Even in visiting hurricane-ravaged Texas, Trump keeps the focus on himself
‘Thank you, everybody,” the president said, sporting one of the white “USA” caps that are being sold on his campaign website for $40. “I just want to say: We love you. You are special. . . . What a crowd. What a turnout.”
Trump sported one of the same hats again Tuesday as he ventured to Texas for a visit that some critics argue should have been delayed until the rain had stopped and the flooding had gone down. He was accompanied by first lady Melania Trump, who wore towering black stilettos and a green bomber jacket as she departed Washington but changed into bright-white sneakers and a black cap labeled “FLOTUS” before stepping off the plane in Texas. An aide carried two Louis Vuitton suitcases aboard for the day trip.
The Flame's Salvation
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
Unless he's actually doing something noteworthy, I think it might be best not to bring up Trump in this particular threat. If he's not doing anything for or against us, he's not important.
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Well, he ostensibly visited to survey the damage, and ended up talking about himself. I'd say it's relevant in how irrelevant it is.
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I agree with keeping commentary about Trump in the US Politics thread for now, leaving this one for damage reports, weather reports, emergency services, etc.
Oh, bother.
Here's a link to what Swanpride mentioned earlier about Trump hesitating to accept help from Mexico:
Hurricane Harvey: Donald Trump has not accepted Mexico's offer to help Houston flooding victims
How Houston's unregulated growth contributed to Harvey's flooding disaster - that city apparently is super flood-prone and yet kept growing with a blithe disregard of flood safety.
What flabbergasts me is the total lack of zoning laws in and around Houston. Which... not just contributed to the uncontrolled mushrooming with its non-porous effects, but also the risk of industrial pollutants meeting residential areas with or without a flood aiding and abetting things.
That's a lot of disaster waiting to happen. :/
More or less everything about this flabbergasts me.
I am used to: 1. dangerous industry being kept away from populated areas. 2. Proper zoning overall. 3. Strict rules how much of a lot one can build on. 4. Paired with a law which ensures that you have to pay higher taxes for the canalisation for every bit of your ground which is covered (thus discouraging people from just covering up their ground because they don't want to do their lawn work).
Looking at Houston I am wondering what the city planers were thinking.
From what I know, Houston used other processes to regulate building but evidently they didn't prevent bad zoning. The "regulation bad" mentality at play I guess.
Then again, the US also has numerous examples of overregulation, typically owing to NIMBY or homeowners enriching themselves. California is a commonly cited example.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Also, fatalities now number in the 30 and Harvey has reached Louisiana but the flooding so far is limited to Texas (now in Port Arthur).
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
The Wanderer
Mayor Of Port Arthur, Texas, Streams Video From Inside His Flooded Home
At least 100 people had sought refuge at the Bob Bower Civic Center — only to see brown, murky water rush in, flooding a large space and leaving water just below the surface of cots.
Harvey's Deadly Toll: The Victims Of Texas' Devastating Floods THE TWO-WAY Harvey's Deadly Toll: The Victims Of Texas' Devastating Floods That development happened overnight, as Port Arthur and other communities struggled to cope with the amount of water they received.
"Our whole city is underwater right now but we are coming! If you called, we are coming," Freeman wrote shortly after midnight, via Facebook. "Please get to higher ground if you can, but please try stay out of attics."
The city, which is about 45 miles west of where Harvey made landfall again today, says that the Carl Parker Center is now accepting people who need shelter — but it warns, "There are no supplies at the facility at this time."
As waters rose overnight, rescue workers also contended with an apartment fire and lightning, Freeman said.
"Currently the 911 system is overloaded with calls from Port Arthur," the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department said around 4:30 a.m., in a note that also told residents that water rescue operations were suspended until daylight. The agency would take calls and forward information to those who could help, it said.
"Our heart is breaking for our community and we trying to help in as many ways as possible," the sheriff's department said in a message posted shortly before midnight.
On Wednesday, Freeman used a live-streamed video on Facebook to tell residents in his city southeast of Beaumont that fire personnel, air boats, volunteers and the National Guard are working to help. Port Arthur has a population of around 55,000.
Professional Forum Ninja
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Well, shit.
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Oh, bother.
Here's the CNBC article on that chemical plant:
Arkema: No way to prevent explosion at flooded Texas chemical plant
Rowe said the company was "comfortable" with the size of the evacuation zone.
Rowe did not disclose the volume of chemicals on the site and said it was speculative to predict how much damage the plant could sustain. He said there could be an "intense fire" that would result in significant black smoke but would not pose any "long-term harm or impact."
Somehow I find that bolded part hard to believe.
Disgusted, but not surprised
Godzilla? If the MCU needs an origin for the Swamp thing, there it is!
Oh, bother.
Swamp Thing is a DC creation, not Marvel.
But seriously, chemical fires are dangerous as hell. And I don't like how the CEO was cagey about how much was actually stored there.
edited 31st Aug '17 12:15:23 AM by M84
Disgusted, but not surprised
A procrastination in of itself
He might not know, can't be national guard be mobilised to secure the place and prevent an explosion?
“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
Oh, bother.
Unless they have some way of keeping the entire place chilled, they have no way to prevent it.
Disgusted, but not surprised
A procrastination in of itself
Can't they either move the chemical in mobile cooling units to somewhere safe or simply use the on site cooling facilities?
“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
The facility stores peroxides and methyl propene, all highly explosive but not much health hazards beyond that. Sulfur dioxide is but more an irritant.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
I might have confused the name - there is Swamp Thing and Swamp—-something else and one is owned by Marvel and one by DC - but the character is actually a Marvel creation. One of the few cases where the DC take came later.
Anyway, does anyone know if help from Texas will now come or not? I kind of lost track of this story....
Oh, bother.
That would be Man-Thing, who is from Marvel.
And if you're asking about Mexico helping Texas...here's a recent story:
Mexico's Red Cross delivers aid to storm-ravaged Houston
edited 31st Aug '17 1:53:58 AM by M84
Disgusted, but not surprised
CNN just broke that the chemical facility referred to above has exploded and is now producing smoke, which is hopefully non-toxic.
Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
ExxonMobil refineries are damaged in Hurricane Harvey, releasing 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.
ExxonMobil said in the filings that a floating roof covering a tank at the company’s Baytown oil refinery sank in heavy rains, dipping below the surface of oil or other material stored there and causing unusually high emissions, especially of volatile organic compounds, a category of regulated chemicals.