Disaster Response

We're Nowhere Near Prepared for the Ecological Disaster That Harvey Is Becoming

Thu, 2017-08-31 12:49 — Maeryn Obley

An oil refinery.

Image: An oil refinery.

esquire.com - Charles P. Pierce - August 30th 2017

It is the Christian thing to do in the middle of tragedies like the one currently unfolding along the Texas-Louisiana Gulf coast not to politicize human suffering and, certainly, the stories of people rescuing their fellow citizens from this calamity deserve to be told and they deserve to be spread as widely as possible. But there is nothing I can find in the Gospels that would forbid us from politicizing politics. So let us summon the ghost of Walter Winchell and review some of the events of the past few days.

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Nation's largest oil refinery forced to shut down as Harvey floods Port Arthur

Thu, 2017-08-31 12:39 — Maeryn Obley

money.cnn.com - Julia Horowitz and Jill Disis - August 30th 2017

The largest oil refinery in the country is shutting down as Hurricane Harvey causes more catastrophic flooding, and more have followed suit.

Early Wednesday, Motiva said it started closing its Port Arthur refinery "in response to increasing local flood conditions." The plant won't open until flood waters recede.

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Global fuel prices jump as Harvey's impact ripples beyond U.S. Gulf

Thu, 2017-08-31 12:32 — Maeryn Obley

reuters.com - Erwin Seba and Devika Krishna Kumar - August 31st 2017

Tropical Storm Harvey’s impact on the energy industry spread worldwide as flooded U.S. refiners and closed fuel pipelines threatened to squeeze national supply, roiling global fuel markets and rerouting millions of barrels of fuel to the Americas to avert shortages.

The storm, which lashed Louisiana with rain on Thursday, has pummeled the U.S. Gulf Coast, immersing Houston, Texas, and the surrounding area in several feet of water and forcing the closure of about a quarter of U.S. refining capacity.

Benchmark U.S. gasoline prices RBc1 and margins RBc1-Clc1 surged anew on Thursday.

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Port Arthur Faces Harvey Flooding Disaster: ‘Our Whole City Is Underwater’

Thu, 2017-08-31 09:05 — Maeryn Obley

Video: Homes and shelters were flooded and the largest oil refinery in the U.S. was shut down after heavy rains flooded Port Arthur, east of Houston, overnight Tuesday. By MALACHY BROWNE, BARBARA MARCOLINI and CHRIS CIRILLO on Publish Date August 30, 2017. Photo by Beulah Johnson, via Associated Press.

12newsnow.com - August 31st 2017

nytimes.com - Jonah Engel Bromwich - August 30th 2017

Even as the sun began to show in Houston on Wednesday, signaling a small measure of hope after days of devastating rainfall from Tropical Storm Harvey, a region east of the city faced disaster anew after it was pummeled by rain overnight.

Residents of cities in Jefferson County, Tex., about 100 miles east of Houston, were desperate for help Wednesday morning after rain there caused floodwaters to rise precipitously and lightning made things particularly difficult for those responding to the storm.

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Beaumont water system knocked out by rising floodwaters

Thu, 2017-08-31 08:49 — Maeryn Obley

Keith Delahoussaye puts single bottles of water into a box after grabbing them from the cooler at a Beaumont convenience store early Thursday morning. Photo/Scott Eslinger-KBMT

Image: Keith Delahoussaye puts single bottles of water into a box after grabbing them from the cooler at a Beaumont convenience store early Thursday morning. Photo/Scott Eslinger-KBMT

12newsnow.com - August 31st 2017

The City of Beaumont has lost it's water supply after rising waters due to Tropical Storm Harvey knocked out the systems main input pump.

The city of Beaumont is anticipated to lose water pressure in the system in the next three to four hours according to a release from the City of Beaumont.

As news of the water system spread people began buying up water wherever they could find it.

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Storm Harvey: Up to 2,000 rescued as Houston hit by 'catastrophic floods'

Sun, 2017-08-27 22:22 — Maeryn Obley

bbc.com - August 27th 2017

Up to 2,000 people have been rescued from floods in and around Houston, as Tropical Storm Harvey continues to batter Texas with heavy rains.
There are reports of possible deaths in submerged vehicles, but investigations continue, Chief Darryl Coleman of the Harris County Sheriff's Office said.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott told the media he could not confirm storm-related deaths.

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Thousands Flee Wildfires Burning in the US and Canada

Mon, 2017-07-10 09:57 — Kathy Gilbeaux

Thousands flee wildfires burning in the US and Canada - The Associated Press

abcnews.go.com - by The Associated Press - July 9, 2017

Wildfires barreled across the baking landscape of the western U.S. and Canada, destroying a smattering of homes, forcing thousands to flee and temporarily trapping children and counselors at a California campground.

Here's a look at the wildfires blackening the West.

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Free Resources for Disaster Resilience

Sun, 2017-06-25 08:52 — Kathy Gilbeaux

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No person or place is immune from disasters or disaster-related losses, and recent events have proven that even prepared communities can be overwhelmed in a state of emergency. Our reports provide guidelines and targeted resources for all stakeholders in a disaster response, including state and local governments, emergency medical services and health care centers. Read these online for free.
CLICK HERE - Related Books

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Facebook Disaster Maps - Using Data to Help Communities Recover and Rebuild

Thu, 2017-06-08 15:59 — Kathy Gilbeaux

newsroom.fb.com - By Molly Jackman - June 7, 2017

Today, we are introducing disaster maps that use aggregated, de-identified Facebook data to help organizations address the critical gap in information they often face when responding to natural disasters. Many of these organizations worked with us to identify what data would be most helpful and how it could be put to action in the moments following a disaster.

This initiative is the product of close work with UNICEF, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the World Food Programme, and other organizations.

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CLICK HERE - Mark Zuckerberg - Facebook

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Bill Gates Won’t Save You From The Next Ebola

Wed, 2017-05-03 15:54 — Maeryn Obley

Illustration of screens showing patients in a ward for Ebola patients. JI SUB JEONG/HUFFPOST

Image: Illustration of screens showing patients in a ward for Ebola patients. JI SUB JEONG/HUFFPOST

huffingtonpost.com - April 30th 2017 - Robert Fortner, Alex Park

In late August 2014, Tom Frieden, then director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, traveled to West Africa to assess the raging Ebola crisis.

In the five months before Frieden’s visit, Ebola had spread from a village in Guinea, across borders and into cities in Liberia and Sierra Leone. Médecins Sans Frontières, the first international responder on the scene, had run out of staff to treat the rising numbers of sick people and had deemed the outbreak “out of control” back in June.

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