The images coming out of Texas are devastating as tropical storm Harvey continues to batter the region.
“Some of the estimates have been over 1,000 millimetres of rain so far with, obviously if it’s staying there all week, more to come,” said Bob Robichaud, a meteorologist with the Canadian Hurricane Centre in Dartmouth.
WATCH: Dramatic video of floods in Texas after Hurricane Harvey hit
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Houston under water as Tropical Storm Harvey floods city -
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Sights and sounds of Hurricane Harvey -
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Boat flips as people try to travel through flooded waters in Houston -
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Houston news station flooded on air during heavy rainfall -
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Boats fill roads in Texas as rescue workers provide help during flooding -
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Man sticks with sunk truck drifting in flood waters in Houston
Robichaud says Harvey isn’t expected to have any impact in Atlantic Canada.
Officials are keeping an eye on Tropical Cyclone 10 – which is currently located near the Georgia Coast. The system is expected to become tropical storm Irma on Tuesday.
Robichaud doesn’t expect anything major to come of the storm as it tracks offshore Canadian waters as an intense post-tropical system later this week.
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“We expect that storm system to intensify as it moves northeastward but most of our computer models right now are indicating that the storm will stay well south of the Maritimes at this stage,” he said.
READ: Hurricanes in Canada: How often they hit and who is at risk
Robichaud says the Maritimes are just heading into the peak of hurricane season.
“September is typically the busiest time of the year for hurricanes, so we’re seeing more activity in the entire Atlantic basin right now. There is another system that’s trying to get organized off the cost of Africa but that is several days to a couple weeks away from doing anything right now.”
Water temperatures off our coast have been warmer than usual over the last few years and that could impact how the Maritimes are impacted by this year’s hurricane season.
“Even though they’re warmer than average they’re still not warm enough to sustain a really strong hurricane. However, if they are warmer than average they could result in a hurricane maybe not quite weakening as fast as it normally would,” said Robichaud.
Numbers released by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration earlier this year predict between 11 and 17 named storms – with five to nine reaching hurricane status and two to four reaching major hurricane status.
WATCH: Above-normal hurricane season forecast for Atlantic Canada
The Canadian Red Cross is encouraging everyone to be prepared in case of an emergency — like a hurricane.
One way to be prepared is to have an emergency kit.
“You should have a copy of your emergency plan, non-perishable food items, water, batteries, charger for your phone or devices, crank-up radios and flashlights,” said Nicholas Williams, Canadian Red Cross disaster management coordinator.
“You need to be able to be self-sufficient whether in your home or outside of your home for up to 72 hours and we just recommend those are every day necessities that every citizen should have,” said Williams.
For more information about how to be prepared in case of an emergency you can visit the Canadian Red Cross website.
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