Hurricane Ike Slams the Texas Coast … the Morning After …

Hurricane Ike officially hit the Texas coast in the Galveston area  at 1:10 am EDT as a category 2 hurricane with winds up to 110 mph. The storm surge has caused severe flooding and much damage has been left in Ike’s wake. Citizens, businesses and officials are left reeling and in the massive clean up and repair effort that they face in the coming days. Thankfully, the forecasted catastrophic 20 to 25 foot wall of water never materialized and the storm surge only topped out at only 13.5 feet. However, the damage was done.

The strength of the storm and the damage it has caused prevented firefighters from reaching multiple fires burning in Galveston and Houston.

Insurance experts say the value of insured property in the Houston area is nearly $1 trillion. FEMA estimates the damage could top $12 billion.

VIDEO: “I’ve never seen water so high”.

Johnny Hanson: Chronicle
Waves crashing into the seawall reach over the memorial to the hurricane of 1900 as Hurricane Ike began to hit Galveston.

The storm cut off power to more than 4 million people in the Houston area

Floyd LeBlanc of CenterPoint Energy Inc. said 1.8 million of the power company’s customers — or more than 4 million people — in metro Houston are without electricity as high winds and heavy rains downed power lines. LeBlanc said 2 million customers represent about 4.5 million people.

Brian Devall, right, 16, and his friend Andrew David, 17, paddle a kayak through flooded streets to check on Devall’s house after Hurricane Ike hit the Texas coast, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008, in Galveston, Texas.
(AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

• See the slide show of pictures from Hurricane Ike.
• Slide show of pictures from Yahoo News
• More pics from Ike from The Houston Chronicle

Two men wade through flooded streets as Hurricane Ike begins to make landfall in Galveston, Texas September 12, 2008. Massive Hurricane Ike bore down on the Texas coast on Friday, driving a wall of water into seaside communities and threatening catastrophic damage.
(Jessica Rinaldi/Reuters)

Ike Strikes Galveston and Houston

Metro Houston faced a wicked blow from Ike this morning. Aside from the coastal flooding on the southeast side of the city along the western bay, Houston will deal with sustained tropical storm-force winds with numerous gusts to hurricane force. Once the center passes I-10, the metro area will see a slow decrease in winds but the heavy rain will continue into the afternoon.

Skyscrapers endured higher winds this morning than compared to the street level because of their elevation. Windows have been blown out in several of these very tall buildings throughout downtown Houston.

Fox News

UPDATE I: President George W. Bush comments Regarding Hurricane Ike

VIDEO

Obviously, this is a huge storm that is causing a lot of damage not only in Texas, but also in parts of Louisiana. The storm has yet to pass, and I know there are people concerned about their lives. Some people didn’t evacuate when asked, and I’ve been briefed on the rescue teams there in the area. They’re prepared to move as soon as weather conditions permit. Obviously, people on the ground there are sensitive to helping people, and are fully prepared to do so.

… In the meantime, the Department of Energy, the Federal Trade Commission, and I know state authorities will be monitoring gasoline prices to make sure consumers are not being gouged, make sure consumers are being treated fairly.

Gouging? Gas prices near $6.00 a gallon in parts of Florida.  How is it that gas prices can escalate but if a bottle of water does, its a Federal crime?

UPDATE II: Ike Roars Ashore in Galveston, Weakens to Category 1 Storm as Millions Lose Power

Geraldo Rivera vs. Hurricane Ike … Ike Wins, Leave it to Geraldo to provide Comic Relief

 GERALDO VS IKE … IKE WINS

Geraldo Rivera provides a public service to all those who have the notion that they will stay in Hurricane Ike’s path and take pictures. Geraldo while providing commentary for Fox News this afternoon on Ike’s impending landfall also provides some comic relief to what may later be a very serious situation.

Over a million Americans evacuated ahead of Hurricane Ike

Hurricane Ike grows as it closes in on Texas

Hurricane Ike, a colossal storm nearly as big as Texas itself, began battering the coast Friday, threatening to obliterate waterfront towns and give the skyscrapers, refineries and docks of the nation’s fourth-largest city their worst pounding in a generation.

But even as towering waves started crashing over the 17-foot Galveston seawall and floodwaters rose in low-lying areas, it became clear that many of the 1 million coastal residents who had been ordered to get out refused to so and were taking their chances.

Hurricane Ike could be “catastrophe” for Texas

Click on pic for radar of Houston/Galveston area

Tropical Storms & Hurricanes … H, I, J … Hanna, Ike & Josephine on the way

The hurricane season is heating up and 3 tropical storms and hurricanes are right upon us. As the eastern coast deals with Tropical storm Hanna, all eyes are of Hurricane Ike.

Tropical storm Hanna is presently hammering the Carolina coast with heavy rains and wind. Coastal flooding is expected as storm surge flooding along the South Carolina and North Carolina coasts s with surge flooding of one foot to three feet above normal tide levels. Tropical Storm Hanna is expected to cause rain and flooding up the entire East Coast.

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5.8 Earthquake strikes near Los Angeles

5.8 Earthquake strikes near Los Angeles 3 miles from Chino Hills. I live south of the epicenter and this earthquake was the largest and most shaking I’ve felt in over 10 years. No damage in my area but I’m about 30-40 miles from the epicenter (klaasend).

UPDATE I: Earthquake downgraded to a 5.4. So far no reports of major damage or injuries.

• CNN: Expert: L.A.’s 5.4 quake ’small sample’ of one to come
• Hot Air: “This is not the Big One!”
• Strong quake rattles buildings, nerves in S. Calif

Scared Monkeys Radio Daily Commentary - Wednesday, May 28, 2008 - Who Needs Science? We’ve Got Sharon Stone

• Dana makes light of actress Sharon Stone’s recent ridiculous suggestions.

Download and Comment at ScaredMonkeysRadio.Com

Hey Al Gore … More Global warming … Coolest April in 11 Years

Hey Al Gore … far be it from some climate facts getting in the way of your global warming agenda. As reported by NOAA, that right wing organization, April 2008 was the coolest on record in 11 years. Could it possibly be that this is just nature acting in a cyclical manner? Do you really think that man is any match to the power of nature?

The average temperature in April 2008 was 51.0 F. This was -1.0 F cooler than the 1901-2000 (20th century) average, the 29th coolest April in 114 years. The temperature trend for the period of record (1895 to present) is 0.1 degrees Fahrenheit per decade.

April also ranked the 29th coldest since record keeping began 114 years ago

Al Gore … One Trick Pony … Global Warming the Cause as Thousands Dead after Myanmar Cyclone

As the death toll rises in Burma where deaths could top 50,000, Al Gore cannot resist the chance at media exposure. Al Gore, could you possibly have some class? Could we maybe first find and bury the dead in Myanmar before you stick your mug in front of the media and blame the cyclone on global warming? Have a heart and a brain. There is something really inherently wrong and sick about using such a terrible crisis for your own agenda and gain. Might, Al? Way to go out on a limb and say what you really mean. Mr. Blame all on global warming … is it, or isn’t it the cause?

“… we’re seeing consequences that scientists have long predicted might be associated with continued global warming.”

Al … did you know that it was also Global warming that caused you to lose the 2000 Presidential Election.

Using tragedy to advance an agenda has been a strategy for many global warming activists, and it was just a matter of time before someone found a way to tie the recent Myanmar cyclone to global warming.

Former Vice President Al Gore in an interview on NPR’s May 6 “Fresh Air” broadcast did just that. He was interviewed by “Fresh Air” host Terry Gross about the release of his book, “The Assault on Reason,” in paperback.

“And as we’re talking today, Terry, the death count in Myanmar from the cyclone that hit there yesterday has been rising from 15,000 to way on up there to much higher numbers now being speculated,” Gore said. “And last year a catastrophic storm from last fall hit Bangladesh. The year before, the strongest cyclone in more than 50 years hit China – and we’re seeing consequences that scientists have long predicted might be associated with continued global warming.”

In the world of the “One Trick Pony” Al Gore … the cause of everything is Global Warming. Because we have never, ever had a volcanic eruption, hurricane, cyclone, typhoon, tropical storms, tsunamis, tornado or any other natural disaster in the entire history of the earth. But Al Gore knows better and more than all of us and scientists who dispute his notions of global warming and its causes on weather.

Devastation in Hotlanta as Tornado (Storm) Rips Through Downtown Atlanta

A possible tornado has ripped through downtown Atlanta smashing skyscraper windows and damaging trees in the wake of the high winds. Cars in the streets were damaged, streets were littered with debris and several buildings including the Georgia Super Dome, Philips Arena, the CNN Center were damaged as well.

Streets around the Georgia Dome, the Phillips Arena, the CNN Center and Centennial Olympic Park were littered with broken glass, crumbled bricks, insulation and even the occasional office chair. Billboards collapsed onto parked cars. Stunned fans from the arenas wandered through the debris in disbelief.

National Weather Service officials said a possible tornado hit downtown Atlanta, and wind was clocked at up to 60 mph as the storm moved through the city. (Yahoo News)

March 14: The Philips Arena sign was damaged after a severe storm ripped through downtown Atlanta on Friday night, injuring several people and damaging skyscrapers, hotels and two major sports arenas that were filled with thousands of pro and college basketball fans

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What a Joke … Hurricane Katrina Victim Sues for $3 quadrillion

Hurricane Katrina was a catastrophic loss for many victims not only in New Orleans where most all the media concentrates their stories, but for the entire Gulf Coast region. However, for someone to sue for $3,014,170,389,176,410 is a total and complete joke. This is about as ludicrous as when Al Bundy on “Married With Children” looked to sue for a GA-zillion dollars.

If one ever wanted to trivialize the real damages that victims of Hurricane Katrina truly suffered, this is certainly the way to do it. Of course there was a willing attorney to aid this individual in the process.

NEW ORLEANS - Hurricane Katrina’s victims have put a price tag on their suffering and it is staggering — including one plaintiff seeking the unlikely sum of $3 quadrillion.
 
A whopping $3,014,170,389,176,410 is the dollar figure so far sought from some of the largest claims filed against the federal government over damage from the failure of levees and flood walls following the Aug. 29, 2005, hurricane.

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Drought Conditions in Georgia … Gov Sonny Perdue Prays for Rain

As drought conditions become worse and worse in the State of Georgia, Governor Sonny Perdue has called upon a higher power to ask for assistance. Sunny Perdue has asked President Bush for help; however, the Georgia Governor is now asking lawmaking and ministers to join him and pray to God for rain.

“Christianity has more of a place in the culture here than in some other region,” said Ray Van Neste, a professor of Christian studies at Union University in Jackson, Tenn. “And it’s only natural, in a way, for the public to pray for rain.”

Of course there has been some opposition to the governor’s move to pray for rain from the a secular group called the Atlanta Freethought Society. I guess these people want drought conditions at all cost and would turn down the necessary water if Sonny Perdue, “asked and received”. Why would anyone simply be against asking for help from God … what do you have to fear? Results!

From George Washington, who declared “a day of prayer and thanksgiving,” to Harry Truman, who established a National Day of Prayer, American politicians have not been shy about associating themselves with petitions to the Almighty.