Patterico's Pontifications

8/18/2007

Hurricane Dean has its eye on Jamaica, Mexico, and Texas

Filed under: Environment,General — DRJ @ 7:25 pm



[Guest post by DRJ]

This past Friday before Monday’s expected landfall, Texas Governor Perry was already preparing for Hurricane Dean by pre-positioning fuel supplies in coastal areas, establishing contraflow evacuation procedures, and contacting special needs residents. On Saturday, President Bush also took action by pre-approving Governor Perry’s request for emergency funds and assistance if Hurricane Dean hits Texas. Mexican officials also issued statements regarding their emergency plans and procedures. (Want to guess which jurisdiction threatens to use force to remove people who refuse to voluntarily evacuate?)

In related news, Gulf-based oil and gas companies started evacuating workers on Saturday in preparation for Hurricane Dean. It sounds like some of these companies have not yet shut in production.

UPDATE: The Reuters’ “oil and gas companies” link [isn’t working/works now and then]. I’ll try to find a substitute from another site.

17 Responses to “Hurricane Dean has its eye on Jamaica, Mexico, and Texas”

  1. Right now it appears Hurricane Dean will hit Jamica and poses a serious threat to the Caymans. Projections show it will then hold to a westerly course and hit Mexico, with rain and possible flooding in Southwest and West Texas.

    Bad news for Jamaica, the Caymans, and Mexico.

    DRJ (bfe07e)

  2. Want to guess which jurisdiction threatens to use force to remove people who refuse to voluntarily evacuate?

    No surprise at all.

    If we used the approach that the Mexican government takes, the Bush Administration would be viewed as ‘totalitarian threat.’

    Oh wait…

    Paul (f54101)

  3. Bad news for Texas.

    In June, we got 26 inches of rain. In July, 11. Normal rain for a YEAR in this area? 32.

    Hell, we got 9 inches just from Erin, and we’ll get a whole lot more from Dean. The ground is so saturated that even a 2 inch rainfall will cause massive flash flooding. Last week, when we got 9 inches on Wednesday, the river near our farm rose 27 feet. It was enough to put the bridge over that river, which is 37 feet high, ten feet from being overflowed. The creek in front of our house was up 17 feet. This is a creek that rarely runs most years.

    If the remnants of Dean are slow-moving, and it drifts up here, a LOT of people are going to lose their homes. And lives.

    The Edwards Aquifer is so high that in some parts of the Texas Hill Country, they’ve discovered new artesian wells.

    Want to know what Houston is going to look like? Much like New Orleans, if the floods from Tropical Storm Allison are any indication:

    http://images.chron.com/content/news/photos/01/06/06/storm/storm16.jpg

    So, yeah the last thing we need is more rain, and looks like we’re gonna get it. I’d prefer a frontal hit, actually, for two reasons: Texas will be far more prepared than any area of Mexico, so less loss of life; a frontal hit means the storm will be moving faster, which means less total rainfall.

    But either way, we’re in for, as my dad says, a gully-washer.

    otcconan (3366a6)

  4. On Saturday, President Bush also took action by pre-approving Governor Perry’s request for emergency funds and assistance if Hurricane Dean hits Texas.

    DRJ, I can’t wait for sites like HuffPo and DU to attack Bush for ‘favoring’ Texas over Louisiana.

    Feh.

    Paul (f54101)

  5. This picture is a little more indicative of how bad that Houston flood was. It could be that bad again if Dean hits slowly.

    http://www3.worldisround.com/photos/0/41/394.jpg

    otcconan (3366a6)

  6. And if that wasn’t enough to convince you…Houston is subsiding (sinking) at an annual rate of 1/2 an inch per year. Which makes flood plain and storm surge models, created decades ago, quite obsolete.

    otcconan (3366a6)

  7. If the remnants of Dean are slow-moving, and it drifts up here, a LOT of people are going to lose their homes. And lives.

    Wow. I’d forgotten that Texas had that much rain this year.

    Yipes.

    Paul (f54101)

  8. Otcconan,

    You’re right about saturation, flooding, etc., but my guess is the bulk of the rain will come in west of Houston and maybe even as far west as the Big Bend and then into the Permian Basin. For Houston’s sake, I hope so.

    Paul,

    I agree some will claim that President Bush has favored Texas but, unlike Louisiana’s Governor Blanco, Texas Governor Perry requested assistance. That fact seems to elude some.

    DRJ (bfe07e)

  9. If you ask for help, you get it.

    LA’s problems were all generated internally in the politicians they chose to lead them.

    Another Drew (8018ee)

  10. Drew and DRJ: Exactly.

    Paul (f54101)

  11. Paul – Did the politicians blow up the levees in N.O. or eat the corpses of victims of Katrina? I think not!!!

    daleyrocks (906622)

  12. daleyrocks…
    And neither did anyone else, except in the fervent imaginations of members of the MSM.

    Another Drew (8018ee)

  13. Another Drew – I thought it was all the fault of the evil McChimplerburton who directed the Mayor of New Orleans and Governor of Louisiana not to follow their emergency plans in advance of the hurricane Karl Rove sent their way made all the easier by his failure to ratify the Kyoto Treaty in an effort to disenfranchise black voters.

    daleyrocks (906622)

  14. daleyrocks …
    You forgot the Elders of Zion…

    Another Drew (8018ee)

  15. Another Drew – And the Spanish Inquisition.

    No one forgets the Spanish Inquisition.

    What is Randall Robinson doing for kicks these days? Has he written any more man eats man stories?

    daleyrocks (906622)

  16. And AL GORE and GREENPEACE will use this as a way to prove this GLOBAL WARMING popycock bull kaka you can expect them to use this in their propeganda ONLY A IDIOT WOULD JOIN OR HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH GREENPEACE

    krazy kagu (43a7ee)

  17. huricane k and now more i jus hope no one gets hurt

    tryin to help out (f9590b)


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