Harvey

[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Mexico has rescinded their offer of aid to Texas.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 cir stance,

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.

http://verifiedpolitics.com/trumps-r...ust-backfired/

[boutons_deux]

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







http://verifiedpolitics.com/image-go...s-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/image-go...s-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/a...htmare/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]

at that pic....Hilarious.

[Winehole23]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-act...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:

[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

[Winehole23]

[Winehole23]

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

[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.

[Winehole23]

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

[SnakeBoy]

Sounds like Houston has ineffective politicians

[Winehole23]

Sounds like Houston has ineffective politicians

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.

[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, 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 STORY

Feds say Texas discriminated against communities of color when it denied Houston 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...d-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...d-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.