Houston Prepares for Tropical Storm Nicholas
Houstonians are making preparations for tropical storm Nicolas. The lines in grocery stores started to grow around 1pm this Monday afternoon in before the storm made landfall. The Houston Independent School District has canceled class this Tuesday even though students reported to school as usual Monday. As of Sunday night many residents were already reporting longer lines at the grocery store and gas stations.
Houston took steps to try to minimize the storm’s damage by erecting dozens of barricades and readying high-water rescue vehicles, according to Houston public Twitter accounts. Mayor Sylvester turner said, “We are monitoring this storm very, very closely and We are beginning to see high water locations on freeways,”
A huge inland portion of the Gulf Coast reaching from Corpus Christi northward past Houston and extending eastward more than halfway across the Louisiana coastline is under a “moderate” flash flood risk for the next three days, the National Weather Service warns. A relatively rare warning of a “high” risk of flash floods is in effect for a smaller area that roughly corresponds with the hurricane watch zone.
Tropical storm Nicholas began to pick up speed in the gulf and is expected to turn into a Category 1 hurricane before making landfall Monday morning in Corpus Christi, according to the national Hurricane center. The storm is large and projecting a tropical storm- force of winds up to 115 miles in its center.
