Trump to visit deluged Texas to survey response to Storm Harvey

[webfact]

Trump to visit deluged Texas to survey response to Storm Harvey

By Erwin Seba and Mica Rosenberg

 

Residents are rescued by a boat from rising flood waters from Tropical Storm Harvey in east Houston, Texas, U.S. August 28, 2017. REUTERS/Adrees Latif

 

HOUSTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump planned to visit Texas on Tuesday to survey the response to devastating Tropical Storm Harvey, the first major natural disaster of his White House tenure.

 

The slow-moving storm has brought catastrophic flooding to Texas, killed at least nine people, led to mass evacuations and paralysed Houston, the fourth most-populous U.S. city.

 

It had also roiled energy markets and caused damage estimated to be in the billions of dollars, with rebuilding likely to last beyond Trump's current four-year term in office.

 

“My administration is coordinating closely with state and local authorities in Texas and Louisiana to save lives, and we thank our first responders and all of those involved in their efforts,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday.

 

Trump was scheduled to arrive on Tuesday morning in Corpus Christi, near where Harvey came ashore on Friday as the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in more than 50 years. The president will later go to the Texas capital Austin to meet state officials, receive briefings and tour the emergency operation centre, the White House said.

 

Forecasters could only draw on a few comparisons to the storm, recalling Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans and killed 1,800 people in 2005.

 

The administration of then-President George W. Bush faced accusations that his response was slow and inadequate - criticism that dealt a serious blow to his presidency.

 

Flood damage in Texas from Hurricane Harvey may equal that from Katrina, one of the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history, an insurance research group said on Sunday.

 

In Texas, thousands of National Guard troops, police officers, rescue workers and civilians raced in helicopters, boats and high-water trucks to rescue the thousands stranded in the flooding, which turned streets into rivers and caused chest-high water build-ups in scores of neighbourhoods.

 

In Cypress, Texas, Kayla Harvey, 26, was monitoring Facebook, finding where people were stuck and organising friends with boats to go out and help. "This is just what we do for our community. We don't wait for someone to come and help we just go out and do it," she said.

 

The last Category 4 hurricane to make landfall in Texas since Harvey was Carla in 1961. It packed winds and rains that destroyed about 1,900 homes and nearly 1,000 businesses, the National Weather Service said.

 

RUNWAYS TURNED INTO LAKES

 

Among the most recent fatalities from Harvey was a family of two adults and four children who were believed to have drowned after the van they were in was swept away by floodwaters in Houston, authorities said on Monday.

 

A man drowned on Monday night trying to swim across flooded Houston-area roads, the Houston Chronicle reported the Montgomery County Constable's Office as saying.

 

Since coming ashore, Harvey has virtually stalled along the Texas coast, picking up warm water from the Gulf of Mexico and dumping torrential rain from San Antonio to Louisiana.

 

The Houston metro area has suffered some of the worst precipitation with certain areas expected to receive more than 50 inches (127 cm) of rain in a week, more than it typically receives for a year.

 

Harvey is expected to produce another 10 to 20 inches of rain through Thursday over parts of the upper Texas coast into southwestern Louisiana, the National Weather Service said.

 

"These stationary bands of tropical rain are very hard to time, very hard to place and are very unpredictable," said Alek Krautmann, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Louisiana.

 

Schools and office buildings were closed throughout the Houston metropolitan area, where 6.8 million people live.

 

The Federal Emergency Management Agency director, Brock Long, estimated that 30,000 people would eventually be housed temporarily in shelters.

 

Houston and Dallas have set up shelters in convention centres and Austin was preparing to house as many as 7,000 evacuees.

 

Hundreds of Houston-area roads were blocked by high water. The city's two main airports were shut as the floods turned runways into ponds and more than a quarter million customers were without power as of Tuesday morning.

 

The Gulf of Mexico is home to half of U.S. refining capacity. The reduction in supply led gasoline futures <RBc1> to hit their highest level in two years this week as Harvey knocked out about 13 percent of total U.S. refining capacity, based on company reports and Reuters estimates.

 

The floods could destroy as much as $20 billion in insured property, making the storm one of the costliest in history for U.S. insurers, Wall Street analysts say.

 

The Brazos River, one of the longest in the country, was forecast to crest at record highs well above flood levels on Tuesday about 30 miles (49 km) southwest of Houston, prompting authorities in Fort Bend County to order the evacuation of about 50,000 people.

 

(Additional reporting by Peter Henderson, Mica Rosenberg, Erwin Seba, Nick Oxford and Ruthy Munoz in Houston, Andy Sullivan in Rockport, Texas, Jon Herskovitz in Austin, Steve Holland and Jeff Mason in Washington and Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Writing by Jon Herskovitz and Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-08-29

[attrayant]

This is probably a good place to mention that Trump recently rescinded two of Obama's executive orders

 

EO 13653: Preparing the United States for the Impacts of Climate Change:

Quote

The impacts of climate change -- including an increase in prolonged periods of excessively high temperatures, more heavy downpours, an increase in wildfires, more severe droughts, permafrost thawing, ocean acidification, and sea-level rise -- are already affecting communities, natural resources, ecosystems, economies, and public health across the Nation. These impacts are often most significant for communities that already face economic or health-related challenges, and for species and habitats that are already facing other pressures. Managing these risks requires deliberate preparation, close cooperation, and coordinated planning by the Federal Government, as well as by stakeholders, to facilitate Federal, State, local, tribal, private-sector, and nonprofit-sector efforts to improve climate preparedness and resilience; help safeguard our economy, infrastructure, environment, and natural resources; and provide for the continuity of executive department and agency (agency) operations, services, and programs.

 

EO 13690: Establishing a Federal Flood Risk Management Standard [...]:

Quote

 

It is the policy of the United States to improve the resilience of communities and Federal assets against the impacts of flooding. These impacts are anticipated to increase over time due to the effects of climate change and other threats. Losses caused by flooding affect the environment, our economic prosperity, and public health and safety, each of which affects our national security.  The Federal Government must take action, informed by the best-available and actionable science, to improve the Nation's preparedness and resilience against flooding.

 

 

I'm sure the people of Houston will be grateful that Trump has freed them from the ravages of Obama's shameful executive overreach.

 

[mikecha]

well what will that bring to the people that again nearley lost everything or is he there to look at how he can make some money  building protective dikes maybe he can find the same company that is going to build the mexico wall and get a discount 

 

people themsleves can not even buy sand sacks or sand sold out they say

 

all his big Bla Bla America first    cant even control the anual tornedo  flodes  

spending billions on what he thinks  Korea needs better use in america first mr big 

[Jingthing]

No fan of the clown potus, but in this case, any president is damned if he does, and damned if he doesn't (visit the area).

 

I wouldn't hold it against any president for visiting the area so soon after such a disaster (this one is still very much actively happening), so I won't blame 45 either.

 

A special issue with him is that he's so horribly DIVISIVE. So what might normally be seen as a comforting mission won't be seen as so comforting to a significant percentage of the people suffering there now (particularly undocumented immigrants). 

 

 

Edited August 29, 2017 by Jingthing

[Opl]

citizens  vs politicians ... 

 

"Nearly 12 years ago, Texans opened their doors to the people of Louisiana when Hurricane Katrina devastated our state," Edwards said. "In 2016, Texas Taskforce 1 was dispatched to our state to provide support during the historic floods. We will do nothing less to support to the people of Texas in any way that we can as they respond and recover from Hurricane Harvey.”

http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/article_e8ff5e68-8b3b-11e7-8571-3b140e748015.html#tncms-source=infinity-scroll-summary-siderail-latest

 

This is the Cajun Navy, which is helping the people of Houston after Storm Harvey ""I can't look at somebody knowing that I have a perfect boat in my driveway to be doing this and to just sit at home," Jordy Bloodsworth told The Advocate. "I have every resource within 100 feet of me to help.” He was headed to Texas overnight on Sunday."

 http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/41082096/this-is-the-cajun-navy-which-is-helping-the-people-of-houston-after-storm-Harvey

 

( Cruz, voted against a federal disaster relief bill after Sandy ravaged the East Coast in October 2012 calling the measure “symptomatic of a larger problem in Washington – an addiction to spending money we do not have.” http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ted-cruz-calls-federal-flood-relief-texas-article-1.2238227

Edited August 29, 2017 by Opl

[pegman]

So who would you consider more qualified in a disaster? Bush's Brownie at FEMA or Trump's Carson at Housing? 

[Credo]

This should be a resounding success.   The area is a swamp filled with toxic material.   Trump should feel right at home.   

[rijb]

No worries.  He will keep his foot in his mouth, to avoid drowning.

[Jingthing]

Never mind mentioning the victims of the storm when you can crow about crowd size and sell campaign merch! 

 

http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/the-wrap/article/Trump-Can-t-Stop-Talking-About-Crowd-Sizes-12159027.php

 

Quote

 

Trump Can’t Stop Talking About Crowd Sizes… Even During a Hurricane

"What a crowd, what a turnout," president tells crowd in Corpus Christi

 

http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/the-wrap/article/Is-Trump-Using-His-Public-Office-to-Sell-Hats-12158982.php

 

Quote

“Wearing a campaign hat, @realDonaldTrump opens [a speech addressing hurricane victims] as if it was a campaign rally. Are we sure that it wasn’t?” the group wrote.

 

[pegman]

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

Never mind mentioning the victims of the storm when you can crow about crowd size and sell campaign merch! 

 

http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/the-wrap/article/Trump-Can-t-Stop-Talking-About-Crowd-Sizes-12159027.php

 

http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/the-wrap/article/Is-Trump-Using-His-Public-Office-to-Sell-Hats-12158982.php

 

 

Small hands syndrome.

[Silurian]

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

Never mind mentioning the victims of the storm when you can crow about crowd size and sell campaign merch! 

 

http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/the-wrap/article/Trump-Can-t-Stop-Talking-About-Crowd-Sizes-12159027.php

 

http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/the-wrap/article/Is-Trump-Using-His-Public-Office-to-Sell-Hats-12158982.php

 

 

 

Yes indeed. Donny John is all about product placement. Just one of many ways Donny John profits from being POTUS. Why not use a natural disaster to your advantage? I am sure all those displaced flood victims won't mind you making money off their hardship.

 

'The cap, which reads “USA,” is sold in red or white for $40 on the president’s re-election campaign website.'

 

Don't worry, all that campaign money will be put to good use paying for Donny John's and his families defense laywers.

 

Donald Trump Jr. paid attorney with funds from his father’s re-election campaign:

http://www.salon.com/2017/07/15/donald-trump-jr-paid-attorney-with-funds-from-his-fathers-re-election-campaign-report/

 

Edited August 30, 2017 by Silurian

[boomerangutang]

Trump can say, "Well, it's not so bad folks.  At least you're not on Jupiter, where they have the Red Spot storm which is hundreds of times bigger, and lasts for tens of thousands of years.   Gotta look at the silver lining, eh folks?  Hey, and thanks for voting for me in November.  I'm great, aren't I?  Did you ever think you'd have such a great president in your lifetime?   How 'bout that wall and crooked Hillary?  Aren't you glad I'm your president?  Of course you are.  Everybody says so."

[iReason]

Disaster Chic :

Aviator glasses in the rain and green bomber jacket. And product placement of course.

[Opl]

what will POTUS first response be, to help...? 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-08-27/harvey-s-cost-reaches-catastrophe-as-modelers-see-many-uninsured

" At least 80 percent of those affected by Harvey don’t carry flood insurance, said Chuck Watson, director of research and development at Enki Holdings. “It’s because if you’re not in a flood zone, chances are nobody even asked you if you want flood insurance. Only people in flood-risk areas who carry mortgages are required to buy insurance. Most buy policies backed by the federal government’s National Flood Insurance Program, which is already struggling with a nearly $25 billion debt."

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/29/trump-texas-hurricane-harvey-242148

 

Edited August 30, 2017 by Opl

[rijb]

15 minutes ago, Opl said:

what will POTUS first response be, to help...?

It will be the 'seagull' response.  Fly in, poop, fly out.

Edited August 30, 2017 by rijb

[Opl]

3 minutes ago, rijb said:

It will be the 'seagull' response.  Fly in, drop some poop, fly out.

"He praised his Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator, Brock Long, for becoming “famous” during his frequent TV appearances, talked repeatedly about the historic nature of the storm and marveled at adoring Texas residents who greeted him. “What a crowd, what a turnout,”

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/29/trump-texas-hurricane-harvey-242148

 

[rijb]

2 minutes ago, Opl said:

"He praised his Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator, Brock Long, for becoming “famous” during his frequent TV appearances, talked repeatedly about the historic nature of the storm and marveled at adoring Texas residents who greeted him. “What a crowd, what a turnout,”

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/29/trump-texas-hurricane-harvey-242148

 

He could have put that on Twitter and saved the taxpayers a lot of money.

[Scott]

An off-topic post has been removed.   There is a separate thread about Joe Arpaio.  

[Skeptic7]

Of course he had to go...it's the only thing he could do, but certainly he'd rather be any place other. Personally, don't see any possible comfort this buffoon could offer to any of the victims...only to those who will gain from this natural disaster.