Harvey

[DMX7]

902596087432830976


:lol

[RandomGuy]

those things have turned burnet into a hellish drive from 4-7pm.

Pretty much describes all of Austin.

Can't have density without lots of public transit.

[RandomGuy]

How a Texas bowling alley became a beacon of hope after Harvey's deluge

ORT ARTHUR, Texas — Adults chatted next to the bowling balls as kids ran around the video game arcade. Loudspeakers barked out names to come to the front desk, where white shoes in varying sizes were lined up in neat rows.

The bowling alley was full. Not of bowlers, but of survivors.

"We're all here," said Reyna Flores, 31, of the nearby town of Groves, one of 19 people of her extended family sheltering in the bowling alley, where they had slept on the hard wooden floors in front of the lanes, arranged around the ball-return machines.

Thursday morning brought an unusual visitor to the Gulf Coast town of Port Arthur: the sun. Unfortunately, daylight revealed the same sights of flooded neighborhoods that have become the hallmark of Tropical Storm Harvey's rampage across huge swaths of Texas.

All those homes had been filled with people who had to escape to somewhere. In Port Arthur, one of those somewheres was the Max Bowl bowling alley, one of the unlikeliest evacuation centers of the disaster.

The whole setup happened by accident — or, more accurately, by necessity. As floodwaters rampaged through the town Tuesday night, Max Bowl's general manager, Jeff Tolliver, got a phone call: Someone had jimmied the lock on the alley's doors and people had come inside.

By the time Tolliver arrived the next day, 600 to 800 flood survivors had filled the building, along with their pets: dogs, cats, iguanas and one monkey.

The bowling alley's parking lot had been a staging area for boat rescuers to drop off flood survivors. But so much of the town was flooded, they had nowhere else to go. When it started pouring rain again, the survivors took shelter inside.

Tolliver sized up the situation. Then he rose to the occasion.

Max Bowl, still partially surrounded by floodwaters, would become an evacuation center.

By Thursday, evacuees had organized themselves into an amateur version of the Red Cross, sorting donations and handing out supplies.

"You need some socks?" asked one survivor-turned-volunteer, Brigitte Duplechain, 55, standing behind the shoe-rental counter as a survivor came up. He nodded, and she handed over a fresh pair.

Thousands of donated water bottles were stacked like ziggurats by the front doors. Mounds of donated clothes were stacked just inside, where someone was trying organize them into neat piles. A pontoon boat came bearing a stack of mattresses. EMTs set up a medical office.

Some survivors volunteered to keep the bowling alley clean, including its bathrooms.

"These guys haven't stopped working," Tolliver said, marveling at their work. "I asked if these guys are retired" — because he wanted to hire them.


...


http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/how-a-texas-bowling-alley-became-a-beacon-of-hope-after-harveys-deluge/ar-AAr3Thj?li=BBnb7Kx&ocid=spartanntp#image=AAr3Thj_1|6

[Blake]

How a Texas bowling alley became a beacon of hope after Harvey's deluge

ORT ARTHUR, Texas — Adults chatted next to the bowling balls as kids ran around the video game arcade. Loudspeakers barked out names to come to the front desk, where white shoes in varying sizes were lined up in neat rows.

The bowling alley was full. Not of bowlers, but of survivors.

"We're all here," said Reyna Flores, 31, of the nearby town of Groves, one of 19 people of her extended family sheltering in the bowling alley, where they had slept on the hard wooden floors in front of the lanes, arranged around the ball-return machines.

Thursday morning brought an unusual visitor to the Gulf Coast town of Port Arthur: the sun. Unfortunately, daylight revealed the same sights of flooded neighborhoods that have become the hallmark of Tropical Storm Harvey's rampage across huge swaths of Texas.

All those homes had been filled with people who had to escape to somewhere. In Port Arthur, one of those somewheres was the Max Bowl bowling alley, one of the unlikeliest evacuation centers of the disaster.

The whole setup happened by accident — or, more accurately, by necessity. As floodwaters rampaged through the town Tuesday night, Max Bowl's general manager, Jeff Tolliver, got a phone call: Someone had jimmied the lock on the alley's doors and people had come inside.

By the time Tolliver arrived the next day, 600 to 800 flood survivors had filled the building, along with their pets: dogs, cats, iguanas and one monkey.

The bowling alley's parking lot had been a staging area for boat rescuers to drop off flood survivors. But so much of the town was flooded, they had nowhere else to go. When it started pouring rain again, the survivors took shelter inside.

Tolliver sized up the situation. Then he rose to the occasion.

Max Bowl, still partially surrounded by floodwaters, would become an evacuation center.

By Thursday, evacuees had organized themselves into an amateur version of the Red Cross, sorting donations and handing out supplies.

"You need some socks?" asked one survivor-turned-volunteer, Brigitte Duplechain, 55, standing behind the shoe-rental counter as a survivor came up. He nodded, and she handed over a fresh pair.

Thousands of donated water bottles were stacked like ziggurats by the front doors. Mounds of donated clothes were stacked just inside, where someone was trying organize them into neat piles. A pontoon boat came bearing a stack of mattresses. EMTs set up a medical office.

Some survivors volunteered to keep the bowling alley clean, including its bathrooms.

"These guys haven't stopped working," Tolliver said, marveling at their work. "I asked if these guys are retired" — because he wanted to hire them.


...


http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/how-a-texas-bowling-alley-became-a-beacon-of-hope-after-harveys-deluge/ar-AAr3Thj?li=BBnb7Kx&ocid=spartanntp#image=AAr3Thj_1|6

:cry but we don't have showers

-Osteen

[ducks]

Tech billionaire Michael Dell pledges $36 million to Harvey relief efforts
http://money.cnn.com/2017/09/01/technology/michael-dell-harvey-donation/index.html?iid=ob_homepage_tech_pool

[ducks]

A huge thanks to #Dbacks fans for helping us raise $372,923 this week through the 50/50 Raffle for the Hurricane Harvey relief efforts.

[ducks]

http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/01/us/jj-watt-hurricane-harvey-anderson-cooper-cnntv/index.html

[Thread]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DIpN2A0UMAA11Sl.jpg

[boutons_deux]

Stricter building rules, supported by Obama but rejected by Trump, helped certain Harvey-hit communities

As Hurricane Harvey pummeled the Gulf coast in Texas, the

city of Seabrook had an edge over flood-swamped nearby towns

and the devastation in Houston, just a half-hour drive away.

Years ago,

the city imposed higher elevation standards for buildings that were stricter than existing federal guidelines on construction in flood-prone areas.

Before leaving office, President Barack Obama sought to toughen those national rules, to bring them more in line with those in communities like Seabrook. President Donald

Trump, however, revoked Obama’s executive order last month.

Harvey, which has displaced around a million people and flooded swaths of Houston, has proven an early test of that decision.

Floodplain experts wrote to Trump this week, urging him to rethink his reversal of Obama’s order.

“As we come to the conclusion of Harvey, we have suffered some damage to our community, but not to the extent that some of our neighboring communities have. That is partly because of our (elevation) requirement,” said Seabrook deputy city manager, Sean Landis.

Although Obama’s order had not yet come into effect when Trump rescinded it, some communities had been concerned about the cost of elevating existing buildings to comply with the new rules. But Landis said more stringent rules have paid off in Seabrook.

“We feel more resilient,” he said.

http://www.rawstory.com/2017/09/stricter-building-rules-supported-by-obama-but-rejected-by-trump-helped-certain-harvey-hit-communities/ (http://www.rawstory.com/2017/09/stricter-building-rules-supported-by-obama-but-rejected-by-trump-helped-certain-harvey-hit-communities/)

I remember a few years ago when the lake-front residents on Lake McQueeney wanted taxpayers to pay for elevating their flood-zone houses. :lol

[Blake]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DIpN2A0UMAA11Sl.jpg

"What a turnout!"

-Trump

[boutons_deux]

Pretty much describes all of Austin.

Can't have density without lots of public transit.

and the best public transit for large, high-density cities is underground, not surface. Of course buses and regional light rail play significant roles.

Public, rail transport in USA has been blocked by BigAuto/BigOil to maximize vehicle and fuel sales.

[Pavlov]

Burnet could've used a left turn lane.

[SnakeBoy]

Snake Lives Matter
http://ww1.hdnux.com/photos/65/37/57/14023668/5/1024x1024.jpg

[SnakeBoy]

If Harvey happened on the east coast

http://ww4.hdnux.com/photos/65/37/00/14020647/9/1024x1024.jpg

[Blake]

If Harvey happened on the east coast

http://ww4.hdnux.com/photos/65/37/00/14020647/9/1024x1024.jpg

Does anyone still live in Delaware

[Pavlov]

If Harvey happened on the east coast

http://ww4.hdnux.com/photos/65/37/00/14020647/9/1024x1024.jpgTexas senators would vote against aid.

[Blake]

Texas senators would vote against aid.

So would current Energy Secretary circa 2016

[boutons_deux]

http://verifiedpolitics.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/BLM-Hoax-Story.jpg

A photograph of protestors forming a human chain across a major highway has gone viral over the last couple of days. It’s appeared on multiple far-right and alt-right websites and social media feeds, usually accompanied with a caption that reads something like,

“Black Lives Matter blocks hurricane Harvey rescue effort to protest Trump.”

There’s just one problem. The photo is from 2015, and it was taken at a protest in Boston.

None of this has stopped prominent Conservative websites and social media pages from sharing and retweeting the phony story.

http://verifiedpolitics.com/trumpers-say-black-lives-matter-blocked-harvey-aid-problem/

So now you KKK/Nazi assholes are CONVINCED BLM blocked Houston aid.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

And why do you have such a hard time with GMO in totality?

What do you think about the recent gene therapy results in humans?

His issue is really with patent law but he is too stupid to nuance it out.

[ducks]

https://scontent-lax3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/fr/cp0/e15/q65/21192839_1468595929855946_8272555925485419199_n.jp g?efg=eyJpIjoidCJ9&oh=03d172e4cae6a9bb3c668f797f02839c&oe=5A59892C

[Pavlov]

https://scontent-lax3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/fr/cp0/e15/q65/21192839_1468595929855946_8272555925485419199_n.jp g?efg=eyJpIjoidCJ9&oh=03d172e4cae6a9bb3c668f797f02839c&oe=5A59892CIt was $60 billion and it was theirs to begin with. Why do you think the US should steal to fix things?

[baseline bum]

http://verifiedpolitics.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/BLM-Hoax-Story.jpg

A photograph of protestors forming a human chain across a major highway has gone viral over the last couple of days. It’s appeared on multiple far-right and alt-right websites and social media feeds, usually accompanied with a caption that reads something like,

“Black Lives Matter blocks hurricane Harvey rescue effort to protest Trump.”

There’s just one problem. The photo is from 2015, and it was taken at a protest in Boston.

None of this has stopped prominent Conservative websites and social media pages from sharing and retweeting the phony story.

http://verifiedpolitics.com/trumpers-say-black-lives-matter-blocked-harvey-aid-problem/

So now you KKK/Nazi assholes are CONVINCED BLM blocked Houston aid.




You mean there is no snow on the ground in east Texas in August?

[pgardn]

You mean there is no snow on the ground in east Texas in August?

Ducks

Climate change?

[SnakeBoy]

http://verifiedpolitics.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/BLM-Hoax-Story.jpg

A photograph of protestors forming a human chain across a major highway has gone viral over the last couple of days. It’s appeared on multiple far-right and alt-right websites and social media feeds, usually accompanied with a caption that reads something like,

“Black Lives Matter blocks hurricane Harvey rescue effort to protest Trump.”

There’s just one problem. The photo is from 2015, and it was taken at a protest in Boston.

None of this has stopped prominent Conservative websites and social media pages from sharing and retweeting the phony story.

http://verifiedpolitics.com/trumpers-say-black-lives-matter-blocked-harvey-aid-problem/

So now you KKK/Nazi assholes are CONVINCED BLM blocked Houston aid.




Figures those sons a bitches would block aid to Harvey victims. This is what the Democrats stand for these days.

Wake Up Sheeple!

[Mark Celibate]

You mean there is no snow on the ground in east Texas in August?

I'm seriously calling bullshit that any alt-right actually fell for this photo. Hey boutons, do you mind linking the actual articles that used this photo? You said there were numerous ones

[boutons_deux]

I'm seriously calling bullshit that any alt-right actually fell for this photo. Hey boutons, do you mind linking the actual articles that used this photo? You said there were numerous ones

Read the fucking debunking in the text

[DMC]

Really good point. Multi-story development would make a flooding a lot less impactful squarefootage wise.

Mixed use development with retail in the bottom floor. Many places like this is Austin. That kind of development wouldn't leave people homeless if the bottom floor floods entirely.

I can see that kind of stuff going in.

https://media.atre.yardi.com/2/21047/images/Burnet-MPlaceAustin.jpg

http://www.turnerconstruction.com/Files/ProjectImage?url=%2Fsites%2Fmarketingstories%2FMar keting%20Story%20Images%2Foriginal.714e9449-0b05-4cd3-b557-92ec09fc1f5c.jpg&width=707&height=470&crop=True&jpegQuality=95

Have you been inside those new AMLI and other "condo" buildings around Burnet and on Lamar? Jesus those things are really nice, especially the high end ones that have corner views where the window goes all the way around the corner. Problem is they overlook graffiti and power lines. They are fucking expensive too, you could get a big spread out in Georgetown for the price of those units.

[Chris]

https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-0/p480x480/21167834_10210508983020933_6570331939387204750_o.j pg?oh=075718471cbc532122ca6156eb01ade6&oe=5A24F524

Shelly

[pgardn]

Have you been inside those new AMLI and other "condo" buildings around Burnet and on Lamar? Jesus those things are really nice, especially the high end ones that have corner views where the window goes all the way around the corner. Problem is they overlook graffiti and power lines. They are fucking expensive too, you could get a big spread out in Georgetown for the price of those units.

Yeah but then you would be in Georgetown.

[DMC]

Yeah but then you would be in Georgetown.

I don't see a way around that, given the parameters.

[spurraider21]

I'm seriously calling bullshit that any alt-right actually fell for this photo. Hey boutons, do you mind linking the actual articles that used this photo? You said there were numerous ones
you'd be surprised tbh. they still buy the holocaust hoax thing

[Spurminator]

I'm seriously calling bullshit that any alt-right actually fell for this photo. Hey boutons, do you mind linking the actual articles that used this photo? You said there were numerous ones

I didn't see it much on Twitter. They did spread around the fake story all day yesterday about the (non-existent) Houston mosque who refused to let evacuees in, though.

[pgardn]

I don't see a way around that, given the parameters.

Change the frkn parameters I don't like Georgetown.

[Blake]

https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-0/p480x480/21167834_10210508983020933_6570331939387204750_o.j pg?oh=075718471cbc532122ca6156eb01ade6&oe=5A24F524

Shelly

She sounds really busy at trying to survive

[ducks]

James Harden promises he'll never leave Houston, donates $1M to Harvey relief

[Blake]

James Harden promises he'll never leave Houston, donates $1M to Harvey relief

The $1M is an incredible gesture. Not sure about the other part

[boutons_deux]

https://scontent-dft4-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/21192902_10212376126496089_8130481419612593312_n.j pg?oh=37b5afb71a897e057a7053364ce959f4&oe=5A24CC5B

[RandomGuy]

and the best public transit for large, high-density cities is underground, not surface. Of course buses and regional light rail play significant roles.

Public, rail transport in USA has been blocked by BigAuto/BigOil to maximize vehicle and fuel sales.

Elevated rail works as well.

Good luck getting the bonds issued though.

[RandomGuy]

Have you been inside those new AMLI and other "condo" buildings around Burnet and on Lamar? Jesus those things are really nice, especially the high end ones that have corner views where the window goes all the way around the corner. Problem is they overlook graffiti and power lines. They are fucking expensive too, you could get a big spread out in Georgetown for the price of those units.

Yup. This stuff is definitely targeted at "upscale".

Highlights the need for Austin to have more affordable housing.

[RandomGuy]

If Harvey happened on the east coast

http://ww4.hdnux.com/photos/65/37/00/14020647/9/1024x1024.jpg

... Cruz would vote against aid for blue states.

[RandomGuy]

Snake Lives Matter
http://ww1.hdnux.com/photos/65/37/57/14023668/5/1024x1024.jpg

Wunder what the shotgun is for. Who steals snakes?

[Thread]

Wunder what the shotgun is for. Who steals snakes?

That's for the fucks who want what he worked for.

[Blake]

Wunder what the shotgun is for. Who steals snakes?

Crocs

[boutons_deux]

https://img.wonkette.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Trump-cat-rescue-fake.jpg

https://img.wonkette.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/trump-boat-rescue-fake.jpg

[boutons_deux]

https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/598204767739981825/iD1DZBbS_normal.jpgAnn Coulter
✔@AnnCoulter (https://twitter.com/AnnCoulter)


I don't believe Hurricane Harvey is God's punishment for Houston electing a lesbian mayor.

But that is more credible than "climate change." https://twitter.com/POLITICOMag/status/902364893940154368 … (https://t.co/K7d7mopY5Q)
10:31 PM - Aug 28, 2017 (https://twitter.com/AnnCoulter/status/902373016818126849)

[boutons_deux]

Trump Admits President Obama Was Right About "Rising Seas" (https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/9/9/1697313/-Trump-Admits-Obama-Was-Right-About-Rising-Seas)

Three weeks ago, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that reversed an Obama-era requirement that future construction in areas likely to flood need to be built at a higher elevation. But after the devastation Hurricane Harvey caused in Houston and with Hurricane Irma barreling toward Florida, the White House is now trying to walk back Trump’s order.

In 2015, the Obama White House updated flood-risk standards for the first time since the 1970s, incorporating climate models and sea-level rise into calibrations for building elevations. The new standard meant that any federally funded building in flood plains must be built at higher elevations, especially for critical infrastructure like hospitals and fire stations.

On August 15, Trump erased those standards with one line (http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2017/08/trump-promised-beautiful-bridges-and-roads-now-hes-putting-them-in-harms-way/) buried in a broader infrastructure order.

On Friday, Homeland Security adviser Tom Bossert told reporters that the White House might put out another executive order or additional guidance in the next month.

“We shouldn’t use federal money to rebuild in ways that don’t anticipate future flood risk,” Bossert said.

“So we need to build back smarter and stronger against flood plain concerns when we use federal dollars.”

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/9/9/1697313/-Trump-Admits-Obama-Was-Right-About-Rising-Seas?detail=emaildkre

iow, fuck you flooded people, Repugs won't pay anymore, because we're giving the oligarchy $Ts in tax cuts.

[ducks]

https://scontent-lax3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/fr/cp0/e15/q65/21432963_1428742167203991_4467586484463085394_n.jp g?efg=eyJpIjoidCJ9&oh=8df6c9f2f1ea908148b41a23337be160&oe=5A4CF070

[RandomGuy]

https://scontent-lax3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/fr/cp0/e15/q65/21432963_1428742167203991_4467586484463085394_n.jp g?efg=eyJpIjoidCJ9&oh=8df6c9f2f1ea908148b41a23337be160&oe=5A4CF070

Picture no worky.

I always try the "preview post" option to check before putting a picture in.

[ducks]

I got it to work when I click on it

[RandomGuy]

I got it to work when I click on it

Respectfully:

Ain't no one gonna click on a link that looks like that. That is an invitation to viruses/malware.

".net" tends to lead to all sorts of private severs that are set up for the sole purpose of transmitting such.

[boutons_deux]

Respectfully:

Ain't no one gonna click on a link that looks like that. That is an invitation to viruses/malware.

".net" tends to lead to all sorts of private severs that are set up for the sole purpose of transmitting such.

the link is probably legit. It looks the type of link I see where the website blocks "deep linking" of the images.

[boutons_deux]

Trump’s Refusal To Accept Mexican Hurricane Aid Just Backfired

Mexico has rescinded their offer of aid to Texas.



“Given these circumstance,

the Mexican government will channel all available logistical support to serve the families and communities affected in the national territory,”

said Mexico’s foreign ministry in a statement (https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DJdzFC6XkAAWsqj.jpg).


http://verifiedpolitics.com/trumps-refusal-accept-mexican-hurricane-aid-just-backfired/

[boutons_deux]

This Image Is Going Viral On Pro-Trump Social Media, But There’s A Big Problem


http://verifiedpolitics.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/643.jpg


http://verifiedpolitics.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/trump-1.jpg

http://verifiedpolitics.com/image-going-viral-pro-trump-social-media-theres-big-problem/


Can't blame Trash's stupid, ignorant supporters. Very credible that he's grabbing pussy.

[Pavlov]

This Image Is Going Viral On Pro-Trump Social Media, But There’s A Big Problem


http://verifiedpolitics.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/643.jpg


http://verifiedpolitics.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/trump-1.jpg

http://verifiedpolitics.com/image-going-viral-pro-trump-social-media-theres-big-problem/


Can't blame Trash's stupid, ignorant suppoters. Very credible that he's grabbing pussy.

Cat looters!

[boutons_deux]

The Looming Superfund Nightmare

As unprecedented hurricanes assault coastal U.S. communities, residents and experts fear the storms could unleash contamination the EPA has tried to keep at bay.

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/09/the-looming-superfund-nightmare/539316/

another example of BigCorp's profits are increased by dumping "external costs" dumped on taxpayers.

BigCorp can dissolve and walk away, students are hounded until (and past death) for student loans.

[CosmicCowboy]

Cat looters!
The only place I have seen that picture posted is by liberal snowflakes like you and bookaki.

[Pavlov]

The only place I have seen that picture posted is by liberal snowflakes like you and bookaki.
Lighten up.

[apalisoc_9]

:lol at that pic....Hilarious.

[Winehole23]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-actions-undermine-building-stronger-203259306.html

Trump order undermines rebuilding better for future floods

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Two weeks before Harvey's flood waters engulfed much of Houston, President Donald Trump quietly rolled back an order by his predecessor that would have made it easier for storm-ravaged communities to use federal emergency aid to rebuild bridges, roads and other structures so they can better withstand future disasters.

Now, with much of the nation's fourth-largest city underwater, Trump's move has new resonance. Critics note the president's order could force Houston and other cities to rebuild hospitals and highways in the same way and in the same flood-prone areas.

"Rebuilding while ignoring future flood events is like treating someone for lung cancer and then giving him a carton of cigarettes on the way out the door," said Michael Gerrard, a professor of environmental and climate change law at Columbia University. "If you're going to rebuild after a bad event, you don't want to expose yourself to the same thing all over again."

Trump's action is one of several ways the president, who has called climate change a hoax, has tried to wipe away former President Barack Obama's efforts to make the United States more resilient to threats posed by the changing climate.

The order Trump revoked would have permitted the rebuilding to take into account climate scientists' predictions of stronger storms and more frequent flooding.

Bridges and highways, for example, could be rebuilt higher, or with better drainage. The foundation of a new fire station or hospital might be elevated an extra 3 feet (about 1 meter).

While scientists caution against blaming specific weather events like Harvey on climate change, warmer air and warmer water linked to global warming have long been projected to make such storms wetter and more intense. Houston, for example, has experienced three floods in three years that statistically were once considered 1-in-500-year events.

The government was still in the process of implementing Obama's 2015 order when it was rescinded. That means the old standard — rebuilding storm-ravaged facilities in the same way they had been built before — is still in place.

Trump revoked Obama's order as part of an executive order of his own that he touted at an Aug. 15 news conference at Trump Tower. That news conference was supposed to focus on infrastructure, but it was dominated by Trump's comments on the previous weekend's violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Trump didn't specifically mention the revocation, but he said he was making the federal permitting process for the construction of transportation and other infrastructure projects faster and more cost-efficient without harming the environment.

"It's going to be quick, it's going to be a very streamlined process," Trump said.

Asked about the revocation, the White House said in a statement that Obama's order didn't consider potential impacts on the economy and was "applied broadly to the whole country, leaving little room or flexibility for designers to exercise professional judgment or incorporate the particular context" of a project's location.

Obama's now-defunct order also revamped Federal Flood Risk Management Standards, calling for tighter restrictions on new construction in flood-prone areas. Republicans, including Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, opposed the measure, saying it would impede land development and economic growth.

Revoking that order was only the latest step by Trump to undo Obama's actions on climate change.

In March, Trump rescinded a 2013 order that directed federal agencies to encourage states and local communities to build new infrastructure and facilities "smarter and stronger" in anticipation of more frequent extreme weather.

Trump revoked a 2015 Obama memo directing agencies developing national security policies to consider the potential impact of climate change.

The president also disbanded two advisory groups created by Obama: the interagency Council on Climate Preparedness and Resilience and the State, Local, and Tribal Leaders Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience.

Obama's 2015 order was prompted in part by concerns raised by Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper after severe flooding in his state two years earlier. Hickenlooper was dismayed to learn that federal disaster aid rules were preventing state officials from rebuilding "better and smarter than what we had built before."

The "requirements essentially said you had to build it back exactly the way it was, that you couldn't take into consideration improvements in resiliency," Hickenlooper, a Democrat, said Tuesday. "We want to be more prepared for the next event, not less prepared."

Bud Wright, the Federal Highway Administration's executive director during George W. Bush's administration, said this has long been a concern of federal officials.

He recalled a South Dakota road that was "almost perpetually flooded" but was repeatedly rebuilt to the same standard using federal aid because the state didn't have the extra money to pay for enhancements.

"It seemed a little ridiculous that we kept doing that," said Wright, now the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials' executive director.

But Kirk Steudle, director of Michigan's Department of Transportation, said states can build more resilient infrastructure than what they had before a disaster by using state or non-emergency federal funds to make up the cost difference.

"That makes sense, otherwise FEMA would be the big checkbook," he said, referring to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. "Everybody would be hoping for some disaster so FEMA could come in and build them a brand new road to the 2020 standard instead of the 1970 standard."

Even though Obama's order has been revoked, federal officials have some wiggle room that might allow them to rebuild to higher standards, said Jessica Grannis, who manages the adaptation program at the Georgetown Climate Center.

If local building codes in place before the storm call for new construction to be more resilient to flooding, then federal money can still be used to pay the additional costs.

For example, in Houston regulations require structures to be rebuilt 1 foot (30 centimeters) above the level designated for a 1-in-100-year storm. And in the wake of prior disasters, FEMA has moved to remap floodplains, setting the line for the 1-in-100-year flood higher than it was before.


--------

FEMA just did that for San Marcos. Process was pretty good from my end, although it appears I may now be forced to by flood insurance. Looked at their map, and it looks like their modeling didn't take into effect some of the stuff that the developer did for our neighborhood (filling up higher after FEMA did their initial LIDAR readings), so our neighborhood will appeal.

I haven't bought it voluntarily, because our current neighborhood very specifically didn't flood in 2015, which was the worst flooding in our city's history. At this point, I have reconsidered that, and will buy the insurance either way. My only concern is getting my risk priced correctly.Four years later, Chuck Schumer puts the kibosh on repricing flood risk:

1372501468998209545

[boutons_deux]

US taxpayers subsidize the expensive, water-front houses of the wealthy

Last I saw the US govt flood insurance agency was about $25B in the red

[pgardn]

US taxpayers subsidize the expensive, water-front houses of the wealthy

Last I saw the US govt flood insurance agency was about $25B in the red

it’s really not defined as a handout if you are already rich.
you really don’t need it, but you’ll take it.
And thats something to be proud of, ask Snakeboy.

Celebrations are in order when you screw the government out of money either through taxes or handouts (because you showed those lazy ass poor people).

[Winehole23]

Harris County got not a single penny in the last disbursement of aid, what a remarkable oversight

1395801848074878976

[Winehole23]

1440142538963177476

[Winehole23]

Texas to Harris County: enjoy these free goat droppings. Sorry about Harvey.

1443662121779224584

[Winehole23]

Texas Republicans keep screwing up basic governance. I mean, it's not like Houston is strategically important for Texas or particularly vulnerable to hurricanes.

1493986747474133001 (https://twitter.com/mmorris011/status/1493986747474133001?s=20&t=RtUbgyX1IfNPHoZzxNugbQ)

[Winehole23]

Punch line: HOU will get $9M, a pittance

1493986733913821187 (https://twitter.com/mmorris011/status/1493986733913821187?s=20&t=RtUbgyX1IfNPHoZzxNugbQ)

[SnakeBoy]

Sounds like Houston has ineffective politicians

[Winehole23]

Sounds like Houston has ineffective politiciansSounds like Texas is bad at prioritizing, Texas produces ~30% of US energy, much of it refined in the Houston area. Spending the lion's share of mitigation in the hinterlands is an own goal.

[Winehole23]

who's running for statewide office?

animus toward Houston is probably a selling point, tbh


After the land office awarded $1 billion of the aid last year, giving the city of Houston nothing (https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Houston-and-Harris-County-asked-for-1-3B-in-16192647.php), the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development accused Bush’s office of discriminating against Black and Latino Texans. The land office had an opportunity to correct these inequities as it developed a new spending plan.


RELATED STORYFeds say Texas discriminated against communities of color when it denied Houston flood aid (https://www.texastribune.org/2022/03/08/texas-houston-harris-HUD-harvey-flood-aid/)UPDATED: MARCH 8, 2022


But an analysis by The Texas Tribune found that the land office is on track to follow a similar pattern as it prepares to allocate the next $1.2 billion of the federal aid. The agency’s revised plan will once again send a disproportionately high share of money to inland counties with lower risk of natural disasters.

Residents in the counties that will benefit most are also significantly whiter and more conservative than those receiving the least aid
https://www.texastribune.org/2022/05/16/texas-harvey-disaster-aid-land-office/

[boutons_deux]

who's running for statewide office?

animus toward Houston is probably a selling point, tbh

https://www.texastribune.org/2022/05/16/texas-harvey-disaster-aid-land-office/

in Confederate and red States it's the war between Democratic urban areas and red toxic rural areas.

Screwing blue Houston is automatic

[Winehole23]

Sounds like Texas is bad at prioritizing, Texas produces ~30% of US energy, much of it refined in the Houston area. Spending the lion's share of mitigation in the hinterlands is an own goal.For some, owning the libs trumps energy infrastructure and quality of life for millions of Texans, because they vote wrong.

[Winehole23]

HUD concluded a Texas state agency had steered $1B in disaster funding away from Houston and nearby communities of color after Hurricane Harvey.

On Jan. 15, HUD referred the case to the DOJ.

On Feb. 13, it rescinded that referral with no explanation.Trumplandia still hates Harris County for some reason. That hasn't changed.

https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-hud-texas-housing-discrimination-cases-dallas-houston