Texas and Louisiana face fresh flood threat from Tropical Storm Beta
22 September 2020
Tropical Storm Beta was dumping heavy rains over Texas as it churned its way inland overnight, bringing the risk of "life-threatening storm surge" and flooding to parts of the state and Louisiana.
landfall in southeastern Texas
What's happening: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) made a disaster declaration and Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) declared a state of emergency, as the states began feeling the impact of the slow-moving storm — which was causing coastal flooding along the bays including those near Houston and Galveston in Texas Monday, per the National Weather Service.
Found it!
— Michelle Choi (@MichelleKHOU) September 21, 2020
Few miles away from popular @61streetpier we found portion that broke off last night due to rough surf caused by #TSBeta here on @GalvestonIsland beach.
Owner says pier was already damaged, so they purposefully cut end to prevent further damage. #khou11#htownrushpic.twitter.com/vMGOg0X4PW
"Flash, urban, and minor river flooding are likely from the middle Texas coast to southeast Louisiana due to Beta's slow movement. ... There is the danger of life-threatening storm surge through times of high tide through Tuesday along portions of the Texas and Louisiana coasts.
NWS
- The 61st Street Fishing Pier in Galveston, Texas, broke off in high waves as the storm slowly approached over the weekend, the NWS noted.
The big picture: Beta is the 23rd storm this hurricane season and threatens a coastal region already ravaged by former hurricanes Laura and Sally in recent weeks. It made landfall in southeastern Texas late Monday.
- Almost 9,000 people were without power Monday in southwest Louisiana, near the Texas border. They'd been without power since Laura struck last month, NPR notes.
Coastal flooding in San Leon, TX around 11:30 this morning. @NWSHoustonpic.twitter.com/y4kWjfEHaB
— Ian Shelton (@IanShelton1997) September 21, 2020
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.