tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819607534051208825.post7474909418551996357..comments2023-11-24T15:42:40.775-08:00Comments on The Badger's Sett: People Need To Stop Yelling at HoustonRowan Badgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05521541066585626296noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819607534051208825.post-36442682609211992582017-10-23T01:09:48.530-07:002017-10-23T01:09:48.530-07:00How large this state is, and even more they have n...How large this state is, and even more they have no concept of how large our cities are.<a href="http://www.gourmetindiahouston.com/" rel="nofollow">gourmethouston</a><br />Alex monerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02635328221496286054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819607534051208825.post-80489913704489529232017-08-31T20:45:58.064-07:002017-08-31T20:45:58.064-07:00I'm just glad I live in Katy and this great st...I'm just glad I live in Katy and this great state where people actually care about one another and want to help each other! I'd be afraid to live where some of these other people live if a storm like this hit, they would be too busy complaining about what is happening instead of trying to find a solution and helping each other. God Bless this state and the love we have for each other!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11289977192084141448noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819607534051208825.post-34831027998545247482017-08-31T13:34:42.683-07:002017-08-31T13:34:42.683-07:00The other difference is Katrina amd Riata were bot...The other difference is Katrina amd Riata were both Cat 5 storms pointed right at major metro areas. Harvey was (until the last minute) a TS or Cat kne making landfall 200 miles down the coast. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07674070933809544209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819607534051208825.post-52270664499026408372017-08-30T20:52:15.409-07:002017-08-30T20:52:15.409-07:00Thank you. Not to mention, a complete evacuation w...Thank you. Not to mention, a complete evacuation was tried during Rita. We know how that turned out... Not so well.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11825334074482062152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819607534051208825.post-69284958945281605632017-08-30T20:49:08.572-07:002017-08-30T20:49:08.572-07:00Very well said. Those folks who have not experienc...Very well said. Those folks who have not experienced what we have experienced do not have a clue of what they speak. Nor are they legitimate fortune tellers. They should just keep their opinions to themselves. Idiots!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11825334074482062152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819607534051208825.post-47094937645485590602017-08-30T18:14:24.940-07:002017-08-30T18:14:24.940-07:00Carol, you just don't get it and that's ok...Carol, you just don't get it and that's ok. Fyi... this system was better. It was better than hurricane Rita fiasco, the systems for shelter and emergency response were soooo much better than the more recent memorial day flood and tax day floods. The community of neighbors helping neighbors was unprecedented. <br />The next time you foresee a possible tropical depression turning into a cat 3 hurricane, hitting one part of the coast line and getting stuck between 2 areas of high pressure resulting in dumping a year's worth of water on a major metropolitan area the size of Rhode island with a population of 3 times that of Manhattan.... Feel free to call our local elected officials with a considerable warning and a signed blank check to start the evacuation process for a storm of unforseen magnitude (most rainfall in recorded history from a storm in the continental United states) that might not happen. <br />YOU HAVE NO IDEA!Emmy Ehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08276719923781142050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819607534051208825.post-37787384080337319872017-08-30T17:16:35.845-07:002017-08-30T17:16:35.845-07:00"That's the ticket!" Thank you so mu..."That's the ticket!" Thank you so much NY!Dee Benjaminhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15883140302665068461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819607534051208825.post-7104987090363335942017-08-30T17:14:39.875-07:002017-08-30T17:14:39.875-07:00If nothing goes awry, there may be a very fast rai...If nothing goes awry, there may be a very fast rail line from Dallas/Houston/Dallas in the future. I have lived in Katy, Texas since 1985, and I am so sad for my friends, family, neighbors, and all others that I don't know "praying for all", especially the ones who are running the city/states to make good decisions. I am also sad that I am not present in Texas to help so I keep on praying and thanking all of the USA for their prayers. Help is always on the way from Our Father in Heaven, He will make us stronger! God Bless You All!Dee Benjaminhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15883140302665068461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819607534051208825.post-81025824799678897022017-08-30T14:03:16.933-07:002017-08-30T14:03:16.933-07:00I live in the Southern Outer Banks of Eastern Nort...I live in the Southern Outer Banks of Eastern North Carolina, where we regularly face both hurricanes and massive storm surge. In addition, I was a Destructive Weather Officer aboard a Marine Corps installation during hurricane Irene. The balance between safe, realistic evacuation orders and recommendations to shelter in place are ALWAYS difficult. That said, there are professionals whose sole job is to make those kinds of calls, and to follow through with appropriate support. Arm chair quarterbacking those calls after the fact is useless, but a careful and professional evaluation of the preparation and response is always done... AFTER the disaster has abated. There is a time and place for everything, and there are experienced professionals who are going to spend a lot of time reviewing and evaluating the choices that were made. But, all of that happens AFTER the crisis has passed. Finger pointing from the peanut gallery DURING a crisis is both counter-productive and more than a little bit disgusting. Texans are just like everyone else during a disaster: they put their heads down and do the best they can with what they've got. If you can help, do so... But do it without judgement and without unsolicited commentary. BeaufortNChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15967188852864993224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819607534051208825.post-41647357194253153072017-08-30T10:39:44.939-07:002017-08-30T10:39:44.939-07:00Best response ever! Thank you.Best response ever! Thank you.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14974989962189118011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819607534051208825.post-53784617641986292682017-08-30T10:26:13.566-07:002017-08-30T10:26:13.566-07:00What an insightful, eye-opening article. Thank yo...What an insightful, eye-opening article. Thank you, Rowan. Twenty-first century people seem to have lost their ability to "play out the entire story", and be realistic. Many people can't fathom the idea that "stuff happens" and sometimes you just can't prevent, stop, or reverse the effects of it. You can only think through the situation, all the "what ifs" and make the best decision that it available at the time, in that particular event. Some think that everything is preventable!!! That's why we have so many regulations, stupid laws, and lawsuits. People just can't grasp the fact that accidents, storms, illnesses, and failures don't always have someone to blame for their occurrences. Absolutely we need to be best prepared, prevent accidents, illness, etc., but this is unreasonable to think this could be handled perfectly. This life is not perfect. God bless those affected by this storm and all those in the rescue and recovery efforts. We are praying and sending funds to help the people that are displaced. Everyone here in California isn't ignorant of reality nor have we all lost our common sense like many in this sad state. Kathleenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03291028416087192202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819607534051208825.post-52994392025795634552017-08-30T08:02:43.250-07:002017-08-30T08:02:43.250-07:00Great post! For non-Houstonians, if the city had ...Great post! For non-Houstonians, if the city had attempted an evacuation, and hundreds if not thousands had drowned in their cars, stuck in the massive traffic jam attempting to leave, would you still think it's a good idea to evacuate? Rita's evacuation taught everyone who lived through it that securing in place saves lives...and that's what Hurricane preparation is all about. Houston's elected officials made the right call!<br />Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01506761769489895430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819607534051208825.post-78918674389950875162017-08-30T01:00:08.213-07:002017-08-30T01:00:08.213-07:00Native Houstonian, live in Los Angeles, and work i...Native Houstonian, live in Los Angeles, and work in the entertainment industry (with a lot of non Texans.) I have listened to countless people parrot repeatedly "Houston should have done..." over the last few days. Just wanted to tell you excellent article. Well done. Nicely said. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17828309380796304340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819607534051208825.post-28163324993668937182017-08-29T21:41:19.249-07:002017-08-29T21:41:19.249-07:00We lost 100 people trying to evacuate for Rita, wh...We lost 100 people trying to evacuate for Rita, which did some, but not catastrophic damage. So far we've lost maybe 15. It'll probably rise, I'd expect maybe 50 unless there's a large group that got caught that we don't yet know about. People were freaked out by Katrina and we learned that that was probably not the way to go. This storm was nothing you could easily duck. You will probably see more of these sit-and-spin storms in the future. You tell me who could have taken 6 million plus people. We were the one city that just happened to have a spare domed stadium lying around for Katrina. I wish that all the hand-wringing over what to do with the Astrodome would turn it into a full-fledged shelter with elevated access.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17030449403446131666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819607534051208825.post-1367671160120158232017-08-29T20:19:53.367-07:002017-08-29T20:19:53.367-07:00Yeah, because there are SO many trains in Texas. T...Yeah, because there are SO many trains in Texas. The better question is why doesn't the USA have a decent high-speed rail system? And since we don't have one, why not build a mag-lev system so that we could evacuate some people?<br />Lindyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04662429826507775390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819607534051208825.post-70231522643543893872017-08-29T14:03:07.111-07:002017-08-29T14:03:07.111-07:00Thanks for the link!Thanks for the link!Rowan Badgerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05521541066585626296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819607534051208825.post-14409085323832394102017-08-29T14:01:45.065-07:002017-08-29T14:01:45.065-07:00So, some thoughts, Carol Jackson. As others have ...So, some thoughts, Carol Jackson. As others have pointed out, there is no passenger rail option that would have worked, and people with severe medical concerns or knew their homes were likely to flood were advised to evacuate.<br /><br />As to why they couldn't evacuate those most vulnerable, the elderly and the infirm, they did evacuate a number of them BUT critical resources for public care in Texas and nationwide have been cut. Talk to our Republican governor and our Republican lege, which spent precious time this last session curtailing abortion rights and fighting over who could go to the bathroom where instead of addressing known issues in infrastructure and disaster preparedness.<br /><br />Also, even if you confine it to those with significant problems, you're still talking about tens of thousands of people, many of whom need specialised medical transport in order to leave the environments (home or nursing home) they have set up to have what they need. They need destinations that can provide sufficient care. Most of them are on fixed incomes and cannot afford to leave unless the city or the state pays to transport and house them.<br /><br />When I say "forty-eight hours to prepare", I don't mean "they had forty-eight hours of knowing a major storm was making landfall and going to flood Houston." Forty-eight hours before Harvey made landfall in Corpus Christi, the news was "This might become a thing, and if it becomes a thing, it will likely head for the Texas coast." I have heard that at least three or four times a year in the last twelve years. If you transport a nursing home patient, you drastically increase their risk of infection, injury, and death. Officials in Houston, practically speaking, had about 24-36 hours in which they knew that the likelihood of a major flooding event (and they had no idea it would be this bad) exceeded the certainty that evacuated patients would die on the road. Are you genuinely suggesting that they should have arranged transport and housing for tens of thousands of medically unstable patients in 24 hours?<br /><br />The other problem is that they don't know where it will flood. Houston is larger than Rhode Island, and as escalating patterns of flooding have shown over the last several years, the flood map is constantly changing due to development and climate change effects. Even setting aside the areas you expect to flood because they always do, picking out the ten or twelve neighborhoods most likely to have unprecedented flooding in an area the size of Rhode Island is beyond my skill and, I believe, yours as well.<br /><br />You do not seem to have a correct grasp on scope or scale here.<br /><br />As to digital copies of documents, I believe everyone should have electronic copies of all insurance, mortgage, and account information, but that's going to require that everyone have access to the internet, and as hard as it is to imagine in 2017, most of Houston's poorest homes and most of Houston's elderly residents aren't online. They don't have the money or the time to go to a Kinko's and get their documents scanned for them, nor is that a priority for them.Rowan Badgerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05521541066585626296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819607534051208825.post-85286190680193244782017-08-29T11:11:15.668-07:002017-08-29T11:11:15.668-07:00I lived in Houston for 20 years, and was born in a...I lived in Houston for 20 years, and was born in an island country in the Caribbean. Hurricanes are a normalcy for me. <br />1. I wished I was there, because my people and my city are there. <br />2. Evacuation is not an option. Houston seethes with commerce and motion until we are literally stopped by an act of God. Then we have margaritas, hang out with the kids, pets and neighbors until we can go get Lebanese food and coffee. <br />3. This really, really isn't our first rodeo. I have every faith in Houston's robust community and ability to apply creative and kind solutions for those in need. <br />4. Our minority and immigrant communities have faced worse. They're an integral part of who we are, and I know they'll bring all their determination and solutions-oriented approaches to the problem of cleaning up.<br />5. Climate change played a pivotal role in this storm, and will continue to do so in area storms. Houston won't be denied, won't be ignored. They'll push for solutions, and this disaster may yet save many other lives. Shaihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09061477007107943372noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819607534051208825.post-61383455963366900702017-08-29T08:31:16.046-07:002017-08-29T08:31:16.046-07:00This is excellent, succinct and completely authent...This is excellent, succinct and completely authentic (in my humble opinion as a native Texan). I updated my blog post (where I took a stab at this kind of rebuttal, among other things) to include a link to yours. https://glovergardens.com/2017/08/28/how-you-can-help-texas-right-now/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819607534051208825.post-26241509026565301642017-08-29T08:22:14.898-07:002017-08-29T08:22:14.898-07:00Thank you for this!! I'm in NC, not from TX, b...Thank you for this!! I'm in NC, not from TX, but we've had our share of storm destruction, too (although nothing quite on this scale)... <br /><br />This arm-chair quarterbacking from the talking heads and self-appointed know-it-alls has been making me crazy. They are dead wrong, and heaping it on the government officials, and second guessing them, is just adding to the misery. Your mayor is so clearly heart-broken, but I agree was making the best choice from very few options, to minimize loss of life. An attempted complete evacuation is INSANE and would have been a colossal, unimaginable tragedy! Beth Owl's Daughterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16908389523590610414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819607534051208825.post-18016587207513247142017-08-29T06:16:22.811-07:002017-08-29T06:16:22.811-07:00If you're not from Texas and have never lived ...If you're not from Texas and have never lived here during a storm you can't weight in with the "you should haves". It's bad enough that many here have lost everything. Advice from those who obviously have no concept nor experience wth our region or weather can't weight in with any reasonable plans.<br />Would you extent your hand to lift a hurting one, and while holding it begin to list their faults to show your superiority?<br /> Learn our city & storm history, know the facts, add compassion and your ideas might be of benefit. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16676268822896678742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819607534051208825.post-59903489983651134302017-08-29T05:30:10.261-07:002017-08-29T05:30:10.261-07:00Sending blessings of strength.
Sending blessings o...Sending blessings of strength.<br />Sending blessings of fortitude.<br />With love, and tears, and hope from NY. <br />❤️Maggie Pinquehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06144057532959634108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819607534051208825.post-59410056301635385582017-08-29T02:30:29.907-07:002017-08-29T02:30:29.907-07:00Thank you for writing and sharing this. Explains s...Thank you for writing and sharing this. Explains so much, people from other places should be able to understand. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08038959544491087168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819607534051208825.post-14175122982255859122017-08-28T22:33:05.290-07:002017-08-28T22:33:05.290-07:00This is the worst flooding event that this country...This is the worst flooding event that this country has ever seen! The ENTIRE Houston area (and all<br />surrounding cities) are under water, I live in a flood zone and did not flood. Many people who have never ever flooded, have lost it all. The amount of judgement coming from the people outside astounds me! Keep your ignorant opinions to yourselves and stay out of our business unless you want roll up your sleeves and lend a helping hand. We stand united, and we will come out stronger! Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03667703832527961430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819607534051208825.post-38358076443494242652017-08-28T20:30:48.318-07:002017-08-28T20:30:48.318-07:00"We don't expect people who don't liv..."We don't expect people who don't live in this region to fully understand, but we ask that you refrain from the judgement and criticism of things you can't fully understand"<br />THANK YOU.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15547120248115760655noreply@blogger.com