Fire/EMS/ERs/disasters, etc.

[supesalemgr2]

Looks like Imelda won't even make landfall now. Fickle bitch.

Poor Appalachians are still hoping for FEMA money a year after Hellene. Meanwhile:

ICE Barbie Accused of Rushing Money to Rebuild Pier Near Alleged Lover’s Home

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem jump-started a stalled pier project in Naples, Florida, after a major donor called to complain.

The historic pier was badly damaged by Hurricane Ian in 2022, and frustrated city officials had been trying for months to get disaster assistance funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is overseen by Noem’s Department of Homeland Security, ProPublica reported.

But after donor Sinan Gursoy got involved, Noem quickly expedited more than $11 million ($2M according to Friendly Fire Gnome) to rebuild the pier, which is a couple of miles from a home owned by Noem’s de facto chief of staff Corey Lewandowski, according to ProPublica.

Gursoy is a cardiologist - avg annual income $300-$600K/yr.
Corey Lewandowski net worth about $4M
Don't they have wealthy local friends?

Noem and Lewandowski have long been rumored to be having an affair, which one official with President Donald Trump’s administration called the “worst-kept secret” in Washington, D.C. Both have denied being romantically involved.

FEMA has come under fire for bottlenecks and delays ever since Noem implemented a policy requiring her to personally sign off on purchases of more than $100,000.

When deadly floods hit Texas this summer, Noem waited days to sign off on funding to deploy search and rescue teams, and thousands of disaster relief calls [went] unanswered because she hadn’t renewed the contract with call centers.

Sen. Ted Budd (R) has also complained about being unable to reach Noem’s office to get funding authorized to rebuild in North Carolina from last year’s devastating Hurricane Helene.

Officials trying to rebuild the pier in Naples, which is a major tourist attraction, were also getting desperate as they tried to navigate delays at FEMA, which were further exacerbated by Trump’s government layoffs, ProPublica reported.

“We were told yesterday that Secretary Noem would have to ‘personally’ approve the Pier project before FEMA funding would be obligated,” a city official wrote to Sen. Rick Scott’s staff.

When that didn’t work, Naples Mayor Teresa Heitmann decided to personally reach out to Noem and concluded that the best way to get her attention was through Gursoy, a local cardiologist who donated at least $25,000 to Noem’s 2022 gubernatorial campaign in South Dakota.

Naples is home to CEOs and billionaires, and is an important fundraising stop for Republican politicians, according to ProPublica. Noem visited the area at least 10 times during her last four years as South Dakota governor and has held multiple fundraisers there.

The MAGA corruption never ends.

... by Aug. 27, Naples officials were seeing a “flurry of activity” from FEMA, which said it planned to expedite the pier’s funding. Two days later, Noem flew to Naples and visited the pier with Heitmann before having dinner at a French restaurant with Gursoy.

She stayed through the weekend at the four-star Naples Bay Resort & Marina. Reached for comment by ProPublica, DHS declined to say whether the government paid for the trip.

By law, that is public record.

Lewandowski told ProPublica that he was not involved in the pier decision

Riiight.

and was not in Naples during Noem’s visit. Gursoy said “get lost” and hung up when he was reached by phone.

We are paying for your time, asshole.

... Experts told ProPublica that the Naples project heightened concerns about the discretion that Noem has given herself at DHS, where she had the power to inject political favoritism into an agency responsible for saving lives and rebuilding communities destroyed by disaster.

Which she does. DonOLD has been open about it.

MAGA = Grift, always. Feed the rich, nothing else matters.

"Pocket Change" donation. Do you feel the same about Soros' donations? Hypocritical!

[Vrede too]

TV news: Hellene damaged or destroyed 73,000 WNC homes.

I lived most of my adult life in a town with fewer than 73,000 homes in its entire metro area.

[O Really]

Even for things that one could, at least theoretically, defend, Trumpsters handle as poorly as possible. So it's not really my opinion, but I could argue that states and large municipalities should carry the biggest responsibility for their own disaster relief. But if you're going to do that, what rational person in the world wouldn't transition to it - giving some reasonable time for the states to make professional level preparations. Phase out FEMA over at least a three year period and provide some federal funding for state/local efforts. What sort of idiots think it makes sense to just pull the plug on money and resources already budgeted and planned for? Those would be idiots for whom cruelty is the the reason and the objective.

[Vrede too]

Even for things that one could, at least theoretically, defend, Trumpsters handle as poorly as possible. So it's not really my opinion, but I could argue that states and large municipalities should carry the biggest responsibility for their own disaster relief. But if you're going to do that, what rational person in the world wouldn't transition to it - giving some reasonable time for the states to make professional level preparations. Phase out FEMA over at least a three year period and provide some federal funding for state/local efforts. What sort of idiots think it makes sense to just pull the plug on money and resources already budgeted and planned for? Those would be idiots for whom cruelty is the the reason and the objective.

It's unworkable, regardless of transition time. We have an expert here who can tell us that it's the same principle as insurance. It's woefully inefficient for states and large municipalities to do full preparations for disaster relief. Most will never get used. Instead, FEMA operates on the expectation that there will only be a few disasters each year. It can then apply 100% of its resources to coping with them.

Dogmatic MBA Dementia Don is an idiot with no concept of fiscal rationality or insurance basics.

[Vrede too]

Poor Jamaica, Cat 5 much of the way across the island. Strongest ever.
https://www.wunderground.com/hurricane/ ... ne-melissa
Slide up and zoom in.
Rare headline:
Jamaican officials warn residents of 'displaced' crocodiles due to floodwaters
Ongoing updates
Scary Sat pic, red and orange covering entire island:


This will change over time. Idk how to freeze it.

Next up Cat 4 landfall on Cuba. Southeast Bahamas and Bermuda are also in the Cat 2 crosshairs.

[GoCubsGo]

Poor Jamaica, Cat 5 much of the way across the island. Strongest ever.
https://www.wunderground.com/hurricane/ ... ne-melissa
Slide up and zoom in.
Rare headline:
Jamaican officials warn residents of 'displaced' crocodiles due to floodwaters
Ongoing updates
Scary Sat pic, red and orange covering entire island:


This will change over time. Idk how to freeze it.

Next up Cat 4 landfall on Cuba. Southeast Bahamas and Bermuda are also in the Cat 2 crosshairs.

They are so effed, and DonOld probably won't lift a finger to help.

[Vrede too]

They are so effed, and DonOld probably won't lift a finger to help.

Doesn't look like the US sent a lot of aid.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane ... #Jamaica_3
Billions are needed.

DonOld has a track record. Remember his criticism of Biden's FEMA after Hellene? Of course, it was during the 2024 campaign and we are a purple state. Since then it's been a different story.

North Carolina attorney general wins lawsuit against FEMA, restoring $200M

Attorney General Jeff Jackson (D) announced that North Carolina won its lawsuit against the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

According to a news release from Jackson's office, the lawsuit was won after a federal court ordered the reinstatement of the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Grant (BRIC) disaster mitigation program.

“Our towns spent years doing everything FEMA asked them to do to qualify for this funding, and they were in the middle of building real protections against storms when FEMA suddenly broke its word. Keeping water systems working and keeping homes out of floodwater isn’t politics; it’s basic safety. This ruling puts the money back where it was promised so these communities can be ready for the next storm,” said Attorney General Jeff Jackson in a news release.

As previously reported, Jackson sued FEMA over its decision to cancel the program providing over $200 million for more than 60 infrastructure projects across North Carolina.

According to the release, the court wrote that the BRIC program is designed to protect against national disasters and that “the imminence of disasters is not deterred by bureaucratic obstruction.”

The court order concluded that FEMA's actions in canceling the $200 million were an "unlawful executive encroachment on the prerogative of Congress to appropriate funds for a specific and compelling purpose."

“North Carolina, unfortunately, is no stranger to natural disasters, and building better infrastructure saves lives,” said Governor Josh Stein (D) in a news release. “I thank Attorney General Jackson for taking action to preserve our $200 million to protect our water and sewer systems, bridges, and more from floods and wildfires.” ...

Dementia Don is busted again breaking the law and being inhumane.

[Vrede too]

Wildfires used to 'go to sleep' at night. Climate change has them burning overtime

I witnessed several fires 'go to sleep' at night in Montana. It was often startling when they burst back into life around midday. I'll bet this study applies there, too.

Thanks, Exxon.

[Vrede too]

I just listened to a PBS interview of Chef José Andrés from Venezuela . He and his World Central Kitchen will be awarded a Nobel Peace Prize one of these years.

As a Hellene survivor maybe I'll join the others who have nominated them. Would you sign on, neoplacebo and Whack9?

[neoplacebo]

I just listened to a PBS interview of Chef José Andrés from Venezuela . He and his World Central Kitchen will be awarded a Nobel Peace Prize one of these years.

As a Hellene survivor maybe I'll join the others who have nominated them. Would you sign on, neoplacebo and Whack9?

I saw that same interview yesterday. I'd sure as hell vote for him; the guy is awesome.

[neoplacebo]

This story caught my eye. Flight instructor jumps out of plane in flight leaving the student pilot alone to land the plane. This may be why I never took flight lessons.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articl ... 20612.html

[GoCubsGo]

This story caught my eye. Flight instructor jumps out of plane in flight leaving the student pilot alone to land the plane. This may be why I never took flight lessons.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articl ... 20612.html

He forgot his parachute.

[neoplacebo]

This story caught my eye. Flight instructor jumps out of plane in flight leaving the student pilot alone to land the plane. This may be why I never took flight lessons.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articl ... 20612.html

He forgot his parachute.

Probably a good chance he turned to the student pilot and said "hold my beer."

[Vrede too]

Probably a good chance he turned to the student pilot and said "hold my beer."

I think the student pilot spurned his advances and the instructor said, "I'll show her."

[neoplacebo]

Probably a good chance he turned to the student pilot and said "hold my beer."

I think the student pilot spurned his advances and the instructor said, "I'll show her."

He was going for admittance to the mile high club or the splat club. About a week or so ago I saw video of some woman in Brazil (I think) doing a tethered jump from a bridge, but the guys holding here over the railing didn't notice that she was not tethered at all and she fell to her death. I'd sure hate to be one of those guys. Come to think of it, I'd have to really ponder whether I'd want to fly with that student pilot. She may have magical power.

[Vrede too]

Come to think of it, I'd have to really ponder whether I'd want to fly with that student pilot. She may have magical power.

Malevolent hypnosis.

[neoplacebo]

Come to think of it, I'd have to really ponder whether I'd want to fly with that student pilot. She may have magical power.

Malevolent hypnosis.

Or irresistible seductive suggestion. Hard to figure what went on there. Maybe the instructor lost his shit, neatly arranged his stuff, opened the door, and said "i'm outta here."

[GoCubsGo]

Or irresistible seductive suggestion. Hard to figure what went on there. Maybe the instructor lost his shit, neatly arranged his stuff, opened the door, and said "i'm outta here."

That's pretty much what he did.

[Vrede too]

All the flooding this year, including some now predicted for NC, is limiting my ability to keep whining about Hellene.

[Vrede too]

Who would ever have thought Brownie's work would turn out to be so heroic in retrospect.

... In Kerr County, where the worst of the flooding occurred, local officials had been trying to get FEMA funding for a flood warning system for years. But, according to NPR, their funding application had been turned down by the state of Texas, which was responsible for administering the funds. Nor could they get funds via a state-level grant program....

Thanks, Gov Abbott.

It's not all on Dementia Don, though.

Report: FEMA Repeatedly Loosened Oversight At Texas Camp Where 27 People Died In Flooding
Federal regulators removed dozens of Camp Mystic buildings from a 100-year flood map as the camp looked to expand.



Good job, Obama.



Bad job, Obama.

At least 12 structures at Camp Mystic Guadalupe were fully within FEMA’s 100-year flood plain, and a few more were partially in that zone, according to an AP analysis of data provided by First Street, a data science company that specializes in modeling climate risk.

Jeremy Porter, the head of climate implications at First Street, said FEMA’s flood insurance map underestimates flood risks. That’s because it fails to take into account the effects of heavy precipitation on smaller waterways such as streams and creeks. First Street’s model puts nearly all of Camp Mystic Guadalupe at risk during a 100-year flood.

In a statement, FEMA downplayed the significance of the flood map amendments.

“Flood maps are snapshots in time designed to show minimum standards for floodplain management and the highest risk areas for flood insurance,” the agency wrote. “They are not predictions of where it will flood, and they don’t show where it has flooded before.”

Yes they are and yes they do, along with other factors.



Bad job, DonOLD and maybe Biden. The article doesn't mention Joe moving things back in the right direction.



Kerr County is 3 to 1 RepuQ.

Considered Texas royalty after decades of taking care of the daughters of elite families, Camp Mystic owners Dick and Tweety Eastland cited the “tremendous success” of their original camp in explaining the need for a second site nearby.

The expansion included new cabins and a dining hall, chapel, archery range and more. The camp had 557 campers and more than 100 staffers between its two locations when a state licensing agency conducted an inspection on July 2, two days before the tragedy, records show....

Yuck, imagine being one of those inspectors!

Camp Mystic was slated to reopen this summer, but those plans were canceled at the last minute. It just had its second "thousand year flood" in one year. Phew