Posted on 09/20/2005 12:22:05 PM PDT by SolidSupplySide
AUSTIN - Gov. Rick Perry declared the state a disaster area today in anticipation of Hurricane Rita hitting Texas and personally asked President Bush to approve federal aid to affected counties.
Perry's request for 100 percent federal reimbursement for counties that respond to the disaster came as federal Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency officials moved into the state to help.
A FEMA official is already at the State Operations Center, which went on full alert status today with 34 state agencies on site around the clock, said Perry spokeswoman Kathy Walt.
"FEMA has already been part of this. They have offered whatever support we need,'' Walt said. "Texas is not Louisiana. You won't see that breakdown occurring here.''
Walt said that Texas National Guard troops returning from Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in Louisiana at Perry's request will be staged along evacuation routes when officials better determine the most likely landfall for the storm.
"That's so they're positioned and ready to move when they need to whether it's rescue or whatever assistance they need to provide,'' she said, adding the troops might help keep traffic moving along evacuation routes.
Texas' Division of Emergency Management also has begun moving water, food and other supplies to Dallas, Fort Forth and San Antonio in preparation for evacuees.
The Texas Department of Health and Human Services said it is ready to ensure water and ice distribution if a hurricane hits the coast, while the Texas Department of State Health Services said it is prepared to help communities evacuate hospitals and provide vaccines, medications and ambulances.
Parts of Houston are higher. West Houston is about 70 or 80 feet above sea level as I recall. We kept an airplane at the Andreau Airpark near Wilcrest and Westheimer and had to know the altitude there to periodically reset the altimeter due to barimetric changes.
Galveston Bay, maybe. I was talking about the Gulf of Mexico.
Isn't Galveston Bay part of the Gulf of Mexico?
I don't view it that way. It's got to be a whole lot more shallow, and that means that it would weaken the storm.
Shallow water doesn't weaken a storm. Cold water does.
You may want to read up on Alicia and how it used Galveston Bay to approach Houston.
Not the way traffic moves around there.
You know, I recall a Tropical Storm Beryl forming over Lake Ponchartrain. That has to be shallower water than Galveston Bay, and it actually contributed to the formation of a tropical storm.
Jeez, I thought they were talking about the Cowboys game.
Certainly not begging, more like demanding.
"Perry's request for 100 percent federal reimbursement for counties that respond to the disaster came as federal Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency officials moved into the state to help. "
In an emergency like this - maybe they* would allow GWB to submit a FAXed copy with his signature? GWB could also keep a photocopy to wave in the face of any hurricane that hadn't gotten the word and was continuing to threaten American coastal cities.
*progressive elites
Well, we'll see. It would have to be a pretty unlucky hit to go right up the bay and hit Houston. More likely to come across land, I think.
I'm in Orlando. We're about the same distance here as Houston is, but the storms seldom come directly across the shortest distance from the ocean. They usually hit down by Melbourne, and travel across land a couple of hours or more before they get here. Of course, they still cause plenty of damage, but not nearly as much as they would but for that land between us and the ocean.
Eaker, Mom and Gunner are ya'll getting out of there or gonna ride the wave ?
I'll probably stay put and get some looting done.
Actually it depends on what the storm does, and what my mom does.
If the old woman won't leave then I have to stay in rescue range.
Like gunner said, It depends on the storm. Our area of town is not prone to flooding, but tornado's have been known to show up in the surrounding area.
Thank you for your excellent post, #43.
Great post!
Well I don't know what part of the country you come from but Kansas is not full of trailers....so the stereotype comes from ignorance. Plus you're the first so I even doubt it is a stereotype, just ignorance.
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