Donklephant » Hurricane Rita

Gustav Headed Towards Category 5

Alan Stewart Carl — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 20:41:17 +0000

Forecasters are now predicting that Hurricane Gustav will become a category five storm sometime soon. As you all undoubtedly know, Gustav is the first major hurricane to threaten the Gulf Coast since Katrina and Rita in 2005. The question now is: have we learned anything?

Evacuation plans are in effect for New Orleans and other parts of the Gulf Coast and no one from President Bush on down seems to be taking this threat lightly. Hopefully, Gustav will miss any heavily populated areas, but a hurricane of this size, even if it weakens before hitting our shores, is likely to do serious damage.

We can only pray mother nature is merciful and hope our local, state and federal governments are prepared.

Inflation Soars

Justin Gardner — Wed, 19 Oct 2005 10:00:29 +0000

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita was a big reason the wholesale prices jumped by 1.9 percent. That may not seem like much, but consider that in September gasoline prices were up 17.9%, the highest one-month increase in 25 years. Along with that, food prices had their highest increase in 11 months.

Here’s more from the AP:

While the core rate of inflation at the consumer level was well-behaved, rising by a tiny 0.1 percent, the worry is that the sizable increases in energy will soon begin to spill over into more widespread inflation pressures.

A number of Federal Reserve officials in recent weeks have expressed such concerns. In a speech in Tokyo on Tuesday, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said the jump in energy prices “will undoubtedly be a drag from now on.”

Greenspan did not quantify how much of a slowdown will occur, but private economists are forecasting that the hit from Katrina and Rita could shave as much as a full percentage point from economic growth in the final six months of this year.

And still more from Reuters:

“The real question is whether companies will squeeze their (profit) margins as costs increase or if they are going to increase prices,” said Michael Metz, chief investment strategist at Oppenheimer Holdings Inc. in New York. “I think they will increase prices.”

Fed officials, who have raised overnight borrowing costs from a 1958 low of 1 percent to 3.75 percent in 11 straight quarter-point steps, are widely expected to bump rates up again when they meet in two weeks in an effort to ensure sharp energy price gains do not feed into more broad-based inflation.

Over the past year, producer prices have increased a hefty 6.9 percent on the back of rising energy costs, the biggest 12-month gain since the period ended November 1990. In contrast, so-called core prices have gained just 2.6 percent.

Wash Times Turns On Bush…Over Katrina

Justin Gardner — Sat, 24 Sep 2005 12:30:57 +0000

It’s not often the right-wing newspaper turns on Bush, but it’s slowly turning against him.

Diana West laments:

Let’s take a look at this portrait of presidential leadership, as painted by the Associated Press: “Sitting in [the USS Iwo Jima] mess hall, the president watched large screens beaming to him via videoconference the images of three federal officials ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬? Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, the National Hurricane Center’s deputy director Ed Rappaport, and a Federal Emergency Management Agency official ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬? who gave him updates on the storm. He was told that [Hurricane] Rita was expected to hit the upper-to-middle part of the Texas coast by the weekend.”

I didn’t understand why at first, but I found this description, this finger-on-the-pulse, command-decision set-up, most depressing. Maybe it was because I had just heard the exact same info on my car radio. Sure, the symbolism of the commander in chief on the job is important, but this was showboating.

The blowhards of Katrina have whipped up a political windstorm around the president, but I really don’t want to see him bend ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬? and keep bending. After all, this was President Bush’s fifth trip to the hurricane zone. Maybe he’ll trade in his frequent-flyer miles for higher poll numbers.

Do I sound disgruntled? I am also perplexed, left to focus on the inscrutability of such symbolism because the narrative thread of this presidency has become so hard to follow.

Honestly, I think many find this president’s actions hard to follow. And certainly those same people feel that he’s not being as responsive as he could be.

Of course, he’s only recently taken responsibility for a national tragedy. In short, where was the accountability then? Of course more were affected by Hurricane Katrina, but his apology (while welcome) almost seems like an afterthought.

I’ll be curious to see what the next few months bring for Bush.

Bus Catches On Fire Before Rita Arrives…

Justin Gardner — Sat, 24 Sep 2005 10:30:22 +0000

The bus were carrying elderly passengers.

Sad indeed…

A bus carrying about 45 elderly evacuees burst into flames on Interstate 45 south of Dallas, killing as many as 24 people. It pulled over and people were getting off when a series of explosions ripped through the bus, said Dallas County Sheriff’s Sgt. Don Peritz.

Peritz said the fire was believed to have started in the bus’s brake system and may have caused oxygen canisters on the bus to explode. (Full story)

Say a prayer for the survivors. They need the positive support.

Looters In Houston…

Justin Gardner — Sat, 24 Sep 2005 08:58:37 +0000

Will they ever learn?

Well I just found out why the media was in my parking garage. Looters struck last night and trashed 12 cars. We usually have very tight security but the gates were left open by management due to fears of power outages. I need to go check my car now.

Update:
My car is fine but the mood in the area is tense. I ran across two neighbors carrying hunting rifles (or a rifle and a shotgun to be exact) who were actively searching for a guy they suspected of breaking into more cars. They agreed to let me photograph them from the neck down. Hopefully, HPD will send one or more officers to our neighborhood. I think there is risk of additional looting or worse.

Update II:
Quite a few HPD cars in the area now. It’s going to be an interesting night.

Houston Flees Hurricane Rita

Justin Gardner — Fri, 23 Sep 2005 07:33:05 +0000

I sincerely hoped I would never have to create a new category about a hurricane, but it seems like Hurricane Rita begs it.

Millions are leaving Houston in anticipation of the third most powerful hurricane on record.

Sixteen hours to San Antonio and Dallas. Eleven hours to Austin. With over a million people trying to flee vulnerable parts of the Houston area, Hurricane Rita will be a nightmare even if Galveston doesn’t take a direct hit. .

Trying to leave Houston on I-10, Ella Corder drove 15 hours to go just 13 miles today. Noticing cars out of gas littering the freeway, she turned off her air-conditioner to save fuel, but the 52-year-old heart patient worried the heat and exhaustion were taking a toll on her.

“All I want to do is go home,” she said tearfully by cell phone. “Can’t anyone get me out of here? “

And evacuees are angry at the planning. Sounds familiar…

Other evacuees’ frustration turned into anger as the day wore on.

“This is the worst planning I’ve ever seen,” said Julie Anderson, who covered just 45 miles in 12 hours after setting out from her home in the Houston suburb of LaPorte. “They say we’ve learned a lot from Hurricane Katrina. Well, you couldn’t prove it by me.”

Let’s hope everybody gets out safely, especially the poor.

(HT: the amazing memeorandum)