Beware of thems
The most simple thing can get tangled into a horrendous mess.
Here’s a proverb? A fable? A typical system failure?
It’s been almost two years.
The promised Hurricane Harvey disaster assistance money drips in slowly.
Handed to state, then passed to city
What happened with first round of funds wasn’t pretty.
The city approved list of contractors turned out not to be vetted.
Scoundrels stole from those least able to lose, then skedaddled.
Finally, a second round of funding recently handed over to city council.
This time, determined to do right, they created some rules for those who take the grant money:
Homeowner must ask permission of notify city if planning to leave house for 90 days or more
No fixing the house up better than before
No fixing, then moving or renting that repaired home
Absolutely no fixing for flipping and moving far from future storms – even if a senior citizen.
Yearly, a city monitors will come by, look around inside, making sure rules are followed
Not compliant? Default and the city takes all.
A watery grave error to live in such a place: own the property, but not yours to do as you wish.
Important to watch for strings attached
“Harvey housing aid program delayed over vacancy provision”
No one really knows whether the weather can be stabilized by humans, a species-come-lately who’s like the bull in the china shop.
Slowly the dots get connected as enough data and factual observations are accumulated:
- “Rain in Asia predicts intense California Heat”
- “California’s heavy snowmelt may cause earthquakes in Mammoth Lakes Area”
Climates, seas, and lands change constantly with and without intervention.
(Did you know the sea floor completely recycled itself every 200 million years between continual movement of plate tectonics and seafloor spreading? That may be why scientist can’t locate the impact zone of the Dino killing rock from outer space.)
Presidential candidates should put a cork in it to secure survival and slow climate warming.
“7 of the World’s Most Fearsome Active Volcanoes”
OK so it would have to be a big cork.
But if NASA has a Asteroid Redirect Mission, wouldn’t a volcano stopper also be totally reasonable?
Earth’s history has proved that any asteroid – volcano combo is pretty life changing. (Worse than a field of mad cows or Russian traps– those darn colluding Russians again!)
So our space cowboys are running contingency drills preparing to protect our rock just in case the Redirect Mission isn’t ready in time:
“NASA and FEMA practicing for Impending Asteroid Strike“
Asteroid, volcano, politician, bureaucrat.
Any one can create a mess. All can be explosive. Only two naturally have excuses.
“I envy people who drink – at least they know what to blame everything on.” (Oscar Levant)
Phil, the Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge.
Asteroid 99942, Apophis (1,100-foot-wide/340-meter-wide), will pass Earth, by about 19,000 miles (31,000 kilometers) above the surface. “Apophis is a representative of about 2,000 currently known Potentially Hazardous Asteroids,” according to Paul Chodas, CNEOS director. “By observing Apophis during its April, 2029 flyby, we will gain important scientific knowledge that could one day be used for planetary defense.” (More here)
Until then, keep your fingers crossed. Maybe carry an umbrella – a big sturdy one.
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23 Comments
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What’s the point of hurricane aid if it’s so tightly regulated. Who decides if it’s nicer than it was? Maybe there is a job niche there. I also see some bucks passing around. Hmmm….One day a new species will wonder whatever happened to the humanoid types that once inhabited the planet.
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The city council and mayor did back down from requiring homeowners to formally beg permissions to leave their home for 90+ days. And for one of them to announce on TV “We don’t want people fixing their homes up nicer than they were before”. Seriously? ANYTHING added would make it “nicer than before”…new paint, new carpet…
Me thinks some brain got waterlogged and shrunk. Or just the old power corrupts.
Love your last line…(it appears they will have plenty of garbage, I mean discarded relics ponder while attempting to understand HAHA)
Thanks for building a comment to leave
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it’s sad… and there a too much empty promises… we have an uncle who lost his house during the flood… he lives in an appartment now and waits for a solution… since 2002… maybe that is the plan, he turns 75 next year than he can go anyway into a seniors residence and the case is solved?
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Really horrible is that so many quickly forget about victims of any disaster and think it’s all been fixed – when as you show, it takes years to put things back together ( and a lot of persistence and energy only the younger people have). I’m afraid governments do quietly follow the plan of your last sentence. Quick to hand free stuff over to those who haven’t put anything into the system, and shove aside those who worked hard, are now vulnerable, and expect authorities to meet obligations to them. So backwards. Thanks for fetching that important comment to leave here
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I’ve about had it with governmental bureaucrats and their regulations. In fact, I’m so fed up I’m about to just go a little farther underground and stop paying any attention at all to the politicians and such. Of course, this may all be moot. Four months ago, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez informed us that we have only twelve years left to save the planet. Recently, Mr. O’Rourke said no, we only have ten years. These people are making sane and realistic approaches to real problems less likely, not more.
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Ditto…hmmm, if the asteroid hits, jump starts the volcanoes, where would be the location with the best chance…hey Austin’s caves – a big plus is cell service and internet might not be available. (Wait – didn’t Beto day before yesterday say we had 50 years? You know him: wiffle-waffle – what do I need to say to be popular?…and one of 4 (Dems) Congressman who voted against immediate emergency aid for the devastated Gulf Coast after the hurricane…his own state..his own people. Perfectly willing to all sorts of free hand stuff over to anyone showing up at the border. But that’s Beto! All about him.) (Nobody ever talks about his Congressional record for a reason..yet)
The Houston mayor seems to be interested in totally wrecking his legacy right now. As shame. Needs to watch those open mikes in city council meetings…members had memories – and happy to leak his comments.
Yep, time to pack up the wagons. Thanks for sending up a smoke signal
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That’s HORRIBLE about the aid! Money, greed, power – they’re efficient killers. Gah.
Astroids! Wasn’t there a comic book character who lassoooooooed asteroids, rode the, out into space? Maybe it was Superman?
I’m not planning much farther out than a couple of years. Feeling a bit doomed theses days.
🙀👋
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That comic book hero sounds familiar…hmmm
How about getting some pool shooting champion/shark to ricochet those asteroids back out into space? (NASA could give him/her a free ride to position on the moon or space station)
Thanks for adding a comment! (sorry so slow in response – too hot to think here)
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So the worry is that someone might improve their property [+ themselves in the process] using government funds? Well just as long as we keep those less fortunate in their places, eh? How ridiculous.
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Doubt this would hold up in court?
Oddly the “must stay in home and not rent or sell or make nicer if you take the money” would impact good number of old and older residents (many Jewish residents who bought near a synagogue) in modest/middle class neighborhoods of ’60’s ranch style houses where they raised their families, maybe their grandchildren and had planned to stay in forever – homes have flooded twice in the past few years and now their kids and grandkids are probably saying “enough already, you’re moving in with us…”. The city says they don’t want people flipping houses encouraging gentrification/home prices getting out of reach, yet that’s exactly what will happen/is happening as residents decide not to rebuild, but to simply sell the house for lot value to developers and walk away rather than deal with the mandates
Bad deal for all involved ( except for the new people buying very expensive very big homes built up higher in a very nice area…if you don’t mind having to wade to work once in a while.)
It is ridiculous. But then there’s a lot of that going around these days.
Thanks for floating over a comment
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Asteroid creates massive volcanoes. Ash circles the earth cooling the average temperature by several degrees. Glaciers return in full force, creating another glacier age. Global warming solved.
The buzzards circling around Harvey sound a lot like the buzzards that circled around Katrina. You’s think that FEMA would learn. –Curt
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Yep, that’s about it. Restart.
This area realized instantly that we’d better look after ourselves. FEMA was just as much as a circus as it was with Katrina and hurricane Ike here previously. (There were cases where FEMA was handing emergency vouchers and checks to people who drove in from out of state and got in line…) Worse is that the issues in this post were not FEMA’s doing, but Houston city council/mayor. You just can’t make this stuff up. All I can say is CA fire victims and recent flood/tornado victims: save yourselves (despite all that tax money you paid for years) Neighbors helping neighbors as during earlier days when everyone was just trying to survive. Character building -( and return to what community is as well as being human?) Thanks for tossing in a comment. Hope your May has been wild and wonderful!
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“Worse is that the issues in this post were not FEMA’s doing, but Houston city council/mayor.”
I heard about that. Shady m************.
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What? You probably want him to return all that campaign money given by strip clubs. HaHA..OK it’s not funny…a bit sleazy…
We will not even start about his antics/playing politics with the firemen’s pay and his lack good faith/blackmail tactics during negotiations with them and the union) A bit sad as he did OK his first term – but that happens in politics a lot I think. Arranging things so your voting block is happy?
Thanks for checking in – not sure if you’re traveling or back now…hmmm will have to run by your place
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Dealing with natural disasters has always been tough and neighbor helping neighbor is critically important. Still, government has an important role to play. We watched fire fighters do an excellent job of stopping a massive forest fire that threatened our neighborhood a couple of years ago. Had it depended on us and our hoses, it would have been bye-bye baby! It seems that given the impact of climate changes, we can expect more and bigger national disasters in our future. Local, state and federal governments will need to be prepared for these disasters in advance and have carefully coordinated responses. Sadly, it doesn’t appear that the necessary preparation or prioritization is taking place. –Curt
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Fire fighters are your neighbors – along with the rest of the firefighter brotherhood. (One of those guys was probably one of our related by marriage guys) Selfless and courageous.
More developments – not wisely constructed or carefully placed also has a role in what seems to be “new” disasters. Nature will not adjust just because people move in (or decide to reform nature to the image humans think it should have. Climate changes and disasters have been around for a long time. Personal responsibility and common sense has to be part of prevention equation. Government agencies have a role for immediate assistance, but no agency should take the place of your insurance company or a personal disaster savings account. There’s just too much demand for FEMA to take care of everything these days? States have a better chance of making a cost effective impact as they are quite aware of the specific issues and should take the lead maybe – each state has different dangers.
LIfe’s tricky. Adapt and survive HAHA
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“The buzzards circling around Harvey sound a lot like the buzzards that circled around Katrina. You’d think that FEMA would learn.”
Ridiculous, isn’t it. Bit no one at FEMA cares.
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Those who haven’t actually been through a disaster can’t possibly understand…and bureaucrats – well they push paper and look busy to justify their jobs (Have some unbelievable tales about their actions/evaluations of residences and people needs after hurricanes. Word of warning: Be prepared and be able to fend for yourself – help your neighbors and let them help you)
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Both scary and sad.
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340 metres wide and 31000 kilometres, the right way to spell these words,
Metre Metric entirely French words (system of weights and measures;) and has an entirely different meaning to meter.
I do wish the US would learn the metric system, and the correct spelling and pronunciation and join the rest of the civilized world.
It’s really not that difficult once you start.
Litre not liter, metre not meter.
See how easily the fluids can get mixed up,
A Liter beer please.
Is one buying a light beer or a litre (pronounced leeter) of beer?
It’s a sore point with me at times as you’ve probably now gathered Phil :p
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Actually engineering/science/medicine did a long time ago and continues. The rest of us were on board when I was in Middle School, then…nothing..,.crickets…probably had to do with beer….
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It appears that the incompetence of FEMA has a trickle-down effect. Nice to trap people in a flood plain.
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Incompetence abounds…that old promote until not able to perform adequately? Oh, well, everyone’s a winner and we’re all special! Some appear to be special non-thinkers.(or have alternative motives…another post, perhaps of why the city wants to grab property…)
People are/should be/were free to make their own choices. Government might consider stop butting in and telling people what to do with their legally purchased and owned property. Is it possible for people to even stop bullying and telling others what to do these days?
Sigh. Thanks for paddling a comment this way (
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