This looks like it's going to be a really nasty and damaging storm hitting the coast of Texas. I know Bruce is from Texas, but not sure or not if we have other HAF members living in the area as well. Hope you are all able to stay safe.
It seems as if every condition which can be present to make the storm even more impactful and harmful is working against the coastline.
If I'm reading the reports right this is actually a tropical cyclone which brings with it a whole list of potential problems.
One is that it is slow moving so once it hits the coastline it may just sit there as there is a high-pressure system blocking it from moving anywhere, also the fact that if it hits at high-tide which is expected the water level could be 12 feet above ground bringing with it destructive wave that could effect 300 miles of coastline.
You've got up to 35 inches of rainfall expected at 2-4 inches per hour, so flooding is expected, and also 111 mile an hour winds at landfall and then devastating gusts to follow further damaging the coastline.
It sounds simply nasty as hell...good luck everyone.
And if I remember correctly, we still don't have a FEMA director in place yet? I really hope this doesn't turn into another Katrina-like situation.
I'm 200 miles in, so we are just expecting rain. But thousands are fleeing inland.
Winds now at 130, Caregory 4. Just hours from Corpus Christi. Roads inland are jammed.
That storm became a monster really quickly and unexpectedly. Originally, it was only supposed to be a category 1 max which the coast could have weathered as they've been there before in recent history. But this thing grew in intensity fast. Rockport, Texas and Aransas Pass area look like a war zone - destruction everywhere. My sister lives in Corpus Christi and they came up to stay with me in San Antonio. My parents live in Cuero just north of Victoria which was hit pretty hard once the storm came inland. Fortunately, their house made it through the storm but now river flooding is a huge concern. The last huge flood was in 1998 and devastated the area with a height of 50 feet. Last I saw the river was expected to crest at 45 feet.
Houston is suffering the worst with an unprecedented amount of flooding it has never experienced. It is hard looking at social media and seeing all the pleas for help. A lot of people in Victoria that I know greatly underestimated the impact of the storm and were vastly under-prepared. With road closures I couldn't even make it down there.
It will take Texas a long time to recover from this and it's not even over yet for Houston.
If anything, this storm has motivated me to get more into preparedness than before. Luckily I had a place for my family to come to for safety and had plenty of food, water and supplies on hand already. A lot of friends also evacuated and some came back to destroyed homes and others to homes that were not only destroyed but looted by opportunistic scumbags as well.
How utterly devastating this has been...thought it would be bad, but nothing like this. Been sitting on Twitter reading real live persons tweet that they are stuck in flood ravaged areas and need to be rescued.
At times I feel sort of guilty, sitting at home, dry and comfortable, watching as this unfolds live on my television screen like some macabre spectator sport.
Glad to know you all are safe.
Quote from: Father Bruno on August 30, 2017, 08:58:50 PM
How utterly devastating this has been...thought it would be bad, but nothing like this. Been sitting on Twitter reading real live persons tweet that they are stuck in flood ravaged areas and need to be rescued.
At times I feel sort of guilty, sitting at home, dry and comfortable, watching as this unfolds live on my television screen like some macabre spectator sport.
Glad to know you all are safe.
Jeez you just made me think of my friends...they were posting pictures of the flood...I didn't realize they could potentially need being rescued...
Quote from: Father Bruno on August 30, 2017, 08:58:50 PM
At times I feel sort of guilty, sitting at home, dry and comfortable, watching as this unfolds live on my television screen like some macabre spectator sport.
I feel sorry for those people. I never felt any guilt for the misfortunes of other people.
Quote from: Tom62 on August 31, 2017, 11:02:41 AM
Quote from: Father Bruno on August 30, 2017, 08:58:50 PM
At times I feel sort of guilty, sitting at home, dry and comfortable, watching as this unfolds live on my television screen like some macabre spectator sport.
I feel sorry for those people. I never felt any guilt for the misfortunes of other people.
Yes, sorrow is appropriate, and helping materially or with a donation where possible, but, Fr Bruno, I think "guilt" is misplaced if there is no cause on your part. Are the American Red Cross, or any other national body that accepts donations, involved?
Quote from: Gloucester on August 31, 2017, 11:29:36 AM
Quote from: Tom62 on August 31, 2017, 11:02:41 AM
Quote from: Father Bruno on August 30, 2017, 08:58:50 PM
At times I feel sort of guilty, sitting at home, dry and comfortable, watching as this unfolds live on my television screen like some macabre spectator sport.
I feel sorry for those people. I never felt any guilt for the misfortunes of other people.
Yes, sorrow is appropriate, and helping materially or with a donation where possible, but, Fr Bruno, I think "guilt" is misplaced if there is no cause on your part. Are the American Red Cross, or any other national body that accepts donations, involved?
Guilt may have been a poor choice of wording on my part, maybe uncomfortable is better? It's just that I was sitting warm and dry at home sitting in front of my television watching the events unfold live in front of me. I had a beverage, and plate of food and was watching with my son.
We were commenting back and forth on what we were viewing, sometimes excitedly, and at one point I felt like I was simply a spectator, unattached, as if watching a football or soccer game.
I guess it was the atmosphere of the home situation that made me feel distant from the events, again more of a spectator. We have made a donation to a national organization to help, but again it was just that feeling I had in the moment.
Part of it is the way the news team cover these types of events I think, you know with the big scrawling headers rolling across the screen, and the serious and dramatic music playing as they switch between reporters and the "Situation Room". How much of that is simply to report the news and how much of it is overkill simply to keep me watching the events and increase viewers?
Maybe that's how god feels when she's watching all of the shit we go through down here? I can picture her sitting on a nice couch with a large bowl of popcorn, feet propped up on a davenport; maybe a few cold ones as she is watching humans enveloped in untold misery and destruction over the millennia?
Know what you mean FrB.
The county that I live in started a Harvey Help Plan, asking for donations that someone would then drive over to a contact in Houston..... well, the response from our community was truly astounding. 6 gigantic Uhaul trucks were FULL of essentials like water, medicine, diapers, food, etc. The piles at the 2 drop-off points were overwhelming. My kids and I went to help load up, and again, so many people showed up to help.
Just a drop in the bucket, but I sure would appreciate a community helping my community if we had a crisis also.
Quote from: Dragonia on September 01, 2017, 03:55:11 AM
The county that I live in started a Harvey Help Plan, asking for donations that someone would then drive over to a contact in Houston..... well, the response from our community was truly astounding. 6 gigantic Uhaul trucks were FULL of essentials like water, medicine, diapers, food, etc. The piles at the 2 drop-off points were overwhelming. My kids and I went to help load up, and again, so many people showed up to help.
Just a drop in the bucket, but I sure would appreciate a community helping my community if we had a crisis also.
It never ceases to amaze me how generous people can be at times like this. Even in times of austerity in the UK people still reach deep in their pockets in times if disaster, here or overseas
It always happens: in times of crisis, communities see their common humanity, we feel the brotherhood of man, sharp hatreds soften, we get shit done, together. And then it fades, until the next emergency.
Why can't we keep that spirit of love and acceptance and "We Are The World" going???
Is it too much of a pie-in-the-sky dream?
Dang, I must be in the mood to rant this morning because I have to reign myself in for the 2nd time in 15 minutes.
But... just one more thing, I wish people would realize that we are all we have in this world and we need each other, no matter out politics, our religions, our parenting style, our income, even our intelligence.
Geeaaaddddd...... Must. Stop.
Quote from: Dragonia on September 01, 2017, 12:28:12 PM
It always happens: in times of crisis, communities see their common humanity, we feel the brotherhood of man, sharp hatreds soften, we get shit done, together. And then it fades, until the next emergency.
Why can't we keep that spirit of love and acceptance and "We Are The World" going???
Is it too much of a pie-in-the-sky dream?
Dang, I must be in the mood to rant this morning because I have to reign myself in for the 2nd time in 15 minutes.
But... just one more thing, I wish people would realize that we are all we have in this world and we need each other, no matter out politics, our religions, our parenting style, our income, even our intelligence.
Geeaaaddddd...... Must. Stop.
Unranted rant understood.
:snicker:
https://mobile.twitter.com/TODAYshow/status/902858851753582592/video/1
Fuck this guy
^
I would mistrust that man at first sight I think.
It's like Jesus taught: "help those in need only after the city asks you to."
I heard someone said that he looks like a caricature of Tim Allen come to life.
A positive element of the horror is that there are self appointed Texas style vigilantes out there ready and willing to kill the looters. One of the stories is about a looter who invaded a doomed residential house during part of the hurricane that smashed into Corpus Christie. The Owner was still there ....armed. He shot the intruder in the head, not fatally but seriously. The lowest form of life, expendable life in such cases, are those who would prey on the helpless.
Well, news seems to be that Texas should not rely on the federal government funding their recovery from Harvey.
QuoteWhy Approving Emergency Funding For Harvey Might Not Be Easy For Congress
http://www.npr.org/2017/08/30/547126814/why-approving-emergency-funding-for-harvey-might-not-be-easy-for-congress
And, it seems, Houston was refused federal funds for flood mitigation before Harvey hit.
https://theintercept.com/2017/08/31/harvey-houston-flooding-congress-funds-al-green/
Yet The Wall is moving into its protype stage.
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/immigration/sd-me-border-wall-20170831-story.html
The wall will be Trump's greatest achievement by far
..
One positive result of Harvey might be no money for The Wall. Another is that Houston might start planning better for future floods, which are bound to come.
Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on September 05, 2017, 12:16:09 PM
One positive result of Harvey might be no money for The Wall. Another is that Houston might start planning better for future floods, which are bound to come.
Hmm, what are the odds on Trump fighting more for funding his wall rather than for storm recovery?
And now there is a potentially huge storm possibly heading for Florida.
Compared to Irma, the hurricane headed for Florida, Harvey was a Pussy. Not to diminish the devastating affect on Houston. That was a different deal. Wind damage was not the main source of grief there. Torrential rain was.
Irma is a category 5 hurricane at this moment. The wind velocity is 180 MPH... 280 Km/hr for metric folks. It is a storm of the century and the spaghetti models , at this time, have it headed directly toward my central Florida front door. Total devastation from such a storm is beyond belief. Ripping oak trees completely out of the ground, making mince meat of municipal water tanks, flattening concrete block buildings is the stuff of cat threes. Cat fives are beyond anything imaginable. I have been in several Florida Hurricanes, they are terrifying and incredibly destructive, but none that I recall was as powerful as this one.
Help us sweet Jesus. Note to Jesus: If you will help me I will consider moving to Vermont or maybe Saskatchewan.
Quote from: Icarus on September 06, 2017, 05:34:32 AM
Compared to Irma, the hurricane headed for Florida, Harvey was a Pussy. Not to diminish the devastating affect on Houston. That was a different deal. Wind damage was not the main source of grief there. Torrential rain was.
Irma is a category 5 hurricane at this moment. The wind velocity is 180 MPH... 280 Km/hr for metric folks. It is a storm of the century and the spaghetti models , at this time, have it headed directly toward my central Florida front door. Total devastation from such a storm is beyond belief. Ripping oak trees completely out of the ground, making mince meat of municipal water tanks, flattening concrete block buildings is the stuff of cat threes. Cat fives are beyond anything imaginable. I have been in several Florida Hurricanes, they are terrifying and incredibly destructive, but none that I recall was as powerful as this one.
Help us sweet Jesus. Note to Jesus: If you will help me I will consider moving to Vermont or maybe Saskatchewan.
Icarus, this looks pretty bad, are you gonna be OK? :worried:
Yes, I hope you and yours - well everyone really - have safe places to go.
My thoughts can't protect you but they are of you people over there.
Icarus, are you staying home for this storm, or taking off? I have family coming from Tampa and Tallahassee to stay as long as necessary at my house. We will have a storm party, complete with many many rounds of pinochle, I'm sure. ;D
I do wish you safety and an unscathed property.
With all these natural disasters happening, we should have a "Weather Thread".
"Weather, Whether Good or Bad"
Quote from: Dragonia on September 06, 2017, 02:22:28 PM
With all these natural disasters happening, we should have a "Weather Thread".
"Weather, Whether Good or Bad"
There is "Shall we talk about the weather?"
http://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=13742.msg299651#msg299651
But that does tend to be a tad light hearted.
Perhaps we need some sort of general disaster thread - if unfortunately.
Right now, about 8 PM my time, the storm is predicted to veer to the east a little bit. If it continues on that path it will brush my east coast and the center will pass some 70 miles to the east of my humble abode. I would still get some damage because the winds reach out many miles from the center, or eye of the storm. The weather people have not said that the storm intensity has diminished. As a category five, it is the most powerful storm ever recorded in the Atlantic ocean.
The devastating capacity of a cat 5 exceeds biblical proportion. The force of winds are a function of the square of their velocity and also contains an air density component called rho. The wet air is more dense that dry air. If a 120 mph wind is destructive, and it is decidedly destructive, then a 180 MPH wind is 2.25 more powerful. This is by no means my first rodeo. I ridden out many hurricanes in my 75 years in Florida. Nothing like this one however. Cat threes Are killers. Cat fives....we have never endured one of those.
If it misses me of its main force and veers to the east, It will destroy the Bahamas. Not their first rodeo either, but then this is the baddest meanest one in recorded history.
Ho Hum...we will soon see what the outcome is. It ain't gonna be good. And yes I am afraid.
Damned 1/2 mv2 again! :grrr:
Quote from: Dave on September 06, 2017, 02:44:02 PM
Quote from: Dragonia on September 06, 2017, 02:22:28 PM
With all these natural disasters happening, we should have a "Weather Thread".
"Weather, Whether Good or Bad"
There is "Shall we talk about the weather?"
http://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=13742.msg299651#msg299651
But that does tend to be a tad light hearted.
Perhaps we need some sort of general disaster thread - if unfortunately.
Ah yes, I forgot about that thread.... and I've even posted in that one!
My wife and I donated to the Houston relief fund through the JJ Watt Foundation. He's a football player for the Houston Texans, and has raised over $28,000,000.00 for the relief effort. Sounds like a lot, but that comes out to about $1.00 per Texas resident. Michael Dell pledged $36,000,000.00 through other sources. Sandra Bullock paid $1,000,000.00. I recommend the JJ Watt Foundation for anyone wishing to donate. Anything helps. Here's a link. http://jjwfoundation.org/ It's pretty simple.
Quote from: Icarus on September 07, 2017, 04:11:59 AM
Right now, about 8 PM my time, the storm is predicted to veer to the east a little bit. If it continues on that path it will brush my east coast and the center will pass some 70 miles to the east of my humble abode. I would still get some damage because the winds reach out many miles from the center, or eye of the storm. The weather people have not said that the storm intensity has diminished. As a category five, it is the most powerful storm ever recorded in the Atlantic ocean.
The devastating capacity of a cat 5 exceeds biblical proportion. The force of winds are a function of the square of their velocity and also contains an air density component called rho. The wet air is more dense that dry air. If a 120 mph wind is destructive, and it is decidedly destructive, then a 180 MPH wind is 2.25 more powerful. This is by no means my first rodeo. I ridden out many hurricanes in my 75 years in Florida. Nothing like this one however. Cat threes Are killers. Cat fives....we have never endured one of those.
If it misses me of its main force and veers to the east, It will destroy the Bahamas. Not their first rodeo either, but then this is the baddest meanest one in recorded history.
Ho Hum...we will soon see what the outcome is. It ain't gonna be good. And yes I am afraid.
Can someone in a safe area offer Icarus refuge? I'd do so but I already offered one person and I only have one couch.
Thank you for the thoughtfulness Arturo.
For the most part, Floridians understand the dangers of Hurricanes and do tend to take appropriate pre- storm action. Example: We will board up all the windows in our houses.
A report today said that Home Depot has, in the last week, sold 360.000 sheets of plywood. Lowes will have sold a near equal number of them. Bottom line: we will batten down the hatches and deal with whatever the outcome. Some of us will die. Not many, but some. Boarding up the windows is not so much a matter of mitigating the enormous pressure on our window glass. It is for the most part an effort to diminish the damage from flying objects such as street signs or pieces of houses that have parted company with the original design. Imagine some ones previously curbside mailbox flying through the air at 100, 150 miles per hour. ,
If a window of significant size is breached, the next thing that happens, in a few seconds, is that the roof of the house blows off. "and a good time will be had by all"
I do not intend to be one of those who sail across the bar because of a killer windstorm. We'll see.
If after Sunday, I do not show up for a few days, it will likely be because all the power lines and cables have been destroyed. Our utility workers know the drill. We will be back in business very shortly.......... Meanwhile....I admire, respect, and care much for all you guys and girls.
Quote from: Icarus on September 08, 2017, 03:57:28 AM
Thank you for the thoughtfulness Arturo.
For the most part, Floridians understand the dangers of Hurricanes and do tend to take appropriate pre- storm action. Example: We will board up all the windows in our houses.
A report today said that Home Depot has, in the last week, sold 360.000 sheets of plywood. Lowes will have sold a near equal number of them. Bottom line: we will batten down the hatches and deal with whatever the outcome. Some of us will die. Not many, but some. Boarding up the windows is not so much a matter of mitigating the enormous pressure on our window glass. It is for the most part an effort to diminish the damage from flying objects such as street signs or pieces of houses that have parted company with the original design. Imagine some ones previously curbside mailbox flying through the air at 100, 150 miles per hour. ,
If a window of significant size is breached, the next thing that happens, in a few seconds, is that the roof of the house blows off. "and a good time will be had by all"
I do not intend to be one of those who sail across the bar because of a killer windstorm. We'll see.
If after Sunday, I do not show up for a few days, it will likely be because all the power lines and cables have been destroyed. Our utility workers know the drill. We will be back in business very shortly.......... Meanwhile....I admire, respect, and care much for all you guys and girls.
Good luck Icarus. Where I am the weather could not be more different to yours, but I can empathize with you.
Yes, tske care Icarus. We will be thinking of you.
The current projected path of Irma makes it look like American is getting a Foley catheter. It enters at the tip of America's penis (Florida) and goes right up into the bladder (Georgia).
http://www.cnn.com/interactive/storm-tracker/