So, you're quick to dismiss the importance of the lack of a governor of any political affiliation in their state during a natural disaster? According to what I heard reported on the radio; Governor Abbot was made aware that the storm hitting Texas was a possibility, yet he decided to take a trip to Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan anyway. It has nothing to do with politics, but more when elected leaders can't, or don't do their job when folks back home are counting on them.
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Stations down from Beryl
- Thread starter HTX
- Start date
What exactly is the "poor choice" here?
Before you respond, I'll remind you: Being a CenterPoint customer isn't a choice, because they are a monopoly. The only way to avoid them is to not live in Houston.
Houston and New Orleans should never had been built where they are now but it's a little too late. But with a period of more frequent storms and rising sea levels (I am not saying why the sea levels are rising but any one who has had second year college geology will tell you in the past sea level has varied greatly no politics intended) several major US coastal cities will have issues soon.
Why can't we take a lesson from Holland and build storm proof walls and dikes around port cities. The system could be paid for with a tax on stuff that goes through a port. Also there should be no federal funds spent on a project that will be flooded in the storm surge from a Cat 5 hurricane. You can only build a houses on piers in this area (free garage) or build in an area where it is protected by the storm proof dikes. Any mortgage in a flood prone area (inland too the 100 years flood plains too) should have mandatory flood insurance as part of the home insurance on your escrow.
Why can't we take a lesson from Holland and build storm proof walls and dikes around port cities. The system could be paid for with a tax on stuff that goes through a port. Also there should be no federal funds spent on a project that will be flooded in the storm surge from a Cat 5 hurricane. You can only build a houses on piers in this area (free garage) or build in an area where it is protected by the storm proof dikes. Any mortgage in a flood prone area (inland too the 100 years flood plains too) should have mandatory flood insurance as part of the home insurance on your escrow.
Is Houston going to have insurers jacking up rates or refusing to insure houses there due to hurricanes, the way that Florida is now?
There was failure on all sides. But only a moron would put their hurricane preparation plans on the hands of politicians and a billion dollar utility company. People are mad because they have no power. But how many of those people made preparations for their own well-being? After Derecho, I went out and bought a window AC unit and kept it as part of my hurricane stache.
And I'd also like to point out that the finger pointing started from the White House after they felt the need to reach out to the Houston Chronicle to put out a story. The fact that our president started this finger pointing is absolutely bonkers.
He was already on the trip long before the storm became a potential concern. Should he return? Yes. Would his presence make a difference? Probably not.
I agree. But to pretend it is only the Republican's fault is absolutely foolish. They're all incompetent. How many politicians (Democrat or Republican) made any meaningful effort to strengthen our local utility infrastructure before the storm arrived? Suddenly everyone gets perfect hindsight and demands to know why trees weren't maintained in our RoW and that poles were past due to be replaced 🤷♂️
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Having a personal hurricane readiness plan is absolutely a choice. Unfortunately, most of the loudest complainers are those who put all of their faith in politicians and a billion dollar utility company to care for them after a natural disaster. That's a sucker move.
New Orleans is a different animal. Most of that city lies under sea level while most of Houston is above it.
That's the plan at the moment. There is a massive dyke plan that seems to have bipartisan support. But with everything in government, it is moving at a slow pace. The plan calls for massive gates between Galveston and Port Bolivar to allow ships in and keep surges down.
I think it was estimated to cost $57 billion dollars and take 20 years to build. In politics lingo, that means it will likely take 30 years and cost over $100 billion.
It isn't just Florida, and now potentially coastal Texas locations. Now that folks are finally coming around to climate change being an actual thing, insurance rates are going up for everyone. Those who live in areas that could be prone to weather damage like hurricanes or tornados are going to find it increasingly difficult to get, afford, or even keep existing homeowners or rental insurance.
I heard a story on NPR the other day, that folks in the midwest who filed claims from storm damage even a couple of years ago are being dropped by their long-standing insurance carrier.
But that's what the elected officials are charged with and are paid with taxpayer dollars for; taking care of their state's constituents and infrastructure. For a sitting Governor, that includes being around to declare an emergency to make their state eligible for federal emergency funds. They can't do any of that if they're in Cancun or on a boondoggle trip to Asia.
Those same officials decided to make the Texas electric utility a privately run island, with no reciprocal agreements with other states to share power or labor as needed. Citizens were out of power in the middle of a freezing winter because Texas is a utility island, and now here it is again with no reciprocal agreement which allows other state utilities to come into Texas to help rebuild the infrastructure after the storm.
But, will anyone hold the elected officials accountable? No. Why? Because of silly political party affiliations.
Governor Abbott is attending an Economic Development Conference to try to benefit Texas. Keep in mind Beryl was merely a tropical storm hours before landfall as a hurricane. A Cat 1 is a baby compared to other hurricanes. There are many crews from out of town and out of state working to restore power. I know some folks in both Oklahoma and Texas that are part of crews that went to Houston to help restore power.
A truism with weather is you just never know what the possibilities are until they play out. Tropical Storm Allison came ashore and meandered back down to Houston and sat there dumping 36 inches of rain over parts of the city. Based on prior rainfall amounts based on the first visit and up in East Texas, 2 to 3 inches would have been expected. By dawn 18 wheelers were bobbing in the water on I-10. A friend went through a low end EF2 tornado. Left her home's foundation, flipped the shipping container where they sought refuge and then left every car drivable. I said EF5 is usually what wipes houses down to concrete foundations but it was a low end EF2 that wiped away their former home. They couldn't find clothes or anything from the home.
I suppose the question is do you postpone everything and call in reinforcements before an event just in case it becomes a big event? Do you call out the troops for a Tornado Watch or Hurricane Watch? Where is the line? What if you get it wrong and it's a nothing storm? Is that politician an idiot because of that and the power company as well?
I'm not defending the Governor but I'm just saying all the finger pointing and criticism is a bit much and none of it helped Houston get it's power back but has wasted a bit of energy!
A truism with weather is you just never know what the possibilities are until they play out. Tropical Storm Allison came ashore and meandered back down to Houston and sat there dumping 36 inches of rain over parts of the city. Based on prior rainfall amounts based on the first visit and up in East Texas, 2 to 3 inches would have been expected. By dawn 18 wheelers were bobbing in the water on I-10. A friend went through a low end EF2 tornado. Left her home's foundation, flipped the shipping container where they sought refuge and then left every car drivable. I said EF5 is usually what wipes houses down to concrete foundations but it was a low end EF2 that wiped away their former home. They couldn't find clothes or anything from the home.
I suppose the question is do you postpone everything and call in reinforcements before an event just in case it becomes a big event? Do you call out the troops for a Tornado Watch or Hurricane Watch? Where is the line? What if you get it wrong and it's a nothing storm? Is that politician an idiot because of that and the power company as well?
I'm not defending the Governor but I'm just saying all the finger pointing and criticism is a bit much and none of it helped Houston get it's power back but has wasted a bit of energy!
Power was out at our house for 85 hours before being restored Thursday evening. We had to throw out virtually everything in our refrigerator due to the extended outage. We were going to go to the grocery store this afternoon to restock.
Well, a line of thunderstorms moved through the area this afternoon (Friday) and guess what…the power is out again.😡🤬
My wife said “We’re not buying any more groceries until the power has remained on for 24 hours or longer.”
This sort of thing is just going to make people angrier.
Well, a line of thunderstorms moved through the area this afternoon (Friday) and guess what…the power is out again.😡🤬
My wife said “We’re not buying any more groceries until the power has remained on for 24 hours or longer.”
This sort of thing is just going to make people angrier.
Somehow I think thousands of constituents who have been without power for days, lost all their expensive food, sweltering in humidity, aren't concerned about economic development from Asia.
Tropical storms can cause plenty of flooding and injury to infrastructure and the public. Neglecting your primary responsibility for some boondoggle with rich donors overseas is just pathetic. If there was any chance even a tropical storm was going to hit the state, Abbott should have canceled his trip. That would have been the right thing to do. But, you're right that it isn't as bad as the Senator from Texas shuffling he and his family off to Cancun during a record winter freeze while his constituents suffered. And yet, the citizens of the great State of Texas keep reelecting these clowns? I don't get it
Including overseas trips with wealthy donors? You bet!
I think being prepared starting by not being outwardly selfish, would be a good start.
Were you without power for days? Have you lost all your perishable foods because of no power? Somehow I think if you had suffered like many folks, you'd be less sympathetic to politicians abandoning their state during a natural disaster.
And it’s affecting insurance for everyone, including churches.
How a perfect storm sent church insurance rates skyrocketing
(RNS) — The same factors that have caused a crisis in the homeowner's insurance market are also affecting churches, who have to choose between paying for insurance or running programs.
religionnews.com
No offense, but you have a very naive and idealistic view of modern day politics. Furthermore, the government was never meant to be an insurance policy to take care of you. Ronald Reagan once said that the most terrifying words anyone could hear is "I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help."
This still holds true today.
We have american veterans on the streets and no universal healthcare. Yet the tax dollars that are supposed to care for us and our infrastructure is being sent to fund one war that Europe created (Israel/Palestine) and another that threatens Europe (Ukraine/Russia). It absolutely feels like government hesitates less to help foreign nations and foreign nationals than they do actual Americans.
Tasks that can be completed by an acting governor.
For starters, our electrical grid wasn't a problem until it became one. No Democrat or Republican ever tried to do anything before 2021 and suddenly after the freeze, everyone became an expert.
Furthermore, joining the eastern or western grid wouldn't fix a single thing. Both national grids have experienced their own troubles and are slower at addressing issues due to layers of bureaucracy that is beyond each state's prerogative. For example, everyone loves to bring up February 2021, but conveniently leave out that a few months later Seattle and several parts of the Northwest saw rolling blackouts during a heatwave. The only (D)ifference was how the media didn't politicize the story one bit.
See my Seattle reference.
That's not how it works. There is no rule prohibiting utility workers from one grid helping rebuild another. There are crews down here from across the southeast (particularly Oklahoma and Louisiana) taking part in the restoration process.
You can hold them accountable. But there's a time and place for that and now ain't it.
Furthermore, from my point of view it seems you are proving my point in how you seem to have an obvious blue-shaded axe to grind. This is despite the fact that Houston and Harris county is a majority Democrat city and the person who intentionally lit the political finger pointing was Joe Biden (or his toxic staff that has managed to do everything they said Trump would do back in 2016).
Like I said, there are certain kind of people who won't let a good tragedy or disaster go to waste. Politicizing the recovery efforts at this moment helps no one (especially since neither party cared about the state of our utility infrastructure until Monday).
Tell that to the millions of economic migrants that have escaped from California, Pennsylvania, and New York.
Yet, the duties of the governor can be fulfilled by the Lt. Governor. So no, his presence wouldn't have changed a thing.
If we're being honest, had he come back you'd just be blaming him for something else. It's quite obvious you're hellbent in making sure Republicans are blamed for this.
What would have happened differently if he were here?
Texas is an economic workhorse because of conservative values that encourage commerce. While politicians in New York and Georgia are worried about prosecuting Donald Trump, Abbott is trying to attract investors to help meet the job demands created by the arrival of domestic migrants fleeing democratic policies.
That's just the harsh truth. And I'm saying this as someone who despises the modern day Republican.
I lost property during Derecho and was without power for a full week. And now I'm still without power with a lot of work to do this weekend.
But you know why I'm not bitter about it? Because it was an act of God and because I was prepared. I have a window A/C unit I bought after Ike for situations like these. I also kept two generators; one that I use for football tailgates (10 years old) and another one for natural disasters (16 years old).
Now I know the stereotypical blue response is to scream "WELL YOU'RE PRIVILEGED!". Well, the reality is that I'm not. Generators are a once in a decade purchase (maybe even two with proper maintenance). And window A/C units can last for far longer. They aren't expensive purchases when you stretch their costs over 10-15 years. And after this storm, I'm going to start budgeting to buy a new generator and A/C unit for the next decade.
What the issue comes down to is that many people refused to prepare. We have become a society full of entitled people who aren't capable of helping themselves. The reality is that you have to be an nincompoop to think that the government and a utility company will keep you safe during and after a natural disaster. They're just not. The modern day liberal has no sense of self-reliance, which is why they seem to be the whiniest group at the moment.
Okay, so in this instance was the Lieutenant Governor appearing on the radio and TV with instructions to the affected areas? Granted it's procedural and somewhat ceremonial, but it shows the state government is there and working for the people.
Sorry, but you don't have the right to speak for me. I never mentioned any concern about political allegiance, only that elected officials affiliated with any political party shouldn't be rewarded for using taxpayer money to attend Asian, or South American boondoggles during the chance of a natural disaster back home. Or, should something happen while on a trip, they should turn around and head home. That's what most taxpayers expect.
I see. You accuse me of making this political. Got it.
Sorry to hear that. After two major incidents that disrupted utility power for a lot of people in Texas, hopefully, the general public will finally rise and put a stop to the public/private utility island that's isolating the state.
That's great you have the personal resources and planning for potential disasters. Likely some of your neighbors don't. And it isn't because they're of a different political affiliation or socioeconomic slant. Not everyone thinks or acts the same way you do. That doesn't make other folks somehow inferior.
Dehumanize and call your neighbor's childish names if you wish, but as I mentioned; not everyone has the resources or lives in housing that allows for multiple generators or disaster planning. For right or wrong, the government is supposed to work for the people who pay their salaries.
What they did or didn't do is irrelevant.
Your gripe has been that we have a governor who isn't here to fulfill the duties of the governor. But procedurally speaking that's a lie.
There is nothing a governor can do that an acting governor can't.
With all due respect, your politics have become a predictable pattern.
And I'll leave it at that.
So elected officials have no business trying to attract businesses and jobs for their constituents?
You did. Even after I called the natural disaster a non-partisan issue, you decided it wasn't.
I have not accused anyone of being directly responsible for the ongoing blackout. I haven't called out a single politician for being responsible for this natural disaster. But what I did do and will say is that Liberals seem to be the ones who prepared the least. They've allowed the government to become their cocoon in many aspects of their lives when the reality is that this shouldn't be the case. And because of this, many of them are without power and sitting in the heat. They're the ones who are stretching our resources thin because they couldn't be bothered to do their own part and prepare.
Here we go again. Why do you keep insisting that people put their entire faith on the government and a utility company? You should be pushing for people to do their own part and prepare first and foremost. The government was never meant to be your insurance policy for a natural disaster (much less a for-profit utility company).
People need to take responsibility. Buy a generator, buy a small A/C, keep 4 days worth of fuel in stock, and have a pantry full of non-perishable food. It's not hard or expensive. This isn't a privileged concept.
For the third time, I already explained that the cost of a generator and a small A/C unit is miniscule when you spread the costs over the operational life of both. It's not like I'm asking people to buy a generator every single year.
Being prepared isn't a privileged lifestyle. You say it is to push a political narrative. But it simply isn't.
I think with the way society has gone, I've earned that right. We now live in a society where food bank volunteers are getting verbally harassed for not giving "brand name" food at a distribution site.
This entitlement has gone way too far. It's time for some tough love.
Idealistic and naive sums up your take. Our own president lit the match in this political finger pointing for heavens sake. He personally called the local newspaper and pushed the story when he had no reason to do so.
And yet you still think they work for you and have your best interest in mind?
Looking a lot better on the FM side now.
88.3 KAFR off
91.7 KHVU AUX
92.1 KROI AUX dead air
94.1 K231CN dead air off and on. K231DA off
96.1 KCDF-LP off
97.1 KLVH AUX. Main was on yesterday
99.7 KVST has been off and on the air. Currently on
100.7 KKHT AUX
103.3 translator off
88.7 HD4 silent
106.9 HD3 silent
97.9 and 102.1 HD are off but I think they’re still working on the tower farm
88.3 KAFR off
91.7 KHVU AUX
92.1 KROI AUX dead air
94.1 K231CN dead air off and on. K231DA off
96.1 KCDF-LP off
97.1 KLVH AUX. Main was on yesterday
99.7 KVST has been off and on the air. Currently on
100.7 KKHT AUX
103.3 translator off
88.7 HD4 silent
106.9 HD3 silent
97.9 and 102.1 HD are off but I think they’re still working on the tower farm
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