Posts Tagged ‘Hurricane Ike’
Chertoff Returns To Texas
National Guard in Galveston
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff is back in Texas today observing recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike.
His first stop was Houston to meet with local officials at the emergency operations center. He was then due to travel to Galveston to meet with local officials and also visit with evacuees in Harris County.
Galveston’s mayor has been critical of what he believes is a poor response by FEMA, reminiscent of the criticism leveled at the agency, which is part of Homeland Security, following Hurricane Katrina.
Reports From The Field, Thoughts On Obama’s Slippage
Houston damage
Today’s News Talk Online on Paltalk.com focused on the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, with reports from Paltalkers directly from the affected area, and the political disaster facing Barack Obama as he slips in the polls.
Concern was expressed for those still missing in the wake of Ike, especially people in Galveston whose homes were literally swept away. Following News Talk Online, the last two hours of the fund raising effort for the American Red Cross Disaster Service were completed on Paltalk. Thanks go out to those who kept the room open and the donations flowing for four days straight.
There then followed heated discussion about the stalling of Obama’s campaign ever since the announcement of Sarah Palin as John McCain’s running mate. There seems to be a feeling among many Republicans that it’s sexist to attack Palin and that Obama is personally responsible for the imprudent comments that were made about certain choices the Palin family is making. To repeat, and for the record, discourse over the decisions made by Palin’s daughter are off limits on News Talk Online. It’s a private family issue and not germane to the political debate.
But that doesn’t mean debate over Palin’s qualifications, record and vision should be sidestepped. These are all legitimate avenues of pursuit.
That being said, the obsession with Sarah Palin needs to stop. Voters should, of course, vet the vice-presidential candidates. But it lately seems that Obama is running against Palin, not McCain. It’s time to refocus the campaign on the men who lead their respective tickets.
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Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/oneeighteen/2861403044/
Oil Platforms Destroyed, Gas Price Increase May Continue
Prices up
Although it caused less damage than had been feared, federal authorities say at least 10 oil platforms were destroyed in the Gulf of Mexico. Leading to concerns that gasoline prices, which spiked $1.50 overnight, may remain high for some time.
Pres. Bush says the federal government and state governments are investigating allegations of price gauging.
Meanwhile, in many areas of the nation, gasoline is reportedly in short supply. And lines at stations are long.
A Baumgarten Report observer in North Carolina reports no gas available at some stations. A CNN reporter in Georgia tells us gasoline is plentiful in the Atlanta area.
Gas Prices Surge
Waiting in line for gas in North Carolina
Gas prices are surging in the south and along the eastern seaboard because of interrupted oil production caused by the visit of Hurricane Ike.
In some places the price is topping $5-a-gallon.
Funny how there’s a special law of supply and demand when it comes to gasoline. The cost of crude dips, but you don’t see it reflected at the pumps immediately because, well, that oil is still in the pipeline and hasn’t reached our local gas stations. But a hurricane hits and the cost of fuel soars immediately.
Is this really the result of costs to the stations? Or is the delivery system so impaired by the hurricane that the stations feel they have right to gouge?
Limiting the amount of gasoline one can purchase is understandable when there’s an immediate and temporary shortage of fuel. But increasing the cost overnight by, in some cases, more than $1-a-gallon?
Homeland Security Response To Hurricane Ike
Cinco Ranch, TX damage
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says, while Hurricane Ike has truck the coast of Texas and the west coast of Louisiana, an “exceptionally broad storm surge” has affected eastern Louisiana, Mississippi and down the Texas coast.
Chertoff says, as example, there have been “very, very significant surges” in Beaumont and in Cameron Parrish and Lake Charles. However, the impact in Galveston and in the Houston ship channel was not as great as had been anticipated.
Storm surges, he says, reached 16-feet in some areas.
Now that the hurricane has made landfall, Chertoff says sustained winds are down to tropical storm levels. But he says rain will cause flooding in Texas and further into the United States.
“This is still,” Chertoff warns, “a dangerous storm.”
The primary search and rescue focus, he says, is concentrated in Orange County and Cameron Parrish, Louisiana, Galveston and the eastern part of Harris County.
He says Coast Guard and National Guard assets are being pressed into service.
Other areas that aren’t experiencing flooding problems still have their problems, he says, with downed trees and power lines. He is urging people in those areas to be cautious when they venture outside.
“There is a systematic plan to conduct search and rescue ground, water, and air,” he says.
Chertoff says more than 2 million people have been evacuated in Texas. About 130,000 more in Louisiana. It’s still too early, he says, for them to return home.
Hurricane Ike Red Cross Update
Red Cross shelter San Antonio
The figures are very fluid but, the latest tally follows:
They have opened about 155 shelters in Texas and Arkansas, sheltering nearly 20,000 people.
More than 100 mobile feeding trucks have been moved into Texas. That gives them the capacity to service half-a-million meals a day.
There are some 21-hundred disaster workers in Texas.
Hurricane Ike Tracked On Paltalk With Live Reports From Texas
Paltalkers who live along the Texas Gulf Coast joined us on News Talk Online on Paltalk.com to tell us of the situation as they awaited the arrival of Hurricane Ike.
Several reported that they were right along the beach and were defying mandatory evacuations. Authorities there said if it gets too bad and they get in trouble, they may not be able to rescue them.
The Hurricane Ike Relief room is now open in the Special Events section of Paltalk, raising money for the American Red Cross Disaster Services.
Hurricane Ike Topic On News Talk Online On Paltalk Today
People who are hunkered down in Galveston, TX are being warned by the National Weather Service that they face “certain death” if they don’t leave low lying shelter immediately as Hurricane Ike takes aim on them.
We’ll have live reports from the affected area on News Talk Online on Paltalk.com today at 5 PM New York time.
Immediately following the show, the Hurricane Ike Relief room will open on Paltalk. Money will be collected there for the American Red Cross Disaster Services.
To join in the conversation Newstalk Online . There is no charge.
Paltalk is the largest multimedia interactive program on the Internet with more than 4 million unique users.
