Crowd Sourcing & Civilian Volunteers After Hurricanes One of the Stories of 2017.

One of the nice things about keeping the Jewish Sabbath, as I do, is that it gives me some time offline to catch up on reading things that I meant to read yet got lost in the busy every day pace of my world both on and offline during the rest of the week. Facebook feeds swallow up time faster than water rising in Hurricane Sandy. On Shabbos with a cup of tea and a snack I can rest on the comfortable sofa and read everything from saved articles such as the one above to leafing through encyclopedias to do some reading up on something. The article above was sent out in a year end review of 2017 and caught my attention as aside from being Hurricane related it told the story I heard before of a friend's brother who helped in the rescue of a sweet older woman. The nephew of the man in the rescue is a cute little boy who talked a blue streak to me this past Sukkos in his Sukkoth about the flooding in Houston where his Grandparents and family lived. I remembered when this was happening in real time I felt that this should be the real story of 2017. The way the Network of Social Media was used by Civilian Volunteers to help save people in real time during Hurricane Harvey. Maybe it just says something larger than life about the people of Texas .... but I like to think that it's human nature rising to the top doing good deeds to make the world a better place.

2017 Hurricane Season.

Crowd Sourcing to save lives.

Civilian Volunteers

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/cajun-navy-races-from-louisiana-to-texas-using-boats-to-pay-it-forward/2017/08/28/1a010c8a-8c1f-11e7-84c0-02cc069f2c37_story.html?utm_term=.48feccfab9ff

I get tired of politics and agendas sometimes. There was a time we liked a little spin with our news but these days the spin is enough to make you dizzy before you barely get to the first commercial on the news.  If I was going to name the Person of the Year it would be the EVERYDAY PEOPLE who VOLUNTEERED and helped in the aftermath of hurricanes this year. The Cajun Navy that mobilized instantly using various social media platforms to get into flooded regions and get people out of homes that were going under water rapidly. Groups such as Chabad in Houston that were dealing with their own homes being flooded going out on search and rescue missions to help where help was needed. The sheer scope of the historic flooding in Hurricane Harvey put a huge dent into the normal fast response we expect after a hurricane. When such a large area is affected in disasters such as Katrina and Andrew the system begins to break down. But this year in particular the civilian responders jumped in when flood waters had already swallowed up their homes and the people of Houston got into their boats, trucks and waded personally into the water to help save lives in any way they could and they deserve an award. 

If you read the story of the 77 year old woman in Houston you will find out she called her son in England to tell him that flood waters had entered her 2nd flood apartment and she didn't know what to do. He called a friend in Chabad locally in England to ask if they knew someone in Houston and of course someone did and .....they put out a plea on the community WhatsApp group and immediately my friend in Raleigh's brother who lives in  Houston went out with a few volunteers to rescue the woman. More wonderfully, his wife Baila insisted she stay by them in their home for a month until she could figure out where to go and what to do as their home thankfully only had some ceiling leaks and minor damage. Stories such as this one were repeated across the area in real time as people called family, friends and clergy asking for help and again because of social media groups such as WhatsApp the message was put out in real time to a large amount of people. 

Social Media and Crowd Sourcing to me... was the game changer. Often older people trapped in homes with their ceiling falling in on them or flooding rising into their homes feel panicked and don't know where to go ... other than trying 911 and waiting to be added to the list or they call their family. 

http://lubavitch.com/news/article/2076153/Emerging-From-the-Flood-Waters-True-Kindness.html

This really begain in 2016 during Hurricane Matthew a man taking video with a drone led to the rescue of someone's brother who was watching in real time as flood waters were rising fast into his home.  During the 2017 Hurricane Season this style of self sacrifice and good will took that story to a much larger, wider level.

Amazingly a man and his dog were both saved.

Social Media being a game changer.

http://abc11.com/weather/drone-social-media-help-save-man-dog-trapped-in-flood/1550720/

The victory of human nature over Mother Nature this past summer was one of the beautiful stories to come out of the tragic flooding in Harvey and the devastation across a wide area from Irma. Many places were hit hard this year and abroad from Puerto Rico to small islands few remember the name of are still reeling while we go about our every day life in America celebrating the coming of 2018. What will 2018 bring this Hurricane Season? It's safe to say more of the same ..... unless something major breaks the pattern of Mother Nature on a rampage. This year's epic Hurricane Season has given way to epic, record breaking cold temperatures as shelters and volunteers are racing to help those in need. Locally in Raleigh a volunteer group began giving out blankets and warm drinks to homeless people who didn't want to go into a shelter. You do what you can when you can to help who you can...

Sometimes it really does take a village to help save a life. It's one thing to watch the story on the Nightly News or CNN Live and another to get a personal request in your WhatsApp feed that a woman down the block from you is about to drown in flood waters in her 2nd floor apartment and needs help. It only takes a few moments in real time in a busy WhatsApp feed to figure out who has a boat, who can find a few strong men (in the case of Chabad ...ex Israeli soldiers) to get to her and get her out to safety fast. 

Crowd Sourcing + Civilian Volunteers.

So that's my thought on the 2017 Hurricane Season. People helping people, giving time and supplies when needed or giving a donation online. It only takes a minute... it only takes a bit of time. The world has changed so fast that I can send a child money on an App in my phone faster than than I can edit this blog post and yes sometimes I get presents for my birthday just as fast. Fast can be good sometimes .. especially when flood waters are rising or someone's roof just blew away or someone watching their Twitter Feed recognizes their brother's house going under water and contacts the person who tweeted to get to their brother fast.

Something to think on...

With prayers for a safe, happy 2018 for everyone reading this and a request to dress accordingly this New Year's Eve. Flip flops may be find in Miami but if you are in New York City... bundle up it's going to be an epic cold New Year's Eve.

Besos BobbiStorm

http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/814118/jewish/Charity-Tzedakah.htm

https://www.npr.org/2017/12/28/574166438/in-houston-thousands-remain-displaced-as-harvey-recovery-continues

Thoughts on Harvey, Flooding, PTC10 & 93L From an Amtrak Train Northbound Riding Through Stormy Weather from Nearby PTC10. So Which Gets the Name Irma? And Words from a Wise Friend Who Lives in Houston.

First the basics and then some long discussion below, thoughts I'd like you to think on a bit before making any decisions or getting nervous about another possible landfalling hurricane in about ten days or less depending on which model you asked to the prom.

Leaving Cabo Verde today...

... Invest 93L

Heading this way..

A look at our side of the world.

93L so far away still.

Harvey in the GOM.

Note that long tail..

PTC10 lingering.

Losing the name Irma.

Which would go to 93L it seems.

Maybe.

Rainy, stormy weather.

But no closed circulation.

I have always loved this view ...

Wide... 

Longitudes and latitudes. 

And these are the players.

 PTC10.

I'm actually on a train feeling it.

Rainy, windy, gray.

I love it.

Decided it would be a good day for a train ride.

The flags are all straight out right  now.

Trees are moving some.

Layers of low clouds steaming in.

I'm just West of PTC10 ...

It's going out to sea

I'm going North bound.

Below are models.

They change a bit every run.

But basically Westbound.

This is from earlier.

Models show different things on different days. They never agree on timing far out. One model has a well developed "storm" off the coast of South Florida (Miami) and another model has that system down in the Caribbean still. Another model shows a very, well developed HURRICANE off the coast of the Carolinas. I mean HUGE hurricane. We don't rely on models that are 10 days out, but we watch them and then we compare them with history and with current patterns. It's a process. September is a few days away and that's the official start of the Hurricane Season. This season started early so maybe this September is more like October. Whatever it is.......it is what it is.

This is my view as I type this...

Believe it or not...

...this is the picture I took the train for..

I checked the schedule against the forecast track.

Knew it would look like this.

I want to say a few things while I have some time being that I am northbound on a train watching the rain fall across the coastal parts of North Carolina.  In the last hour the rain has gotten steadier and the winds have picked up just a bit. It's very dark, gray and weather only a storm chaser would love. I'm way closer to the coast here than in Raleigh so I figured this would give me some time to breathe away from 24/7 watching TWC, looping loops and sharing information and thoughts with meteorologists. I feel pathetic saying I am drained as it's mental exhaustion not the reality of having to rebuild your life. And the people in Houston will have to not only rebuild their lives but the very infrastructure. Few are speaking on it right now, but many roads and bridges will have to be rebuilt. Water, the very weight of the water, sitting on a road way with a current pulling the water constantly all day in one direction ERODES the ROAD. When the water is gone, the real damage will be visible. The clean up will begin and we will hear one tragic story after another about some family that left too late and were washed off the road and died in their vehicle. It's too much for the mind and heart to take in ... every day, the same like that movie. Every day I put on TWC and there's Jim standing there ankle deep in water, all wet, looking exhausted, feeling the pain of the people around him. I want him back in the studio living on coffee and water vapor loops doing what he does so well. Yet, telling the story here, the true tragic drama only Mother Nature can produce is what they are good at and now that the other news outlets have paid attention ....well the story needs to be told. 

Currently Harvey is pulling moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and is connected loosely to #PTC10 off the coast of the Carolinas. It's on the move today whereas Harvey is still hanging around Houston. It's important to watch the tail of Harvey and other assorted moisture down in the BOC as some models develop a weak system and add misery to an area that needs to dry out not be dumped on again. Further East near the Cabo Verde Islands is a well developed wave that is currently known as Invest 93L and behind that one is another wave about to come off the coast of Africa in a few days. Models develop 93L and some models develop the wave behind it. 

http://tropic.ssec.wisc.edu/real-time/mimic-tpw/natl/anim/latest72hrs.gif

These are just the facts currently and things can change over time. However, the models that insisted Harvey would come back together in the BOC and make a move towards the coast were spot on. Despite daily discussion by the NHC at how poorly the remnants of Harvey looked, they left that door open for future development based on a consensus of models and the continuity involved. And the models were right, as sobering as that sounds, the models ended up verifying. It was hard for many of us to believe the long range forecasts for huge, crazy, tremendous amounts of rain and yet the models verified. So, now that we are tired of watching the misery that Harvey caused and watching lives torn apart breaking our hearts you can't dump the vehicle that got us here because we "don't want to hear it"

Life doesn't work that way sadly, we get good news on days we think nothing will happen good and bad news on days when everything seemed to be going good. It is what it is. It IS a busy hurricane season and the forecast threat of systems making landfall has also verified.

Amazingly I have had a lot of friends in Miami complaining to me about people living in Houston and how it's always prone to flooding. Odd to say as it floods in Hollywood Florida often. Yeah, amazing huh? Someone wants to live Down South where winters don't freeze you to death and not in the Twister belt with that "wide open flat sky" or in Earthquake prone San Francisco. Apparently we should start moving the population around and filling up the state of Wyoming with anyone who wants to live with snow half of the year. Land is cheap so you may want to think about moving up there. I'm a beach girl, born and bred in the South and I'll take hurricanes over earthquakes and twisters any day. You can prepare as much as possible and yet once every few decades you get a Camille or Carla or Harvey. Life happen, you roll with the punches, you start over, life goes on but the other years when there were no hurricanes life was good and life will be good again.

I needed a good break before the next wave gets closer to our side of the world. And things can always pop up when you least expect it close in. I mean it's still raining in South Florida and moisture is training from Harvey to the East Coast Low and hovering over the Tampa area almost every day. Some models develop a system, a weak system, in the BOC and take it towards the N GOM. Any system with any sort of moisture there is a bad system and not wanted. The motion of the train and the soulful sound of the whistle...the horn... moans a bit as it takes every curve. Trees are beginning to turn the further North you go and yet the gray, low clouds are making wild patterns in the sky.

I'll be back when something new happens. If anything happens later today I'll update at the top of this blog so check back often. Til then pray for the people of Houston and the inland towns that are not getting coverage but are getting constant rain and some localized flooding as well. Pray for those who have to rebuild. Donate to the Red Cross or any local organization you trust. I believe if you shop at Whole Foods you can go and ask money to be applied to a fund when you check out. And if you live in Hurricane Country...it's not too late to prepare because we may be facing another hurricane that wants to make landfall in about 10 days and better safe than sorry. Be like a Boy Scout and be prepared! When looking at the those crazy scenarios for a hurricane along the East Coast of the US over the next few days know the name Irma replaced Irene. Can't make this up... 

Besos BobbiStorm

@bobbistorm on Twitter

Ps I'm in Brooklyn for a wedding in my son-in-law's family. I want to have some happy time, party time, see my grandson and my daughters dressed up and share the joy with a wonderful family. The Carolinian Train on Amtrak has wifi that's a bit slow but working nice. I can loop. Then I'll take the plane back to Raleigh Thursday. Just a nice break away from staring endlessly at loops, TWC, staring and thinking how we could have done better warning people of the reality of what the models were forecasting. Sometimes the models don't do a good job, other times they do a great job. The rainfall totals were if anything underdone not overdone. Go figure. 

My friend Betty Collette wrote this online to her friends who are all praying for her and others but can't wrap their head around how the 4th largest city in the USA floods like this. .. She has a good grasp of weather and is a great writer so I'll let her explain. We went to school together; Middle School in Miami when it was called Jr. High and Miami girls know weather and hurricanes. She ended up living in Houston and she loves it there. This week is not the best example of what Houston has to offer and yet when you watch regular people going out in skiffs, rowboats, kayaks and jet skis to try and help their neighbors who need help.... you get a feel for what it's like to live in that part of the world. 

"For those not affected by Harvey but are wondering how bad it really is in the Houston area and why, this is for you.

First of all, this is being called a catastrophic flooding event, not simply serious or even severe. Catastrophic. Not even a 100-year flood (which we seem to get pretty regularly these days) but a flood of the millennium.

Houston is flat. Houston is exceedingly large in area. There's a LOT of concrete and buildings, not an abundance of green areas (but we're trying), and heavy clay soil. The area is criss-crossed by untold number of waterways - dry most of the time and often ignored - and new construction requires building retention ponds nearby (also empty most of the time).

Most of the time, when it rains here, everything works as it is designed without too many problems. When we get a lot of rain, concrete and clay soil don't absorb water and the runoff heads to ditches, retention ponds, creeks and bayous. It's not unusual to have street flooding when drainage systems are overwhelmed but it usually goes down fairly quickly. We are known for many low spots in major roads and drivers regularly ignore warning signs and/or media reports, choosing instead to drive through...and suffer the consequences (from ruining their car to drowning).

Then comes Hurricane Harvey.

All kinds of weather people predicted exactly what ended up happening - Harvey strengthened to a Cat 4 right before coming ashore and proceeded to stall as intensity diminished. Unfortunately it stalled right where the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico continued to feed the storm. The right side, known as the dirty side, continues absorbing water and building the outer rain bands while another front tries to push it down from the north, resulting in continuing the counterclockwise motion of a tropical storm. And so all of this weather sits on top of Houston, the 4th largest city in our country.

Now..mix weather and geography...and we end up with catastrophic flooding.

The big question I've heard asked is why didn't you all evacuate? Uh, no. First rule of hurricanes - evacuate from storm surge and wind, not rain. Besides, evacuation was tried when Hurricane Rita threatened us. People jumped in their cars and promptly got trapped in a massive traffic jam lasting almost 24 hours. They ran out of gas, and food, and patience. It was hot, Texas hot. No bathrooms. Around 100 people died in this fruitless evacuation, fruitless because Rita turned away and ignored Houston.

So why didn't everyone prepare for this? Actually most people did but even though massive flooding was expected, Houston is so very large that you simply cannot predict exact spots of flooding. Many spots now flooded have NEVER flooded, even in the recent hundred-year-floods. There has been so much rainfall that it simply overwhelms everything designed to move it away. And the rain continues...in fact, the flash flood warning has been extended to *Wednesday*. That is 3 more days of this because the remnants of Harvey are not going away anytime soon. Plus, as the rain falls on Houston it is still raining to the west of us and waterways there drain toward the Houston area, AND the storm continues to push Gulf waters toward land making it difficult for waters to drain into the Gulf.

Sounds crazy, doesn't it? A perfect storm. Truly, a catastrophic event.

Can you even begin to imagine shutting down a city this size for days on end? Businesses closed. Schools closed. Cannot drive without running into roads closed by flooding. Airports closed as runways are under water. You see the pictures and videos and news reports and wonder, How? Why? You can plan as much as you can, but sometimes it's simply not enough.

Instead, you just pitch in and help where you can, doing what you can. For some of us, it's keeping others informed. For others, if you can get out, it's rescuing some, feeding others, volunteering however you can. The news stations continue to show regular citizens helping others, bringing in boats to rescue those stuck in flooded homes. That is the Houston spirit we know and love. We are very thankful for all the emergency responders, many on their way from out of state but also for Houston firefighters, police, Coast Guard, National Guard and more.

We will survive. We will. We will be fine, just a bit soggy for a while. We are thankful that most of what has been lost is just "stuff" and VERY thankful that we are providing a welcome break from dismal news coverage of the hate and division in our country. Nothing like a good disaster to bring us all together. "😉

Triple Trouble. Harvey, PTC10, 93L.. One Should Become Irma Sooner Rather Than Later.

Going to start off with Harvey and Houston. This has just been a seemingly never ending tragedy and yet it will end. Rescues are still going on. Eventually there may be recovery of bodies as the waters recede. And then the rebuilding begins and that may seem to take forever. Houston has been very lucky that they have not until recently had a strong, direct hit by a tropical event. Again Harvey made landfall at the coast removed some from Houston, but the rains came as the models predicted and so did the flooding. In between those years when Houston didn't get hurricanes there was incredible growth and a population shift into the 4th largest city in the nation. Houston is rich in jobs, diversity and a friendly Southern Texan feel not far from the coast and not prone to harsh winters. People came for jobs, for colleges and stayed. This happened in Miami in the 1970s and 1980s during hurricane free periods where it seemed all sunshine, balmy breezes and a great place to raise a family. And, then Andrew came in 1992 after about 27 years of severe hurricane drama. Ironically during the 1980s when Miami was Hurricane free the Gulf of Mexico was like Hurricane Central. This is Andrew for Texas, it's a wake up call that Hurricanes are coming back to one of their favorite destinations.

Note Harvey eventually leaves.

Shoots off to the NE 

PTC10 also is going to make that NE bend.

Out to sea.

But very stormy beach days today.

From Carolinas to NJ.

Out in the Atlantic is 93L

This could be Irma.

Or Jose.

Depends on PTC10.

It will be a long tracker.

Some models threaten the whole Eastern Seaboard, Florida and the Islands.. others tend towards not such bad scenario. We've seen these long range models before and what we take away from therm is that is westbound to our side of the world and expected to stay an entity for quite a while. So go through your hurricane supplies, medications, plans and rethink what you might want to do if a Hurricane comes to call. 

AGAIN...Houston Flooding is from the a stalled out Tropical System and a rare set up. Most hurricanes never encounter such a set up and many places can easily handle and get through a hurricane if the people in it's path take the proper precautions which is easy to do as we give very early warnings for a hurricane landfall. So don't focus on Harvey with regard to the rest of the season and feel you can't do anything to prepare... you can... Harvey is one for the history books. Will it be the most memorable hurricane of 2017? Time will tell. But the wave rolling off of Africa in early long range models shows it has potential to be a big hurricane. Will it? Again, time will tell.

For now know it's there and there will be more systems that track a long ways or pop up out of nowhere close in. The best thing you can be... is be prepared. Some models show more than one tropical threat down the road. Sobering I know. You may not want to hear that but it's true and I don't hype but I also don't lie and pretend it won't happen. 

Harvey has taken a massive toll on the people in Houston, the people working the storm in Houston, covering the storm online and forecasting it's track out of Texas. It's depressing, shocking and after several years of easy times in the tropics and strong El Ninos we got used to always getting lucky. At some point your luck runs out tropically. If you live in Hurricane Country from Texas to Maine you will at some time get visited by tropical trouble. In the quiet times, the easy times its a good time to put things away and make a plan.

I'll update later today.  Got a lot going on today. More on that later. 

Besos BobbiStorm

@bobbistorm on Twitter

Ps... Give to whatever charity you trust but give. And prayers are always good.

Houston Floods But CNN & MSNBC Cover Politics. Pathetic. LIVE RESCUES... Human Tragedy, Historical Event Ignored Still. TWC Doing an Incredible Job. Days of Misery Since Harvey Left Africa

Rescues ongoing.

Many missing.

Over a 1,000 rescued.

Unable to keep up with the totals.

National Tragedy.

Texas Tragedy.

Historic.

Moisture from the GOM...

..being pumped up and dumped over Texas.

Rain moving towards Sabine River region.

This is BEYOND anything we imagined. This is historical flooding, using the word EPIC and memorable and one of the stories of the year if not the decade. Depends how it plays out over the NEXT SEVERAL DAYS as the forecast is for this to be over Texas longer than it takes to drive across Texas and that's a long time. Usually hurricanes make landfall and move on, sometimes slowly but they move on. Harvey hangs on in the same way it hung on while it traversed the Caribbean after many forecasters insisted it was dead and would rain itself out over Central America. Some feared it could hang on and get into the Gulf of Mexico and become a dangerous hurricane; nothing like Katrina but still a hurricane. This is NOTHING like Katrina in that Katrina was a levee failure that NEVER should have happened. New Orleans survived the hurricane but did not survive man and government's worse instincts to not be on top of the details. In a town that is protected by a levee the levee needs to be always in perfect condition and the pumps need to always be working. It's like Katrina but different and it's far from over. And more pathetically (my word of the day) the government officials don't seem to know how to maintain ALL of the pumps at the same time. It cannot be that hard and it is criminal in my mind that those pumps are not working at the height of the hurricane season.

Harvey has been a problem from the beginning. I've said here often that you have to beware of storms that taste blood early on and keep on going despite negative conditions. A series of 3 strong waves moving off of Africa, one of which became 91L, contributed to the conditions that led to the mudslide in Sierra Leone. Over 500 people died there and hundreds are still missing.

http://www.news24.com/Video/Africa/sierra-leone-mudslide-death-toll-nears-500-people-and-810-missing-20170825

Then it moved out into the Atlantic and became 91L and then 91L begat Tropical Storm Harvey on August 17th and it aimed at the Islands where it caused flooding and some destruction. Then Harvey went Category 4 and it became a biblical like plague that Texas cannot seem to get rid of... or at least for the next week and then comes clean up and rebuilding. I'm sure like Katrina people will ask "why do they live there if it's a bayou?" and my reply is give me a break there is no place in America that doesn't have some sort of extreme weather or natural disaster.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2017/08/18/tropical-storm-harvey-moves-through-caribbean-islands-heads-central-america/580207001/

Many forecasters were ready to stick a fork in it and the NHC discontinued covering it with the caveat that models showed it reforming down the line closer to the Yucatan and GOM or BOC.

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/2017/08/22/232205/tropical-rainstorm-harvey-impacts-yucatan/

And it did. Again Harvey made landfall and again created a mess, misery and it continued moving on to it's next target.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/hurricane-harvey-strengthens-category-storm-125-mph-winds/story?id=49412285

Category 4.

The amazing part here is that models called it coming back to life and the models called for historic rainfall.

Understand days ago, well over a week ago there was concern on historic flooding. Models showed the potential for heavy rain over Texas from the storm before the first dropsonde was dropped into Harvey we knew this could happen. As the new data went into the models they began to put out incredible flooding totals for the general area of Houston and much of the Texas coastline.  Back on August 22nd, Tuesday when Harvey was an EX-HARVEY Mike put up projected rainfall totals and concerns.


https://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2017/08/27/death-toll-rises-harvey-hammers-texas-catastrophic-flooding/606005001/

Yet CNN and MSNBC don't seem to feel it's worth going live. Pathetic. May be a long time before I watch Morning Joe and usually I do that while drinking my morning coffee. I am a huge news junkie, but THIS IS THE NEWS today. And it will be the NEWS story all WEEK and it's pathetic

Spoiler Alert to the "NEWS STATIONS" our house is in chaos, one of the largest cities in America is in chaos, towns outside of Houston are in chaos and some towns along the coast have suffered catastrophic, historical damage from Category 4 Harvey and it's associated convective mass dumping flooding rain and forecast to do so for days. I'm sorry am I missing something? Does Texas not matter? Maybe it does need to secede and become a Republic as many have said over time who feel a sort of pride to being Texans. Because it seems the general media doesn't think it's worth covering. And yet online we have been discussing the possible, historic flooding for a week and watching it unfold in real time is horrendous yet the way the "news channels" are ignoring it is horrendously, pathetic.

A week ago... Mike posted this.

I know I did in the blog here.

Just using Mike as an example.

On August 25th again he posted...

...Harvey was intensifying.

The BIG concern was the flooding.

The flooding down the road.

Over the next five days.

I have said many times I am an Independent politically. I vote conservative sometimes, liberal other times and often for the candidate I feel is the best fit for the job. I did not vote for Trump, this is not a political post today. It is one of total disgust that on a Sunday Morning when we are dealing with a live, news event; a news event of the year possibly CNN and MSNBC are barely showing the human tragedy while doing their regular talking points bickering on how much they dislike Trump and what horrible thing he has done this week. Again I am not a huge fan, but I am losing patience with CNN and MSNBC who I suppose feel if there is no angle to the story for them they will not cover it and it's disgusting. 

I studied journalism in college as part of my overall degrees and I know a story when I see one. I'm posting this picture again here, twice for impact. IF THIS IS NOT A NEWS STORY WHAT IS? Bicker politics tomorrow or next week, trust me the politics won't go away. But this IS the story, this is what needs to be on air. The job of a journalist is to DISSEMINATE THE NEWS. To follow the news, to advise, warn and educate the public about news stories as soon as possible. This morning, short of nuclear war or an asteroid wiping out the whales after landing in the Pacific NOTHING is bigger news than this. Economically, if you are that cold hearted, this is a huge news story as Houston is a large port, producer of chemicals, oil and AG in all the areas also affected but not mentioned. Days of roads being covered by moving water will need to be repaired, rebuilt and missing people will have to be found and bodies recovered after the rescues are finished. And this is forecast to go on for days. 

Look at the current radar below. This is not going away. Moisture from the Gulf of Mexico is being funneled and slammed into Texas and some of that may move towards the Louisiana area as well. This is an area that had localized heavy flooding most of the summer, so adding insult to injury they can't take anymore. 

Look at the deep reds ...

...pulling moisture out of the GOM.

And it's August.

Hurricane Season has only just begun.

Pray. Give charity.

Give thanks you have a home.

You are not flooded.

Prepare and Stay Informed.

TWC and FOX are covering it.

www.spaghettimodels.com

Besos BobbiStorm

@bobbistorm on Twitter.

Ps... When it rains it pours.

More tropical problems to come.

But few will come close to being Harvey.

The Harvey name will be retired.

UPDATED! 1000K PPL Rescued. Part 2 Harvey. Flash Flooding in Houston. Rockport Texas Devastation. 2 Areas To Watch in the Atlantic. 92L and New African Wave. A Look Back at When Harvey Formed August 17th.

Extreme Flooding.

Flash Flooding.

Tornadoes.

Harvey Part 2

RED IS SEVERE AMTS OF RAIN

The center is to the west.

Flooding Rains.

Besides TWC ..

...best source of news.

KHOU

http://www.khou.com/news/live_stream/khou-live-video/94483732

While not never ending...

...this will not end for DAYS.

That was the lead from the NHC.

Catastrophic Flooding.

Models called it.

Main Point This AM.

Stay home.

Stay safe.

This is not a matter of hype.

This is historical.

The "center" of Harvey is over land, the convective mass associated with him still is partly over water and pumping the moist air and heavy moisture feed incessantly into the Houston area. 

http://www.khou.com

Looks like a tornado signature.

And the floods will do that level damage.

That green below is heavy moisture.

Water Vapor Loop.

The discussion for Harvey at 5 AM.

Shows "near the coast"

Not good news.

They are begging people to stay home, call 911, go to the highest place in your home (including your roof if you can get there) and wait for help. Yet waiting is hard to tell people to do when they are already in their attic; when the water has already flooded the first floor of their second floor apartment building. This is a truth ...if you can. This situation will not end today but go on and on for the next several days and spread out into other areas across the region. Houston was hit last night with intense bands of rain and multiple tornado warnings. I'll be back later today when the sun rises in Houston and there is hard data to go along with the headlines. They cannot keep track of the people rescued, way over 1,000 people overnight. And I'm guessing that many waiting to be rescued later today. We had warnings, but people don't want to believe something that seems impossible to believe. This flooding will go up there along with the Johnstown Flood and Katrina yet it's a slow motion disaster and we knew it was coming.

http://www.khou.com/news/live_stream/khou-live-video/94483732

Below is discussion on Harvey

And 2 other areas of interest in the tropics.

Irma may form off the SE Coast later this week!

* * *

A look back at just before landfall.

A well developed Cat 4 Hurricane.

Look at that eye.

For those who thought the Atlantic was dead.

Think again.

Things change fast in the tropics.

It's like turning on a switch.

One day nothing.

Suddenly something.

August 14th 91L on the maps.

Talk and worry on long range models.

On August 17th Harvey forms.

Note the cone below.

Look at that first satellite image.

Harvey before the islands. 

http://hurricaneharbor.blogspot.com/2017/08/3-waves-wave-train-active-discussion-on.html

Discussion online 

91L long range models.

Destined to go into the GOM.

On August 17th with the first cone the NHC had the top part of the cone going into the BOC. And early on there was discussion and concern by many that it could get into the Gulf of Mexico. We always like to laugh off long range models and early bird fears on fantastic Katrina like scenarios. With the anniversary of Katrina coming up ... many who live in that region of the US were scared and concerned. And in retrospect for good reason as Hurricane Harvey will go down into History with the famous hurricanes we look back and study. Harvey's name will be brought up years from now with Carla and Katrina and other very destructive hurricanes that made landfall in the Gulf of Mexico. And the nonstop rain currently in progress will add a layer to Harvey's story that few other hurricanes can rival.

Usually when a Hurricane makes landfall, you hunker down and it moves on and in a few days it has joined up with a Cold Front or is out to sea on it's way to Nova Scotia or England. Not Harvey, he is not in a rush to leave. And again those long range models that showed Harvey getting into the Gulf of Mexico also were right on Harvey stalling out, moving slowly, making small loops over Texas for days after landfall. The rain projections I spoke about earlier in the week can very well come to pass or even be surpassed. The loop below shows the moisture being pulled out of the GOM into Harvey now inland.

Close up of the radar for the Houston area

That dark red band is dangerous.

Harvey is inland.

But his weather keeps coming.

These areas in red are under the gun.

And Harvey is shooting severe weather still..

There isn't much I can to you tonight about Harvey that hasn't been said or shown online all day. The destruction in some places is extreme and the structure of life will have to be rebuilt from the ground up in some places like Rockport. A high school, a hospital needs to be rebuilt and lives need to be glued back together. One problem in the years after a hurricane is the toll it takes on people who never feel totally safe again. They are grateful to be alive, together and yet like that family heirloom you super glue back together; it's repaired but you can see where it was broken if you look carefully. Lives changed, rearranged and it takes a long time for life to simply just go on.

Rockport Texas before Harvey

Looks like a paradise of sorts.

Rockport after Harvey.

Like a war was fought.

It's cliche to say like a bomb went off...

... after Andrew it did look like that.

So where do we go from here?

It's August. 

Remember September?

For one 92L is still there.

Beware the ones that are still there.

Models from Spaghetti Models.

Intensities are low.

And there's a new player on the block.

In the Atlantic.

It's still coming off of Africa.

 

To keep this in perspective.

Below is 91L AKA Harvey.

2 weeks ago.

Houston is beginning to flood from the heavy rain over the last hour that has been training over the same place now all night. This is honestly a slow motion disaster added to the disaster of a landfalling Category 4 Hurricane. This is not hype, it's a short term forecast for the next 3 or 4 days of rain, heavy rain over a small area and flooding will be a problem and misery will be multiplied by the added post script of Harvey's historic landfall. There is an ongoing Flash Flood emergency tonight as I type this and it gets worse not better.

Again please give to the Red Cross of a charity you know is reliable in the Texas areas as it is needed now and it will be needed over the next several months as people try to rebuild their lives. And life goes on in the tropics and more waves roll off of Africa and things form close in. This is only the beginning of the busy part of the 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season. 

 A system may form off the Carolinas in the near term from the ongoing drama that has been 92L and it may be tropical, subtropical or just a strong low pressure system.  And far away in the Atlantic is that wave coming off that may or may not develop.

Get a plan.

Just in case.

Easier now than later.

If you didn't take me seriously.

After Harvey you have to...

Be #HurricaneStrong.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/prepare/hazards.php

Donate first.

http://www.redcross.org/

Then get a plan.

The tropics are just warming up.

Besos BobbiStorm

@bobbistorm on Twitter.

African Waves keep on rolling.