Texaspirate11 wrote:Paul - I truly haven't had the time to go through the videos - sorry.
August 12th - COOLING CENTERS are opened today again. Please call 311 IF you need a ride to get to any of the
Centers - please share this with others who may need it.Storms may occur again today, like yesterday - what a relief - thank you Mother Nature.
Stay cool & Weather Aware today....
The National Weather Service (NWS) has extended a Heat Advisory for Houston, and it will be in effect from 10:00am to 9:00pm Wednesday. Peak heat index values today may reach 108-110 degrees. High temperatures are expected to continue throughout the week. The City of Houston has activated the Public Health Heat Emergency Guideline, which opens, and provides transportation to cooling centers throughout the City.
Residents who need to access air conditioning are welcome to visit any public, City facility during their normal business hours to use air conditioning. This includes libraries, multi-service centers, and Parks & Recreation facilities.
Residents needing transportation to cooling centers may call Houston 311 Help & Information to arrange for free transportation to Cooling Centers while the Heat Guideline is in effect.
Residents requesting transportation from 311 will be transported to the closest designated Cooling Center below:
Acres Home Multi Service Center (Open until 5pm)
(6719 W. Montgomery, 77091)
Denver Harbor Multi Service Center (Open until 9pm)
(6402 Market St, 77020)
Kashmere Multi Service Center (Open until 7pm)
(4802 Lockwood, 77026)
Magnolia Multi Service Center (until 9pm)
(7037 Capitol, 77011)
Northeast Multi Service Center (until 6pm)
(9720 Spaulding, 77016)
Sunnyside Multi Service Center (until 7pm)
(9314 Cullen, 77051)
A map and list of all public air conditioned City facilities, as well as their operating hours can be found online at houstontx.gov/emergency.
The Houston Health Department recommends the following tips for individuals to stay safe in the heat:
•Increase water consumption. Drink lots of liquids even before getting thirsty, but avoid those with caffeine, alcohol or large amounts of sugar because these can actually result in the loss of body fluid.
•Conduct outdoor work or exercise in the early morning or evening when it is cooler. Outdoor workers should drink plenty of water or electrolyte-replacement beverages and take frequent breaks in the shade or in an air-conditioned facility. Those unaccustomed to working or exercising in a hot environment need to start slowly and gradually increase heat exposure over several weeks.
•Wear light-colored, loose fitting clothing that permits the evaporation of perspiration.
•Do not leave children, senior citizens or pets unattended in a vehicle.
•A wide-brimmed hat helps prevent sunburn as well as heat-related illness. Sunscreen also protects from the sun’s harmful rays and reduces the risk of sunburn.
•If the house is not air-conditioned, seek accommodations in air-conditioned facilities during the heat of the day: malls, movie theaters, libraries, multi-service centers, etc.
•Take frequent cool baths or showers if your house is not air-conditioned
For updates on this situation, visit the City of Houston Emergency Information Site at houstontx.gov/em
I would suggest you do, TP11. I think we're going to have rolling outages before we even know it if the temperatures don't go down.
Grid operator issues power use alert
Posted on August 13, 2015 | By Jordan Blum
An alert calling for electricity conservation was issued Thursday to help protect the stressed Texas electric grid.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas is asking electric consumers to limit their electricity usage today during the peak hours of 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The string of 100-degree-plus days led to record-setting power demand on three different days this month, most recently on Monday, according to ERCOT. Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday asked residents to conserve.
“Although we set new peak demand records without needing to issue a conservation alert during the past week, the high temperatures statewide continue to drive high levels of electricity use,” said Dan Woodfin, ERCOT director of System Operations, in the alert warning.
“Generation units on the system have been working hard to keep up with recent demands,” Woodfin added. “Some of them have experienced outages today, contributing to tighter conditions.”
In a call, ERCOT Chief Operating Officer Brad Jones said the grid is not yet operating in any emergency conditions, but that it is important for people to conserve as much as they can. With some power station outages, he said, the grid is in a tighter situation than usual. ERCOT is importing more electricity through interconnections, he said, but the grid also is exporting some power to Mexico.
“A large part of this demand is the customer growth we’ve seen over the past few years,” Jones said.
ERCOT said the grid’s operating reserves have fallen below the target threshold of 2,500 megawatts. As such, ERCOT operators began a progressive series of procedures to maintain system reliability.
“We are working to maintain overall reliability during this high-demand period,” Woodfin stated. “Voluntary conservation can help us reduce the potential for additional measures, such as rotating outages, to ensure reliability throughout the ERCOT grid.”
Electricity consumers are asked to set their thermostats a few degrees higher than usual and to rely more on fans if possible.
ERCOT is asking people to avoid using dishwashers, laundry equipment, hair dryers, coffee makers and other appliances. People should cook more with their microwaves and open their refrigerators and freezers as little as possible. ERCOT also asks residents to set their pool pumps to run in the early morning or late evening.
What's keeping these temperatures high, anyway? I thought the high pressure ridge had moved.
Is it likely we'll be sweating in the dark before the summer's over?
68,459 MW -- Aug. 5, 2015
