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posted by martyb on Tuesday August 29 2017, @07:48AM   Printer-friendly
from the water-water-everywhere dept.

Houston and Hurricane Harvey - Overview and On-Line Resources

Houston, Texas (the 4th most populous city in the USA) is located in Harris County (the 3rd most populous in the country) and has been under the onslaught of Hurricane Harvey which was later downgraded to a tropical storm. Current rain totals over the course of the storm have exceeded 40 inches in some locations — additional rain of up to 10 more inches is predicted. Flooding is rampant and the damage to property is immense. So far, 5 people have been reported dead as a result of the storm. Gathered here are a number of on-line resources followed by a story questioning why mandatory evacuations were not called for earlier. The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) reports the failure of a large number of cell towers, cable and phone lines.

Online Resources:

Why Wasn't an Official Evacuation Order Issued?

As I type this, a historic weather event is crushing south Texas with enormous amounts of rain and massive flooding leaving thousands of people in need of rescue.

So why wasn't an official evacuation order issued? Last Friday Governor Greg Abbott (R) urged people to evacuate, even if it was not mandatory. Shortly after the governor's press conference, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner (D) sent a tweet advising people not rush to evacuate, saying no evacuation orders have been issued. Mayor Sylvester also addressed what he called "unfounded rumors," releasing a statement that said, "...Rumors are nothing new, but the widespread use of social media has needlessly frightened many people today."

Harris County's emergency management office also tried to debunk via Twitter, what it called "false emails & FB posts" on August 24, suggesting people ignore the messages. The post it shared predicted 50 inches of rain (which experts are now also predicting) and 100,000 homes destroyed (it's not clear how many homes are currently flooded in Houston). All of which prompted people to wonder:

You said this was fake news but yet everything this "false" message said is happening. Two days ago we could've evacuated. https://t.co/ORtTyEodQt

— Pickle Heidy (@cheidyy_) August 27, 2017

To be fair, Mayor Sylvester had a good reason for not issuing an evacuation. In 2005 more than 100 people died during the evacuation of Houston for Hurricane Rita.

Source: Heavy.com

Why Evacuating Major Cities Before a Hurricane can be Deadly

[Ed Addition] The Houston Chronicle has an excellent piece, Why evacuating major cities before a hurricane can be deadly:

When Hurricane Rita barreled toward Texas in 2005, for example, an exodus of about 3 million people contributed to at least 73 deaths — though some have estimated as many as 107 — before the storm.

"Traffic jams stretched across hundreds of miles over two days, and many people ran out of gas," reporters Jim Malewitz and Brandon Formby wrote in The Texas Tribune. "Dozens died from accidents and heat-related illnesses, all before Rita even made landfall."

Had Harris County issued an evacuation order even several days in advance, a similar backup may have ensued — and it could have happened on roads that quickly got flooded with several feet of fast-moving water.

See the story for amazing pictures comparing dry and flooded highways.


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  • (Score: 2, Informative) by jmorris on Tuesday August 29 2017, @03:16PM (1 child)

    by jmorris (4844) on Tuesday August 29 2017, @03:16PM (#560840)

    Doubt flat screen TVs are vital survival supplies. Footwear and t-shirts probably aren't either since they aren't looting the sort of store that sells wading boots. And hair weave supplies are right out, anyone declaring that an emergency item is just messed up. And that is the stuff I saw being looted in the photos posted to the Net.

    But seriously, if I really needed vital supplies and the store was closed up I might try to get in too. But I'd be sure to leave a note listing the items taken and my contact information. If the note didn't survive the supplies probably wouldn't have either so the insurance company would be replacing it all anyway. Vital supplies defined as equipment needed to rescue others, secure property, and to supply immediate needs for food, water, medicine, light and heat.

    And in a vibrant city I guess I'd add weapons, ammo and armor to defeat the Orc hordes if I were caught under equipped. Note that in a non-diverse location the only reason to have a weapon in a disaster is wildlife driven out by the disaster. Note that this is a problem in Houston with gators, snakes and roving islands of frickin' fire ants! Just another data point supporting the position that every free man should be armed because you just never know what is going to happen. Ok, you can't shoot fire ants but two outta three ain't bad.

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  • (Score: 2) by coolgopher on Wednesday August 30 2017, @03:59AM

    by coolgopher (1157) on Wednesday August 30 2017, @03:59AM (#561302)

    Add a flame-thrower to the mix and you're good. Or are fire ants immune to fire, just like fire elementals? ;)