H-Town Re-Scripting the Gulf Coast
Rescripting H-Town
Joshua Roberts M.Arch I Thesis Graduate School of Design Harvard University
The Gulf is... Congested
GNUburbia 36-37 Saturation Point 16-21
Cultured
Menil Grill 50-51 H-Town Observed 38-39 Survey Fall 2005 40-41
the Future
SpaceCity, USA 32-35 Goatopolis 30-31 GNUburbia 36-37 Menil Grill 50-51 Ponding 63-64 Ponding II 76-79 PowerUP 82-85
Moving
GNUburbia 36-37 Tropics and Meridians 52-53 Shipping News 54-55 Stockpile 74-77
Risky
Black Gold House of Vice/Virtue Double Down
6-15 42-45 46-49
Toxic!
Goatopolis 30-31 Texas is #1 22-29
Weather
Ponding 63-64 Ponding II 76-79 Texas Hurricane History 30-37
Gulf Coast On-Ramp
The Gulf Coast of Mexico region (GOM) is a megalopolis formed by a string of entities hardly legible as traditional cities. On one end it is anchored by an increasingly lawless Borderplex and on the other by the now submerged New Orleans. It is a vast and holey coastal plain that erases “the borders between city, suburb, and hinterland to form what is sometimes a metropolis and always part of a vast Terrapolis, a world urbanism.” But it is the GOM Megalopolis’ holeiness, the unpredictable pockets of potential that is its greatest advantage and must be “allowed to fulfill their own destiny as discontinuity.” Therefore we demand a reconsideration of the region—all of it evils and benefits, on its own terms, in all of its complexities. Believing there is a paucity of ideas in the discourse about the region we attempt to understand the cities of GOM through an expanded lexicon of concepts—rereading the GOM through narratives of Speculation: tales of Risky Business, Pirates, Weather, Destruction, Speed, Congestion, Toxins and the Space Race, looking to Houston as a model of the region. As the Gulf is experienced through rhythms created by, along densely interwoven spatial layers privileging the horizontal, this project is organized in a series of articles each picking up on a unique aspect of the region. It is a loose collection searching for latent potential and tactical opportunities within the myriad of holes and pockets along the way. Source: Quotations above taken from Lars Lerup, “After the City” MIT Press, Cambridge, MA
Black Gold
Speculating It is impossible to discuss the Gulf of Mexico without talking about oil. Therefore we begin with it, though this will not be the only article to touch on the omnipresent economic engine of the region, further we wager that much of what we think we know of oil and its impact on the region is inadequate. First against conventional wisdom the nation needs more refineries. The current platforms and refineries in the GOM are outdated and insufficient. New drilling and refining facilities must be built in the GOM or elsewhere to supply both the needs of the US and the ever growing consumption of oil by China. Second, oil was not always associated with the GOM, and is a relatively new addition to the economy of the region. The importance of oil occurred only during the 20th century, prior to which shipping was the key economic force, and continues to be crucial to the region (see Tropics and Meridians). Third, the discovery of oil in the region happened by chance due to a half-mad, one-armed, self-trained geologist, who risked everything on a hazardous bet. The tendency to take wild risks, to depend on luck and uncertainty has long been an ignored but defining characteristic of the GOM and its development. Outrageous speculation and an uncertain future are again present due to increasing lawlessness along the Border, rising gas prices, and the rebuilding of Hurricane ravaged areas. Not surprisingly, New Orleans is looking to risk the city’s future on casinos and gambling. Examining these high stakes games of chance that fuel the development of the GOM, we can’t help but speculate on possible futures.
Spindletop
Beaumont, Texas Before January 10th, 1901 the world had not seen a gusher. At the end of the 19th century oil production in the United States was centered in Pennsylvania but output was meager, as coal was the most important source of fuel for manufacturing worldwide. Yet Patillo Higgins, a one-armed mechanic and self-taught geologist, was one of few that believed that the world would soon switch from coal to oil. And unlike most he believed the source of that oil lay beneath salt dome formations along the Gulf Coast. Higgins was joined and aided in his search by Capt. Anthony Lucas, a former naval officer with vast experience in the Louisiana salt mines—and later by James Guffey, an oilman from Pittsburg. Predictably their search for oil led to years of frustration and financial hardship. Yet on January 10th, the Lucas geyser, “found at a depth of 1,139 feet, blew a stream of oil over 100 feet high until it was capped nine days later and had flowed an estimated 100,000 barrels a day.” By the time control was regained on January 19th, the well was surrounded by “a huge pool of oil, oilmen, speculators, and onlookers staring at the birth of a new age.” The city of Beaumont exploded, the population increased five fold from 10,000- 50,000 in a year, rampant speculation followed and land prices shot up. Yet this rush on Spindle top led to a rapid decline in production as it was quickly overtaxed. Still over 153,000,000 barrels were produced from the Spindletop fields by 1985. And the decline in production at Spindeltop mattered little overall, as speculators continued to drill in the oil rich Gulf coast leading to the energy infrastructure of the present. Source: Texas State Historical Association www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/SS/dos3.html American Petroleum Institute http://api-ec.api.org/newsplashpage/index. cfm
US Petroleum Statistics Gallons of Oil per Barrel
42
Barrels of Oil per Metric Ton (U.S.)
7.33
U.S. Crude Oil Production
5,419,000 Barrels / Day
U.S. Crude Oil Imports
10,088,000 Barrels / Day
U.S. Crude Oil Imports from OPEC
5,042,000 Barrels / Day
Top U.S. Crude Oil Supplier
Canada - 1,616,000 Barrels / Day
U.S. Petroleum Product Imports
3,057,000 Barrels / Day
U.S. Petroleum Product Imports from OPEC
659,000 Barrels / Day
Top U.S. Total Petroleum Supplier
Canada - 2,138,000 Barrels / Day
U.S. Total Petroleum Exports
1,048,000 Barrels / Day
U.S. Net Petroleum Imports
12,097,000 Barrels / Day
U.S. Petroleum Consumption
20,731,000 Barrels / Day
Net Petroleum Imports
57.8%
Crude Oil Domestic First Price (Wellhead Price)
$36.77 / Barrel
Motor Gasoline Retail Prices, U.S. City Average
$1.92 / Gallon
Regular Gasoline Retail Prices, U.S. Average
$1.88 / Gallon
Premium Gasoline Retail Prices, U.S. Average
$2.07 / Gallon
Federal Motor Gasoline Tax
18.4 Cents/Gallon
Motor Gasoline Consumption
9,105,000 Barrels / Day (382.4 Million Gallons / Day)
Share of US Oil Consumption for Transportation
67%
U.S. Average Home Heating Oil Price
$1.55 / Gallon (Excluding Taxes)
Number of U.S. Operable Petroleum Refineries
148
U.S. Proved Reserves of Crude Oil
21,891 million barrels
U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve
676 Million Barrels
In 1981 there were 324 refineries in the US, by 2004 there were only 148. The US has not built a new refinery since 1976. Of the current operable refineries 49 are located in the Gulf Coast region. The GOM is responsible for 33 percent of all US Oil production and its infrastructure is 30 years old. source: US Department of Energy, see also http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0921/p11s02-usec.html#
Refining in the US
Map of all operable US refineries
Delineation of the State Seaward Boundary and lease lines that depict the 5, 8, and 10 year lease term areas. This file is based on the OCS Marine Survey Group Official Protraction Diagram (OPD). Each offshore area is defined by an API Number corresponding to those in the API Bulletin Number D12A
All platforms in the GOM with overlaid Storm Track
4,000 Active Platforms
The location of platforms in GOM. All platforms existing in the database are included. At present there are some 4,000 active platforms in the Gulf. Production and supply levels are still reduced due to the effects of recent Hurricanes. Source: http://www.gomr.mms. gov/homepg/pubinfo/repcat/arcinfo/index.html http://gom.rigzone.com/rita. asp
1,600 miles of Pipelines
All pipelines existing in the GOM databases are included. 1,600 miles of pipelines in the GOM, connected to 10,000+ miles in the continental US. Source: http://www.gomr.mms.gov/ homepg/pubinfo/repcat/arcinfo/index.html
Saturation Point
On Sept. 21st 2005, 3 million people began to evacuate from Houston in preparation of Hurricane Rita. It would become the largest peace-time evacuation in the history of the United States. An estimated 90% of the population of Galveston Island and close to 50% of Houston joined a mass exodus away from the Gulf of Mexico and the coming storm. The evacuation led to 100 mile traffic jams, motorists without water stuck in 100 plus degree heat, severe gas and food shortages, and the death of 23 people (see Texas Hurricane History). The plans for this emergency were quickly hailed both as a great success and a spectacular failure. Yet only a city like Houston, with its 383 miles of freeway (approx. 2,700 total lane miles) dependent on the oil of the GOM could attempt a exodus of this magnitude. The decentralized sprawl of the city, its endless rivers of concrete and asphalt, proved in a moment of need to be life-saver. But due to these very same factors Houston has the highest levels of ozone and air pollution of any American City.
Sources: National Public Radio September 30, 2005 , at NPR.org Houston Chronicle Sept 21st-Sept 30th, 2005 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas
383 miles of Freeway
All roads in Houston Metro TXDoT region. At present there are 383 miles of freeway (approx. 2,700 lane miles), this number will increase in 2010 with the completition of the Katy Freeway IH-10 reconstruction, which will create a 24 lane superhighway running East-West across Houston Source: Texas Department of Transportation, TXDoT
texas is
#1 in...
Ozone (O3) pollution in the nation. Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) emissions. Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions. Nearly 51 percent of the state’s population currently lives in metropolitan areas that do not meet federal standards for ozone. All major cities in Texas are moderate or marginal in federal attainment levels for air quality. Source: www.tceq.state.tx.us/implementation/air/sip/siptexas.html#naas
Downtown Houston Summer 2004
POTENTIAL ADVERSE HUMAN HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF THE TOP TOXIC RELEASE INVENTORY CHEMICALS RELEASED TO THE AIR IN TEXAS IN 2001 CHEMICAL TOTAL lbs. RELEASED, 2001 POTENTIAL ADVERSE EFFECTS Ethylene 13,833,993 Chronic Toxicity Hydrochloric Acid 13,287,180 Acute Toxicity, Chronic Toxicity Methanol 9,063,480 Acute Toxicity Propylene 9,014,160 Unknown N-Hexane 6,423,024 Unknown Ammonia 5,206,675 Acute Toxicity, Chronic Toxicity, Environmental Toxicity Acute Toxicity, Suspected Sulfuric Acid 4,168,514 Carcinogen Toluene 3,965,061 Developmental Toxicity, Environmental Toxicity Acute Toxicity, Suspected Hydrogen Flouride 3,828,730 Developmental Toxicity Carcinogen, Heritable Geneticand Chromosomal Mutation, Chronic Styrene 3,652,204 Toxicity, Developmental Toxicity, Environmental Toxicity Xylene 3,579,893 Chronic Toxicity, Developmental Toxicity, Reproductive Toxicity, Environmental Toxicity Methyl Ethyl Ketone 3,341,643 Chronic Toxicity, Developmental Toxicity, Reproductive Toxicity Benzene 1,951,265 Acute Toxicity, Carcinogen, Chronic Toxicity, Environmental Toxicity, Smog Formation 1,3-Butadiene 1,485,450 Carcinogen, Chronic Toxicity, Developmental Toxicity, Reproductive Toxicity, Environmental Toxicity, Smog Formation Cyclohexane 1,304,172 Environmental Toxicity
Note: N-Hexane was added as a reportable chemical in 1995 and is believed to affect the neurological system.
Source: Total pounds released from Environmental Protection Agency, 2001 Toxics Release Inventory Database, 2003, Query run on TRIEXPLORER; human health and environmental effects based on Clement Associates, Inc., Support Documentation for the SARA TITLE III, Sections 313/322 Toxicity Matrix (Fairfax, Virginia: Clement Associates, Inc., August, 1988, prepared for Environmental Protection Agency.
2000 SO2, NOX, AND CO2 EMISSIONS FROM UTILITIES Tons per year, Texas Tons per year, U.S. TX National Rank NOx 381,992 NOx 4,699,874 1 CO2 243,811,104 CO2 2,393,857,309 1 SO2 557,511 SO2 10,634,077 7 Source: EPA, Emissions Scorecard 2001
NOx
SO2
O3 - Ground-level Ozone
* is one of the main ingredients involved in the formation of ground-level ozone, which can trigger serious respiratory problems.
* contributes to respiratory illness, particularly in children and the elderly, and aggravates existing heart and lung diseases.
* Triggers a variety of health problems even at very low levels
* reacts to form nitrate particles, acid aerosols, as well as NO2, which also cause respiratory problems. * contributes to formation of acid rain. * contributes to nutrient overload that deteriorates water quality. * contributes to atmospheric particles, that cause visibility impairment most noticeable in national parks. * reacts to form toxic chemicals. * contributes to global warming.
*contributes to the formation of acid rain, which:damages trees, crops, historic buildings, and monuments; and makes soils, lakes, and streams acidic. * contributes to the formation of atmospheric particles that cause visibility impairment, most noticeably in national parks. SO2 and the pollutants formed from SO2, such as sulfate particles, can be transported over long distances and deposited far from the point of origin. This means that problems with SO2 are not confined to areas where it is emitted.
* May cause permanent lung damage after long-term exposure * Damages plants and ecosystems *The summertime pollutantPeak ozone levels typically occur during hot, dry, stagnant summertime conditions. The length of the ozone season varies from one area of the United States to another. Southern and Southwestern states may have an ozone season that lasts nearly the entire year.
NOx and the pollutants formed from NOx can be transported over long distances, following the pattern of prevailing winds in the U.S. This means that problems associated with NOx are not confined to areas where NOx are emitted. Therefore, controlling NOx is often most effective if done from a regional perspective, rather than focusing on sources in one local area.
High levels of SO2emitted over a short period, such as a day, can be particularly problematic for people with asthma. EPA encourages communities to learn about the types of industries in their communities and to work with local industrial facilities to address pollution control equipment failures or process upsets that could result in peak levels of SO2.
Ozone and the chemicals that react to form it can be carried hundreds of miles from their origins, causing air pollution over wide regions. Millions of Americans live in areas where ozone levels exceed EPA’s health-based air quality standards, primarily in parts of the Northeast, the Lake Michigan area, parts of the Southeast, southeastern Texas, and parts of California.
Source:http://www.epa.gov/air/ urbanair/nox/chf.html
Source:http://www.epa.gov/air/ urbanair/so2/chf.html
Source:http://www.epa.gov/air/ urbanair/ozone/chf.html
Eight-Hour Ozone Nonattainment Area
Counties
Classification
Attainment Date
Houston-Galveston-Brazoria (HGB)
Brazoria Chambers Fort Bend Galveston Harris Liberty Montgomery Waller
Moderate
June 15, 2010
Dallas–Fort Worth (DFW)
Dallas Denton Tarrant Ellis Johnson Kaufman Parker Rockwall Hardin Jefferson Orange
Moderate
June 15, 2010
Marginal
June 15, 2007
Bexar Comal Guadalupe
Basic (Deferred)
December 31, 2007
Austin–San Marcos (AUS)
Travis Williamson Bastrop Hays Caldwell
Attainment
December 31, 2007
San Antonio (SA)
Bexar Comal Guadalupe Wilson
Basic (Deferred)
December 31, 2007
Northeast Texas (NET)
Rusk Smith Upshur Gregg Harrison
Attainment
December 31, 2007
El Paso
Moderate
December 31, 1995
El Paso
Moderate
December 31, 1994
Beaumont–Port Arthur (BPA)
San Antonio (SA)
Ozone Early Action Compact (EAC) Areas
Carbon Monoxide (CO) Nonattainment Areas El Paso (ELP)
Particulate Matter (PM10) Nonattainment Areas El Paso (ELP)
The 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments authorized the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to designate areas failing to meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for ozone as non attainment and to classify them according to severity. Source: Texas Center for Environmental Quality http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/implementation/air/sip/siptexas.html#map
Winds ChangingThis story may have a happy ending after all as Texas is posed to become #1 in Wind Power, with the first coastal wind farm in the nation. Wind farm may yield windfall for Texans By DINA CAPPIELLO Houston Chronicle, Oct. 23, 2005, Paving the way for Texas to be home to the first wind farm along the U.S. coast, the state has leased an 11,000-acre swath of the Gulf of Mexico, seven miles off Galveston Island, for gigantic wind turbines that could eventually power 40,000 homes and generate millions of dollars for state schools. The lease, the first granted by any government agency in the nation for an offshore wind project, marks a new era of pollution-free energy production for the Gulf, which for decades has been the site of thousands of wells and platforms tapping the Earth’s depths for air-polluting natural gas and oil. It also signals the migration of Texas’ wind industry — which ranks second in the nation behind California in kilowatt hours produced by breezes and gusts — from the Panhandle and western parts of the state to the coast, where winds are more consistent during peak daylight hours and large population centers such as Houston aren’t as far away.
“This could be the Spindletop of this century,” said General Land Office Commissioner Jerry Patterson, making a comparison to the legendary oil strike that launched Texas’
energy boom a century ago. Patterson officially will make the announcement at a news conference Monday in Austin. “Texans will be receptive ... we know energy,” he said, referring to the state’s early beginnings harvesting oil.
The Texas General Land Office has issued the first lease (30 years) for an offshore wind farm in the country to Louisiana-based Galveston Offshore Wind. Facts about the project: Acres leased: 11,355 Water savings: 1.5 million gallons per year Carbon dioxide savings: 2.7 million tons per year Turbine height: 260 feet Residences powered: 40,000 State minimum royalties: $4.9 million for first eight years, $6.69 million for years 9-16, $14.9 million for years 17-30 Wind speed desired: 15.7 mph to 20 mph Source: Texas General Land Office; Galveston Offshore Wind
Goatopolis
Agrarian GOM scenario
Houston wagers wind is the new oil. It takes advantage of its strategic resources, existing energy infrastructure and distribution channels and a very windy coastline. Shifting toward wind energy lessens the dependence on unstable and costly energy sources, while boosting profits for the city. Further as Houston already leads the nation in the fastest growing sector of agriculture, Goats, a booming industry which grew 50% last year and shows no slowing down, empty land within the city is opened up for wind farms and livestock. Goat Source: The Economist, 25th August 2005
SpaceCity, USA
“We set sail on this new sea because there is new knowledge to be gained, and new rights to be won, and they must be won and used for the progress of all people. For space science, like nuclear science and all technology, has no conscience of its own. Whether it will become a force for good or ill depends on man, and only if the United States occupies a position of preeminence can we help decide whether this new ocean will be a sea of peace or a new, terrifying theater of war.� -John Fitzgerald Kennedy
On September 12th, 1962 at Rice University, JFK delivered his famous “Man on the Moon” speech coinciding with Rice’s donation of land in the nearby suburb of Clear Lake for the Manned Spacecraft Center, later named the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC). The JSC contains Mission Control, responsible for all human spaceflight by the US since its completion in 1965. It is also the site of Astronaut training, the Lunar Receiving Laboratory, where astronauts returning from the moon were quarantined, and where samples of lunar soil and rock are stored. JFK’s speech announced that the future would be born in suburban Houston. So why didn’t it happen?
In a city with a history committed to the future, why has Houston failed so far to make a new model for domestic habitation. What can be gained by looking back at the Utopian dreams of the 60s70s Space Race, coupled with the innovations of NASA today? Could the city of Houston armed with this knowledge become a model for the GOM region and the Nation, by truly becoming SpaceCity USA? Images Left: SpaceLab, International Space Station ISS, and Mars TransHab, Air-formed Concrete “Hurricane Proof Houses,” Banham’s bubble, Tokyo Metabolist Sphere, Aerogel developed by Jet Propulsion Lab NASA
GNUburbia
Technological GOM scenario
Houston shifts away from Petro-Chemicals and becomes an incubator for smart technologies. The city nurtures strategic partnerships with NASA, the Nobel Prize-winning faculty of the Rice NanoTech Center, Bio-tech research of the Texas Medical Center, and S.Korean SemiConductor manufacturers, to exploit recent advances for use in new urban developments. Houses float on Aerogel, freeways are filed with hybrid SmartCars, GM Texmati Rice crops are communally grown, and MagLev trains thrill commuters. See also: www.cnst.rice.edu, jsc.nasa.gov, samsung.co.kr, www. tmc.edu
H-Town Culture Observed
Survey Fall 2005
Culture-A term rarely used in conjunction with the GOM outside of discussions of New Orleans. Often thought of as a cultural backwater, Houston or H-Town, has a surprisingly large influence on contemporary America. From Tom DeLay, Halliburton, Enron, the Astros, and Beyonce - pop culture is full of Houston exports. And the aesthetics and tastes of the city are shockingly inclusive, subversive and inventive, transgender debutantes, Chicano Hip Hop, Stadium Churches, Riverboat Casinos, Halal Chinese takeout, etc. Further the culture of the city is changing as it suburbs continue to grow larger, while growing much less white.
Astrodome Tenants: Houston Astros (NL; 1965-1999); Houston Oilers (NFL; 1965-96) Opened: April 12, 1965 Last Astros game: October 9, 1999 Current status: Still in use Surface: Tifway 419 Bermuda grass (1965); Astroturf (1966 to date) Capacity: 42,217 (1965), 46,000 (1966), 44,500 (1968), 45,000 (1975), 47,690 (1982), 54,816 (1990, baseball); 62,439 (football). Architects: Hermon Lloyd & W.B. Morgan and Wilson, Morris, Crain & Anderso Owner: Harris County Cost: $35 million (1965); $60 million (1989 expansion).
The Summit Compaq Center Location 10 Greenway Plaza Houston, Texas 77046 Opened: November 2, 1975 Closed: December 2003 Architect : TBD Owner: The City of Houston Cost: $27 million USD Architect : TBD Reopened as:
Lakewood Church
Pastor:Joel Omstead Congregation: 45, 000+
Superdome Location 1500 Poydras Street New Orleans, Louisiana 70112 Opened August 3, 1975 Closed September 2, 2005 (indefinitely) Surface: concrete based multi-purpose floor, AstroTurf non-football related events, and FieldTurf American Football playing surface Architect Huber, Hunt & Nichols Owner Louisiana Stadium/Expo District, Glenn Menard (Manager) Operator Spectacor Management Group Cost: $134 million USD
Houses of Vice and Virtue a cultural parable of three stadiums
Left with two empty stadiums, after building new stadiums downtown, Houston sought uses for the Summit (later the Compaq center), former home of the Rockets, and for the Astrodome, former home of the Oilers and Astros, and the famed “Eighth Wonder of the world�.
The Compaq Center was bought by Lakewood Church (left), a globalized mega church, but the Astrodome was without clear future plans, though popular opinion proposed turning it into a hotel/casino (above). The fate of the two stadiums as future homes of vice and virtue became an unintended and un-ironic comment on the nature of Houston.
The NOLA Superdome evacuee center became notorious post Katrina. As the situation became dire, people were evacuated to the Astrodome, thus unexpectedly ending the debate on the Astrodome’s future. The question of what to do with the “Dome” was now answered it would be an instant city for evacuees from New Orleans.
After the evacuation of the Astrodome due to Hurricane Rita few would return. On October 7th NOLA Mayor Nagin would propose a new casino zone in New Orleans to jumpstart the ravaged GOM economy. The fate of the Astrodome, the Superdome and New Orleans would again be up to chance and tied to gambling. In other words time to “Double Down”.
Double Down A list of all GOM casinos
Biloxi
Imperial Palace Casino Boomtown Casino New Palace Casino 182 East Howard, 1-800-PALACE-9, (228) 432-8888 Isle of Capri 151 Beach Blvd. Biloxi, 1-800-843-4753 (228) 435-5400 Casino Magic - Biloxi Biloxi, 1-800-5MAGIC5 Grand Casino Biloxi Hwy 90, Biloxi, MS 1-800-WIN-2-WIN Beau Rivage Resort 875 Beach Blvd., Biloxi, 1-888-5676667 Treasure Bay 1980 Beach Blvd., Biloxi 39531 1-800-PIRATE-9 President Casino 2110 Beach Blvd., Biloxi, 1-800-THEPRES, (228) 385-3500
Gulfport
Copa Casino Copa Blvd. at Hwy 49 & Hwy 90, Gulfport, (228)863-3330
895-0711, Website: www.horseshoe.com/bossiercity Isle of Capri Casino, 711 Isle of Capri Boulevard, (PO Box 5637), Bossier City, Louisiana 71111-5046, USA. Phone: (318) 678-7777, Toll Free: (800) 843-4753, Fax: (318) 226-1782, Website: www.isleofcapricasino.com/ Bossier_City
Charenton
ypress Bayou Casino, 832 Martin Luther King Road, (PO Box 519), Charenton, Louisiana 70523-0519, USA. Phone: (337) 923-7284, Toll Free: (800) 2844386, Fax: (337) 923-7882, Website: www.cypressbayou.com
Harvey
Boomtown Casino West Bank, 4132
Peters Road, (PO Box 1385), Harvey, Louisiana 70058-1805. Phone: (504) 366-7711, Toll Free: (800) 366-7711, Fax: (504) 364-8713, Website: www. boomtownneworleans.com
Kenner
Grand Casino Gulfport Hwy 90, Gulfport, 1-800-WIN-7777
Treasure Chest Casino, 5050 Williams Boulevard, (PO Box 641810), Kenner, Louisiana 70065-1400, USA. Phone: (504) 443-8000, Toll Free: (800) 2980711, Fax: (504) 443-8069, Website: www.treasurechestcasino.com
Casino Magic - Bay St. Louis Bay St. Louis, 1-800-5MAGIC5
Kinder
Baton Rouge
Argosy Casino 103 France Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802-6200, USA. Phone: (225) 378-6000, Toll Free: (800) 676-4847, Fax: (225) 344-7987, www.ArgosyCasinos.com Attached Sheraton Convention Center Hotel - Rooms: 300
Bossier City
Boomtown Casino Hotel, Casino and Hotel, 300 Riverside Dr, Bossier City, Louisiana 71171, USA. Casino Phone: (318) 746-0711, Toll-Free: 1-866- GO 2 -TOWN, Reservations: (318) 841-2010, Website: www.boomtownbossier.com Harrah’s Louisiana Downs, 8000 East Texas Street, (PO Box 5519), Bossier City, Louisiana 71111-7016, USA. Phone: (318) 742-5555, Toll Free: (800) 551-2361, Fax: (318) 741-2591, Website: www.harrahs.com/our_casinos/lad Horseshoe Casino & Hotel , 711 Horseshoe Boulevard, (PO Box 71111), Bossier City, Louisiana 71111, USA. Phone: (318) 742-0711, Toll Free: (800)
Grand Casino Coushatta (Hotel located next to casino or on same property), 777 Coushatta Drive, (PO Box 1510), Kinder, Louisiana 70648, USA. Phone: (337) 738-1370, Toll Free: (800) 5847263, (888) 774-7263, Fax: (337) 7387377, Website: www.gccoushatta.com Coushatta Grand Hotel - Room Types: 195 Standard Rooms, 208 Suites
La Place
Poker Palace Casino, 4325 Highway 51, La Place, Louisiana 70068, USA. Phone: (985) 651-1800, Fax: (985) 651-1807
Lake Charles
Harrah’s Casino Lake Charles (Casino located within the Hotel), 505 North Lakeshore Drive, (PO Drawer 1770), Lake Charles, Louisiana 70602-1770, USA. Phone: (337) 437-1500, Toll Free: (800) 427-7247, Website: www.harrahs. com/our_casinos/lch
Marksville
Paragon Casino Resort (Casino located within the Hotel), 711 Paragon Place, Marksville, Louisiana 71351-6004, USA. Phone: (318) 253-1946, Toll Free: (800)
946-1946, Fax: (318) 253-2033, Website: www.paragoncasinoresort.com
New Orleans
Bally’s Belle of Orleans, 1 Stars and Stripes Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana 70126-8042, USA. Toll Free: (800) 572-2559, Fax: (504) 248-3236, Website: www.parkplace.com/ballys/ neworleans Carnival Club, 2401 Elysian Fields Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana 70117, Phone: (504) 947-4207, Fax: (504) 947-6085 Crescent City Casino, 5000 Old Gentilly Road, New Orleans, Louisiana 70126, USA. Phone: (504) 942-2410, Fax: (504) 942-2407, Website: www.bigeasytravelplaza.com/casino.htm Harrah’s New Orleans Casino, 4 Canal Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 701301629, USA. Phone: (504) 533-6000, Toll Free: (800) 427-7247, Fax: (504) 533-6920, Website: www.harrahs. com/our_casinos/nor
Opelousas
The Quarters Casino & Restaurant, 165 Highway 744, Opelousas, Louisiana 70570, USA. Phone: (337) 948-1946, Fax: (337) 948-6771
Shreveport
Harrah’s Shreveport Casino (Casino located within the Hotel), 315 Clyde Fant Parkway, (PO Box 1114), Shreveport, Louisiana 71101-3204, USA. Phone: (318) 424-7777, Toll Free: (800) 4277247, Fax: (318) 424-5650, Website: www.harrahs.com/our_casinos/shr Harrah’s Shreveport Hotel - Room Types: 465 Standard Rooms, 49 Suites Hollywood Casino (Casino located within the Hotel), 451 Clyde Fant Parkway, (PO Box 1588), Shreveport, Louisiana 71101-3624, USA. Phone: (318) 220-0711, Toll Free: (877) 6020711, Fax: (318) 220-0160, Website: www.hollywoodcasinoshreveport.com Hollywood Casino Shreveport Hotel - Room Types: 403 Rooms and Suites
Vinton
Delta Downs Racetrack & Casino, 2717 Highway 3063, (PO Box 175), Vinton, Louisiana 70668-3007, USA. Phone: (337) 589-7441, Toll Free: (800) 5897441, Fax: (337) 589-2399, Website: www.deltadowns.com
Westlake
Isle of Capri Casino - Lake Charles (Casino located within the Hotel), 100 Westlake Avenue, (PO Box 3290), Westlake, Louisiana 70669-9801, USA. Phone: (337) 430-0711, Toll Free: (800) 843-4753, Fax: (337) 433-2505,
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Gambling in the Gulf
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777777 777777777 7 777 777 777 77777 77 777 There are 26 operating casinos in the GOM, the second largest Gambling area in the US after Vegas. There are 38 casinos on the strip in Vegas, still the champ of US gambling. But many talk of Biloxi as the “Mississippi Miracle,” transforming a sleepy Gulf town into the Vegas of the South in less than Ten years time. Gambling is is now a 1.2 billion dollar a year industry in Mississippi. The culture of the “Bible Belt” is far more complex than we believe.
Menil Grill
A Cultural GOM scenario
Apart from politics and scandal, Houston’s most viable cultural exports become Houston rap, gambling, “slabs” tricked out cars, “grills”, or diamond studded bling for teeth, and various other unrefined tastes. Rather than look upon “High” Culture Htown embraces its own home-grown curious breed of “chopped and screwed” hip hop, cars, illicit behavior, Tejano music, technology, food and multiculturalism by championing these movements with exhibitions and openings at the Menil Collection. Houston artists climb the charts, and like Seattle and Grunge of the 90s, H-Town becomes the “It” city of the decade.
Tropics and Meridians In 1817 the pirate Jean Laffite landed on Galveston Island, setting up camp and naming it Campeche. Laffite’s camp would grow quickly into a small and extremely profitable village of “huts for Pirates, a large slave market, boarding houses for visiting buyers, a shipyard, saloons, pool halls, Lafitte’s own mansion, the Maison Rouge, and of course casinos” Lafitte prudently chose to remain neutral among warring Mexicans, Spaniards and Texians and as a result was permitted to operate with impunity until fatefully attacking an American Ship in the Gulf of Mexico in May 1821. The American Navy quickly forced Laffite to evacuate, yet before leaving he threw a “huge party for his pirates with wine and whiskey eventually burning his settlement at the climax of the evening, and burying a treasure that has never been found.” Mexico regained control of Galveston Island in 1825 and continued like Lafitte to use the Island as lucrative port of ill repute. Ten years later in 1835 the Island became the last retreat of the Texas Army and Navy during the Texas War of Independence. Galveston, during the years of the Texas Republic, became a vast international port. During the Civil War it continued to be a strategic and important Cotton port for the Confederacy. And on June 19th 1865 Galveston was the site of “Juneteenth”, the day when news of Emancipation finally came to Texas, two years after Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. By 1870 Galveston was the largest city in Texas with a population of 13,818. Dubbed “Little Ellis Island” and the “Wall Street of the Southwest”
Galveston was one of the richest cities at the end of the 19th Century and the site of many Texas firsts, the first post office (1836), naval base (1836), bakery (1838), chapter of the Masonic Order (1840), military company (1841), cotton compress (1842), law firm west of the Mississippi River (1846), Catholic convent (1847) & first Cathedral (1847), grocery store (1851), railroad locomotive (1852), insurance company (1854), telegraph (1854), private bank (1854), jewelry store (1856), gas lights (1856), real estate firm (1857), hospital (1866), the first opera house (1870), cotton exchange (1872), orphanage (1876), telephone (1878), electric lights (1883), black high school (1885), medical college (1886), electric street cars (1893), school for nurses (1894), golf course (1898), and country club (1898). Then on September 8th, 1900 the deadliest hurricane in United States history hit the Island causing 8,000 deaths. The storm later named Isaac’s storm, after the meteorologist who urged residents not to evacuate the island, would prove to be the greatest natural disaster in the US to the present. With winds over 120 miles per hour and a tidal surge that devastated the island, the storm destroyed over a third of the city. The bodies of victims of the storm were weighted and buried at sea, but later washed ashore and were burned. Corpses were uncovered at a rate of 70 per day for at least a month after the storm. Galveston would never recover. The Shipping industry would move inland 45 miles along the Buffalo Bayou to establish the Port of Houston. Galveston would build a massive sea wall seven miles long and 17 feet high and began a tremendous grade raising project that would lift some 500 city blocks to restore the city.
By 1980 Galveston would rank as the 29th largest city in Texas, while Houston would become the 4th largest city in the US. Galveston at present survives as a resort community and popular tourist destination, and as a barrier island shielding the Port of Houston. Today the Port of Authority of Houston and the Houston Ship Channel leads the nation in foreign tonnage with 88 steamship lines offering service linking Houston with 1,053 ports in 203 countries. And it is a $15 billion petrochemical complex, the largest in the nation and second largest worldwide. The combination of industry and transportation facilities, including a network of railroads, truck lines, and interstate highways, adjacent to the Port influenced the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (see Space City USA article) to select a site convenient to the channel as headquarters for the nation’s space program in 1961. Yet heavy traffic in the port led to some 700 vessel casualties between 1969 and 1992, and in the 1980s and 1990s the channel received increasing attention from a series of oil spills, explosions, and collisions between tankers, freighters, and barges. By the late 80s, 90 percent of all poisonous cargo traveling by water passed through the Houston Ship Channel, which remained only 200 feet wide and forty feet deep at its maximum. (See TOXIC! Article). Source: Texas State Historical Association www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online City of Galveston, Texas -www.galveston.com City of Houston, Texas -www. houstontx.gov Port of Houston Authority -www.poha.com With additional information from the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance -www.ghpa.org
Texas Country Partners
LA Country Partners
Mexico 45,707.4 Canada 12,398.7 Korea 5,022.1 China 4,455.7 Taiwan 4,001.9 Singapore 3,409.6 Japan 2,608.7 Malaysia 2,552.3 Netherlands 2,472.0 United Kingdom 2,283.5
Japan 2,360.7 China 2,194.4 Mexico 1,984.6 Canada 1,433.8 Korea 728.5 Netherlands 557.8 Egypt 537.7 Colombia 520.8 Germany 457.7
Port of Houston Authority
Based on 2004 Dollar Value (In millions of Dollars)
New Orleans Port Authority
MS Country Partners
Gulfport (pre-Katrina) Present capacity reduced Canada 718.5 Mexico 466.2 Belgium 242.3 Nigeria 203.2 China 116.0 United Kingdom 110.1 Brazil 90.7 Germany 70.4 Guatemala 70.4 Honduras 63.3
AL Country Partners Port of Mobile
Canada 1,808.3 Germany 1,491.3 Mexico 730.7 Japan 637.2 United Kingdom 412.2 China 399.1 Korea 356.7 France 234.6 Netherlands 222.2 Honduras 219.3
Shipping News The GOM ports are central to shipping in the US. The Port of Houston ranks 1st in Foreign tonnage and 2nd in total tonnage for the US, 6th in the World for total tonnage and is the 2nd largest Petro-Chemical Port globally after the Persian Gulf. The Port of New Orleans is the largest Steel Port in the US, 1st in total tonnage and is the “World’s Most Busy Waterway.” All the GOM Ports contain large and extremely active Foreign Trade Zones (FTZ or Free Trade Zones). Further Houston and the entirety of Harris County have been designated an FTZ, the largest in the United States.
Texas Gulf Coast Hurricane History Compiled from original NOAA reports, David Roth, National Weather Service November 1527 There is record of a hurricane destroying a merchant fleet on Galveston Island. Up to 200 lives were taken by the storm. This is the first record known of a hurricane along the Texas coastline and also one of the most unusual...it struck during the month of November; only one other hurricane has ever struck during November (1839). 1553 A fleet of 20 ships of the New Spain Flota, loaded with silver and gold along the Texas coast, were struck by a hurricane. The three heaviest vessels sunk early in the storm. Most of the others were either scattered widely across the Western Gulf of Mexico, grounded, or capsized just offshore Padre Island. Only 300 of the original 2000 crew made it ashore on the four remaining ships. Unfortunately, the natives to the area known as the Karankawa had a hostile relationship with the Spaniards. Thus a battle ensued between the survivors and the tribe and the Europeans tried valiantly to fight their way south into what is today known as Mexico. Only two of the original 2000 ever lived long enough to tell of their ordeal. November 1590 A hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico caused one of the worst maritime disasters in the history of this region. Over 1000 people lost their lives at sea. September 12th, 1600 Offshore of Mexico, a hurricane caused 60 people to perish at sea. August 30th, 1615 The ship San
Miguel sunk in a storm off the Mexican coastline. No belongings aboard ship or passengers were able to be saved. October 21st, 1631 A hurricane moved through the Gulf of Mexico, taking over 300 lives at sea. September 4th, 1766 Hurricane hits Galveston. A mission named San Augustine de Ahumado, located in what is now considered Chambers County, was destroyed. Storm surges of 7 feet flooded the area. 1791 A hurricane struck the Lower Coast. Padre Island and mainland nearby were submerged. A herd of 50,000 cattle belonging to a Spanish cattle baron drowned in the storm surge September 12-14, 1818 Described as a storm of extraordinary violence. War ships who encountered this storm were put out of commission for months All but 6 buildings on Galveston Island were reported destroyed when it was covered by 4 feet of water from the storm surge. The pirate Jean LaFitte eho was occupying Galveston at the time, played a great role during the tragedy. Most of the ships in his fleet were destroyed. After the disaster, his home named Red House was used as a hospital for the French colonists in the area. September 10th, 1829 August 18th, 1831 September 1834 August 18th, 1835 The Antigua Storm October 2nd-6th, 1837 Racer’s Storm The first recorded storm to rake the entire coast, named for a British sloop of war which encountered the storm in the extreme Northwest Caribbean on September 28th. It is remembered as one of the most destructive storms of the 19th century due to its extreme duration and 2000 mile long path of destruction. A storm surge of 6 to 7 feet higher than the spring tide inundated the coast. The scene on Galveston island was
one of utter desolation. Nearly all the homes on the island were blown down; all provisions were lost. Water levels at Houston rose 4 feet. The whole character of the harbor entrance shifted during the hurricane. Ships were shoved as far as 3 miles inland. 1838 November 5th, 1839 Second Hurricane on record to strike in November. 1840 September 17-18th, 1842 A strong tropical storm hit Galveston. They were on the west side of the system, as waters invaded the Island from the Bay to the north. About 4 feet of water swept over the island destroying smaller buildings and houses. October 5th, 1842 A storm brushed by Galveston, flooding the town. The schooner Dream foundered between Galveston and New Orleans. All aboard the ill-fated craft were rescued. August 6th, 1844: This hurricane produced the first records of large loss of life along the lower Texas coast. Residents of South Padre Island fled to Matamoros for shelter. The 1844 storm completely destroyed the settlement after the waters eroded a pass clear through the old settlement. The town later relocated off the barrier island. The only survivor was reported to be the captain of the pilot boat who remained offshore. In Corpus Christi, high winds and tides capsized a pirate raft, loaded with their treasures. The Mexican Customs Office was moved to the mainland due to this storm. Seventy lives were lost. October 17th, 1848 June 25th, 1851 Every wharf at Port Lavaca was destroyed by the wind. September 17-19th, 1854 Hurricane hit Matagorda/Galveston. The town of Matagorda was leveled. July 15th, 1866 Civil War commerce disrupted, as most of the Confederacy’s cotton was shipped out of South Texas
and Mexico. Two communities at the mouth of the Rio Grande boomed because of this commerce, particularly the town of Baghdad on the Mexican side of the river, which grew to a population of several thousand. Clarksville, on the U.S.Side, was much smaller. Baghdad had a reputation for lusty living and was compared to New Orleans in its style. On October 2nd-3rd, 1867 An intense hurricane struck the mouth of the Rio Grande with great fury and devastated both cities. Clarksville was soon abandoned, and a later storm in 1874 finished off Baghdad. A few glass and metal relics buried in the sand are all that remain of both towns. The population at their peaks totaled over 20,000. It was considered the most severe and disastrous in the city’s history, up to that time. Galveston was inundated by the storm surge on the 3rd, which was measured at 1 foot higher than the 1854 storm. All wharves were nearly demolished. Mud slides buried Matamoros. This storm followed a path similar to the Racer’s Storm, and produced great damage along the entire coast. It is regarded as the first “million dollar” hurricane in Texas. In an editorial after the storm in the “Ranchero,” a Brownsville newspaper that evolved into the present day Brownsville Herald, the editor asked the question, “What would happen if a similar storm struck Galveston directly as it had the lower coast?” August 16, 1869 A hurricane struck the lower Texas coast, doing the most damage at Refugio and Indianola. June 2-3rd, 1871 June 9th, 1871 September 30th-October 2nd, 1871. On Mustang Island, it was the severest gale in 16 years. Tides at Indianola were the highest since 1844; most of the town flooded. The jail at Lavaca was washed away. September 4-5th, 1874: September 1416th, 1875 Old Velasco, one of the oldest towns in Texas and briefly the Capital of the Republic of Texas, with a population of 25,000 was leveled during the tempest. It wasn’t until 1891 when it was rebuilt 4 miles upstream of its previous location.
Indianola was struck again by a hurricane. There was a disastrous inundation from Matagorda Bay. Three-fourths of the town was swept away...176 lives were lost. In the area estimated winds of 110 mph. Two channels were cut across the east end of Galveston Island, with one prolonging the Bolivar Channel. Boats were pushed 5 miles inland. Idianola the second port of Texas, completely destroyed never to be rebuilt. September 15-17th, 1877 August 22-23rd, 1879 August 12th, 1880 Matamoros was left a complete wreck. At Brownsville, it was one of the worst hurricanes in their history. October 12th, 1880 A hurricane struck Brownsville, the city was nearly destroyed and many lives were lost. August 13th, 1881 September 14th, 1882 1885: September 17th June 14th, 1886 - Calcasieu Pass: Two storms made landfall that season near the Sabine River. The first, a strong tropical storm, caused inundation to extend several miles inland, It was considered the worst storm there since the Hurricane of 1875. Galveston Island was completely submerged. August 19-20th, 1886 September 22nd-23rd, 1886 October 12-13th, 1886: Sabine Pass, at the time a small city of several hundred, was “virtually swept out of existence.” Between 175 and 200 lives were lost. September 21st, 1887 June 16-17th, 1888 July 5th, 1888 July 13th, 1891 August 29th, 1895 The town of Abasola, Mexico completely washed away. In nearby town of Rodriguez alll houses destroyed.
September 12th, 1897
Great Galveston Hurricane: The question from the Racer’s Storm was tragically prophetic as the Great Galveston Hurricane showed on September 7-8th, 1900. It towers alone as the worst natural disaster in the United States in terms of lives lost; the most frequently used estimate of the death toll is 8,000. The potential of this disaster had been shown in the destructions of Santiago in 1844, Clarksville/ Baghdad in 1867, and Indianola in 1875 and 1886. At the time, the population of Galveston was near 30,000. Most of its structures were wood frame built just above ground level and supported by pilings. A new innovation helped relay details about what the storm did in the Caribbean Islands; it was known as the wireless telegraph. Word has been received of a hurricane which struck Trinidad and destroyed almost all the structures on that island. Word of the storm’s passing over Cuba and moving northwest into the Gulf of Mexico in the direction of Texas has been relayed to the Weather Bureau office on the Island. Sailors began to arrive in port telling of horrific weather offshore. On the 6th, a hurricane watch was posted along the Gulf Coast westward to New Orleans. By the 7th, it was extended further to include Texas. Driving rain began at 4 am on the 7th. At 9 am, large waves began to pound the shores of Galveston Island. Winds began to increase as high, fish-scale shaped clouds (known as altocumulus) began to move inland. The pressure fell rapidly at the weather office. This caused them to hoist a hurricane flag - their version of a hurricane warning in those days. This action caused about 20,000 to evacuate, which saved many lives. Many people ignored the warning. Gentry from Houston rode out to the Island by train to witness the spectacle of the huge waves crashing at the coast. Through the morning of the 8th, greater numbers of
people crowded the beaches. Isaac Cline of the Weather Bureau could not believe what was happening. He took matters into his own hands and rode down the beach in a horse-drawn buggy with his brother, warning people to go back to the mainland - in effect, making him a modern day Paul Revere. Unfortunately, few listened. The weather, however, changed their tune as a wooden pagoda along the beach and its associated boardwalk became mere driftwood before the crowd’s eyes. Then they began to disperse. For many, it turned out to be far too late. A steamship broke free of its moorings and went on a rampage, destroying all three bridges to the mainland. Winds of 100 mph blew away the anemometer at the Weather Bureau. Winds gusting over 125 m.p.h. sent raging waters covering Galveston Island by 15 feet just after 3 am, with additional waves much higher on top of the storm surge. As flood waters rose, people fled towards the center of the island, which had slightly higher ground. This turned out to be fruitless, as it merely delayed the inevitable. The force of the wind threw boards, chairs, and tree limbs through the air. Pebbles and chards of glass became deadly missiles. When the water began rising, Harry Claiborne, keeper of the Bolivar Point Lighthouse, fled to the safety of his workplace. People soon after began pounding on the door, begging to be let into the lighthouse. The tower was soon crammed with over 100 people, many of which were from a train stranded in the rising waters. After a while, the big door to the lighthouse was hidden under 30 feet of water. The lighthouse survived the storm (Roberts 86-88). Wooden buildings floated off their pilings and smashed into one another. As houses disintegrated, unfortunate occupants were thrust into the water to drown. More than 2600 homes were demolished. Twelve square blocks, comprising 3/4 of the city, were completely wiped out of existence. All bridges across the bay were destroyed, along with 15 miles of railroad track. All communications with the mainland were gone.
The British freighter Kendall Castle was moored offshore. Several ships were driven against her. But it wasn’t until the Norwegian freighter Gyller nudged against the Castle when it went on “a wild ride” over the Halfmoon Shoal lighthouse, pounding it into the sand, on the way to Texas City (Cipra 185). Very little damage was done at Sabine Pass however, showing how small the core of this storm was. Thirty million dollars in damage occurred. Fewer than 2000 of those remaining on the island survived. The weather office chief survived, but his wife drowned. The Bolivar Point Lighthouse became the focal point of relief activities after the storm. The lighthouse over the ensuing days let people in the area know that at least one thing still worked on the island, as it helped storm-battered ships return to shore. Martial law was declared, with looters being shot on sight. Mustang Island also saw many bodies litter the beach. Corpus Christi had a stiff northeast breeze and exceptional fishing. In Flour Bluff Harbor, millions of red, trout, and mullet infested the waters, avoiding the hurricane. Local residents feasted on tarpon and helped Galveston with over $1000 being raised for food and clothing. After the storm moved inland, it accelerated north to the Great Lakes, still carrying 70 mph winds. It then moved across Canada, the North Atlantic, and Northern Europe before finally dying in Siberia. A massive public works project was undertaken to raise the city’s elevation and build a 3 mile long, 17 foot high, concrete seawall. This has, to date, prevented a tragedy of similar proportions from occurring in Galveston. The city never regained its importance as a major port due to the construction of the Houston ship channel; quite similar to what happened in Indianola 14 years before. As the population swells along the coast, construction has begun to expand into areas not protected by the seawall. Those that have not learned from history are doomed to repeat it!
June 26th, 1902 1909, August 21st A system approached the Mexican coast, gales and tremendous seas were experienced along the south Texas coast; some sites experiencing their highest tides recorded at the time. At Tarpon Beach, every building except the lighthouse and quarantine station were destroyed by the storm surge. Wreckage washed ashore Point Island, 3 miles away. Point Isabel was underwater. About 1500 people perished in Mexico as a result of floods caused by the storm. There were no reported deaths in Texas.
the Pecos River; this washed out a bridge normally 50’ above it. The International Bridge at Laredo was also washed out. Most of the death and destruction occurred in Mexico. September 5-7th, 1955 Gladys June 27th, 1957 Audrey July 24th, 1959 Debra June 23rd, 1960 Unnamed
September 14th, 1919 Winds of 110 mph and a pressure of 28.65” were noted. Storm surge at Corpus Christi was 16 feet. Timbers from the docks at Port Aransas became battering rams, destroying buildings. After the storm, the beaches were littered with debris and bodies. Many were quickly buried in mass graves near White Point. Over 300 people died. Damage estimates were at 20 million dollars. During the storm’s life, Miami, Burrwood in Louisiana, and Galveston all reported winds at least as high as 60 m.p.h., indicating this system’s large size. Aftermath of the storm led to a breakwater in 1925, and ultimately to their seawall by 1940.
September 14th, 1961 Carla No list of Texas hurricanes would be complete without the mention of Carla, which made landfall near Port Lavaca. Carla was among the largest hurricanes of historical record (number 2 behind the Great New England Hurricane of 1938). The storm produced many tornadoes, gusts estimated to 175 m.p.h., torrential rains, and a 22 foot storm surge at Port O’Connor. The death toll of only 34 in Texas can be attributed in part to what was the largest peace time evacuation of an area in history. A quarter million people fled the middle and upper Texas coasts to move inland to safety. Twenty-six tornadoes were spawned, one of which tore apart 120 buildings and killed 6 in Galveston. Structures outside the seawall were severely damaged by the storm surge. Texas city saw 90% of its homes flooded. The trail of destruction extended south to Point Isabel, where 4-5 foot storm surges were seen. Port O’Connor was 75% wiped out. The Matagorda Island Air Force Base was virtually swept away. Damage there totaled $18 million. In Jefferson County, 180 miles from the landfalling storm, $17.5 million in damage occurred, with $14 million of it water damage. Three to four feet of water flooded Port Arthur. Total damages were estimated near $400 million
1921
September 17th, 1963 Cindy
June 26th, 1954 Alice This storm quickly developed off Brownsville. It made landfall within 24 hours of formation. Most residents did not know about it until it was upon them. Heavy rains the greatest rise on the Rio Grande since 1865. The river rose 30 to 60 feet at Eagle Pass and Laredo. An 86’ wall of water rushed down
September 20th, 1967 Beulah Hurricane Beulah was the third largest hurricane on record, after Carla in 1961 (see above for details on Carla) and the Great New England Hurricane of 1938. An amazing 115 tornadoes were spawned by the system, the most ever known to be generated by a tropical storm (5 times
September 14th, 1910 A hurricane struck the lower Texas coast. South Padre Island experienced a pressure of 28.50” and winds of 120 mph. Padre Island was totally submerged during landfall. October 16th, 1912 June 27th-July 3rd, 1913 August 16th, 1915 August 18th, 1916
the previous record set by Isbell in 1964). Fifteen people died in Texas during Beulah; 5 by tornado, 10 by flood. One hundred ten boats also fell victim to the storm. Damages were estimated conservatively at $100 million. August 3rd, 1970 Celia September 9-13th, 1971 Fern and September 14-17th, 1971 Edith Hurricanes Fern and Edith, in that order, affected the coast from September 7th through the 16th. h. Rainfall amounts between 15 and 26 inches deluged Bee, Refugio, and San Patricio counties. Major flooding occurred along portions of the Frio, Lavaca, Navidad, San Antonio, Guadeloupe, Mission, and Aransas Rivers. This caused the worst flooding in area since Beulah. Waters went crashing over the Wesley Seale Dam at Lake Corpus Christi, causing major flooding. A levee broke at Robstown, flooding 40 blocks of the southwest side of town. Damages totaled $30 million, July 30th, 1978 Amelia July 24-27th, 1979 Tropical Storm Claudette Although this is a list of hurricanes, it would not be complete without damaging Tropical Storm Claudette, which made landfall near Galveston and made a loop just after landfall, basically stalling over Southeast Texas for 2 days. Fifteen thousand homes and hundreds of businesses were flooded out. The rice crop was beaten into the soil by the heavy rain. Six counties in Southeast Texas were declared major disaster areas by then President Jimmy Carter.In Austin, 2” of rain fell within an hour’s time around 7 am on the 27th and caused flash flooding. A hail storm, accompanied by high winds, occurred at 1:45 P.M. on the 27th in Val Verde county between Loma Alta and Bakers Crossing. Claudette produced $750 million in damages, putting it on the National Hurricane Center’s list of history’s most damaging tropical cyclones in the United States. One person drowned at a flooded underpass in the Golden Triangle. August 10th, 1980 Allen
August 17th, 1983 Alicia Hurricane Alicia struck the coast at around 2 am on August 17th in Southwestern Galveston Island after moving painfully slowly in the Gulf. It weakened into a tropical depression as it passed east of College Station. Attahced an enhanced image of Alicia as it lurked offshore the Texas and Louisiana coasts. Satellite picture provided courtesy of the National Climatic Data Center.Storm surges were 12.1 feet at Morgan Point, along Galveston Bay. Highest rainfall total noted was 10.75” at Greens Bayou; 9.70” fell at Deweyville. Highest winds measured were 102 m.p.h. gusts at Galveston. Seventeen tornadoes were spawned by Alicia in capsized 50 miles south of Sabine Pass. Alicia relieved the drought stricken Plains over the next few days as it continued northward through Oklahoma. Fifty to 200 feet of Galveston Island’s coast eroded away. Damages totaled over $3 billion. Southeast Texas and seventeen people perished. A major crude oil spill occurred around Texas City. About 60 gallons of water had to removed by the National Weather Service Office in Galveston. An ocean going tug June 26th, 1986 Bonnie August 1st 1989 Tropical Storms Chantal and Jerry August 22-25th, 1998 Charley September 10-14th, 1998 Frances June 5-9th, 2001 Tropical Storm Allison Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) www.srh.noaa.gov/lch/research/txhur.htm Text: Summary of GOM Texas Hurricane History by David Roth, National Weather Service –Lake Charles, LA and NWS National Centers for Environmental Prediction – Hydrometeorological Prediction Center, Camp Springs, Maryland
Ponding
A weather GOM scenario
Anticipating the GOM will be hit by a major Hurricane every 25 years, Houston undertakes a landscape strategy of larger reservoirs to collect storm waters. During dry seasons these areas become micro-parks, but during rainy seasons these ponds come alive as wildlife refuges, natural filtration systems, interactive estuary environments, and aquatic attractions. This sophisticated approach to natural resource management and disaster mitigation is celebrated as a model for coastal cities. And the beautiful aquatic environments attract millions of tourists each year to the “Bayou City.�
LeftOvers Not a wilderness sublime but an obscured landscape of entropic degradation and waste possessing a wild beauty we are as yet unable to understand- Albert Pope “Lost Horizon”
Houston and the GOM is full of wasted space, pockets and holes. The typical pattern of the region is sprawling suburban developments and enclaves resulting in a fragmentation of the urban fabric. These LeftOver spaces strung throughout the city are generally considered dross or waste, and left to lay fallow. Yet the character and make up of the LeftOvers is quite complex. They are not just empty private lots but, utility easements, right of ways, reservoirs, and surprisingly Free Trade Zones, warehousing goods. Taken together they represent an enormous system matched only by the extensive freeways. Strikingly, much of this LeftOver land is “public” as it owned and operated by the City of Houston, with public money. Rather than suggest turning this left-over land into a park or some other form of “public space”, we suggest a new concept of public space is needed. We assert there is a fresh form of public space
in the city that does not entail beauty, leisure, recreation, public access or even people. This public space is highly productive as part of the city apparatus generating capital and possibilities that contribute to the public good. We are laying a bet on these sites, conceptualizing them as a system that exceeds current notions of public and private. We consider our interventions Post-Production, an editing which gives greater clarity and visibility to the obscured landscape. Therefore speculating on the potential of this LeftOver public space, we produced images and scenarios for the future of the IH-10 corridor in Houston. This vast section of freeway and much the west side of Houston is currently being rebuilt. Upon completion the freeway will be 24 plus lanes at grade, with miles of power lines and a toll way above grade buffered by a large public right-of-way. It is the single largest construction project in Houston’s history. At this moment of such high risk and flamboyant outsized ambition within the city, it is time to bet on LeftOvers.
Katy Freeway Map
site 03 Power Up see page 82
site 02 Ponding II see page 78
Site 03 Grow! see page 00 site 01 Stockpile see page 74
Key Pink: LeftOvers Blue: H2O and Ponding Containers: FTZ Goats: Minor Agriculture Taco Trucks: Resilient Programs Trees: GrowZones (Parks) Windturbines: Power-Ups Scale: 1 in=1/2 mile Map Source: eBOY, Google Earth, HCPIDGis, Houston GIMS, GISRice
Public Survey Winter 2005
a collection of images documenting public right a ways, easements, bayou reservoirs, and various other odds and ends along IH-10
Stockpile Site A: 5,957,820’ or 136 ac Container capacity: 10,500 (stacked w/30% site open) Hempstead Hwy frontage Site B: 2,936,266 or 67.5 ac Container capacity: 51,300 (stacked w/ 30% site open) Highway 290 frontage
an international border are simple; an American Flag, a US customs checkpoint, and a chain link fence. An incredibly minimal amount of architectural effort can result in economic zones which generate 3.5 billion for annually (based on estimates for Texas in 2004).
into the commerce of the United States that the appropriate duty is levied upon the goods, if applicable. When legislation implementing the FTZ concept was enacted by Congress in 1934, the purpose was to increase foreign investment and business in the United States, creating economic development through jobs and investment.
Notes: Definition of FTZ from US Customs. A foreign-trade zone is a designated site licensed by the Foreign-Trade Zones (FTZ) Board at which special customs procedures may be used.
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These procedures allow domestic activity involving foreign items to take place prior to formal customs entry. Duty-free treatment is accorded items that are re-exported and duty payment is deferred on items sold in the U.S. market, thus offsetting customs advantages available to overseas producers who compete with producers located in the United States. Subzones are special-purpose zones, usually at manufacturing plants. A site which has been granted zone status may not be used for zone activity until the site has been separately approved for FTZ activation by local U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials, and the zone activity remains under the supervision of CBP. FTZ sites and facilities remain within the jurisdiction of local, state or federal governments or agencies. Alt: a Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) is a parcel of land deemed to be outside the United States for purposes of duty assessment. Companies located in a foreign trade zone are able to defer, reduce and/or eliminate import duties. It is only when goods are withdrawn from the FTZ and entered
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The sites located next to major highways and other infrastructure are converted into a Foreign Trade Zones (FTZ). These FTZ are special fenced areas designated by US Customs, as being both inside and outside US territory where goods can be stored and harbored tax free until entry into the country, which is technically just the other side of the fence. Harris County has been designated as an FTZ (FTZ no.84) with specific sub-zones located within it, mostly near the airports and ship channel but also along major traffic corridors. The elements to create a FTZ and therefore effectively
FTZ No. 84 Harris County Grantee: Port of Houston Authority 111 East Loop North, Houston, TX 77029 Jack Beasley 713.670.2604, 713.670.2654 fax Sub-zones: 84C DuPont,84E Gulf Coast Marine,84F Valero Refining,84H Shaffer Inc,84I Tuboscope Vetco,84J Shell Inc,84k Dril-Quip,84L Tandarian Microwave, 84M Hydril,84N Crown Central,840 Exxon Mobil,84P Lyondell-Citgo,84Q Equisatr Chem Source: Texas Office of Economic Development, see also ia.ita.doc. gov/ftzpage
An min incre arch imal a dibly m ite resu lt in ctural ount of effo FT de US, emed Z, a sp rt can to e cap able be ou cial zo n con of sto tside th e gen tainer ring 6 e 9,00 s erat ing and 0 billio ns!
Razor Wire
Chain Link
American Flag Container Yard
Plastic Privacy Screen
Ponding II
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Further, land in designated “ponding” zone becomes a model for a new public amenity– where public lands are used for light agriculture and resource management, rather than more typical trails or parks.
Land Use for Site: Allowing 60% of the site to flood (227 acres) keeping 40% of the site arable land (152 acres) – the site could produce 230 tons of catfish, 160 tones of rice, 200 goats, 50 cattle. The entire site can support 1,516 Goats (4 per acre), or 416 cattle (1.1 per acre grazing only) or 1,137 tons of rice (6,740 pounds per acre typical in Texas). Additionally via aquaculture the land could produce 568 tons of catfish.
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The site is kept free of development and the Bayou widened to alleviate flooding and provide effective drainage (based on 50-100 year flood levels). Land adjacent to Bayou is converted into retention ponds, providing additional flood control, while creating a natural filtration system.
Accepting flooding transforms the site into a productive public space providing both economic and ecological benefits.
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Site area: 2.37 miles along Bayou 379 acres total
379 By kee pi sub acre urba site ng the will n wetl open a sup emerg and ag new goa portin e cap ricultu ts, g5 ab re and severa 0 catt le of le l y catfi ielding flocks , 200 of b sh 23 Tex and 16 0+ ton irds, mat i ric 0+ ton s of ea s yea of r!
grow
Bayou Sandhill Cranes
Retention Pond Boer Goats
Aquaculture
Wilcrest Subdivision
Power UP Site area: Varies 200-500’ wide Right of Way along 6.6 miles of IH-10
Note: A single turbine can power 140 to 245 homes as calculated850 kW (RP) x.20 (RCF) =170kW x 8760 hours=1,489,200kWh (140 homes) 20% capacity low,or 2,606,100kWh (245 homes) at 35% capacity, typical for region. Taking into account an average Houston wind speed of 8mph, and average per household consumption of 10,655 kWh annually
The Right of Way along IH-10 is lined with wind trubines, creating a public wind farm along the freeway.
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Wirt Rd
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Bingle Rd
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Beltway 8
Blalock Rd
Source: US Department of Energy, Green Mountain Energy Company, Texas General Land Office, and Guy Hagstette, Special Assistant to the Mayor for Urban Design, Houston
Vestas V52-850kW Turbine Dimensions Rotor Diameter: 144’ Tower : 120’- 232’ Placement: 1/4 mile intervals 1,320’
A si wind ngle row t u rbin Kat of es i y Fr n e the wou e I ld p way R ight H-10 owe yea of-W r r.Tw o ro 5,880 a hom y ws up t es o 11 would ,760 boo a st it hom es!
Gessner Dr
IH-10 Katy Freeway
Vestas V52-850kW
Beltway 8 100’ Right of Way
Notes: