From Quebecor World: Late-Day Update on Ike
Quebecor World News Flash - Issue #228 follows in its entirety / Hurricane Ike -
Water Levels Rising and Winds Increasing As Landfall Is Expected Tonight
As of 1 p.m. CDT, Ike was located about 165 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas, with maximum sustained winds near the center at 105 mph. The forward movement is toward the west-northwest at around 12 mph. Conditions are changing rapidly as the storm could reach land within the next 12 hours and could become stronger still during this time. Currently dealing with coastal flooding, Cameron, Louisiana, is now recording sustained tropical storm-force winds. Water levels are rising quickly in Galveston. The National Weather Service local office for Houston/Galveston reports storm surge up to 8 feet at the Galveston pier. High levels are being reported at numerous other coastal locations in Texas. Storm surge reports continue to come in from the National Weather Service. - La Porte (along the west side of the Galveston Bay) is recording a 5 foot surge. - Freeport is recording a 7 foot surge. - Galveston Pleasure Pier is recording a 9 foot surge. Water level rises will only continue to grow with time. Expect delays for any mail, newsstand and newspaper delivery routed through the affected area. Due to government enforced evacuations, most carrier centers are closing within the areas expected to be effected by Hurricane Ike.
TxDOT has closed all Evaculanes. DOT has plans and pre-positioned equipment in place to facilitate debris removal and other actions which will accelerate their ability to reopen roads following the storm. DOT is also working with the rail industry as they place personnel and equipment in staging areas to help them reenter, assess and clear tracks as needed.
Conditions will continue to change and worsen over the weekend and QW will watch the effects of Hurricane Ike closely. Below is the latest News Release from the USPS.
USPS Hurricane Update http://www.usps.com/communications/news/serviceupdates.htm#ike
Postal Service suspending operations at 7 p.m. Friday,
Operations resume at 6 a.m. on Sunday
Houston Post Offices open today
Houston, TX - Post offices in the city of Houston are open for business today, with the exception of Nassau Bay Station and Albert Thomas Station due to the mandatory evacuation order in place at those locations. Mail collections are being completed early today due to deteriorating weather conditions this afternoon.
All Post Offices and Postal Service operations within the city of Houston (ZIP Code area 770) and surrounding areas (ZIP Code areas 773, 774, 775, 776, 777, 778), encompassing the greater Bryan, Beaumont and Galveston areas, will cease operations at 7 p.m. on September 12, and will remain closed on Saturday, September 13. No retail service, mail delivery, or other postal services will be provided on September 13.
Postal Service operations will resume at 6 a.m. on Sunday, September 14, or as soon as it is safe to do so. Post Offices and delivery operations in these areas will reopen and resume on Monday, September 15, provided it is safe to do so.
Post offices located within areas with mandatory evacuation orders in place have temporarily suspended operations for today and Saturday, including retail Post Office lobby services, mail delivery, scheduled collection of mail from mailboxes, bulk mail acceptance, Post Office Box service and mail processing. Drop shipment appointments are also suspended at closed facilities.
For the latest information on USPS service updates, check: http://www.usps.com/communications/news/serviceupdates.htm.
Postal Service employees in the area are being advised to contact the USPS National Emergency Notification Hotline daily. The toll-free USPS National Emergency Notification Hotline for U.S. Postal Service employees is: 1-888-363-7462.
Additional information regarding postal operations within specific ZIP Code areas will be issued by the U.S. Postal Service as necessary.
Service update for Texas
Hurricane Ike is expected to make landfall around 1 a.m. Saturday morning centered between Houston and Corpus Christi, and will impact a 100-mile stretch of Texas coastline.
Service update for Houston, TX
Post Offices in the city of Houston are open for business today, with the exception of Nassau Bay Station and Albert Thomas Station. Mail collections are being completed early today due to deteriorating weather conditions.
All Post Offices and Postal Service operations within the city of Houston (ZIP Code area 770) and surrounding areas (ZIP Code areas 773, 774, 775, 776, 777, 778), encompassing the greater Bryan, Beaumont and Galveston areas, will cease operations at 7 p.m. Sept. 12, and will remain closed Saturday, Sept. 13. No retail service, mail delivery or other postal services will be provided Sept. 13.
Post Offices located within areas with mandatory evacuation orders in place have temporarily suspended operations for today and Saturday, including retail Post Office lobby services, mail delivery, scheduled collection of mail from mailboxes, bulk mail acceptance, Post Office Box service and mail processing. Drop shipment appointments also are suspended at closed facilities.
Drop Shipment Redirects
Drop shipments for the Beaumont Processing & Distribution Center (P&DC), 5815 Walden Road, Beaumont, TX, 77707, are being redirected to the North Houston P&DC, 4600 Aldine Bender Road, North Houston, TX, 77315.
Drop shipments scheduled for Victoria P&DC, 312 S. Main Street, Victoria, TX, 77901, are being redirected to the San Antonio P&DC, 10410 Perrin Beitel Road, San Antonio, TX, 78284, through Monday, Sept. 15.
The following Post Offices in ZIP Code areas 779 and 783 are closed and will reopen Monday, Sept. 15:
Aransas County Rockport and Fulton.
Calhoun County Point Comfort, Port Lavaca, Port O’Connor and Seadrift.
Jackson County Edna, Francitas, Ganado, La Ward, LaSalle, Lolita and Vanderbilt.
Victoria County Bloomington, Inez, McFaddin, Nursery, Placedo, Telferner and all three Victoria Post Offices.
Refugio County Austwell, Bayside and Tivoli.
Mandatory evacuations by geographic area are:
Harris County Houston: 77058 (Nassau Bay Station), Albert Thomas Station (77059)
Pasadena: Main Post Office, (77501); Bob Lyons Station (77506); Baytown: Station A (77520)
Friendswood (77546); Webster (77598)
Brazoria County All Post Offices, including Alvin (77511), Brazoria (77422), Freeport (77541), and Pearland (77581).
Chambers County All Post Offices, including Baytown (77521) and Mont Belvieu (77580).
Matagorda County All Post Offices, including Bay City (77414).
Galveston County Galveston (77550), Baycliff (77518).
Jefferson County All Post Offices, including Beaumont (77704) and Port Arthur (77640).
Orange County All Post Offices, including Orange (77630).
USPS Emergency Operations Team in the Rio Grande area have worked hard to make sure employees are safe, mail is secured and facilities are protected.
Over The Road Conditions
Terminal closings are in effect in Beaumont/ Corpus Christi, Houston, Lake Charles La, and Victoria, TX.
Most Carrier Centers in Houston and Houston metro areas will be closing early on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2008, due to evacuations.
Tags: Hurricane Ike, Quebecor World News Flash, severe weather, transportation disruption