fbpx

Houston’s Airports Remain Closed Amid Harvey’s Devastation

More than 12,000 airline flights have been canceled and delayed across the country as a result of the historic storm.

Since Hurricane Harvey first made landfall in Rockport, Texas, as a category 4 storm with winds as high 130 mph, it has been clear that the damage done to southeastern Texas and other Gulf areas would be catastrophic and historic. FEMA director Brock Long called Hurricane Harvey a “landmark event” in terms of the damage it has already done to Houston and as many as 50 counties, and with President Donald Trump set to visit the nation’s fourth-largest city today, the tropical storm remnants of Harvey are still pouring an unimaginable amount of water.

Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Elaine Duke said on Monday: “We are not out of the woods yet.” Predictions for some areas of Houston say 50 inches of rain could fall before all is said and done, and as extensive social media documentation has already shown, some areas of the city are unrecognizable.

Houston’s airports, George Bush Intercontinental and William P. Hobby, have also been closed, and as a result more than 7,500 flights across the nation have been delayed, and more than 4,500 have been canceled. Approximately 1,350 flights have been canceled for Wednesday, and at least 100 have already been canceled for Thursday. For now, the only flights coming in and out of those airports are for humanitarian efforts.

Commercials flights are expected to resume Thursday at noon at Houston Bush Airport, while the FAA predicts Hobby Airport may resume operations on Wednesday. Airlines are currently waiving their flight change fees for travelers affected by Harvey.

UPDATE: Both airports resumed limited operations on Wednesday afternoon.

It is important to remind everyone not to trust everything they see on social media. Most notably, this image of commercial airplanes supposedly under water at Houston Bush is a fake. As of Tuesday morning, this is how Bush airport looked via EarthCam:

Bush Houston
George Bush Intercontinental Airport on Tuesday morning. EarthCam

People are also spreading a Facebook post claiming that Houston-area hospitals are asking for help from recreational drone users for photography purposes, but the FAA is still urging people to leave search-and-rescue operations to professionals.

Login

New to Flying?

Register

Already have an account?