Causes.com
| 7.8.24
Hurricane Beryl Pummels the Caribbean and Eastern Texas
How concerned are you about this year's hurricane season?
What's the story?
- Hurricane and Tropical Storm Beryl has battered parts of the Caribbean and Texas, killing at least 13.
- As one of the first hurricanes to reach Category 5 status this early in hurricane season, experts are concerned about what this could mean in the time of climate change.
The path and damage
- Beryl hit the Caribbean as a Category 5 storm, making landfall in Grenada's Carriacou island before reaching St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The intense rainfall and high wind gusts flattened buildings and damaged core infrastructure. The Associated Press reported that on the island of Mayreau, Beryl ripped roofs off of schools, stripped trees of almost every leaf, and crumbled homes.
- Beryl weakened into a tropical storm as it moved across Mexico's Yucatán peninsula. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador urged residents to evacuate before Beryl intensified.
- The storm is flooding communities along the central Texas coastline after making landfall as a category 1 hurricane in Matagorda, Texas, early Monday. More than two million people are without power. Officials have warned Houston residents that the region will experience strong winds up to 80 miles per hour and urged the public to take shelter.
- Over 2,500 first responders have been dispatched across the state, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Division of Parks and Wildlife, transportation and health services, and more.
The climate consequences
- Beryl is the earliest category five Atlantic hurricane recorded in a century, breaking a record from Hurricane Emily in 2005. Climate scientists believe that increasingly high sea surface temperatures are a key cause of Beryl's timing and intensity.
- Such strong storms typically develop later in the season, after the summer temperatures have heated up the ocean. Hurricanes generally develop when sea surface temperatures reach 80 degrees, which, along with this summer's heat waves, happened earlier than usual.
- Ko Barrett, Deputy Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization, said:
"Hurricane Beryl sets a precedent for what we fear is going to be a very, very active, very dangerous hurricane season, which will impact the entire Atlantic basin."
How concerned are you about this year's hurricane season?
-Jamie Epstein
(Photo credit: AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)
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While I don't live in a hurricane-prone area, I am very concerned about the devastating effects a record hurricane season (as predicted, and off to a bad start) could present to our country.
At a time when insurance companies are raising rates or dropping states from their coverage, FEMA is fighting for its existence in the face of Republican promises to defund it, and a severe housing shortage in nearly every state, how will we handle the effects of even one major storm, let alone a dozen?
I'm going to say it again, doing nothing about climate change as these disasters continue to ravage our economy and threaten lives and homes is NOT conservative. We have a chance to prepare and prevent these disasters, but most politicians are doing nothing about it.
When will we learn?
Republicans can’t even make the power grid work in the one state with the most energy
Historic Texas power outage begins to have deadly consequences as heat continues.
https://apple.news/AYM8zEYKgQ0CpvtFxNFcJkQ
Good thing I don't live anywhere near the Atlantic. Hurricane Beryl is just the first hurricane to make landfall in the USA this season. There will be a lot more! The surface seawater of the Atlantic ocean between Africa and the USA this past May was the hottest ever recorded. This could be one of the worst hurricane seasons in living memory!
The Hotter the Water the Stronger the Hurricanes!
By the way---
Last year we did it.
We had an entire year with the global surface temperature more than 1,5 Degrees Celsius higher the pre-industrial average temperature!
This was NOT supposed to happen for another decade or more!!
WE'RE IN BIG TROUBLE!
CAUSES ASKS: How concerned are you about this year's hurricane season? ME: As a long-time climate change follower, it is what it is, and will be what it will be if we continue to do so little about it.
Call out the climate change deniers.
Make corporations that have high carbon footprints accountable for restitution to those devastated by climate change.
Invest in clean renewable energy.
Utilize & incentivize the use of clean renewable energies.
Work with other countries to do the same.
In the past month, Death Valley, ca had an average temperature of 108.5F. The hottest recorded temperature of anywhere in the world.
Ref.Southerncompany mitigation LNG USCG:fema/gao<<El Paso,COnEdison
We have hurricanes every year, but now we're to freak out over a category 1 storm? Climate fear is mass psychosis. All based on models and many assumptions.
And look where my Governor is tonight! Abbortt (sp?🤷♂️) manages to escape his own wrath by One More Day, by being at the RNC convention tonight and letting Lt. Gov. Paxton to continue to poorly oversee CenterPoint Energy's pathetic response! Maybe tomorrow he can be so troubled as to FINALLY get back home to Texas??!!
Centerpoint Does deserve the brunt of the blame, but state government (oh and Not A Peep out of cruz, cornyn and crenshaw) was Just As Useless!
Still some 24,610 people around CenterPoint's control, ARE STILL OUT!
FU all my Reps.!
Climate change deniers are forcing themselves to drown to death homeless on their words.
The Earth's Fury and Our Fingerprint
Our planet has a long history of dramatic climate shifts. Meteorite impacts, volcanic eruptions, and shifting tectonic plates have all caused periods of extreme heat, cold, flooding, and drought.
However, the current pace and scale of climate change is unprecedented.
Climate scientists are like detectives, piecing together evidence from ice cores, tree rings, and historical records. They can see a clear distinction between natural fluctuations and the rapid warming we're experiencing now. The overwhelming consensus is that human activity, primarily the burning of fossil fuels, is the driving force behind rising temperatures, more extreme weather events, and rising sea levels.
The consequences of inaction are dire. We're already seeing the effects in more frequent and intense heat waves, droughts, wildfires, and floods. This isn't just about future generations – it's about our present security and well-being.
The time for debate is over. The time for action is now. Now means now, not go to congress for further discussions.
We need our leaders to step up and implement policies that address climate change head-on. This is a global challenge, but it requires solutions at every level, from individuals to businesses and governments.
We need to constantly prod our congress folks of the dire need to address this.
'' hurricane season''?!?
funny way to say Climate Dissaster. Thats what it is now. this won't get better, it won't go away. it will only get worse every year. our government should have listened to scientists instead of thier corporate masters.
Texas is a climate denier state. Not one dime in federal aid to them!
The hurricane season has only started and we have already had a very devastating one. Some of the power grid issues in Texas can be placed at the feet of their elected leaders for their policies related to ensure the grid is safe and robust!! This is the second disaster to hit their grid in about 2 years. The last one was during an ice storm. The climate change deniers need to extract their head from where the sun don't shine and realize the climate scientists know what they are talking about!! Until we get serious about alternative energy from fossil fuels, our climate issues are going to get worse!!
I do not one dime of PA money going to Texas.
Climate changes IS here! Believe it or not! Mother Nature doesn't care what you thiink!
the MAGGATS deny climate change yet it is right under their stupid noses. I live on the East coast and every time it rains my house floods. My foundation is crumbling and no one has been able to help me. I cannot handle a hurricaine.
Unless you're illiterate, you would know that the ocean has warmed over the past 10 years as much as 2° and unless you're stupid, you know that hurricane thrive in warm water. This is global warming is taking us over. It's only the beginning. This will be the new normal only it will get worse it will get hotter, there will become less rain in places where rain is needed and more places where it's not. Climate change or reach a tipping point where it cannot be stopped unless we wake up, there will be no place on earth for our children's children to live. Perhaps people don't realize that for most of the earths history, it has been uninhabitable for humans. We are rapidly approaching that time again and it is our undoing.
WE'RE BACK UP! Power got back up at 5:00PM today!
Had been advised to wait at least an hour before turning back on the breakers for A/C, electric dryer and any other sensitive high voltage equipment in case the power dropped out again. I reset the breakers and
WE HAVE A/C BACK! Oh, and everything else as well! Priorities!
Hope it lasts till morning!
Interesting also, was that all of our neighborhoods that were still out received the below email out to all of us stating that we should expect CenterPoint to restore our power by "Wednesday, July 17", next week, at 4:29PM today! Half an hour before the power "magically" restored! Figure CenterPoint will be "bragging" about how they even beat their expectations!
Still way too many without power around town, but I hope we're done this time around!
Time to get serious about a whole house generator!
Here's what I'm concerned about, today Donald Trump thought he heard loud noises at a rally and dove to the ground blooding his own face when he saw that it was all clear he got up and did a fist pump with blood all over his head. L O L The old coward in bones still lives on.
can we please lock this pathetic joke of a man up and get over with our lives.
Addendum to my last comment, let's get rid of Trump by walking him up by shooting him. He needs to be made an example of in the courts and have justice him by the American system, which is trash so badly.
Hey Reps.! Sat. 7/13 @ 8:30AM starts DAY 5 WITH NO ELECTRICITY even in My Republican't Party controlled Montgomery County, just north of Houston/Harris county!!
WHERE THE F$CK ARE YOU GUYS! That means YOU ...
TX Senate District 4 Creighton!
TX House District 15 Toth!
TX Gov. Abbortt(sp?😂)! (Oh yeah, overseas trade conference)
TX Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick!
(I still wish @Causes had successfully setup
contacting State Reps. as well!)
US House District 2 Rep. Crenshaw!
US Senator Cornyn!
US Senator Cruz!
GET OFF YOUR ASSES AND FIX IT!
Preview of life in the U.S. under Project 2025 as the State of Texas tries to implement Project 2025 recommendations, specificly those for DHS (FEMA) and DOE to make states responsible and privatize energy.
Expect more hurricanes like Beryl as they start earlier in the season and double in frequency due to climate change which Project 2025 will make worse when DOE increases support for fossil fuels, rescinds green investments and privatizes energy development and infrastructure like power grids.
The Texas privatized power grid failed once again during a heat wave and hurricane, and the state of Texas delayed requests for FEMA response because Project 2025 (DHS changes) calls for FEMA to be handled by states not the federal government with disastrous results for Texans.
Meanwhile hospitals aren't discharging patients and are overflowing so an arena has been set up to handle patient overflow. Home medical equipment is failing with no powe so people needing it either die or try to get help from overwhelmed hospitals, as well as, those suffering heat stroke from days of 100+ F temperatures and no ac, and delays in setting up cooling centers and providing water. EMTs and ambulances are unavailable because they can't drop off patients to overflowing emergency rooms.
No wonder Abbott left the state for Taiwan business development (trying to get a piece of Biden's Chip Development from Taiwan for Texas?) just like Cancun Cruz did during a blizzard letting overwhelmed state officials struggle with problems caused by privatized, profit driven energy companies (Project 2025 vision for DHS, DOE)
" Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick...Houston officials transformed NRG Arena, one of the event spaces used by the city’s annual rodeo and livestock show, into a field hospital for 250 discharged patients to free up space in local hospitals. He said this is necessary because several area hospitals are having trouble accommodating new patients."
"Some patients have seen their discharges delayed because medications must be kept in a cool place."
"Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd said the hospital backup has also caused issues for 911 services as regional ambulances cannot drop their patients off until a room becomes available."
“The City of Houston told us they had an ambulance shortage because all of their ambulances were in the emergency department waiting to offload patients,” Kidd said. “Some had been sitting there for three-plus hours.”
"TDEM sent 25 additional ambulances to Houston this week and worked with local emergency services and hospitals to address the backlog in 911 calls."
"Kidd said hospitals, physicians, and patients will decide who goes to NRG Arena. Any of the regional hospitals can send a patient to the arena."
" we had a police officer who was shot in the leg, and when the mayor went down to see him the next day, he still didn’t have a room,” said Patrick, who is serving as acting governor this week while Gov. Greg Abbott is in Taiwan on a trade trip."
"Texas is receiving federal aid for Hurricane Beryl later than needed because state leaders were slow to request an official disaster declaration from the White House"
" With Gov. Greg Abbott out of the country on an economic development trip in Asia, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has served as acting governor amid the storm, making him responsible for putting in the state’s request for aid."
https://www.texastribune.org/2024/07/09/greg-abbott-dan-patrick-biden-beryl-federal-texas/
https://www.texastribune.org/2024/07/10/texas-hospitals-beryl-power-outages/