Mexico takes the High Road Again

Thank you for hearing me, Gringal.

Part of the flooding issue:


[quote="http://m.chron.com/local/gray-matters/article/Hurricanes-and-flooding-The-larger-picture-going-12159234.php

"Some are wondering whether the design of the city, all 627 square miles of it, is to blame. Ian Bogost in the Atlantic questions what he calls "the pavement of civilization."

"Many planners contend that impervious surface [i.e., roads, parking lots, sidewalks and other pavements, along with asphalt, concrete, brick, stone and other building materials] itself is the problem. The more of it there is, the less absorption takes place and the more runoff has to be managed. Reducing development, then, is one of the best ways to manage urban flooding."

Bogost also talks to experts in stormwater management who question the typical strategies that Houston employs:

"Thomas Debo, an emeritus professor of city planning at Georgia Tech who also wrote a popular textbook on stormwater management, takes issue with pavement reduction as a viable cure for urban flooding. 'We focus too much on impervious surface and not enough on the conveyance of water,' he tells me. Even when reduced in quantity, the water still ends up in in pipes and concrete channels, speeding fast toward larger channels. 'It's like taking an aspirin to cure an ailment,' he scoffs. Houston's flooding demonstrates the impact.

"Many planners contend that impervious surface [i.e., roads, parking lots, sidewalks and other pavements, along with asphalt, concrete, brick, stone and other building materials] itself is the problem. The more of it there is, the less absorption takes place and the more runoff has to be managed. Reducing development, then, is one of the best ways to manage urban flooding."

Bogost also talks to experts in stormwater management who question the typical strategies that Houston employs:

"Thomas Debo, an emeritus professor of city planning at Georgia Tech who also wrote a popular textbook on stormwater management, takes issue with pavement reduction as a viable cure for urban flooding. 'We focus too much on impervious surface and not enough on the conveyance of water,' he tells me. Even when reduced in quantity, the water still ends up in in pipes and concrete channels, speeding fast toward larger channels. 'It's like taking an aspirin to cure an ailment,' he scoffs. Houston's flooding demonstrates the impact.[/quote]

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Take Oklahoma for example, many years ago there was nothing but wide open spaces. Mostly cows and trees and a few unlucky people were effected.

Now its overbuilt with cheap housing. With 24/7 media and internet coverage, well heck yeah the death life andd property damage has sky rocketed and will continue to do so.
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'Add in the concrete and glass high rise skyscrapers and hundreds of thousands of  homes, new streets and mega hiways and 2 or more cars per family. Don't forget all the recreational vehicles.. Wel duh that's part of the climate change all man made by greedy developers and you can bet your sweet a$$ palms were greased and lobbyist were welcomed with open arms and free booze and food.


Truly disgusting! Mother Nature will reclaim  what is hers despite loss of lives..
 and a  

ferret wrote:I guess better late than never for contacting the Netherlands. They've been doing it for such a long time, it's a miracle that nobody thought to contact them before. I also believe they use wind energy to do the pumping. Win/win. A link to the article would be most appreciated.

My friends met people in Huatulco (they were on vacation from here ;) who were from Houston. The people, who are from Houston, are going to continue staying at the resort because of all the flight cancellations... something like 9,200 flights have been cancelled. The people live in a high rise in downtown Houston and it has not been flooded... they just can't get home.

Naturally, I couldn't find the link again. It went "poof", but a Google search brought up this one which indicates that some people are doing some serious thinking about what to do when there's more water than places for it to go:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/15/world/europe/netherlands-sets-model-of-flood-prevention.html

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/weather/2017/08/29/mexico-awaits-abbotts-response-offer-hurricane-harvey-relief

Mexico offers Hurricane Harvey assistance. Gov of Texas accepts offer. End of story.

Bubba2shoes wrote:Yeah.As soon as the Mexicans dig the Texas morons out of their
new-found lake they are on the first train to  the nearest border.

Ahem as a native Texan I must take exception. I personally know many many Texans are appalled at the present administrations policies on immigration. Texas has no control over ICE. And well....God Bless Texas!

Glad to see that Gov Abbot had the sense to accept the help. The great Cheetos Head was afraid to accept Mexico's help because his base might get mad.

ajiblue wrote:

Bubba2shoes wrote:Yeah.As soon as the Mexicans dig the Texas morons out of their
new-found lake they are on the first train to  the nearest border.

Ahem as a native Texan I must take exception.  I personally know many many Texans are appalled at the present administrations policies on immigration.  Texas has no control over ICE.  And well....God Bless Texas!

Good on you and all the Tejanos that think like you do....I applaud you.
The hypocrite congressional members from Texas that voted against relief funding for hurricane Sandy,  will probably now accept Federal aid.
I get the creepy feeling that Trump and his cabinet don't have real empathy for the victims but show up for photo op political points.
If they did have empathy they would have been doing things a lot differently in other issues before this tragedy.

"The most common and costly natural disaster facing our nation is flooding," said Sen. Sherrod Brown, the top Democrat on the Senate banking committee, which handles reauthorization.
"It is too early to determine how hurricane Harvey will impact the timeline of NFIP reauthorization, but it is likely that Congress will pass a short-term extension to ensure the program doesn't lapse," he said.
A number of senators have drafted or introduced bipartisan legislation to reform the program. Senate banking committee chairman, Sen. Mike Crapo and Brown introduced a bill this summer that would extend the program for six years. Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana and Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey -- both of whom also sit on the banking committee -- introduced a reauthorization bill of their own that also provides a six-year extension and a series of reforms.
Meanwhile, the other Republican senator from Louisiana, Bill Cassidy, paired up with unlikely bedfellow Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York to propose a 10-year reauthorization and gradual access by private insurers.
Beyond the FEMA disaster relief, congressional aides say more resources could be needed for the Community Development Block Grant program run by the Housing and Urban Development Department to help with emergency needs. Highway and transit infrastructure money may be needed to deal with the many roads and bridges that have been affected.
Pence committed in a radio interview with Houston station KHOU on Monday that federal help would get to those who need it.
"We're very confident that the Congress of the United States is going to be there to provide the resources necessary -- not only that that we already have with regard to rescue efforts, but to make sure that the disaster assistance that already some 22,000 Texans have signed up for is available and is there," he said.
"We actually anticipate that as many as a half a million people in Texas will be eligible for and applying for financial disaster assistance, and we remain very confident that with the reserves and with the support in the Congress, we'll have the resources that we need," he said.
CNN's Rene Marsh contributed to this report.
This story has been updated.
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Source:
http://m.chron.com/local/gray-matters/article/Hurricanes-and-flooding-The-larger-picture-going-12159234.php

On his Facebook feed, Dan Rather put up a touching memorial for men lost, out in the Hurricane as they searched and helped those in need.

Jorge Perez- confirmed dead.
Yahir Vizueth - confirmed dead.
Benjamin Vizueth - missing.
Gustavo Rodriguez-Hernandez - missing.

Please pause to read the names above. The stories of heroism and tragedy in the wake of Hurricane Harvey have hit me hard and this one struck me with a particular poignancy.

The four men listed above took it upon themselves to rescue families in distress. After two missions, they headed out again and their boat drifted into a downed power line, electrocuting them and sending them into the swirling currents. Two of them were brothers, a third brother survived as did two journalists on board documenting these acts of quiet heroism.

These men were fathers and husbands. Their loss leaves holes in many lives. In our current fractured climate, there are some who would look at their ethnicity, their last names, the fact that they spoke Spanish and say they are not one of us, not part of our nation.

But in a time of need no one asked for their papers.

More aid on the way to Hurricane Harvey victims.

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/09/03/americas/mexico-aid-texas/index.html

With dignity and respect for human life. Rooted in the Catholic faith of Mexico, faith alone is not enough if without works. It is the culture of Mexico.

(Discalimer: I am a fake Catholic, but when I want to visit all of my friends in Mexico at one time, I go to mass in Mexico.)