Hurricane Harvey

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

What an a$$hole!  You're nw active rooting for a major American city to be proven "destroyed" so you can win a stupid internet argument?  You are very sick.

And that goes for the rest of you, why you take joy in "proving" Houston is destroyed?"  What sick pleasure do you get out of it?

No one is actively rooting for nor taking joy a major American city to be proven destroyed. We are recognizing that Hurricane Harvey has impacted millions of people, so much so that some will be impacted for the rest of their lives. You minimizing it is at best callous and is at worst "very sick" to borrow your words. I have dozens of friends and thousands of students who call Houston and the Texas coast home. I'll be sure to pass on your comforting message that everyone is overreacting.

As for all the Trump stuff, didn't care for how he conducted himself. But I don't really give a rat's arse at the moment, as long as aid keeps heading down to the coast.

[jesmu84]

I'm happy that there are some in Congress who would not deny federal aid to Harvey victims. Even if those same people were denied aid during Sandy or Katrina by those who need it now for Harvey. Ironic

[wadesworld]

What an a$$hole!  You're nw active rooting for a major American city to be proven "destroyed" so you can win a stupid internet argument?  You are very sick.

And that goes for the rest of you, why you take joy in "proving" Houston is destroyed?"  What sick pleasure do you get out of it?

Active rooting for a major American city to be proven "destroyed" so I can win a stupid internet argument?  Huh.  That's a really weird response.  Not sure where you got that from.  I'm just saying that you have proven time and again with every new thread you have that you know your stuff, so if you tell me that Christmastime will be the date that Houston is entirely recovered by, then great, Christmas it is!  The recovery effort will be an incredible success then.

You simply have me buying what you are selling.  Fake news says this was a hurricane.  This is why science is fake.  Just a way to make money.  The reality is these southern snowflakes wouldn't know a pool from the ocean.  This, my friends, was a drizzle.  Get tough.

[Golden Avalanche]

I'm happy that there are some in Congress who would not deny federal aid to Harvey victims. Even if those same people were denied aid during Sandy or Katrina by those who need it now for Harvey. Ironic

Took 80 days in 2012 for my area to know definitively if Congress would authorize funds for restoration. Wasn't pleasant twisting in the wind. But that event occurred in the last week of an election and the posturing happened on the heels of an election with a split result.

I'd imagine since the GOP controls all three levels the passing of disaster relief should sweep through the halls within a week of recess return. Anything less would be terribly heartless and dysfunctional.

[GGGG]

No one is actively rooting for nor taking joy a major American city to be proven destroyed. We are recognizing that Hurricane Harvey has impacted millions of people, so much so that some will be impacted for the rest of their lives. You minimizing it is at best callous and is at worst "very sick" to borrow your words. I have dozens of friends and thousands of students who call Houston and the Texas coast home. I'll be sure to pass on your comforting message that everyone is overreacting.

Not just that, but the idea that since people will be attending playoff games in a few weeks proves that everything is fine is just dumb.  I have no doubt Houston will be fine in the long run.  I have no doubt that it will take a lot of time and hard work for them to get there.  I have no doubt that there will be many people who will never recover financially or emotionally from this.

[MU82]

A chemical plant in Crosby, Texas was in critical condition Tuesday night after its refrigeration system and inundated backup power generators failed, raising the possibility that the volatile chemicals on the site would explode. Arkema, a maker of organic peroxides commonly used by the plastics and rubber industries, evacuated all personnel from the plant and was attempting to operate the facility remotely.


ExxonMobil acknowledged Tuesday that Hurricane Harvey damaged two of its refineries, causing the release of hazardous pollutants. The acknowledgment, in a regulatory filing with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, follows repeated complaints on Twitter of an “unbearable” chemical smell over parts of Houston. However, it was not immediately clear what caused the smell.

Wait? You're trying to counter Smuggles' bloviations, wild guesses and rants with actual facts?

Silly, silly Jockey. Now he'll accuse you of rooting for the world to end tomorrow.

[Jockey]

Took 80 days in 2012 for my area to know definitively if Congress would authorize funds for restoration. Wasn't pleasant twisting in the wind. But that event occurred in the last week of an election and the posturing happened on the heels of an election with a split result.

I'd imagine since the GOP controls all three levels the passing of disaster relief should sweep through the halls within a week of recess return. Anything less would be terribly heartless and dysfunctional.

The essence of American politics.

The right refuses to vote for aid after a disaster to blue states (cuz remember the Wasilla Meth Queen said they're not real Americans).

The left will vote for aid for ANY American after a disaster simply because they are Americans who are suffering.

Really a quite simple gauge of decency.

The left will give aid

[Jockey]

... Probably belongs in the Daily Dose of Doom thread, but....

A Best Buy in Cypress, Texas, about 30 miles from Houston, was selling 24-packs of Dasani water for $42.96. The Texas attorney general’s office received hundreds of Harvey-related price-gouging complaints, Klippenstein reported.

Best Buy claims it was an "innocent" mistake. 

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

... Probably belongs in the Daily Dose of Doom thread, but....

A Best Buy in Cypress, Texas, about 30 miles from Houston, was selling 24-packs of Dasani water for $42.96. The Texas attorney general’s office received hundreds of Harvey-related price-gouging complaints, Klippenstein reported.

Best Buy claims it was an "innocent" mistake. 

I actually believe that it was an innocent mistake in best buys case. They usually don't sell cases of water and the manager didn't know what to charge. They do sell single bottles of water so he (stupidly)  thought multiple the price of a single bottle by how many bottles were in the case.

I honestly think this was a case of stupid more than a case of price gouging.  Could be wrong though.

[GGGG]

Or their software automatically generates a price point a certain percentage higher than what they paid for it. 

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Or their software automatically generates a price point a certain percentage higher than what they paid for it.

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/29/best-buy-says-viral-photo-of-40-packs-of-water-in-houston-was-a-big-mistake.html

Best Buy has come out and said that it was because an employee multiplied the price of a single bottle by 24.

[mu03eng]

I think one thing that needs to be kept in mind with this Houston discussion is that this is truly a natural disaster, there is no place/city on either that could have withstood these conditions or have been designed to manage the situation any better than Houston is. Sure there are mitigating factors that could influence the results a little like urban sprawl, loss of wet lands, emergency preparedness, etc we're talking a rounding error in the grand scheme of things.

Houston received in 4 days 150% of the annual rainfall that Milwaukee receives. Remarkably terrible combination of natural forces resulting in a terrible tragedy. The metric of this storm is not like Katrina (who screwed up what) but how well/efficiently people are saved and the city recovers afterwards.

[GGGG]

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/29/best-buy-says-viral-photo-of-40-packs-of-water-in-houston-was-a-big-mistake.html

Best Buy has come out and said that it was because an employee multiplied the price of a single bottle by 24.

OK.  It's just so much easier to be outraged though.

[Jockey]

I actually believe that it was an innocent mistake in best buys case. They usually don't sell cases of water and the manager didn't know what to charge. They do sell single bottles of water so he (stupidly)  thought multiple the price of a single bottle by how many bottles were in the case.

I honestly think this was a case of stupid more than a case of price gouging.  Could be wrong though.

I have a hard time believing that an adult thought a case of water was worth over $40.00.

Other stores are charging up to $100 for a case of water . Some hotels are tripling their rates. Some gas stations are quadrupling their prices.

While I would never, ever underestimate the stupidity of some Americans, these are not "mistakes".

[MU82]

I think one thing that needs to be kept in mind with this Houston discussion is that this is truly a natural disaster, there is no place/city on either that could have withstood these conditions or have been designed to manage the situation any better than Houston is. Sure there are mitigating factors that could influence the results a little like urban sprawl, loss of wet lands, emergency preparedness, etc we're talking a rounding error in the grand scheme of things.

Houston received in 4 days 150% of the annual rainfall that Milwaukee receives. Remarkably terrible combination of natural forces resulting in a terrible tragedy. The metric of this storm is not like Katrina (who screwed up what) but how well/efficiently people are saved and the city recovers afterwards.

Superb points, mu03.

I remember when I lived in Minny in the '80s, we had "The Storm of the Century." There was some flooding (including in my basement), a lot of inconvenience, some injuries, a lot of expensive repairs. But compared to this, it was just a blip.

[Lennys Tap]

The essence of American politics.

The right refuses to vote for aid after a disaster to blue states (cuz remember the Wasilla Meth Queen said they're not real Americans).

The left will vote for aid for ANY American after a disaster simply because they are Americans who are suffering.

Really a quite simple gauge of decency.

The left will give aid

The decent vs the indecent - a variation  on the tolerables vs the intolerables and the redeemables vs the irredeemables.

Thanks for reminding us how decent you are and how positively horrid those of us who don't buy your political orthodoxy are. E Pluribis Unum.

[4everwarriors]

Trump doesn't go to Texas=he's no good.

Trump goes to Texas=he's no good.

When are some of you going to accept the fact that the democrats lost last November? If people ripped Obama, in the same manner as Trump is continually ripped, imagine what names those folks would have been called. If you disagree with the results of the last presidential election, then work to have your preferred candidate elected and maybe next time the results will come out in your favor. Its called democracy.

[wadesworld]

Trump doesn't go to Texas=he's no good.

Trump goes to Texas=he's no good.

When are some of you going to accept the fact that the democrats lost last November? If people ripped Obama, in the same manner as Trump is continually ripped, imagine what names those folks would have been called. If you disagree with the results of the last presidential election, then work to have your preferred candidate elected and maybe next time the results will come out in your favor. Its called democracy.

If Obama acted in the way that Trump acts people would have ripped him the way they are ripping Trump.  And Obama was called those names even without acting that way.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

I have a hard time believing that an adult thought a case of water was worth over $40.00.

Other stores are charging up to $100 for a case of water . Some hotels are tripling their rates. Some gas stations are quadrupling their prices.

While I would never, ever underestimate the stupidity of some Americans, these are not "mistakes".

Oh there was absolutely price gouging. I just think in this specific instance it was a dumb employee.

[GGGG]

If people ripped Obama, in the same manner as Trump is continually ripped...

 

Apparently you were asleep from 2008-2016.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

If Obama acted in the way that Trump acts people would have ripped him the way they are ripping Trump.  And Obama was called those names even without acting that way.

This.

I think a president should be treated with as much respect as he or she treats the office of the president with.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Trump doesn't go to Texas=he's no good.

Trump goes to Texas=he's no good.

Nothing to do with that. It's about how he conducts himself whether he's in Texas or not.

Trump doesn't go to Texas=he's no good.

Trump goes to Texas=he's no good.

When are some of you going to accept the fact that the democrats lost last November?......If you disagree with the results of the last presidential election, then work to have your preferred candidate elected and maybe next time the results will come out in your favor. Its called democracy.

What do you think people are doing? Why do you think people are protesting and making their voice heard?  That's democracy.

If people ripped Obama, in the same manner as Trump is continually ripped, imagine what names those folks would have been called.

Have you been in a coma for the last 9 years?

[tower912]

I think one thing that needs to be kept in mind with this Houston discussion is that this is truly a natural disaster, there is no place/city on either that could have withstood these conditions or have been designed to manage the situation any better than Houston is. Sure there are mitigating factors that could influence the results a little like urban sprawl, loss of wet lands, emergency preparedness, etc we're talking a rounding error in the grand scheme of things.

Houston received in 4 days 150% of the annual rainfall that Milwaukee receives. Remarkably terrible combination of natural forces resulting in a terrible tragedy. The metric of this storm is not like Katrina (who screwed up what) but how well/efficiently people are saved and the city recovers afterwards.

http://www.mlive.com/weather/index.ssf/2017/08/how_much_would_hurricane_harve.html#incart_river_home

An article describing how the rain that fell from Harvey would affect the Great Lakes if the same amount fell here.      If I believed in a vengeful God, I would have a theory about Harvey.    I don't believe in a vengeful God.     Just a record setting storm.   

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

http://www.mlive.com/weather/index.ssf/2017/08/how_much_would_hurricane_harve.html#incart_river_home

An article describing how the rain that fell from Harvey would affect the Great Lakes if the same amount fell here.      If I believed in a vengeful God, I would have a theory about Harvey.    I don't believe in a vengeful God.     Just a record setting storm.   

Ann Coulter believes in a vengeful God: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ann-coulter-hurricane-harvey_us_59a59bc2e4b084581a139315

[GGGG]

Ann Coulter believes in a vengeful God: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ann-coulter-hurricane-harvey_us_59a59bc2e4b084581a139315

So God never got around to it during her term in office?