Next Up … Hurricane Irma has Strengthened to a Category 5 Storm Takes Aim at Florida (Update: Devastation in Caribbean)

HURRICANE IRMA …

Hurricane Irma is making its way thru the Caribbean, where it will or if it will hit the United States is still up in the air.  Hurricane Irma has strengthened to a Category 5 storm with maximum sustained winds near 175 mph as it approaches the northeast Caribbean on a path toward U.S.

Hurricane Irma

“Extremely dangerous” Hurricane Irma strengthened to a Category 5 storm Tuesday morning, the National Hurricane Center said, with sustained winds of 175 mph.

The hurricane will blast the northern Caribbean with flooding rain, damaging winds and rough surf over the next few days, AccuWeather warned, bringing life-threatening conditions to the islands.

A similar scenario could play out somewhere along the Gulf or East coasts of the United States this weekend or next week, depending on where Irma tracks.

The storm could hit Florida, Georgia or the Carolinas, or even head into the eastern Gulf of Mexico.

Irma is now the strongest hurricane in the Atlantic since 2007.

When a Category 5 hurricane hits land, “a high percentage of framed homes will be destroyed, with total roof failure and wall collapse,” the hurricane center said.

UPDATE I: Hurricane Irma prompted the governors of Florida and Puerto Rico to declare states of emergency Monday.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s emergency declaration mentions that weather models predict Irma will “head into the Straits of Florida as a major hurricane,” then “travel up the entire spine” of the state. The declaration — which applies to all of the state’s counties — also outlines an emergency response plan, including potential policies such as waiving fees on toll roads, activating the National Guard, and setting up shelters in public buildings.

On Twitter Monday, Scott also urged “all Floridians to remain vigilant and stay alert to local weather and news” and “to get prepared.”

In Puerto Rico, Gov. Ricardo Rosselló also declared a state of emergency, saying that Puerto Rican officials have issued price freezes on basic necessities, and that the US territory has 456 shelters that can accommodate 62,100 people.

UPDATE II: Hurricane Irma leaves trail of death, destruction across Caribbean.

Hurricane Irma left a trail of death and destruction across the Caribbean on Thursday as the Category 5 storm howled past Puerto Rico and headed toward the Dominican Republic and Haiti on its way to Florida.

At least 10 people have died and authorities are struggling to get aid to small Caribbean islands devastated by the storm’s record 185 mph winds. Barbuda’s prime minister called the island “barely habitable” and St. Martin, an island split between French and Dutch control, saw extensive damage and was completely destroyed in places.

Communications with areas hit by Irma have been difficult, and information on damage trickled out. However, authorities cautioned the death toll is likely to rise. Of the dead, one was a 2-year-old from Barbuda, eight were from St. Martin and St. Barts and one was from Anguilla, where the British government described the situation as “critical.”

French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb told France Info radio that the toll on Saint-Martin and Saint-Barts be higher because rescue teams have yet to finish their inspection of the islands.

Posted September 7, 2017 by
Caribbean, Florida, Hurricane, Main | no comments

Harvey Continues to Ravage Texas as Houston Floods … Louisiana Next (Video)

SAY A PRAYER … Harvey Continues to Ravage Texas as Houston Flood levels keep rising …

Harvey is the flood of a lifetime. The rain just keeps coming and coming and coming. Area of Southeast Texas have been devastated by Tropical Storm Harvey, with some areas drowning in nearly 40 inches of water. Some parts of the state are bracing for another beating with up to 20 inches of rain.

Forecasters say Harvey, which made landfall in Texas as a Category 4 hurricane on Friday night, will move slowly to the northeast throughout the week and shower some parts of the state with another 15 to 20 inches of rainfall by the end of Thursday.

Certain areas to the west of Houston could see as much as 50 inches of rain by the time the storm is over — which would be the largest recorded total in Texas history.

By Monday, more than 2,000 victims in Houston had been plucked from the catastrophic flooding, which left roads, homes and cars across Texas submerged in water.

Harvey_Houston radar

The death toll has rose to 14 as tragically family of 6 believed dead as their van was sept awaty trying to flee the flood waters.

Six members of the same family are believed to be dead after their van was swept away in floodwaters caused by Tropical Storm Harvey over the weekend, Houston-area television station KHOU reported Monday.

Two adults and their four great-grandchildren were trying to escape Sunday afternoon when their van was overcome, three relatives told the station.

The children’s great-uncle, who was driving the vehicle, managed to crawl out before the vehicle became fully submerged in water, KHOU reported.

Harvey_storm track

NOAA

Houston Flooded

DISGUSTING: Hillary Clinton Forced to Delay Campaign Ads on Weather Channel During Hurricane Matthew Due to Backlash

HOW EXPLOITATIVE COULD HILLARY CLINTON BE … TEAM HILLARY BOUGHT AD TIME ON WEATHER CHANNEL TO PLAY DURING HURRICANE MATTHEW …

TALK ABOUT DEPLORABLETeam Hillary was forced to delay the running of her political ads on the Weather Channel during Hurricane Matthew as they faced a backlash from the public. Maybe Hillary should have donated the $63K to Hurricane relief rather than a pathetic ad buy during a time of crisis. But as we know, Democrats never let a good crisis go to waste.

Hillary Clinton wanted to take advantage of Floridians and having them watch her political ads as they faced Hurricane Matthew and were potential victims during a natural disaster. But Hillary cares more about herself and her political ambitions than she does the people of Florida going through a natural disaster. Now, Hillary Clinton looks like an exploitative fool as she was forced to delay the ads due to he bad judgement. Once again America I will say it, WAKE THE HELL UP … WHY WOULD ANYONE VOTE FOR SUCH AN INDIVIDUAL WHO PUTS THEMSELVES BEFORE WE THE PEOPLE!!!

Deplorable Move by Hillary Clinton

hillary clinton -hurricane

The Hillary Clinton campaign has delayed a planned Florida ad buy on the Weather Channel after facing criticism for targeting voters in the path of Hurricane Matthew.

“We have requested that stations in Florida delay any of those ads on the Weather Channel until after the storm passes,” spokesman Jesse Ferguson said in a statement Thursday.

Politico first reported that the Clinton campaign had planned to spend $63,000 on Weather Channel ads in Florida over a five-day stretch starting Thursday, just as the storm nears the coast.

Politico noted that Donald Trump and other candidates have advertised on the same channel this year. But the bid to capture support from anxious Florida residents in the path of a deadly storm that has triggered mass evacuation orders and is expected to strengthen soon into a destructive Category 4 created a bit of an optics problem.

“If they’re out being too political at a time when the country has its prayers with the people affected, I think it could backfire,” Rep. Greg Walden, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, told Fox News earlier Thursday, before the delay was announced.

Hurricane Matthew is expected to Hit South Florida early Friday Morning and Move up the East Coast

PLEASE TAKE THE WARNINGS TO THIS MASSIVE HURRICANE SERIOUSLY …

Hurricane Matthew hits the Bahamas and headed toward Florida. Matthew has already been responsible for 26 deaths (updated now to 39) as it heads toward the East coast of the United States. Gov. Scott warned Florida could be facing its ‘biggest evacuation ever’ after declaring a state emergency. Matthew is supposed to be a CAT4 hurricane when it hits the U.S. Please take the evacuations seriously.

More than two million people in the US have been urged to evacuate their homes amid warnings Hurricane Matthew is strengthening and could cause ‘loss of life’ as it bears down on the East Coast.

Thousands of families have been caught in gridlock in Florida, the Carolinas and Georgia after fleeing their homes ahead of the storm – which is expected to strike Miami at around 2am on Friday and crawl northwards.

The powerful category-three hurricane, the fiercest Caribbean storm in nearly a decade, has already killed at least 22 people in Haiti and four in the Dominican Republic on Tuesday.

It is expected to intensify to a ‘catastrophic’ category-four hurricane when it batters southern Florida and moves further up the Atlantic coast into Georgia and South Carolina, the US National Hurricane Center said.

The National Weather Service has advised that ‘loss of life’ and ‘immense human suffering’ is possible for those who don’t take precautions.

The Weather Channel: Hurricane Matthew’s U.S. Impacts: Life-Threatening Storm Surge, Damaging Winds, Flooding Rainfall.

Hurricane Matthew will hammer parts of eastern Florida starting Thursday, and then spread up the coast of Georgia and the Carolinas Friday into the weekend.

As illustrated by the National Hurricane Center’s (NHC) projected path map, and also explained below, the severity of any direct impacts will depend on how close the center of Matthew moves near the coast.

An important point to make is that landfall does NOT need to take place for the worst impacts to come ashore. The strongest winds and most drilling surge will come to the coast in the eyewall, which surrounds the eye. Landfall occurs when the calmest portion of the eye, or the center, comes ashore. Hurricane conditions could come ashore even if the center stays 20 to 30 miles offshore.

Millions flee as Southeast U.S. braces for deadly Hurricane Matthew.

Roadways in Florida, Georgia and North and South Carolina were jammed and gas stations and food stores ran out of supplies as the storm approached, bringing storm surges, heavy rain and sustained winds that accelerated overnight to about 125 miles (205 km) per hour.

Matthew, which killed at least 39 people and displaced thousands, mostly in southern Haiti, was predicted to strengthen from a Category 3 to 4 storm en route to Florida’s Atlantic coast. Landfall was expected there on Thursday night, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

The center extended its hurricane warning area farther north into Georgia and more than 12 million U.S. residents were under a hurricane watches and warnings, according to the Weather Channel.

“Everyone in our state must prepare now for a direct hit,” Florida Governor Scott said at a news conference in Tallahassee on Wednesday. “If Matthew directly impacts Florida, the destruction could be catastrophic and you need to be prepared.”

The Search for Missing Cargo Ship El Faro Finds 225 Sq. Mile Debris Field Found After Ship Vanishes in Hurricane Joaquin (Missing ID’s: Jeremy Riehm, Steven Shultz and Keith Griffin)

The Coast Guard continues to search for the missing US flagged cargo ship El Faro that vanished during Hurricane Joaquin. Searches have found a 225-square-mile debris field.  According to AccuWeather Meteorologist Edward Vallee, “At the time the ship went missing, Joaquin was churning through the southeastern Bahamas with winds sustained at 125 mph. Seas were observed up to 30 feet along with blinding rain and strong winds.”

A 225-square-mile “debris field” was discovered by crews looking for signs of a cargo ship carrying 28 Americans that vanished during Hurricane Joaquin — a frantic search entering its fifth day.

The Coast Guard said it had scoured 70,000 square nautical miles of the Atlantic as the search resumed at daybreak Monday.

missing-cargoship-Keith Griffin_Steve Shultz_Jeremy Riehm

Jeremy Riehm, 46, Steven Shultz, 51, and Keith Griffin named by their families as among the missing

Three more Americans were identified among the 33 people on board the El Faro container vessel, which hasn’t been heard from since Thursday. A distress call indicated it had lost power and was taking on water as it sailed through the Bahamas at the height of the hurricane.

South Florida men Jeremy Riehm, 46, and Steven Shultz, 51, were named by their families as among the missing, according to NBC affiliate WBBH. A third American was identified as Keith Griffin.

CNN: Coast Guard finds debris field in search for El Faro.

Sadly, the fact that the US Coast Guard has found an oil slick in the debris field may mean that the ship broke apart.

The U.S. Coast Guard reported Sunday evening that it had discovered a 225-square-mile debris field in the Caribbean Sea during its search for missing container ship El Faro.

The Jacksonville, Florida-based El Faro, which was carrying a crew of 28 Americans and five Polish nationals on its way to San Juan, Puerto Rico, went missing near the Bahamas last week as Hurricane Joaquin, with winds blowing at 130 mph, passed over the archipelago.

Sunday’s discovery of the debris field, which consisted of Styrofoam, wood, cargo and other items, according the Coast Guard, came only hours after the agency said searchers had found “multiple items,” including an oil sheen, life jackets and containers in the same search area.

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