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A-Team

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1100 on: September 23, 2017, 07:35:16 PM »
That was a major major hurricane on US territory, so I was thinking that with 15,500 paid employees, an outfit like CBS could do better than amateur twitter sites, maybe chase down some background. However the pay scale for reporters there is shocking, $40k a year or only 2x the salary of a Walmart greeter.

Now here is a real dam failure, the worst ever in US history. No storm, zero warning, followed by denial of responsibility. The cover-up went on for years. Site selection by prominent individual with no formal education in geology, built right across a fault in tremor-prone California.

 St. Francis Dam - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Francis_Dam
Jump to Collapse and flood wave - Two and a half minutes before midnight on March 12, 1928, the St. Francis Dam catastrophically failed.

St. Francis Dam collapse left a trail of death and destruction
www.latimes.com/local/.../la-me-stfrancis-dam-retrospective-20160319-story.html
 The collapse of the St. Francis Dam on March 12, 1928, is, in terms of loss of life, the second-greatest disaster in California history. ... The death toll from the collapse varies from about 400 to more than 600. ... It swept into Castaic Junction and along the Santa Clara River bed to ...

The Flood: St. Francis Dam Disaster, William Mulholland, and the ...
https://www.kcet.org/.../the-flood-st-francis-dam-disaster-william-mulholland-and-the...
The 1928 failure of the colossal concrete structure resulted in one of the worst civic disasters in L.A. history.

Remembering California's 1928 St. Francis Dam Disaster - NBC ...
www.nbclosangeles.com/.../Francisquito-Canyon-Dam-St-Francis-Collapse-Disaster-C...
More than 400 people were killed in the March 1928 St. Francis Dam collapse, a civil engineering failure that unleashed a devastating ... some consider the failure of the St. Francis Dam to be the “worst American ...
« Last Edit: September 23, 2017, 07:43:38 PM by A-Team »

Sigmetnow

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1101 on: September 23, 2017, 07:43:30 PM »
"No federal agency dared on Friday to estimate how long it’ll take to re-energize Puerto Rico. If it’s any indication of how far they’ve gotten, the island’s power authority known as Prepa is only now starting to assess the damage."

A Storm's Never Destroyed a Grid Like Maria Ruined Puerto Rico's
Quote
The devastation that Maria exacted on Puerto Rico’s aging and grossly neglected electricity system when it slammed ashore as a Category 4 storm two days ago is unprecedented -- not just for the island but for all of the U.S. One hundred percent of the system run by the Puerto Rico Power Authority is offline, because Maria damaged every part of it. The territory is facing weeks, if not months, without service as utility workers repair power plants and lines that were already falling apart.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-22/a-storm-s-never-destroyed-a-grid-like-maria-ruined-puerto-rico-s
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A-Team

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1102 on: September 23, 2017, 08:03:38 PM »
They could go distributed solar, 19.5¢ per watt per container of 560 x 230 watt panels already in the Caribbean, and sell off salvaged heavy copper transmission lines to China. (Where I live, people don't even wait for a storm, just darkness, before stripping out the wires.) PR has some solar already but it's largely diesel, bunker fuel and coal. But maybe the new and old protective solar tariffs apply to PR?

There will unquestionably be a huge hit to near-future economic production. However I would assume, even more so than with Canada, that 'foreign' investors own almost everything in PR in the sense of capital and control. So they would take the losses rather than PRcans.

Meanwhile defaulting on the $70 billion in current govt debt and some strategic bankruptcies affecting overseas shareholders, givens unless the US govt bails out the hedge funds again, would allow a fresh start on issuing new debt. That's $20k of debt relief for every person on the island.

http://sunelec.com/home/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_Rico_Electric_Power_Authority
« Last Edit: September 23, 2017, 08:15:18 PM by A-Team »

Sigmetnow

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1103 on: September 23, 2017, 08:04:40 PM »
Maria’s Forecast Path Edging Closer to Outer Banks of North Carolina
> The odds that the U.S. East Coast will see direct impacts from Maria next week have risen since Friday.
> Tropical Storm Lee 2.0 could go any number of directions in strength as well as movement.
> Invest 98E a flood threat for Mexico and West Texas; widespread heavy rains in excess of 5” (127mm)
https://www.wunderground.com/cat6/marias-forecast-path-edging-closer-outer-banks
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1104 on: September 23, 2017, 09:09:51 PM »
"All indications are that Hurricane Maria has inflicted one of the most extreme and catastrophic weather events in American history. If the aid response is not swift, the situation in Puerto Rico has all the makings of a major humanitarian crisis."

Maria has plunged Puerto Rico into a humanitarian emergency
http://grist.org/article/maria-has-plunged-puerto-rico-into-a-humanitarian-emergency/
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Alexander555

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1105 on: September 23, 2017, 09:54:31 PM »
If you look at the forcast for San Salvador (+ 6 million population). That's like an average for the entire country of 1000 mm (25 in) at the end of next week.

Sigmetnow

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1106 on: September 24, 2017, 03:03:31 AM »
Ricardo Rossello, Governor of Puerto Rico:

Thanks [New York Senator Chuck Schumer] for your call today supporting our recovery efforts & for letting #PuertoRico know that you'll be a leader for our cause.

https://twitter.com/ricardorossello/status/911754578361831425
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AbruptSLR

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1107 on: September 24, 2017, 03:28:21 AM »
The two attached images are from Windy and Nullschool, respectively, showing that Maria is currently forecast to effect the barrier islands of North Carolina by Wednesday Sept 27 2017.
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1108 on: September 24, 2017, 01:17:16 PM »
Lack of Communication Hinders Efforts Amid Dam Failure Fear in Puerto Rico
Quote
Engineers are assessing whether the Guajataca Dam will fail after Hurricane Maria dumped 15 inches of rain on the area, swelling a man-made lake. But there was a lack of basic information about the potentially catastrophic breach, which was said to affect the towns of Isabela, Quebradillas and San Sebastian.

At first, authorities — including the governor’s office — had said up to 70,000 people could be affected. But local officials said the number of evacuated was much smaller. In Isabella, the mayor's office said a little more than 200 people were in shelters.
...
As of 1:55 p.m. Saturday, the weather service said "dam operators continued to report the threat of a failure of the Guajataca Dam, potentially causing life-threatening flash flooding downstream on Rio Guajataca."

"We were able to directly observe the damages of the Guajataca dam," Gov. Ricardo Rossello said on Twitter Saturday. "We re-affirm the evacuation order for the area." ...
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/lack-communication-amid-dam-failure-fears-hurricane-damaged-puerto-rico-n804236
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1109 on: September 24, 2017, 01:21:23 PM »
Tropical Storm Pilar

BULLETIN
Tropical Storm Pilar Advisory Number   3
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL       EP182017
400 AM CDT Sun Sep 24 2017

...PILAR BRINGING HEAVY RAIN TO PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST MEXICO...


SUMMARY OF 400 AM CDT...0900 UTC...INFORMATION
----------------------------------------------
LOCATION...19.1N 105.6W
ABOUT 85 MI...135 KM W OF MANZANILLO MEXICO
ABOUT 90 MI...145 KM S OF CABO CORRIENTES MEXICO
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...45 MPH...75 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT...NNW OR 335 DEGREES AT 5 MPH...7 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...1002 MB...29.59 INCHES
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1110 on: September 24, 2017, 01:27:34 PM »
...NOAA HURRICANE HUNTER FINDS THAT MARIA IS SLIGHTLY WEAKER... ...INTERESTS ALONG THE CAROLINA AND MID-ATLANTIC COASTS SHOULD MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF MARIA...
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1111 on: September 24, 2017, 01:38:17 PM »
If you look at the forcast for San Salvador (+ 6 million population). That's like an average for the entire country of 1000 mm (25 in) at the end of next week.

Persistent band of precipitation (image below from Storm app); far reaches of GFS suggest it could organize and form a tropical system in October.
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1112 on: September 24, 2017, 04:02:41 PM »
Wow. Heartbreaking satellite loop, when you realize what it is: Maria knocking out Puerto Rico's power, clouds illuminated by moonlight.
     https://twitter.com/ericholthaus/status/911945817119969281

@iCyclone check this out: [see link at the Twitter link below]
https://twitter.com/aletweetsnews/status/911815381811113989
GIF at the link.
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1113 on: September 24, 2017, 04:48:13 PM »
Remember that time when we had a ton of named storms, and no ACE? Oh how things change.
2017 Atlantic YTD ACE 3rd behind 2004 and 1933
https://twitter.com/splillo/status/911961175935655936
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1114 on: September 24, 2017, 05:12:21 PM »
Article and video with dozens of clips of Caribbean storm aftermath.

Puerto Rico's weather forecasters fight worry and fatigue to stay focused
https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2017/09/21/us/inside-puerto-rico-nws-office-trnd/index.html


Edit:  More on Caribbean:
Hurricane Maria: Puerto Rico officials describe 'apocalyptic' conditions
http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/24/americas/hurricane-maria-puerto-rico-aftermath/index.html
« Last Edit: September 24, 2017, 05:53:03 PM by Sigmetnow »
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1115 on: September 24, 2017, 05:15:36 PM »
NHC Atlantic Ops: Hurricane #Lee Advisory 26: Tiny Lee a Little Stronger.
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/cyclones/
      https://twitter.com/NHC_Atlantic/status/911965962840231937


By the way, Lee formed earlier this month, weakened, died, and then regenerated a few days ago. Therefore Zombie Hurricane
https://twitter.com/TerpWeather/status/911960114021756928
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1116 on: September 25, 2017, 03:33:13 PM »
This article is U.S.-centric, but offers a glimpse into how fruit, nut and vegetable supplies will soon be affected by Hurricane Irma's damage in Florida.

https://weloveweather.tv/price-favorite-drink-expect-stores-irma/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1117 on: September 25, 2017, 03:39:22 PM »
Sunday morning shows spent less than 60 sec on Puerto Rico, one of the worst humanitarian emergencies in US history:
     https://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/status/912064454094925826

Sunday political talk shows barely cover Hurricane Maria’s devastation of Puerto Rico
The entire island is without power, a dam is in danger of bursting, and Sunday political talk shows talked about it for less than a minute
https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2017/09/24/sunday-political-talk-shows-barely-cover-hurricane-maria-s-devastation-puerto-rico/218020


Millions in Puerto Rico lack electricity, clean water; 10,000s lost homes... and there's now a record heat wave.
    https://twitter.com/AlexSteffen/status/912055517261963264
NWS San Juan: San Juan has tied the Max. Temp record of 94 deg F (2004)!
¡San Juan ha igualado el récord de Temperatura Máx. de 94 grados F (2004)!
#prwx
https://twitter.com/NWSSanJuan/status/911990277757440001


What parts of San Juan are like today, five days after #HurricaneMaria pummeled into Puerto Rico. No gas. No electricity. Water everywhere.
https://twitter.com/ASE/status/912047336418938881
Brief video at the link.

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Alexander555

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1118 on: September 25, 2017, 07:03:58 PM »
Almost hurricane strength. That's for thursday. And a few days later the leftovers from Lee and Maria show up at the same place. On ventusky he moves north, and windy puts him much further east, over the UK.

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1119 on: September 25, 2017, 10:25:21 PM »
Sun/natural disaster connection from EU, storms earthquakes and their connection to sunspot activity. 
I've got a couple of others [older] saved somewhere, if anyones interested.
 Added, I had to take another look myself so, without comment 
on this one go to 16:30 to see if your interested
« Last Edit: September 26, 2017, 01:04:33 AM by johnm33 »

AbruptSLR

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1120 on: September 26, 2017, 03:39:47 PM »
Trump criticizes Puerto Rico for having weak infrastructure and massive debt, w.r.t. recovery from hurricanes:

Title: "Trump's tweets about NFL, Puerto Rico debt draw ire as island crippled by Hurricane Maria"

http://abcnews.go.com/US/trumps-tweets-nfl-puerto-rico-debt-draw-ire/story?id=50096313

Extract: "In his first tweets since the island was ravaged by Hurricane Maria last week, Trump said Puerto Rico’s "broken infrastructure & massive debt" have left it in worse straits than mainland states."
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Shared Humanity

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1121 on: September 26, 2017, 04:31:28 PM »
Trump follows with another tweet blaming Puerto Rico for lacking foresight and locating their island nation in the Carribbean.

ritter

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1122 on: September 26, 2017, 06:32:50 PM »
Trump follows with another tweet blaming Puerto Rico for lacking foresight and locating their island nation in the Carribbean.
;D

FDT

Paddy

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1123 on: September 26, 2017, 07:01:12 PM »
This may be a bit late, but it looks like Hurricanes Irma and Harvey destroyed a million vehicles in Florida and Texas: https://www.google.co.uk/amp/amp.timeinc.net/fortune/2017/09/20/hurricane-irma-harvey-damaged-cars/%3fsource=dam
Plus I don't know how many hundreds of thousands more have been destroyed across the Caribbean by Maria and Irma.

One of the responses to this has been that people have been donating bicycles to people left without any means of transport. including 800 donated new by manufacturers Giant and Trek (400 each) and hundreds more out of 5000 left behind at burning man: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-41312810
https://www.bicycling.com/culture/donated-bikes-for-hurricane-harvey-victims

(I posted a little about this already on the bicycles thread, but I thought you might be interested here as well).

Sigmetnow

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1124 on: September 26, 2017, 08:54:45 PM »
First and second images below:
New Orleans in 2005. Puerto Rico today.
https://twitter.com/m_tisserand/status/912456380057030656

BREAKING US military says some 1.5 million people (44% of the 3.4m population) are without drinking water on hurricane-stricken Puerto Rico.
https://twitter.com/bbcjamescook/status/912747165545488386

BREAKING US military says only 11 of 69 hospitals on Puerto Rico "have fuel or power".
https://twitter.com/bbcjamescook/status/912748669186719744

BREAKING 80% of the electricity transmission system on Puerto Rico and 100% of the distribution system is damaged, says the US military.
https://twitter.com/bbcjamescook/status/912748036937281536

Latest on Puerto Rico from the US military.
https://twitter.com/bbcjamescook/status/912748997806190592
Third image below.
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Paddy

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1125 on: September 26, 2017, 09:20:43 PM »
Some more pictures here: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2017/sep/26/puerto-rico-after-hurricane-maria-in-pictures

I find https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2017/sep/26/puerto-rico-after-hurricane-maria-in-pictures#img-6 particularly telling, as it shows the current state of the electricity grid. (Sorry for not succeeding in posting the image directly with my phone).

Forest Dweller

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1126 on: September 26, 2017, 09:34:49 PM »
Amazing the impact of this season, surely a record damage year if not in certain meteorological factors.
In both material and human cost.
It would seem appropriate for authorities everywhere to start thinking in better food/water/shelter emergency supplies and capabilities, as that is their primary task anyway.
Can't hurt to have a few hundred thousand liters of water and meals sheltered rather than waiting for planes to land on destroyed runways etc.

A-Team

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1127 on: September 26, 2017, 10:09:13 PM »
The Army Corps of Engineers -- the US agency in charge of mainland dam operations -- inspected the Guajataca dam and found the report of a crack was a total crock.

I could have saved them a trip. Overflight photos showed the shallow reservoir behind the puny 35 m wide dam never posed a plausible risk downstream though river flood waters did. Some rock fill did wash out at the bottom of the spillway but fixing that is utterly insignificant relative to their massive, massive overall infrastructure damage.

It's astonishing to google Guajataca Represa and "learn" it has already collapsed according to numerous unretracted US mainland press accounts. Faux disasters are just click-bait; let's not go there on these forums.

Quote
USACE assessed the condition of the Guajataca Dam (earlier reported ‘cracked’ and in danger of imminent failure); found it intact but in need of reinforcement to ensure stability. USACE engineers are consulting with the owner on risk mitigation.
Quote
"People are in the shelters of the Francisco Mendoza School, Gloria González and the Integral Youth Center," Morales Vega said. "There is no break in the dam.

"It is not going to cover us completely as they are saying, but since nothing is impossible, we are mobilizing," he added.

Carlos Román, the special assistant to the executive director of the Center for Emergency Management in Quebradillas, also told El Vocero that alerts for the towns of Isabela and Quebradillas were overblown.

Other curious factoids:

Puerto Rico imports 85% of its food despite excellent soils, plentiful rainfall and favorable growing climate.

Puerto Rico has more US citizens than the five smallest mainland states combined. By that it should have 2 Senators and 6 Representatives in Congress but has none. However Congress may take up a relief bill as soon as the 2nd week in Oct. I'll predict that 95% of any infrastructure money appropriated goes to US mainland contractors, with PR just supplying day laborers. There'll be punitive debt repayment conditions on aid to make hedge funds and bank lenders whole.

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« Last Edit: September 26, 2017, 10:23:48 PM by A-Team »

CalamityCountdown

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1128 on: September 26, 2017, 10:55:10 PM »
The flooding was so severe in so many places that the hit to Savannah GA has barely gotten a mention. But the water in my mother's garage got high enough to "total" her car. A side effect of the 1 million totaled vehicles is that rental car rates in some affected areas are sky high (at least based on the rates in Savannah). I was stunned at the rental car rates. But sort of guessing that if I taxi or Uber to a car dealership, it won't exactly strengthen my negotiating position.

Paddy

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1129 on: September 26, 2017, 11:26:22 PM »
Good article here on how to help Puerto Rico, including listings of active charities in need of donations, and further links to lists of material donations so far requested: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/can-help-hurricane-victims-puerto-rico/

EDIT: @CalamityCountdown,
Hope you get something sorted out for your mother. Beware of flood-damaged cars on the secondhand marker though.
« Last Edit: September 27, 2017, 11:11:00 AM by Paddy »

Sigmetnow

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1130 on: September 27, 2017, 03:35:18 AM »
USNS Comfort, a huge floating hospital, is on its way to Puerto Rico.
This is great news -- downside is it will take a week to get there.
   https://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/status/912784517794017280

JUST IN: USNS Comfort hospital ship is being dispatched to Puerto Rico disaster, FEMA Admin. Long says at the White House.
https://twitter.com/NBCNightlyNews/status/912764473827581955

Well, I guess it is preparing to leave.  Marine Traffic still shows the ship docked in Norfolk.
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1131 on: September 27, 2017, 09:09:41 PM »
ECMWF and GEFS are generating [Tropical Cyclone] tracks in Caribbean and Gulf.  Here are regional TC probabilities for the next 15 days
https://twitter.com/cfanclimate/status/913115880409546752

We're tracking Hurricanes Maria & Lee and a new disturbance near Cuba that will impact Florida.
http://www.weatherboy.com/hurricane-action-atlantic/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1132 on: September 28, 2017, 02:24:53 AM »
Earlier today:

Current heat index in Puerto Rico is an even 100°F -- the 20th consecutive day of above normal temperatures.
1.5M people there have no water
https://twitter.com/ericholthaus/status/913141852332810241
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1133 on: September 28, 2017, 12:47:41 PM »
Texas has over $10 billion in a "rainy day fund" -- but refuses to give any of it to Houston to help the city recover from Hurricane Harvey.  The reason?  Pure politics:  the state is red, but the big cities are blue.

Even Hurricane Harvey Can’t Temper GOP Hostility Toward Texas’ Big Cities
https://www.texasobserver.org/hurricane-harvey-sylvester-turner-greg-abbott/amp/
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Daniel B.

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1134 on: September 28, 2017, 02:55:36 PM »
Earlier today:

Current heat index in Puerto Rico is an even 100°F -- the 20th consecutive day of above normal temperatures.
1.5M people there have no water
https://twitter.com/ericholthaus/status/913141852332810241

That does not appear to be unusual.  The average high this time of year is 88F, such that 84 in the afternoon is cooler than normal. 

Sigmetnow

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1135 on: September 28, 2017, 03:51:20 PM »
The pentagon has assigned a one-star Army general as "point person" for Maria relief efforts.

Quote
The Pentagon’s effort to date remains smaller than relief operations marshaled after other major natural disasters, including Katrina in 2005 and the 2013 typhoon that devastated the Philippines. In those cases, the military established a joint task force led by a three-star general. Critics of the response to Maria have called for the Pentagon to do so in Puerto Rico, too.

Trump administration rushes military assets to Puerto Rico amid growing crisis
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/trump-administration-surges-military-assets-to-puerto-rico-amid-growing-crisis/2017/09/27/43832750-a39e-11e7-8cfe-d5b912fabc99_story.html?utm_term=.d303a5ab1d7f


At last, this morning the White House signed a waiver of the Jones Act, lifting shipping restrictions -- not on its own initiative, but "as requested by the Governor of Puerto Rico."  And it will only be in effect for 10 days!

http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/28/politics/puerto-rico-governor-white-house-jones-act-waiver/index.html



Pentagon says there are currently about a combined 5,000 active-duty troops and National Guardsmen involved in Puerto Rico.

For context: 22,000 troops deployed to Haiti after the 2010 earthquake
24,000 deployed to Japan after the 2011 tsunami
And PR is in the USA.
https://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/status/913198744107175936
« Last Edit: September 28, 2017, 04:00:15 PM by Sigmetnow »
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1136 on: September 28, 2017, 07:47:57 PM »
Trump: 'A Lot Of Shippers' Don't Want Me To Waive The Jones Act To Help Puerto Rico
It appears he's considering an industry's profits over aid to 3.5 million Americans facing a humanitarian crisis.
Quote
WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he’s considering waiving the Jones Act for Puerto Rico ― an arguably outdated law that imposes exorbitant shipping costs on the island ― but tempered his support for it because he’s getting pushback from the shipping industry.

“We’re thinking about that,” he said at a White House press event. “But we have a lot of shippers and … a lot of people who work in the shipping industry that don’t want the Jones Act lifted. And we have a lot of ships out there right now.”

The 1920 law requires that all goods shipped between U.S. ports be carried by American-owned and operated ships, which are more expensive vessels than others in the global marketplace. That means Puerto Rico has to pay double the costs for goods from the U.S. mainland compared with neighboring islands ― and that U.S. vessels are making bank. The law costs Puerto Rico hundreds of millions of dollars every year, and now, in the midst of a humanitarian crisis, the costs to import food, fuel and other supplies will spike amid the island’s economic devastation.

Trump’s comments are a galling admission that he’s weighing an industry’s profits against the needs of 3.5 million Americans facing “apocalyptic” conditions in Puerto Rico. Most people there haven’t had water, power or cell service since Hurricane Maria decimated the island last week. Roads are washed away or covered in debris. Many Americans still haven’t heard from loved ones after a week, and at least 13 people have died.

Adding to the situation, it was just two weeks earlier that Hurricane Irma hit the island and caused up to $1 billion in damages.

The president’s comments suggest shipping professionals are telling him they’d rather keep their financial advantage over Puerto Rico in the midst of a life-threatening situation than cede money they arguably shouldn’t be getting in the first place. ...
http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_59cc281ee4b05063fe0ef7ec
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1137 on: September 28, 2017, 10:31:11 PM »
Calculating insured losses for the three recent hurricanes.

RMS Estimates Hurricane Harvey Insured Losses from Wind, Storm Surge and Inland Flood Damage will be Between USD $25 and $35 Billion - Risk Management Solutions
https://www.rms.com/newsroom/press-releases/press-detail/2017-09-09/rms-estimates-hurricane-harvey-insured-losses-from-wind-storm-surge-and-inland-flood-damage-will-be-between-usd-25-and-35-billion

Hurricane Harvey insured loss could be as high as $40 billion (inc NFIP), warns Morgan Stanley - Reinsurance News
https://www.reinsurancene.ws/hurricane-harvey-insured-loss-high-40-billion-inc-nfip-warns-morgan-stanley/

RMS Estimates Harvey Re/insurance Loss At Max $40 Billion (Including NFIP) | Seeking Alpha
https://seekingalpha.com/article/4105925-rms-estimates-harvey-re-insurance-loss-max-40-billion-including-nfip


RMS Estimates Hurricane Irma Insured Losses from Wind, Storm Surge and Inland Flood Damage will be Between USD $35 and $55 Billion - Risk Management Solutions
https://www.rms.com/newsroom/press-releases/press-detail/2017-09-20/rms-estimates-hurricane-irma-insured-losses-from-wind-storm-surge-and-inland-flood-damage-will-be-between-usd-35-and-55-billion


Insured Losses From Hurricane Maria Total $15-30 Bln-RMS
Quote
LONDON (Reuters) - Risk modelling firm RMS said on Thursday that it estimated insured losses from Hurricane Maria of $15-30 billion.

The estimate relates to wind damage, storm surge and inland flooding from the hurricane, with Puerto Rico and Dominica suffering the most destruction, RMS said in a statement.

Rival modelling firm AIR Worldwide earlier this week estimated insured losses for Maria, which hit the Caribbean last week, of $40-$85 billion.
https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2017-09-28/insured-losses-from-hurricane-maria-total-15-30-bln-rms
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1138 on: September 28, 2017, 10:38:23 PM »
Maria turns 2017 cat losses into a capital event for some reinsurers: Fitch
Quote
With every major catastrophe loss event it’s common to hear discussion of whether it will be a hit to reinsurer earnings, or to their capital. 2017 was running as a definite earnings impact to the majority of reinsurers, but the addition of a high loss estimate for hurricane Maria’s Caribbean impact has moved Fitch’s opinion and it now warns of the potential for rating actions.

“Given the magnitude of the Maria-estimated losses, we now believe that 2017 catastrophe losses will constitute a capital event for a number of (re)insurance companies, as opposed to just an earnings event,” Fitch Ratings explained yesterday.

Excess capital in the reinsurance sector will help to limit impact to solvency for most, but Fitch is warning that there could be some reinsurers that find themselves overexposed to the aggregation of 2017 major losses. ...
http://www.artemis.bm/blog/2017/09/27/maria-turns-2017-cat-losses-into-a-capital-event-for-some-reinsurers-fitch/
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logicmanPatrick

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1139 on: September 29, 2017, 01:03:57 AM »
While Puerto Ricans suffer, DT prattles on about 'taking a knee'.  (As an aside, 'to take a knee' is an ancient tradition showing much greater respect than to remain standing.)

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What every American needs to know about Puerto Rico’s hurricane disaster

Puerto Ricans have been citizens of the United States since 1917 ...

The island does not get electoral votes in general presidential elections. It also does not have voting representatives in Congress.

Quote
The Jones Act

... getting goods from the US mainland to Puerto Rico is much more expensive than sending them to Texas or even to other Caribbean islands as a result of a century-old man-made disaster that’s been crippling the island’s economy for a long time.

Meet the Jones Act, an obscure 1920 regulation that requires that goods shipped from one American port to another be transported on a ship that is American-built, American-owned, and crewed by US citizens or permanent residents.

I used to believe that the USA held in highest esteem this notion: No taxation without representation.



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Sigmetnow

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1140 on: September 29, 2017, 07:58:29 PM »
Eric Holthaus:  I've been calling, texting, & DMing with Puerto Ricans on the island and around the country.
Here are their stories:
https://grist.org/article/puerto-ricans-are-living-climate-change-right-now-heres-how-they-describe-it/

Yday, we published stories from P.R., 1wk after Maria.
Here's some of what was cut. Fair warning, it's heartbreaking
https://twitter.com/ericholthaus/status/913819223461367808
Twitter thread at the link.
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1141 on: September 29, 2017, 09:58:08 PM »
YES!!!

Tesla is sending hundreds of battery packs to power outage-ridden Puerto Rico
Quote
Now we learn that Tesla has been quietly shipping Powerwalls to Puerto Rico ever since the hurricane cleared. Bloomberg first reported yesterday and Tesla later confirmed to Electrek.

They have now sent ‘hundreds’ of battery packs to be paired with solar installations in the ravaged region in order to help restore power faster to a certain degree. ...
https://electrek.co/2017/09/29/tesla-powerwall-battery-packs-to-power-outage-ridden-puerto-rico/
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gerontocrat

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1142 on: September 29, 2017, 10:19:45 PM »
YES!!!

Tesla is sending hundreds of battery packs to power outage-ridden Puerto Rico

So Trump will not have to tell FEMA to send those shipments of coal after all ?
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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1143 on: September 29, 2017, 11:47:58 PM »
...Why Trump’s Response to Maria’s Monumental Strike on Puerto Rico is, Thus Far, Vastly Inadequate

https://robertscribbler.com/2017/09/29/reflections-of-opal-and-why-trumps-response-to-marias-monumental-strike-on-puerto-rico-is-thus-far-vastly-inadequate/#comments

Quote
As a veteran of the U.S. Army National Guard, I’ve responded to my fair share of natural disasters. And having responded to some of the costliest and most devastating storms to strike the U.S. in the 90s, I know what it means when damage estimates, as they do now with Maria, hit a range of 30-95 billion dollars. When you get reports that evacuees are fleeing Puerto Rico with many saying they will never return.

It means total devastation of infrastructure requiring an equally unprecedented level of response to effectively manage a disaster of a class that we are not presently used to dealing with. And without an effective response, you get exactly what we are seeing now — refugees fleeing what has become, through neglect, a sacrifice zone.

The present response to Maria by the Trump Administration is comparable to the level of response to Hurricane Opal. Opal was a devastating storm in its own right. But the damage inflicted by Opal was more than an order of magnitude less than the damage inflicted by Maria. Our response, therefore, must be equal to the level of harm and dislocation inflicted by the disaster.

5,000 troops and FEMA responders for Maria is, therefore, about 45,000 short of the mark.


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Sigmetnow

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1144 on: September 30, 2017, 01:58:02 PM »
Interview with a U.S. Congress Representative who has family in Puerto Rico.

"This made me cry. I can't say much more. #PuertoRico"
http://www.snappytv.com/tc/5917132

https://twitter.com/TheRickyDavila/status/913974616015728640
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1145 on: September 30, 2017, 01:59:24 PM »
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

gerontocrat

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1146 on: September 30, 2017, 02:15:07 PM »
Houston

An Absent EPA Climate Report, And A Tale Of Two Flooded Superfund Sites
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/09/29/553696314/an-absent-epa-climate-report-and-a-tale-of-two-flooded-superfund-sites
A posting for "Places Becoming Less Liveable" ?
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1147 on: September 30, 2017, 03:08:54 PM »
Houston

An Absent EPA Climate Report, And A Tale Of Two Flooded Superfund Sites
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/09/29/553696314/an-absent-epa-climate-report-and-a-tale-of-two-flooded-superfund-sites
A posting for "Places Becoming Less Liveable" ?

By definition, all Superfund sites are "less liveable." :o  But I agree that climate change weather extremes only exacerbate that risk!
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1148 on: September 30, 2017, 03:12:46 PM »
More (delayed) aid on the way!

'Not enough' troops, equipment in Puerto Rico, says general in charge of relief
Quote
The Defense Department has not sent enough troops and vehicles to hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico but will soon send more, according to the three-star general newly in charge of coordinating the military response.

Army Lt. Gen. Jeff Buchanan said Friday morning that the Pentagon has 10,000 people helping with the response after Hurricanes Irma and Maria ripped through Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands earlier this month.

"We're certainly bringing in more [troops]," Buchanan said on CNN's "New Day."

"For example, on the military side, we're bringing in both Air Force, Navy, and Army medical capabilities in addition to aircraft, more helicopters. ... [But] it's not enough, and we're bringing more in." ...
http://thehill.com/policy/defense/353137-not-enough-troops-equipment-in-puerto-rico-says-general-in-charge-of-relief
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Hurricane season 2017
« Reply #1149 on: October 01, 2017, 02:54:25 AM »
US Army says with more rain falling, engineers are trying to stabilize the Guajataca Dam spillway on Puerto Rico which "continues to erode".
https://twitter.com/BBCJamesCook/status/914201939969155072
More info at the link.
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