HOUSTON – The “unprecedented” volume of water unleashed after Hurricane Harvey swept ashore, then lingered, over eastern Texas caused flooding and forced the cancellation or postponement of major concerts and events, including Coldplay’s Aug. 25 concert at NRG Stadium, Mary J. Blige’s Aug. 25 performance at Smart Financial Centre in Sugar Land, TX and Lady Antebellum’s Aug. 27 show at The Woodlands, Texas.
Hurricane Harvey also dealt a significant blow to Houston’s theatrical community, inundating the Alley Theatre and forcing the cancellation of all remaining performances of The 39 Steps. Other venues reporting damage include the Wortham Theater Center, Jones Hall, and the Hobby Center, while other venues shutting down operations until after Labor Day include the Houston Grand Opera.
Other venues hosting music and activities announced postponement and cancellations, including Houston’s Discover Green urban park, House of Blues, Anderson Fair, The Heights Theater, Rockefellers, Martini Blu Jazz Café festival, KPFT’s Electroluv fundraiser and Galveston’s Old Quarter Acoustic Café.
Hurricane Harvey’s damaging winds were considerable — as they rose to 130 miles per hour, the storm elevated from Category 3 to Category 4 status shortly before making landfall at Rockport, Texas, northeast of Corpus Christi at about 9:45 p.m. on Aug. 25. But the effects causing the greatest damage came from flooding, mostly from inland rainfall.
Fifteen deaths had been reported as of Aug. 29, but that number could rise as the rainfall continues, inundating large areas with totals measured in feet rather than of inches. Forecasters expect rainfall totals to come close to 50 inches in some areas.
“This event is unprecedented & all impacts are unknown & beyond anything experienced,” the National Weather Service noted on Aug. 27, via Twitter.
By Monday morning, the National Weather Service was forecasting that rainfall from what was left of the storm would gradually move northeast, inundating parts of Louisiana.
