{"id":2269459,"date":"2024-06-17T10:40:02","date_gmt":"2024-06-17T14:40:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/severe-flooding-caused-unprecedented-crisis-galveston-bay-oyster-destruction\/"},"modified":"2024-06-17T10:44:53","modified_gmt":"2024-06-17T14:44:53","slug":"severe-flooding-caused-unprecedented-crisis-galveston-bay-oyster-destruction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/severe-flooding-caused-unprecedented-crisis-galveston-bay-oyster-destruction\/","title":{"rendered":"Severe flooding leads to unprecedented crisis, destroys Galveston Bay oysters"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsevere-flooding-caused-unprecedented-crisis-galveston-bay-oyster-destruction%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2269459&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>In the first half\u2062 of this year, Texas experienced a series of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/banks-trillions-in-climate-financing-pledges-are-a-bailout-hazard-experts-warn\/\" title=\"Banks\u2019 Trillions in Climate Financing Pledges Are a Bailout Hazard, Experts Warn\">severe natural disasters<\/a>, including tornadoes in Houston and central\u2063 Texas, the state&#8217;s largest-ever wildfire in\u200b the\u200c panhandle, and catastrophic flooding that has devastated the \u200coyster industry in Galveston Bay. Following \u2063heavy rainfall\u2064 in southeast Texas during \u2063April \u2064and May, communities along the San Jacinto River, which flows into Galveston Bay, faced flooding, leading to\u2063 voluntary evacuations in Harris and Montgomery counties.<\/p>\n<p>The\u200d National Weather Service issued warnings\u2063 about significant river flooding \u2064due\u200b to persistent inclement weather, affecting major river basins\u2064 including\u2064 the Trinity\u2062 River, \u200cwhich starts\u200d in the \u200dDallas-Fort Worth area.\u2062 On April 30, Governor Greg \u2063Abbott declared a \u2064disaster in 29 counties, later expanding it to 88 counties, as \u200dthe state\u200d coordinated with emergency management to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-live-white-house-holds-briefing-as-hurricane-idalia-batters-florida\/\" title=\"LIVE: White House briefing on Hurricane Idalia hitting Florida.\">support affected communities<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Last month,\u2064 more than 230 agencies\u200c responded to the storms, floods, and\u2063 power outages. \u2062The \u200bflooding was exacerbated by historical releases \u200dfrom lakes and reservoirs, causing further issues downstream. Particularly devastating \u2063was\u200c the\u2062 influx of freshwater \u200binto Galveston\u2064 Bay, which significantly \u200breduced the salinity needed for \u200doyster\u2064 survival, leading to nearly total oyster mortality in the \u2062leases of Galveston\u200b and Chambers counties. This has resulted in substantial economic loss and a crisis\u2063 for local livelihoods and businesses in the region.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>(The Center Square) \u2013 In the first six months of this year, Texans have suffered from devastating natural disasters, from tornadoes in downtown Houston and central Texas, to the largest wildfire in state history in the panhandle, and severe flooding and heavy rainfall that has now wiped out the oyster industry in the Galveston Bay area.<\/p>\n<p>In April and May, southeast Texas was inundated with torrential downpours prompting Harris and Montgomery counties to issue voluntary evacuations as the San Jacinto River flooded communities. The West Fork of the San Jacinto River flows through Harris and Montgomery counties to Lake Houston, joining its East Fork to empty into Galveston Bay in the Gulf of Mexico.<\/p>\n<p>The National Weather Service warned of moderate to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-declares-state-of-emergency-in-california-after-deadly-storms\/\" title=\"Biden Declares State of Emergency in California After Deadly Storms\">major river flooding<\/a> across the eastern half of the state as hail, damaging winds, tornadoes and other inclement weather persisted. Rainfall also deluged the Trinity River, the third-largest in the state, starting in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, which flows south to Galveston Bay.<\/p>\n<p>On April 30, Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 29 Texas counties impacted by severe thunderstorms, excessive rainfall and flooding, and expanded the declaration to include 88 counties within a few days.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe State of Texas continues working with emergency management and local officials to deploy any <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-tornado-at-least-three-dead-and-dozens-injured-in-disaster\/\" title=\"Texas tornado kills three, injures dozens.\">additional resources needed<\/a> to provide ongoing support and protect our fellow Texans,\u201d Abbott said.<\/p>\n<p>Last month, more than 230 agencies were responding to catastrophic storms, flooding and power outages, The Center Square reported.<\/p>\n<p>Severe rainfall impacted major river basins and historic releases from lake and reservoirs also contributed to major flooding for downstream rivers and tributaries, the governor\u2019s office explained when it warned residents living below reservoirs and along rivers systems to follow local emergency management warnings.<\/p>\n<p>As they overflowed, the Trinity and San Jacinto rivers continued to move in only one direction: south to Galveston Bay. They brought a record amount of freshwater in a short amount of time, and with it, calamity. The fresh water desalinized brackish bay water and destroyed a staple in the food chain and socio-economic life in the bay: oysters.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGalveston and Chambers counties are facing an unprecedented crisis that threatens the livelihoods of many families and businesses,\u201d state Rep. Terri Leo Wilson, R-Galveston, said in a statement. \u201cThe extensive freshwater influx and resulting low salinity have devastated our oyster beds, with both Galveston and Chambers counties reporting close to 100 percent mortality in oyster leases. This disaster will cost millions in losses and severely impact our economy,\u201d adding that the entire region would need state support \u201cto help our communities recover.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Both Galveston and Chambers counties were included in Abbott\u2019s April 30 disaster declaration.<\/p>\n<p>Galveston County Judge Mark Henry issued a disaster declaration in May in response to the flooding and again in June in response to the destruction of oysters. He said more than 150,000 cubic feet of water from the rivers had been released into the bay, changing the pH level that caused \u201csignificant mortality on public reefs and private leases.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Oyster reefs have also played a critical role in coastal protection from storm surges. With the bay\u2019s oysters killed off, environmental preservation losses are profound.<\/p>\n<p>One oyster can filter 50 gallons of water a day of pollutants and help prevent erosion along the shorelines, the Galveston Bay Foundation notes. The foundation has created multiple initiatives to advance restoration of the bay\u2019s habitat, including creating new oyster reefs using over 1,000 tons of recycled oyster shells.<\/p>\n<p>Economic losses are also great. The Texas Department of State Health Services estimates an initial $15 million in losses due to it closing all areas of the Galveston Bay to oyster harvesting.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Texas oyster industry accounts for 15% of the total oyster harvest in the U.S. and has a $50 million impact on Texas\u2019 economy, according to Texas A&#038;M University at Galveston. Texas produced nearly 6.2 million pounds of oyster meat in 2000, with Galveston Bay accounting for 70% of the total production, it says.<\/p>\n<p>According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas oysters take 18 to 20 months to reach the legal market size of three inches. Texas oysters are larger than most because of the warmer Gulf temperature and other conditions compared to other habitats.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the first half of this year, Texas faced severe natural disasters, including tornadoes in Houston and central Texas, the state&#8217;s largest wildfire in the panhandle, and extreme flooding with heavy rainfall that devastated the oyster industry in Galveston Bay<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2269460,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/iStock-1299222248-1024x683.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2269459","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/iStock-1299222248-1024x683.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2269459","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2269459"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2269459\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2269460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2269459"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2269459"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2269459"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}