Hurricane Harvey could be a defining moment for Trump's presidency.

[Paranoid Android]

https://www.apnews.com/83e6782d48e04993a741b834771c078b

So...House budget apparently cuts $1B from FEMA to pay for the wall...that timing sure is awkward.

I posted this back a page or two ago.

The Fema cuts were to PAY FOR THE WALL.

[Redwyrm]

The right wing past reorientation machine is in full swing again. Now they are convincing their followers that Trump is handling the response to Harvey way batter than Obama did during Katrina (because he was golfing).

I kid you not. I would post the tweets if I knew the code.

[Paranoid Android]

Republican TX Rep Brian Babin trapped by Harvey inside his house.

Oh, and don't suggest this is karma for voting against the Sandy bill. He wasn't elected till 2015. This is just "it can happen to anyone".

Umm with as made idiots tweeting about Obama and Katrina. Let's just go with this guy voted against the Sandy's bill.

I honestly hope most of Obama/Katrina tweets are trolls and not real people.

[Belize]

Update from Beaumont resident: there's a near constant droning of helicopters overhead. Mostly stopped raining at least. Finally.

[Garnier Fructis]

I posted this back a page or two ago.

The Fema cuts were to PAY FOR THE WALL.

On the bright side, it mentions that R leaders are expected to scrap the cuts because they realize it would be politically shooting themselves in the foot right now.

[Thepersona]

On the bright side, it mentions that R leaders are expected to scrap the cuts because they realize it would be politically shooting themselves in the foot right now.

It wouldn't be only that. It would be like to shoot yourself in the foot.
With a 12 gauge shotgun
With incendiary rounds
While you're drenched in napalm

[Breccia]

Okay I don't get this.

General who oversaw Katrina relief rips federal response to Harvey

The commanding officer who led the federal response to Hurricane Katrina blasted current relief efforts in Louisiana and Texas following Hurricane Harvey, warning on Wednesday that officials were unprepared for the scope of the disaster.

"In Katrina, we had 40,000 National Guard [troops], 240 helicopters on the fourth day," retired Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré told CNN. "They just got 100 helicopters in Texas. Something is significantly wrong in our command and control."

"They need to stop patting each other on the back while these poor people are out here waiting to be rescued," he added.

Honoré told CNN that the disaster caused by Harvey was "a lot bigger" than the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, which in 2004 left more than 1,200 dead and caused $108 billion in damages.
"This is a lot bigger. I went out on a boat this morning in this very same community right here. This is huge," Honoré told CNN. "After Katrina, the air elements and air component of northern command created a significant grid system for search and rescue."

"I don't know where that is," he said. "It didn't look like anybody in Texas had ever read the plan."

I thought the rescue attempts were going well. There have been at most a few dozen reported deaths. Is there a reason to field more people? The Navy is out there already.

[Crissi]

oh BTW, gas stations are already running out of gas even outside the hard hit area. I'm in DFW and none of my stations had gas. I'm at a quarter tank left and no new shipments before monday according to the people at the stations.

So yay for gasmergency....

[Ripster42]

The right wing past reorientation machine is in full swing again. Now they are convincing their followers that Trump is handling the response to Harvey way batter than Obama did during Katrina (because he was golfing).

I kid you not. I would post the tweets if I knew the code.

You can either post links to the page, or get an image and post it here. Even if you don't know the code you can click on the buttons up top when you reply. The globe with the SNES controller is links (highlight a phrase and then click the globe and it will make the phrase a link that looks like this). The picture is pictures. The film reel is for videos. Just paste the address in the prompt that comes up.

[Edge-]

Okay I don't get this.

General who oversaw Katrina relief rips federal response to Harvey



I thought the rescue attempts were going well. There have been at most a few dozen reported deaths. Is there a reason to field more people? The Navy is out there already.

Yeah, that's a bit perplexing to me. Everything else I've read indicates that while there are definitely still folks who need help, and many who have reached shelter could have benefited from help much earlier, that the loss of life is dramatically lower and the response from state/federal authorities is much better. The bigger issues are Harvey hitting Louisiana and more importantly the recovery afterwards - lots of folks without flood insurance and I know the federal agency that handles a lot of flood insurance flat-out doesn't have the money to potentially cover costs.

I mean yeah, there's a lot of back-patting going on (largely Trump patting himself on the back), but if that's pretty fucking irrelevant to the actual relief efforts.

[Breccia]

oh BTW, gas stations are already running out of gas even outside the hard hit area. I'm in DFW and none of my stations had gas. I'm at a quarter tank left and no new shipments before monday according to the people at the stations.

Is it even safe to transport the stuff? I would think a spill right now would be the last thing anyone needs.

[Crissi]

Is it even safe to transport the stuff? I would think a spill right now would be the last thing anyone needs.

Certainly not. The Houston area is where all the big refineries are, so we prob need to get stuff from out of state

Wish I had refueled sooner >.<

[Breccia]

Certainly not. The Houston area is where all the big refineries are, so we prob need to get stuff from out of state

Wish I had refueled sooner >.<

Sorry man. Stay safe out there.

- - - Updated - - -

Estimations to Harvey damage go up to $90 billion.

[Masark]

Estimations to Harvey damage go up to $90 billion.

I think you pasted in the wrong link there.

[Breccia]

I think you pasted in the wrong link there.

Yeah Axios scrolls funny. Should be okay now.

- - - Updated - - -

In addition to closed refineries, now we have a spill of tens of thousands of gallons of crude to deal with.

Hoo boy.

- - - Updated - - -

Mexico and Houston cut out the middleman.

Mexico's Red Cross Delivers Aid to Storm-Ravaged Houston

Mexico's Red Cross sent an envoy of volunteers to storm-devastated Houston on Wednesday, hours after Texas governor Greg Abbott said the state accepted an offer of aid from the Mexican government, including vehicles, boats, supplies and food.

At least 25 people have been killed and tens of thousands driven from their homes after Harvey came ashore on Friday near Corpus Christi as the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in more than half a century, swamping Houston with record rains and flooding.

The support from Mexico's Red Cross, a non-government agency, is separate from the official aid offer.

The convoy of 33 English-speaking volunteers left from Mexico City for Texas, where they plan to work in Houston shelters for 20 days before being replaced by a fresh crop of volunteers.

Abbott said his state would accept the offer of assistance from neighboring Mexico as Harvey, now a tropical depression, spun across southeastern Texas into Louisiana on Wednesday, sending more people fleeing for shelter.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson thanked Mexico's Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray, who was visiting Washington, for the offer of assistance.

"They've offered a wide range of assistance coordinating with the governor down in Texas and also through FEMA, but very generous of Mexico to offer their help at this very, very challenging time for our citizens down in Texas and now moving toward the border with Louisiana," said Tillerson. "So thank you very much, Mr. Secretary."

Also:

The Mexican government has not yet said when its aid will arrive, but has suggested they are willing to repeat an aid mission to Hurricane Katrina-ravaged New Orleans in 2005, when the Mexican army sent 200 troops with food, water and medicine.

It was the first Mexican military operation on U.S. soil in 90 years.

- - - Updated - - -

Explosions, black smoke rising at chemical plant damaged in Hurricane Harvey: Officials

This is the plant I mentioned before. It lost power, therefore refrigeration, of some volatile stuff.

- - - Updated - - -

Ugh. Never thought I'd have to say this.

Trump is proving to be more competent in the Texas disaster than Pence. Trump, while saying some stupid shit and using the storm as a political smokescreen, did offer Texas basically whatever it wants, and even the Navy is there to help.

Pence is leading a prayer.

Score one for Twitler. Never thought his blatant lack of, or even contempt for, religion would actually make him better at something.

[cubby]

oh BTW, gas stations are already running out of gas even outside the hard hit area. I'm in DFW and none of my stations had gas. I'm at a quarter tank left and no new shipments before monday according to the people at the stations.

So yay for gasmergency....

Whoa - DFW area with no gas until Monday? That nuts. Seriously.

Ironic though that Texas is the oil state.

[Kujako]

Ugh. Never thought I'd have to say this.

Trump is proving to be more competent in the Texas disaster than Pence. Trump, while saying some stupid shit and using the storm as a political smokescreen, did offer Texas basically whatever it wants, and even the Navy is there to help.

Pence is leading a prayer.

Score one for Twitler. Never thought his blatant lack of, or even contempt for, religion would actually make him better at something.

Well, remember that Pence wanted to block pay outs on flood insurance for Sandy. So... yeah.

[Crissi]

Whoa - DFW area with no gas until Monday? That nuts. Seriously.

Ironic though that Texas is the oil state.

yeah. THen you remember most fo the oil refinerys wetre in the place that was hit and may be closed for awhile...

13 refineries are closed so far. blaahh. At least Pery opened up the reserves a bit. 500k may help.

[cubby]

yeah. THen you remember most fo the oil refinerys wetre in the place that was hit and may be closed for awhile...

13 refineries are closed so far. blaahh. At least Pery opened up the reserves a bit. 500k may help.

Of course, that does make sense - I was just going for the easy laugh. I'm sorry you're going to get hit with some of this fallout. That sucks.

[Belize]

Someone needs to kick Pence in the dick, then tell him Beaumont is full of LGBT. I'm sure he'd fix the power grid right up.