+ mph, gusting to 255+ mph, winds of 210+ mph on the edge of the eye wall, and a storm surge of 25+ feet.
Hurricane Elijah 2nd landfall
Saturday, September 15th, Hurricane Elijah at high tide made his second Texas landfall between Pelican Island and Bolivar Peninsula at 3 am. Hurricane Elijah a monstrous category 5 hurricane with sustained winds of 230+ mph, gusting up to 255+ mph, winds of 210+ mph on the edge of the eye wall, and storm surge up to 25+ feet.
Pelican Island and Bolivar Peninsula were 100% destroyed. Pelican Island and Bolivar Peninsula lost ¾ of their landscape into the Gulf of Mexico and deemed uninhabitable. Hurricane Elijah crawled at less than 1 mph up Galveston Bay along the Houston Ship Channel producing 5 to 6 inches of rain per hour.
The Port of Houston was brutally damaged and closed. The Port of Houston is vital to the local, state, and national economy (Port of Houston). Hurricane-force winds were felt in San Antonio, Austin, and as far as Dallas. Torrential rain in San Antonio, Austin, and as far as Dallas was causing major flooding in and around surrounding cities. Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge and McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge were washed away from storm surge. Shriners Hospital in Galveston, one of the world’s greatest philanthropies hospitals was destroyed (Shriners Hospitals). Shriners Hospital lost 15 patients and 5 staff members. The 610-Ship Channel Bridge and Beltway 8 were destroyed. The I-10 Bridge (the Purple Heart Bridge) in Beaumont was destroyed by an EF-5 tornado. The I-10 Bridge near San Jacinto River was destroyed once again. Rainbow Bridge and Veteran’s Memorial Bridge in Port Arthur was also destroyed by an EF-5 tornado. The Rainbow Bridge and Veteran’s Memorial Bridge connected residents in Jefferson County and Orange County. The levees in Orange were breached. The Trinity River Bridge in Liberty County was destroyed by debris from trees and the rushing floodwaters. The Trinity River Bridge was how many residents commuted to and from Dayton and Liberty. The Fred Hartman Bridge was destroyed as well. The Fred Hartman Bridge was how residents commuted to and from Baytown and La Porte. The Fred Hartman Bridge replaced the Baytown tunnel (Fred Hartman Bridge). Numerous other bridges in the Galveston-Houston-Beaumont area were either damaged or destroyed. San Jacinto River, Trinity River, Lake Houston, Lake Conroe, and numerous bayous were overrunning their banks. Due to the high winds on Lake Livingston, the riprap on the waterside of the dam was washed out and caused the dam to fail and the bridges downriver to be washed away. The University of Houston-Downtown was hit by two EF-3 tornadoes. The University of Texas and the University of Houston-Clear Lake were completely destroyed from storm surge and hurricane-force winds with only a slab remaining onsite. Texas A & M University-Galveston was hit by an EF-5 tornado and all that remained onsite was the slab. Phillips 66, Enterprise Products Partners L.P., CenterPoint Energy (formerly known as Reliant Energy), Waste Management, and Sysco Corp headquarters in Houston were all destroyed (The Largest Companies Headquartered in Texas, 2014). George Bush Intercontinental Airport was destroyed by two airplanes being projected through the airport from an EF-5 tornado. William P. Hobby Airport was missing ¾ of their terminals, ¾ of their airlines were severely damaged, and the roof collapsed from an EF-4 tornado. Jack Brooks Regional Airport (Southeast Texas Regional Airport) located in Beaumont was destroyed by an EF-4 tornado and fire. Lamar State College-Port Arthur and Lamar State College-Orange locations were severely damaged from hurricane-force winds and flooding. Historic and major landmarks within the Galveston-Houston-Beaumont area were either destroyed or damaged such as Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier, Kemah Boardwalk, and Johnson Space Center to name a few. San Jacinto Monument and USS Texas (also known as Battleship Texas) were damaged and the severity is unknown. More than 1.5 million residents were without power and water for eight to ten weeks minimum. More than ¾ of cell towers along the Galveston-Houston-Beaumont area were either missing, damaged, or declared structurally unsound. The remaining cell towers along the Galveston-Houston-Beaumont area were extremely spotty. Cell phone services were inoperable for several weeks to months. All banking services including ATM's were inoperable for several weeks to months. Debris from trees, structural buildings, down power lines, commercial equipment, and wildlife were all over the roads. After circulating the Galveston-Houston-Beaumont area for three days dropping an additional 30+ inches of rainfall and numerous tornadoes, Hurricane Elijah was downgraded to a category 4 hurricane.
Important to Note: Hurricane Elijah was only forecasted to be a moderate category 4 hurricane when he made landfall on September 13th near Galveston with sustained winds of 140+mph, gusting up to 150+ mph, and a storm surge of 15 feet. He was not forecasted or expected to intensify or make a later landfall.
Tuesday, September 18th, National Hurricane Center (NHC) at 7 am provided an update on Hurricane Elijah. The updated forecast showed Hurricane Elijah heading up Interstate 45 toward Dallas/Fort Worth (D/FW) metroplex at 5 mph. Hurricane Elijah was dropping 4 to 5 inches of rain per hour along Interstate 45 and three tornadoes from EF-0 to EF-2 touched down along Interstate 45. The governor of Texas requested additional counties be added for Presidential Disaster Declaration: Kaufman, Rockwall, Hunt, Ellis, Dallas, Collin, Johnson, Tarrant, Denton, Wise, Parker, Hood, Somervell, Erath, Palo Pinto, and Jack. The mayors and Office of Emergency Management for the counties surrounding the D/FW metroplex advised their residents to get the supplies needed to sustain their families during the storm. A mandatory evacuation order was given at 9 am for all special needs residents, retirement homes, nursing homes, and local hospitals. First responders were busy assisting with evacuations.
Wednesday, September 19th, Hurricane Elijah was downgraded to a moderate category 3 hurricane when he reached the D/FW metroplex at 6 am with sustained winds of 120+ mph, gusting up to 135+ mph, and a well-defined eye about 60 miles across.
John Peter Smith (JPS) Hospital in downtown Fort Worth was destroyed by an EF-3 tornado and strong winds. The director of the hospital has lived in the D/FW metroplex his whole life. He did not listen to the warnings from the mayor and local Office of Emergency Management (OEM). As a result, the hospital lost 100 patients and 50 staff members. When asked why he did not evacuate, he stated,
“Hurricanes do not come this far inland. We are safe and I am not going to needlessly evacuate the hospital and stress out my patients or staff. We have everything we need to ride out any severe weather.”
Tarrant County College District (TCCD)-Trinity River and Trinity River East campuses in downtown Fort Worth were severely damaged from strong hurricane-force winds. Fort Worth Courthouse District was damaged from an EF-2 tornado. The University of Texas at Arlington was destroyed from an EF-3 tornado. AT&T headquarters was destroyed by an EF-4 tornado along with many cell towers. Cell phone service in and around Dallas and Fort Worth were down for weeks. Texas Instruments headquarters roof collapsed and the windows were shattered from the strong winds and torrential rain. D.R. Horton America’s Builder headquarters was 50% destroyed by fire from a lightning strike. Oncor Electric headquarters was 50% destroyed with ¾ of service trucks destroyed from an EF-3 tornado. Commercial Metals Company headquarters sustained roof damage and flooded facilities. Bank of America headquarters roof was gone and 75% of the windows shattered from the strong winds. All banking services including ATM's were inoperable for several weeks. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics headquarters was 25% destroyed by an EF-2 tornado and another 50% was destroyed by an electrical fire. American Airlines’ headquarters was severely damaged from hurricane-force winds. The windows were shattered, the roof was gone, and exterior walls damaged. Southwest Airlines’ headquarters was deemed structurally unsound from damage to interior and exterior walls from an EF-3 tornado. The Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field Airport were both damaged from an EF-4 tornado that severely destroyed 75% of the terminals. More than 8,000 residents were without power and water for a minimum of three to four weeks. Debris from trees, structural buildings, down power lines, and commercial equipment were all over the roads.
Thursday, September 20th, Hurricane Elijah now a category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 105 mph speeded north toward Oklahoma, leaving Texas in his rear view at 11 am. Hurricane Elijah was downgraded again to a moderate category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 85 mph at 2 pm. Hurricane Elijah was downgraded once again to a tropical storm at 3 pm as he moved through Kansas with sustained winds of 70 mph. Two tornadoes from EF-0 to EF-2 spawned out from Tropical Storm Elijah. He produced 2 to 3 inches of rain per hour from Oklahoma to Kansas. Friday, September 21st, at 6 am Tropical Storm Elijah finally dissipated over Nebraska.
Hurricane Elijah’s Aftermath Summary
• Two landfalls in Texas (Mustang Island; between Pelican Island and Bolivar Peninsula)
• Texas’s first category 5 hurricane with sustained winds 230+mph; gust 255+mph; 210+ mph on edge of eye wall; and storm surge 25+ feet
• Lasted from August 25 through September 21
• Total of 181 confirmed tornadoes ranging from EF-0 to EF-5
• Millions of Texans without power and water for several weeks
• 90% of declared disaster counties without power for an estimated 2–3 months
• 47 Presidential Disaster Declaration counties
• 264+ fatalities estimated; some residents still unaccounted for by family and friends
• Major infrastructure systems down for ¾ of Texas
• Many historic sites and landmarks destroyed along the Texas coastline
• Several National Wildlife Refuges destroyed
• 12 Major hospitals destroyed
• 400 Texas active oil rigs and platforms destroyed
• 17 Major headquarters destroyed
• 6 Major airports destroyed or closed until further notice
• 8 Major bridges 100% destroyed; several others damaged
• 10 Universities 100% destroyed or severely damaged
• Major flooding throughout the state of Texas from torrential rainfall and flooded lakes, rivers, and bayous
• Thousands of citizens and wildlife displaced
• Property damage in the high billions if not trillions as assessments are still being calculated
TEACHING NOTES
Target Audience
Emergency management practitioners, policymakers, forecasters, transportation officials, infrastructure specialists, and citizens.
Synopsis
Hurricane Elijah was projected to be a weaker hurricane when he made landfall near Mustang Island and again when he made landfall between Pelican Island and Bolivar Peninsula. Hurricane Elijah left many residents scratching their heads and looking for answers. Hurricane Elijah was a nightmare Texans were hoping to wake up from in the morning. The Texas coastline had not experienced a hurricane with such brutality and relentlessness as Hurricane Elijah. The widespread damage to Texas’s economy and its infrastructure systems from Hurricane Elijah left many haunting lessons for hurricane planning, response to, and recovery. Officials in Texas can use this case study to evaluate its hurricane operations plan and recovery methods for improvements. Texas is growing in population daily. Texas can use this case study to assess its procedures and protocols for a greater population and an increase in its special needs population. Texas can use this case study to evaluate its county floodplain maps, evacuation zone maps, and evacuation routes. Officials in Texas can also use this case study to evaluate the infrastructure systems throughout the state now and start making improvements.
Learning Objectives
Each disaster presents opportunities to improve and strengthen through mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Each disaster presents unique qualities, encounters, and prospects for growth and improvement. Texas can use its experiences and lessons learned from past hurricanes and tropical storms to make improvements for a monstrous category 5 hurricane striking the coastline. Evacuations can be improved with greater emphasis on procedures and resources, effective plans for special needs population, and public information tactics can be adjusted with an emphasis on a category 5 hurricane. Some of the less appreciated lessons from the case study:
· It is imperative to remember to never undervalue a storm.
· It is essential to stay engrossed on the current storm.
· Forecasts are volatile and indecisive
· Decisions are not always going to be straightforward or comfortable
· Decision-makers are not always going to be liked or respected by officials, media, and residents.
· Media is always going to play a momentous role in how citizens respond
· Proper language needs to be stressed to residents
· Proper communication needs to be stressed among all agencies, jurisdictions, and all governmental levels.
Teaching Strategy
It is important to walk participants through the timeline and consequences of a category 5 hurricane, like Hurricane Elijah hitting the Texas coastline. The catastrophic damage done to the state is vital to how the local, state, and national economy can plan for the future. Looking at the summary of each day, destruction, and forecast leading up to each landfall is vital rather than looking at Hurricane Elijah as a whole. This allows the participants to view decisions on the context of what information is available to decision-makers at each minute and hour of each day.
Questions for Discussion
How prepared is Texas?
What would be your first concern?
Would you recommend holding training or drills?
How often would you hold training or drills? Monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, annually?
What agencies would you involve in the training or drills? What counties?
Would you include schools, hospitals, and businesses as part of the training or drills?
How would you get others to see the importance of the training and drills?
How would you work through or past the biases that everyone holds?
How would you get the word out to residents regarding the training or drills?
How would you assist the population with special needs?
Do you know the special needs of your population?
How would you include different demographics such as communication, mobility, or culture of citizens in the training or drills?
What is the current forecast?
How does the forecast differ from day to day? Minute by minute? Hour by hour?
What decision would you make regarding evacuations?
How would you instruct inexperience mayors regarding evacuations?
Is there a right time to make the evacuation decisions?
When do you initiate a contraflow for evacuations?
Would you order a voluntary or mandatory evacuation?
What is the evacuation route out of the county?
Is there an alternative evacuation route?
How would you distinguish the evacuation order differences to the citizens?
Are you prepared for the shadow evacuation impact?
If an evacuation is ordered, how would you stress the importance?
Would you give residents a time frame to evacuate by before all rescues were stopped?
What would be the repercussions for the residents who did not heed the evacuation orders?
How would you convey your confidence in the storm’s severity to citizens?
How confident are you in your decisions?
How confident are you in your current position?
How confident are you in your coworkers?
How confident are you in management or local governmental officials backing your position and decisions?
What are your future options or limitations?
Would you recommend an updated map of the floodplain for the counties? State?
If you would recommend an updated map, who would you recommend update the maps?
Given the past flood history of the counties along the Texas coastline, would you recommend the floodplain maps be updated to a 50-year, 100-year, or 500-year flood?
References
Corpus Christi Army Depot, TX Housing and Relocation Information. (2019). Retrieved from Corpus Christi Army Depot: https://www.corpuschristiarmydepothousing.com/
Fannin, B. (Ed.). (2017, October 27). Texas agricultural losses from Hurricane Harvey estimated at more than $200 million. Retrieved from Agrilife Today: https://agrilifetoday.tamu.edu/2017/10/27/texas-agricultural-losses-hurricane-harvey-estimated-200-million/
Fred Hartman Bridge-Baytown Texas. (n.d.). Retrieved from Our Baytown: http://www.ourbaytown.com/Fred_Hartman_Bridge_Baytown.htm
Harbor Bridge Corpus Christi, Texas. (n.d.). Retrieved from Harbor Bridge Project: https://harborbridgeproject.com/
Hurricane Carla- 50th Anniversary. (n.d.). Retrieved from National Weather Service: https://www.weather.gov/crp/hurricanecarla
Hurricane Harvey & Its Impacts on Southeast Texas. (n.d.). Retrieved from National Weather Service: https://www.weather.gov/hgx/hurricaneharvey
Hurricanes in History. (n.d.). Retrieved from National Hurricane Center and Central Pacific Hurricane Center: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/outreach/history/
Overview Port of Houston. (n.d.). Retrieved from Port of Houston: https://porthouston.com
Port Corpus Christi About Us. (n.d.). Retrieved from Port Corpus Christi: https://portofcc.com/
Shriners Hospitals for Children-Galveston. (n.d.). Retrieved from Shriners Hospital for Children: https://www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/galveston
The Largest Companies Headquartered in Texas. (2014). Retrieved from Office of the Governor Economic Development and Tourism: https://gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/organization/eco-dev/Texas_Largest_Companies.pdf
