Hurricane Harvey – Coast Guard

Coast Guard prepares response efforts for Hurricane Harvey

HOUSTON – The Coast Guard is preparing response efforts for Hurricane Harvey’s impact on the coasts of Texas and Louisiana, Thursday.

The Coast Guard is working closely with all local and state emergency operation centers and is establishing incident command posts to manage Coast Guard storm operations.

Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston and Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi captains of the port have set port condition Yankee for the ports of Houston, Texas City, Galveston, Freeport and Corpus Christi.

Under port condition Yankee for Sector Houston-Galveston:

All transfer of cargo operations shall cease when wind speeds reach 40 mph.
Disconnect all transfer hoses and loading arms when wind speeds exceed 50 mph.
Facility operators shall ensure that all vessels and barges over 500 gross tons can moor safely.
No inbound vessel traffic. Ships and barges for these ports must seek an alternate destination.
Ships and barges anchored at Anchorage Areas Alpha, Bravo or Charlie, are required to depart before 10:00 am, Friday (Aug 25).
The Houston-Galveston Vessel Traffic Service’s number is (281) 464-4837.
Coast Guard Western River Flood Punt teams, who use shallow-draft vessels that are capable of responding in flooded urban areas, are en route to three staging areas in Texas and Louisiana.

The Coast Guard reminds the public of these important safety messages:

Stay off the water. The Coast Guard search and rescue capabilities degrade as storm condition strengthen. This information means possible delayed. Evacuate as necessary. If officials announce a mandatory evacuation for an area, the public should leave without delay.

Secure belongings. Owners of large boats are urged to move their vessels to inland marinas. Operators should pull from the water trailer-able boats. Be sure to secure loose items.

Stay clear of beaches.
Stay informed. Local television, radio, the Internet, and VHF radio channel 16 provides information. For the most up-to-date weather information, visit www.weather.gov.