Texas News

Originally published on October 23, 2018 12:51 pm As Central Texas struggles with the impacts of last week’s historic flooding, residents of Austin are being warned to boil water before drinking or cooking with it. The city’s water utility says floodwaters flowing into water-supply lakes contain high levels of silt and mud, and is also asking residents to reduce their water usage. Here & Now‘s Peter O’Dowd gets the latest from KUT senior reporter Mose…

People who went to school in Texas were probably taught at a young age about “tornado alley.” But is it possible that Texas – and the Great Plains –no longer be the epicenter of the country’s tornadic activity?  It’s a question some climate scientists are asking as they study an increase in tornado activity in the Eastern U.S. Victor Gensini is one of those scientists. He’s a professor in the department of Geographic and atmospheric…

Updated 9:15 a.m. ET Hurricane Willa, which has weakened after briefly ramping up to a Category 5 storm, remains “extremely dangerous” and is poised to bring “life-threatening storm surge, wind and rainfall” to Mexico’s Pacific Coast on Tuesday, according to the National Hurricane Center. Willa, with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph, is about 55 miles from Las Islas Marias — or about 130 miles west of Puerto Vallarta. Still heading north, the storm’s speed…

Updated 4:23 pm CDT, Monday, October 22, 2018 MEXICO CITY (AP) — The latest on Hurricane Willa and other storms (all times local): 4:10 p.m. Hurricane Willa has weakened slightly off Mexico’s Pacific Coast and is now a Category 4 storm, but remains “extremely dangerous” ahead of an expected landfall Tuesday. The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Willa’s maximum sustained winds are now 155 mph (250 kph). That’s just 1 mph below the threshold for a…

Updated 10:31 am CDT, Monday, October 22, 2018 GALVESTON, Texas (AP) — Public housing advocates say Galveston hasn’t done enough in the decade since Hurricane Ike to rebuild public housing. The Houston Chronicle reports that fewer than half of the island city’s 569 public housing units have been rebuilt since the 2008 hurricane. State and federal rules require the city rebuild every unit. Public outcry, political inaction and a lack of financial capital are blamed for…

Early Monday morning, Austin Water issued a boil water notice for all of its customers due to elevated levels of silt from last week’s flooding. The water system is “the most recent infrastructure to struggle to keep up with” the impact of unprecedented rains, City Manager Spencer Cronk said at a Monday press conference. The Texas Tribune thanks its sponsors. Become one. Last month was the wettest September on record in Texas. Heavy rains last…

Updated 8:22 am CDT, Monday, October 22, 2018 AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Residents of the Texas state capital are being ordered to boil their tap water before drinking after flooding in recent weeks filled the lakes that feed their supply with silt, mud and debris. The city of Austin said in a statement Monday that the water needs extended filtration and treatment before it will be safe to consume. There is no indication of bacterial infiltration….