From the warmest winter across the south and highest Gulf of Mexico surface temperatures on record, this could become the new normal. Wayne Gerdes – CleanMPG – Aug. 28, 2017 Prelude to Disaster Texas had gone 8 hurricane seasons without a direct hurricane strike, the second longest hurricane free streak for Texas since the mid-1850s. The current lack of hurricanes is concerning. In particular, the mid Texas coast area around Corpus Christi has gone 45 hurricane seasons without a strike within 50 miles. Through the winter months, the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) surface temps were the highest on record after an extremely warm winter from Corpus Christie, TX to Tampa, FL according to the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA). For the first time on record, the average GOM sea surface temperature did not fall below 73 degrees through the 2016-2017 winter period. A rule of thumb indicates that surface temps of 80 degrees or above provides enough energy for powerful Hurricanes to form. With the highest winter and spring surface temperatures on record, was this a harbinger of things to come? Just prior to moving into the current June 1 through November 30 Hurricane Season, the GOMs's average surface temperature between June 1 and July 17 were at their warmest for the time period since records began being recorded back in 1982, almost 2 degrees F above normal with coastline temperatures > 85 degrees F and some locations > 90 degrees F! So it Begins Warmer-than-normal surface temperatures can make hurricanes more intense and in the case of Harvey, the Tropical Storm built to a Category 4 Hurricane with winds between 130 to 156 mph in less than 36-hours. Harvey made landfall at 10 PM CDT Friday August 15, 2017 near Rockport, Texas, with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph. The Rain With few steering currents to move Harvey's low-pressure core up towards the Northeast, Hurricane Harvey stalled and in doing so, the warm Gulf temps continued to feed the Hurricane downgraded back to a Tropical Storm moisture had dumped the greatest amount of rain ever recorded from a single tropical storm or hurricane in the continental United States. Just moments ago, Southeast Houston announced that more than 51 inches of rain has fallen in that location from Hurricane turned Tropical Storm Harvey with an additional 6 to 12 inches of rain forecast. It Continues The carnage is not over by any means as Harvey headed back out into the Gulf and is scheduled to make landfall for a second time between Beaumont, TX and Lake Charles, LA tomorrow morning. Harvey's rain bands continue to batter Houston as levees never before challenged with this amount of water are being breached threatening America's fourth largest city further. To date, an estimated 10+ trillion gallon of water has fallen on South Texas since Harvey came ashore almost 4 days ago. Preliminary estimates of another 5 to 10 trillion more gallons of rain is forecast to fall before it is all over... The Aftermath This remains to be written. #PrayForTexas
Dear MoveOn member, Hurricane Harvey is shaping up to be "one of the worst flooding disasters in U.S. history."1 Huge swaths of the fourth-biggest city in the U.S. and surrounding counties are already underwater. Untold numbers of people are currently trapped in their homes. Hundreds of thousands are without electricity. Authorities can't even get around to fully assess the damage—much less to help everyone who needs aid.2 And more—much more—rain is still coming. More than two additional feet of water are expected by the end of the week. The National Weather Service tweeted that the event will be "unprecedented & all impacts are unknown & beyond anything experienced."3 This is an epic disaster for the people of Houston and other Gulf Coast communities. They desperately need help—both right now and after the waters recede and the news cameras leave. Will you chip in to help the people of Houston? MoveOn will cover the credit card fees, so that 100% of your tax-deductible donation will go directly to local organizations helping people in dire need. Yes, I'll chip in to help provide emergency relief to the people of Houston. The Red Cross, one of the most visible relief agencies, has faced significant criticism over its work after both Hurricane Sandy and the earthquake in Haiti.4 Local, community-based organizations do some of the most crucial relief work—providing meals, helping people find health care, distributing supplies, helping residents dig out, and supporting the recovery efforts after media attention has shifted. They're deeply woven into their communities and can help keep them from falling apart under this much stress. We've identified a relief effort that deserves our collective support—the Hurricane Harvey Community Relief Fund, which is spearheaded by the respected group Texas Organizing Project. Will you chip in now? Your tax-deductible contribution will go a long way, and MoveOn will cover 100% of the credit card fees, so that more of your money reaches folks in need. Yes, I'll chip in and help support Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts. In the aftermath of historic natural (and, at times, human-fueled) disasters—from Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy to earthquakes in Haiti and Nepal—MoveOn members have come together as a community to help fund emergency relief. Each time, we've donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to people in desperate need, while also continuing to fight the root causes that make these crises worse.5 Today, please join me in standing with the brave people of Houston, as they face down a living nightmare. Thanks for all you do. –Anna, Manny, Elsie, Scott, and the rest of the team Sources: 1. Tweet by Greg Postel, August 27, 2017 https://act.moveon.org/go/13115?t=11&akid=189001%2E12953332%2EzX5sAg 2. "Deluged Texas Braces for More Rain, and Years of Recovery," The New York Times, August 28, 2017 https://act.moveon.org/go/13123?t=13&akid=189001%2E12953332%2EzX5sAg 3. Tweet by the National Weather Service, August 27, 2017 https://act.moveon.org/go/13124?t=15&akid=189001%2E12953332%2EzX5sAg 4. "The Corporate Takeover Destroying The Red Cross," ProPublica, December 14, 2015 http://act.moveon.org/go/13125?t=17&akid=189001%2E12953332%2EzX5sAg 5. "How climate change makes hurricanes worse," Vox, August 28, 2017 https://act.moveon.org/go/13116?t=20&akid=189001%2E12953332%2EzX5sAg Want to do even more? MoveOn is covering the credit card fees for all donations to the Hurricane Harvey Community Relief Fund from this emergency appeal. Will you chip in a little bit to MoveOn, to help defray those expenses?
There have been chemical plant explosions. About 1/3rd of this country's oil refineries have been affected - and may well be offline for a while. There apparently was a level 4 bio hazard lab located in Galveston.
There was one case related to chemicals that needed to be kept cool, and power failed in so many ways. Multiple generator backups were submerged. They were just waiting for things to blow in yesterday's report. One aspect I hadn't thought about before is the impact on cars, and especially those left on new car lots. I wouldn't want to see the insurance bill on those alone. Also buyer beware!
Beware at the gas pump too-prices are going up quite a bit. Maybe I'll keep the Prius after all. Was hoping for something that could get out of its own way, but this isn't the time.
Before you donate to one of the leading "charities" you may want to consider where some of your money goes. http://templestream.blogspot.com/2016/12/list-of-17-ceo-salaries-of-charities.html
Charity Navigator provides useful ratings of how effective charities are and how much of your money goes to actual giving.
Right - the Red Cross is essentially a for-profit blood supply company, with a disaster charity tacked on.
Right I my take(educated guess after eyeballing various written "stuff") is CO2 man released-from 280ppm to 400ppm in the last 150 or so years- is warming the planet 1)is expanding the ocean water-raising ocean levels-little argument that ocean levels-sea levels are rising 2) melting land ice-raising ocean levels-ditto above 3) changing the PH of the ocean-dropping-CO2 becomes H2CO3(CARBONIC ACID)-who knows what that will bring 4) Warming the oceans/gulfs/ with results -who knows-change for sure-man isn't great at responding to abrupt change 5) probably changing rainfall patterns-how where more less is to be decided-could be a huge problem for large scale agriculture 6)probably changing insect populations-microbe populations(fungi- like what happened to the Micks 1845-potato rot- and various Euros populations with the strange pathogenic fungal toxins-vasospasms-losing fingers toes going crazy being accused of witch craft- rye fungi were the most famous-but safe bet it was all cereal crops) On the Bright side- 1)more CO2 could increase crop yields in some places 2) slightly longer growing season-a plus(if the warm weather bugs don't move N S to eat them) 3) maybe parts of Russia will be warmer-but melting permafrost in the far north will make it impassable Hard to believe simple clear science is being made a test of "faith" Right Left etc "Greed-love of money" ha,ha- JC only physically attacked one group-"bankers money changers"- "Nothing new under the sun" bible or WS I guess
I was an operational meteorologist at the Brownsville office of the National Weather Service (BRO) in August of 1999 in a somewhat similar scenario. A disorganized area of convection moved off the Yucatan Peninsula into the Gulf of Mexico similar to "Harvey". The area of convection quickly organized into a tropical storm before becoming a category 4 strength hurricane ("Bret" - max sustained winds of 145 mph at one point) as it made landfall between Brownsville and Corpus Christi. Fortunately, the direct hit occurred in a sparely populated area of Texas (Kenedy County), so damage was mainly limited to uprooted trees, etc. I remember the models were initially bringing Bret up the mouth of the Rio Grande, which would have devastated Brownsville and surrounding communities. Fortunately, the models were wrong in that case. As I recall, the Gulf of Mexico sea surface temperatures (SST) were as much as two degrees C warmer than normal (warm anomaly) similar to the scenario with Harvey. Even the satellite images looked similar (very well-defined eye). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Bret
wxman Thanks-interesting stuff something to "nothing new under the sun" just like it says in the Bible or WS I guess- Harvey-mostly a rain event In your experience Just how common is a 50 inches in 6 days rain event on the Gulf Coast? I remember a famous MAY 1995 rain event in NOLA- "some" parts of metro NOLA claimed 20 inches in 24 hours but my guess is the actual average over metro NOLA was under 10 inches in 24 hours-lotta rain of course NOLA did have plenty of street house flooding from that rain- nowhere near what Houston Beaumont just got-but bad Obviously nothing like Katrina-with the Gulf of Mexico surging 10-12 feet- undermining from the back over topped flood walls and scouring from the water side other flood walls-then pushing them over Many of our flood walls- heavy steel pilings-were in berms and were only pounded a few feet below canal bottom water level(over time the canals had been deepened-Corp of engineers weren't fools they did the best they could with the money they had at the time)- local considerations caused the canals to be deepened-not Army Corps of Engineers(I think) The flood walls I think were a response to Betsy-1965-killed 150 people in 9th ward-flooding The new pilings-are 30-50-70 feet below canal bottoms-and maybe 20-30 feet above sea level I think the claim is they can take a 12 foot storm surge(maybe CAT 3 or so depending on direction time etc)
50 inches is of course a very extreme event. The track of "Harvey" was very unusual. However, according to "Weather Underground" ( https://www.wunderground.com/ ), event total precipitation is not unprecedented. Here is a chart of record rainfall rates as measured over specific periods of time. So according to Weather Underground, a 4-day total of 62" in Hawaii is that record over that period of time. Keep in mind however that a very tiny portion of the earth's surface is actually sampled at any given time.
Don't know about the coast but 50 inches up where I am (I'm about an hour, give or take, from Andrew, FWIW, and a solid 3-4hr nearly due north of Houston) would be monumental. An inch, maybe 1.25"/hr for a few hours is bad enough. The sandy soil absorbs quickly but gets saturated quickly as well. My back yard is a focal point of neighborhood runoff, so personally 50" would basically cause ruin. Also FWIW, Hurricane Rita's remnants over a decade ago were a bigger deal than Harvey up where I am
Same here with Rita. We had serious wind. This one? Almost nothing. I would be ok from the rain, but my pond is the collection point for the neighborhood. It would likely blow out the dam and cause havoc downstream. Last spring the bridge crossing it a half mile downstream washed out, and that was with inches of rain, not feet.
Toyota Provides $3 million in Relief for Hurricane Harvey Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) is partnering with Toyota Financial Services (TFS), The Friedkin Group, Gulf States Toyota (GST) and Toyota and Lexus dealers nationwide, to provide a combined relief effort of over $3 million to serve the people impacted by Hurricane Harvey. The group’s relief efforts include funds to organizations such as the St. Bernard Project and American Red Cross, matching contributions, in-kind donations, volunteerism, and the donation of pre-owned vehicles. Dan Friedkin, chairman of GST, has established the Friedkin Disaster Relief Fund and has guaranteed at least $1 million in funding from the Friedkin Family. The Friedkin Group and GST will support Toyota and Lexus dealers, their associates as well as individuals across the region recovering from the hurricane. To make a donation, please go to: Friedkin Disaster Relief Fund. Toyota Financial (TFS) and Lexus Financial Services (LFS) announced the donation of pre-owned Toyota and Lexus cars, SUVs, and trucks to organizations involved in helping move people and property in the recovery efforts. Toyota is working in a variety of ways to reach the greatest number of people affected by the storm, summarized below: American Red Cross – As a National Responder annual contributor, Toyota supports Red Cross’ ongoing disaster relief efforts across the country, including the Texas coastal region. These efforts include helping secure necessities like food, clothing, prescriptions, etc. St. Bernard Project (SBP) – Provides disaster resilience training and rebuilding in disaster communities, and are currently deploying people in South Texas. Some of the services they provide include: helping victims to negotiate Federal dollars and relief, avoid contractor fraud, and education on mold remediation. In the long-term, they will deploy volunteers and AmeriCorps to rebuild homes at a lower cost. With the implementation of the Toyota Production System, their teams build faster and more cost effectively. SBP’s goal is to help build the capacity of local agencies, non-profits and government by sharing best practices and lessons learned to speed recovery efforts. Toyota will provide an additional donation of $1 million to this project for Hurricane Harvey. TFS/LFS Payment Relief Program – TFS/LFS is offering a payment relief program for its customers affected by Hurricane Harvey. The program’s broad outreach includes any TFS or LFS customer in the designated disaster areas. Impacted lease and finance customers residing in the devastated areas may be eligible to take advantage of several payment options, such as extensions and lease deferred payments, redirecting billing statements, and arranging phone or on-line payments. Customers who would like to discuss their account options are encouraged to contact TFS or LFS: TFS: (800) 874-8822; email using “Mail Center” function after logging into Toyota Financial LFS: (800) 874-7050; email using “Mail Center” function after logging into Lexus Financial TFS/LFS Vehicle Donations – Pre-owned Toyota and Lexus vehicles will be made available to help move people and property as part of the recovery efforts. TMNA/Friedkin Group Dealer Match Program – For Toyota and Lexus dealers who want to contribute to The Friedkin Group Relief Fund, TMNA has set aside up to $250,000 to match Toyota/Lexus dealer contributions. JM Family / Southeast Toyota Distributors (SET) – JM Family, parent company to SET, is making a $100,000 donation to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. TMNA Dealer Match Program – For Toyota and Lexus dealers who want to contribute to relief efforts and charitable organizations of their choice tied to Hurricane Harvey, TMNA will match their contribution up to $10,000. Toyota Team Member Contributions – Toyota will match all team member contributions throughout the U.S. in support of disaster relief. Evacuee shelters in Dallas – TMNA and TFS is exploring how to engage its Plano-based team members to meet the needs of evacuees – such as clothing, toiletries and/or volunteer support at locations like the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center in Dallas, Texas. Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas – While not in the heart of the storm, the San Antonio area sustained high winds and drenching rains from the outer edge of the tropical storm after it made landfall. Team Members at the manufacturing plant are organizing to volunteer in the local community, blood drives, and provide in-kind donations to displaced people.
Ford Provides More Than $3.5 Million to Hurricane Relief Ford and its dealers acted to aid Hurricane Harvey victims by committing millions of dollars in relief funds and offering special assistance to those who need to replace lost or destroyed vehicles. Ford has launched multiple initiatives to assist in the relief efforts, including committing more than $3.5 million in relief funds. These actions include: Ford Motor Company Fund is contributing $500,000 to disaster relief efforts in Texas. This includes contributions to the American Red Cross, The Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, Team Rubicon, Toolbank and the purchase of four Chariot Transit Vans that will also support the relief effort Texas-area Ford dealers already have donated $200,000 to disaster relief organizations via the Cowboys-Texans telethon and have committed to raising more than $1 million to go toward helping dealership employees and local charities. Ford will match this effort up to a total of $1.5 million in relief to designated community relief charities Ford is announcing a special customer assistance bundle, “Texas Is Family,” to assist customers with a loss claim to meet their immediate vehicle needs: “Texas Is Family” customer assistance bundle The same no-haggle, below-invoice price as Ford employees and their families receive No payments until next year Low Ford Credit APR or lease rates Simple online application process Existing customers affected by Hurricane Harvey can apply to have their payments deferred for up to two months by contacting Ford Credit or Lincoln Automotive Financial Services online, at Ford Credit or Lincoln Credit, by or phone at 800.723.4016 or by using the FordPass smartphone app. First responders in hurricane-affected areas are eligible to receive a special $1,000 discount (in addition to all available incentives) toward the purchase of any Ford or Lincoln vehicle’ Ford has 114 dealerships in the Houston region. Currently, 101 remain open, 13 are closed and 10 (some open and some closed) have incurred extensive damage. While assessments are still under way, Ford expects dealer vehicle losses to be in the low thousands and isolated to a few dealers.
FCA US and the FCA Foundation Support Hurricane Harvey Relief Efforts As Texas continues to recover from unprecedented flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey, FCA US LLC and the FCA Foundation have partnered with disaster relief organizations to support residents and communities affected by the storm. The FCA Foundation, the charitable arm of FCA US, announced a total of $200,000 in grants to three disaster relief organizations that provide resources in communities across the country. Americares will receive $50,000 and First Response Team of America and Team Rubicon will each receive $75,000. All three organizations are currently providing disaster relief support to the residents of Texas. Americares is focused on meeting the immediate health needs of those affected by the storm. The organization is well positioned to provide the critical medicines and supplies needed and help restore health services to the area. Team Rubicon has activated three floodwater rescue teams in Operation Shallow Draft, focused on Galveston and Harris counties. Additionally, two reconnaissance teams will work with local authorities in Victoria and Nueces counties to assess the situation and begin to determine where Team Rubicon can answer unmet needs. First Response Team of America is currently working in Rockport and Aransas Pass, Texas, clearing roads for first responders to do search and rescue, and for those areas where it is safe to return. The team is also clearing the way for homeowners to come back to their homes, assisting with clearing home sites and will soon head to Houston to do the same. FCA US Employees in Michigan and Indiana Donate Essential Items FCA US through its Motor Citizens employee volunteer program is partnering with Disaster Relief at Work (DRAW) to collect cleaning supplies at the Company’s Auburn Hills (Michigan) Complex. The Motor Citizens will also help sort and package the supplies at DRAW’s warehouse in Waterford, Mich. FCA US is also rallying its Southeast Michigan employees to “Stuff A Semi” – an initiative led by a group of local concerned businesses. Subsequently, the Houston Flood Relief Agency will ensure the donated toiletries, clothing and other essentials supplies are delivered to those in need. Additionally, FCA US employees in Indiana are donating non-perishable food and toiletries to support the Midwest Food Bank Indianapolis, which will facilitate the delivery of the supplies to Texas.
Honda Pledges $100,000 for Hurricane Harvey Relief Efforts The Honda family of companies in the U.S. has pledged $100,000 to the American Red Cross in support of Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. The pledge will consist of a corporate contribution as well as a matching gift program for individual Honda associate contributions. Honda is working with the American Red Cross to establish two websites where associates can contribute via credit card directly to the Red Cross, which will then be matched dollar-for-dollar by the company. These sites are currently under development and will be ready this week. Honda is also inviting its dealers, retirees, suppliers, partners and contingent workforce to join in supporting the Hurricane Harvey relief effort. Honda wants to provide them with an opportunity to join us in the effort to alleviate the suffering of those affected by the storm. These contributions will be accepted at a third website, "Friends of Honda and Acura," which will also be available later this week. These contributions will not be matched by the company. The Hurricane Harvey natural disaster is a changing and dynamic situation, and responders in the area are working to assess needs as they arise. In addition to its pledge of $100,000 made during the ongoing emergency response phase, Honda is working with the American Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to assess the need for additional assistance and explore opportunities for Honda to donate products such as generators and water pumps during the ensuing recovery phase. In response to the storm, the American Honda Finance Corp. Central Region office in Dallas is fully engaged in offering loan extensions to those in need of that assistance. They are also significantly curtailing collection activities in the areas, and are working with both our automobile and motorcycle dealerships that are in need of assistance.
