Frustrations Mount in the Houston Heat After Beryl Moves on

Wednesday, July 10, 2024

Many of the millions left without power after Hurricane Beryl crashed into Texas sweltered and grumbled Tuesday as the storm gutted access to air conditioning, food and water, and smothering heat and humidity draped over the nation's fourth-largest city.

Posted by LampLighter at 12:33 PM | 20 COMMENTS | permalink | Comment on This Entry |

Alternate links: Google News | Twitter

Comments

Admin's note: Participants in this discussion must follow the site's moderation policy. Profanity will be filtered. Abusive conduct is not allowed.

More from the article...

... Frustration mounted that Houston appeared to buckle under a storm not as powerful as previous ones. State officials were questioned whether utilities were prepared in advance, and at least one said they would withhold judgement until after the lights were turned back on.

"We can handle it, but not the kids," said Walter Perez, 49, as he arrived early Tuesday at celebrity pastor Joel Osteen's megachurch in Houston, which served as a cooling center and distributed 40-bottle packs of water to cars that drove up.

Perez said he, his wife, their 3-year-old son and 3-week-old daughter, and his father-in-law retreated from their apartment after a night he described as "bad, bad, bad, bad."

A heat advisory took effect through Wednesday in the Houston area and beyond, with temperatures expected to soar into the 90s (above 32.2 Celsius) and humidity that could make it feel as hot as 105 degrees (40.5 Celsius). The National Weather Service described the conditions as potentially dangerous given the lack of power and air conditioning. ...

#1 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-07-09 06:07 PM | Reply

Beryl was a Cat 1 hurricane when it made landfall in Texas.

How is Houston going to handle a more severe hurricane?

#2 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-07-09 06:08 PM | Reply

Run away and come back after the flood recedes. They issue an evac order if it's going to be very bad.

#3 | Posted by sitzkrieg at 2024-07-10 10:31 AM | Reply

reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!

uncle joe we demand free air conditioning because we can't take care of ourselves!

reeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

#4 | Posted by Tor at 2024-07-10 01:15 PM | Reply

The poor Houstonians that have flocked to the cooling centers aren't exactly Trump's demographic.

#5 | Posted by sitzkrieg at 2024-07-10 01:51 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

President Biden says he had to push for Beryl aid request with Abbott overseas
www.houstonchronicle.com

... President Joe Biden said Tuesday that the federal government could not distribute emergency relief supplies, including power generators, after Hurricane Beryl hit Texas until the White House was able to "track down" state leaders and get their formal request for a major disaster declaration.

Biden's comments came as Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is serving as acting governor while Greg Abbott is on an economic development trip in Asia. The president said in an exclusive interview with the Houston Chronicle that he had been trying to contact the governor to get the necessary requests to release the federal aid, which includes manpower and supplies.

"I've been trying to track down the governor to see -- I don't have any authority to do that without a specific request from the governor," Biden said. ...

#6 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-07-10 01:53 PM | Reply

@#5 ... The poor Houstonians that have flocked to the cooling centers aren't exactly Trump's demographic. ...

Probably why Gov Abbott does not seem to be all that concerned about them...

#7 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-07-10 01:55 PM | Reply

"I've been trying to track down the governor to see -- I don't have any authority to do that [release federal aid] without a specific request from the governor," Biden said.

I take it Gov. Abbott forgot to leave a phone number where he could be reached in case of an emergency.

Although having lived through every hurricane in Florida since 1968, I can hardly call a Cat 1 an emergency.

Maybe Texas' problem is that they haven't fix the problem from the previous 4 or 5 hurricanes. The problems just keep piling up on top one another.

#8 | Posted by Twinpac at 2024-07-10 03:19 PM | Reply

Nope, a tremendous amount of money goes into flood control and infrastructure hardening after every hurricane. Unlike other government projects, you can actually see those funds get spent (minus what's lost to corruption).

#9 | Posted by sitzkrieg at 2024-07-10 03:37 PM | Reply

How much you wanna bet Abbott wins reelection?

#10 | Posted by ClownShack at 2024-07-10 03:52 PM | Reply

I take it Gov. Abbott forgot to leave a phone number where he could be reached in case of an emergency.

Abbott left it to Acting Governor Dan Patrick.

Acting Governor Dan Patrick today(July 9th) spoke with President Joe Biden and requested a federal disaster declaration through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The President granted the state's request. The Major Disaster Declaration allows for reimbursement for up to 75 percent of costs associated with expenses for debris management and emergency protective measures. The State of Texas may make additional requests as damage assessments are completed.

gov.texas.gov

#11 | Posted by oneironaut at 2024-07-10 03:58 PM | Reply

AFTER ... why BEFORE or on going?

#12 | Posted by oneironaut at 2024-07-10 03:58 PM | Reply

Because that's when it's easiest to pass the bond.

#13 | Posted by sitzkrieg at 2024-07-10 04:01 PM | Reply

There's always ongoing improvements. Everything gets built according to the Harris County Flood Plan. When there's development you have to build in the infrastructure to handle the runoff. Then once in awhile when a major storm hits, there's usually a bond vote that follows and a lot of improvements get paid for at once.

#14 | Posted by sitzkrieg at 2024-07-10 04:13 PM | Reply

The Major Disaster Declaration allows for reimbursement for up to 75 percent of costs associated with expenses for debris management and emergency protective measures. The State of Texas may make additional requests as damage assessments are completed.

These disbursements need to be coupled to implementation of regs to insure that the impact of future storms is less severe. Continuing to provide disaster relief without proper, sincere efforts of risk mitigation is insane.

#15 | Posted by FedUpWithPols at 2024-07-10 05:32 PM | Reply

Texans want the spoils system to come back why should we allow those who hate Biden Or democrats in general to get any federal support?

#16 | Posted by Tor at 2024-07-10 06:40 PM | Reply

__________
#16 | Posted by Tor at 2024-07-10 06:40 PM
Texans want the spoils system to come back why should we allow those who hate Biden Or democrats in general to get any federal support?

Really! If Texans / Republicans want "the spoils system to come back" they will have to take it from "Biden Or democrats" cold dead hands! -- "Notorious" RBG, on her last breath.
__________

#17 | Posted by CutiePie at 2024-07-10 08:31 PM | Reply

I live in Kentucky, and in 2008 we were hit by the remnants of Hurricane Ike, which brought eight hours of winds gusting between 70 and 80 mph. Craziest thing I've ever seen 700 miles from any large body of water. We lost power for eight days. Talk about miserable. Thank God for my portable generator, which kept the lights on, along with the fridge, sump pump, TV and computers. Still we couldn't run the water heater, washer, dryer, dishwasher, microwave, oven, or air conditioner. And eight days of running a generator when gasoline was at its all-time high of $4.40+/ gallon cost us about $400 and frequent trips to the gas station.

Four months later, we had a record-breaking ice storm and lost power for another eight or nine days. This time it was winter. Would prefer never to go through that again.

#18 | Posted by cbob at 2024-07-10 09:46 PM | Reply

What climate change? It's all a hoax.

#19 | Posted by LegallyYourDead at 2024-07-10 11:09 PM | Reply

Texas is Mexico lite. Low unemployment high poverty.

#20 | Posted by RightisTrite at 2024-07-12 05:18 AM | Reply