These are times that are trying many souls

Over the course of the past year or so, we have witnessed catastrophic earthquakes in Haiti, Chile, New Zealand and Japan.  We have seen a tsunami suddenly kill thousands of people and cause turmoil and anxiety even unto this present hour due to the problems at a nuclear power plant in Japan.  We have seen volcanoes erupt in Iceland and ice storms in places that rarely see them.  Through it all, the United States of America was basically unscathed.

Over the past few weeks, the forces of nature have unleashed their fury upon the very heart of America.  Through wildfires burning in Texas, flooding along the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers and the current incredible outbreak of tornadoes; there is no longer any feeling of invincibility in this land.  As if the current situation were not bad enough, a very active hurricane season looms just ahead.

In due time, all the damage being done by all these natural disasters will act as a financial stimulus as people will find jobs rebuilding houses, businesses, churches and other facilities.  But, in the short term, the current situation is too much for many to bear.  Losing one’s home or business is a traumatic experience that leaves deep scars in someone’s hearts for years to come.  Obviously there are many hurting people around right now.

The frustration people go through dealing with insurance companies, government agencies, financial institutions and employers is hard to understand unless a person has lived through a major disaster or worked with those who have.  People can talk about “trusting God” all they want, but when your home is a pile of debris, your place of employment is demolished and your creditors want payments NOW; the pressure many times literally breaks people and demolishes families.

In 2006 I took a very long and difficult trip to Cameron, a little town on the coast of southwestern Louisiana, which had been utterly destroyed by hurricane Rita the previous year.  The area was a ghost town as it had been literally forgotten due to most of the emphasis being placed on Katrina damage.  As I trudged through the sand looking at the destruction I came upon a few very haggard people hanging around a white tent.

When I inquired as to what was going on, I was told of how there used to be a church ministry that brought food to that tent twice a week but had run out of resources and had to stop.  My heart ached for these poor people who received no aid from FEMA, the Red Cross, Salvation Army or any other group except one lonely ministry who could no longer find the resources to get food to them.

I was not able to do much but the pictures I took of the people and their plight did make their way to some agencies which in due time were able to get some resources down there.  The town had literally fallen through the cracks due to all the other needs.

As people attempt to put their lives back together in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, the Carolinas and Virginia; I pray that those of us unaffected by the current onslaught of floods and tornadoes remember those whose lives have been turned upside down.

These are very troubled and turbulent times and many of our brothers and sisters are hurting right now.  If ever they needed a friend to lend them a hand or a shoulder to cry on it is NOW.  If there was ever a time to redouble our prayers and “stand in the gap” it is NOW.  If there was ever a time to intercede on behalf of those who are struggling to stay sane and alive, it is NOW.  Truly this is a time to pray for and reach out to all those engaged in the worst battles of their lives.

There is plenty to be nervous about

I would not say that I am afraid, for I am not; but I will readily admit that the incredible things happening with the weather and economy make me very nervous.  There is a huge difference between being afraid and being nervous.  One is counterproductive and the other is the natural reaction to uneasy situations.

Just four years ago I would have been working 20 hours per day finding relief supplies for tornado victims in the St. Louis area and flooding victims in southern Missouri.  I know my days of trying to “save the world” after every disaster ended some time ago, but I am still deeply impacted as I see images of destruction and hear reports of catastrophic flooding soon to cause untold problems in many areas.  Throw into the mix some of the worst wildfires Texas has ever seen and you have a truly troubling situation building.

I study weather and I have seen from multiple sources that the upcoming month of May will be MUCH COOLER than normal throughout much of the USA except along the Gulf coast.  The last two times this happened were 2005 and 2008 which were years that produced hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Wilma; and 2008 which produced hurricanes Gustov and Ike.  Many experts are already warning of the imminent possibility of multiple strikes by huge hurricanes along the United States coastline this summer.

For a very long time I used to study and try to understand economic concerns.  What is currently happening is so distressing that I no longer have the desire to try and figure out what is happening and about to happen.  Contrary to what media outlets are saying, there is a period of hyper-inflation just around the next bend.  We are already seeing it in the constantly rising prices for gasoline and food.

It is estimated that nearly 15% of all Americans have had to raid their retirement accounts to find resources for emergencies.  I know this is true for I am one of those 15% and am not proud of it.  But, when all other sources of income are removed, and expenses pile up; there is no place left to go but to the IRA or 401k that was supposed to provide income for 25 years or more after retirement.

Recent studies have indicated that the housing market for super expensive properties is rebounding and doing fine.  Those with plenty of money are spending it on lavish homes that cost well over a million dollars.  Those homes in foreclosure are also being purchased by people with money and then rented out to desperate people who have lost their homes.

Meanwhile those homes in the $100,000 to $600,000 range just sit there.  No one qualifies for a loan and no one has the money to pay the huge down payment to move up or down.  Most of us live in these kinds of homes and are stuck in them for many years to come.

I cannot do nothing about the weather or the economy so all I can do is pray for wisdom for those deeply impacted by both.  May God grant us all great patience and understanding so as to make the right decisions and have the means to help our neighbor, brother, parent or child in need.

Ike and Wall Street; 2 Days, 2 Places, 2 Equally Devasting Storms

This just in–water is available in Liverpool, 30 miles from Galveston!

In less than 72 hours, two hurricanes slammed into America. The first one hit Friday night at Galveston, Texas. The second one hit in New York on Monday. In both cases, millions of people were dramatically affected by the storm and hundreds of thousands were devastated by the storm surge.

When Ike hit, everyone knew he was coming and had days to either leave or prepare to stay. If staying, provisions had to be obtained which would allow survival for days if not weeks. If leaving, a place to go had to be established as well as the means necessary to get there and stay for as long as needed. There was no way of knowing ahead of time how bad the storm would be or how long life would be disrupted.

The storm which hit Wall Street on Monday was not unexpected. Watches had been posted on Friday and warnings were flying on Sunday. The actual storm which hit yesterday was intense and for those who never prepared for it, devastating. Even today, there is no way to know if the storm which hit the markets yesterday was a category 1 or a category 5.

The general effects of Ike were felt by millions of people in Texas and Louisiana. At this time, there are still millions without electricity, very few gasoline stations opened, long lines at distribution centers to obtain water and ice and nowhere to find food and other supplies. There are still vast areas unreached by rescue personnel and only now is the true strength of Ike being seen in places wiped off the face of the map by the storm.

The general effects of the storm on Wall Street yesterday were felt all through the economy by anyone owning stocks in a mutual fund, IRA or investment package. With the general loss of around 4%, everyone in the country who invests in the stock market found themselves 4% poorer at the end of the day than at the start. Whereas the vast majority of people will simply “weather the storm” and hopefully see their portfolio bounce back later; for some, yesterday was equivalent to living in West Galveston.

Ike slammed ashore Friday night. By Saturday night Ike’s remnants were pounding Arkansas with deadly tornadoes and flooding rains. By Sunday, Ike was swamping St. Louis, Missouri with worse flooding than in the great 1993 flood. Chicago, Illinois was inundated with upwards of 9 inches of rain and major flooding was occurring throughout the city. Places in Indiana and Ohio received hurricane force winds, doing in some cases as much damage as in parts of Houston. Truly Ike’s power was felt thousands of miles away from his epicenter.

People who do not even own stocks will feel the effects of the storm which hit Wall Street yesterday. As everyone’s money tightens, they are less willing and able to buy things and give to charities. The ripple effect of so many people losing so much money in one day will be felt from the retailers to the Salvation Army. In fact, the effects could produce more problems than just the obvious loss of worth felt by those owning stocks.

Where Ike came ashore, the damage is unimaginable. Only yesterday did rescue crews finally make it to “ground zero”. Just as in any major hurricane, the damage exceeded anyone’s expectations. Where the storm surge was greatest, there is nothing left of what once was houses, businesses, churches and schools. The surge came in and took out everything in its path. Those silly enough to have dared defy the power of nature paid the ultimate price, whether they ever officially are counted as a fatality or not.

Those either working for Lehman Brothers stock or who worked for the company were at ground zero of the storm yesterday. An associate of mine who works a block from the building that housed Lehman Brothers, said the line of workers stretched for blocks as they waited to enter and clean out their desks. All these people had jobs Friday and come Monday they were unemployed. Those who owned stock in Lehman found their “investment” worth 18 cents by Monday afternoon. Truly anyone closely involved with the company had the equivalent of a category 5 hurricane go over their house.

This week will determine how much of the rest of this fall will go both in Ike effected areas as well as the stock markets. Depending on what the Fed does today, they may opt for a “quick fix” by way of lowering interest rates to stimulate more borrowing at the expense of the dollar, or may continue their hands off policy and allow the markets to naturally shake down. Depending on what they decide, Wall Street will either rally or tank; and the effects on the economy will flow behind.

This week is the week when either Ike victims start to see genuine disaster relief or we find yet another gigantic FEMA boondoggle. So far, using the government’s socialistic approach to relief, those who have deeply affected by Ike remain in a state of hunger, thirst and growing frustration. I will save my scathing editorial opinions of FEMA for another post; but suffice it to say, I am not a big fan of the government hijacking the disaster relief and recovery operations away from the private sector. I fear that is exactly what is happening in the economic sector even as I write this.

The Need to Rethink Evacuation Orders and Plans after Ike

This just in–water is available in Liverpool, 30 miles from Galveston!

Here is my problem. The authorities issue a “mandatory evacuation order” but then after the storm rush in to rescue all who ignored the order in the first place. I know this is America, the land of the free, but it appears to me it is also the land of the stupid.

I do not know how much clearer the statements from the National Weather Service could be when warning of “certain death” if people staying in single story houses etc. Perhaps I am not understanding something here, but if an order is issued saying everyone MUST evacuate and if they do not, they are on their own during the storm; why is the order suddenly forgotten the minute the storm is over?

People do the same thing in the winter when they ski into remote areas with avalanche warnings in place. Sure enough there is an avalanche and then thousands of dollars of taxpayers money is spent to go try and rescue people who should have never been there to begin with. To me, this is somewhat like spending ten thousand dollars to provide a convicted criminal top notch medical care and then execute him a week later.

I am all for compassion, as is evidenced in my posts; but there is a time when stupidity trumps even compassion. God gave us a mind and the ability to think logical and rational thoughts. Where in the realm of either logic or rational thinking does ignoring orders to leave or face certain death fit in? There is a huge difference between voluntary evacuation or mandatory evacuation and mandatory evacuation or face certain death.

To me, I do not see where it is the responsibility of the government to race in, many times risking life and machinery to do search and rescue missions for those who arrogantly defied orders to leave. Why can’t they wait until it is safe to venture into the disaster area? I know this sounds hard and cruel, but seeing pictures last evening of people in waist high water being helped by firemen really got to me. I am thankful it turned out fine, but WHAT IF it hadn’t? What if they all would have been swept away in a surge and perished?

The whole subject of individual freedom vs. governmental responsibility is too huge to tackle in a blog post. I do know that a monster problem has developed out of all this. Dire warnings were issued that people faced “certain death” if they stayed. Thousands stayed and lived to tell about it. This presents a huge problem next time. The trump card has been played and Ike trumped it. No longer can the National Weather Service use the line “certain death” without it being met with skepticism, doubts and outright ridicule.

When the next “Ike” is heading toward not only Galveston, but New Orleans or Mobile or Miami… and the Official warning comes out saying leave or faces certain death, everyone is going to say, “remember Ike” and ignore the warnings. I am not faulting the NWS one bit, I am only stating a fact. We now have with hurricanes, the identical problem we already had with tornadoes and floods. The credibility of the language is shot.

Far too many times warnings are issued based strictly on Doppler images only and not on actual sightings of tornadoes. Then the local media outlets pick up the warnings and turn them into prime time drama. Meanwhile, there never was a tornado for it was only “possible” one could form. Screaming at the viewers to race to the basement, which some television weather people do, only produces a collective yawn among those watching.

My parents lived in Kansas most of their lives. They used to run to the basement every time there was a tornado warning. As they got older and less mobile, they ceased trying to get to the basement except one time when a tornado did hit about 5 blocks away. After my dad passed away, my mom moved to a retirement center and lived there five years through innumerable tornado warnings. There was no basement in her apartment.

I honestly think the days of trying to scare people into action are waning. People are just to callused and indifferent to respond. When you stop and think about how many people flat out ignored a warning which supposedly carried the death penalty for disobedience and lived to flaunt their arrogance; the odds of getting anyone to respond the next time is nill.

I advocate simply laying out the facts and to the best of our ability stating the POTENTIAL consequences. Let people decide what they want to do. Those who want to leave—LET THEM LEAVE—do not tell them they must stay and endure a possible category 4 hurricane. Offer all available assistance to those willing to evacuate before, during and after the storm.

Those who decide to ignore the warnings must sign a release. They release all rights to expect someone to come rescue them during the storm and until it is safe to do so after the storm. Shut the 9-1-1 system down during the storm to remove the temptation to venture out to “save someone”. When the storm is over, set up a pre-arranged number for those who stayed to call and state their condition and systematically go rescue them.

There is more to life than guarding your property. Those willing to sit on their porch through a hurricane with a shotgun on their lap to ward off looters, have to accept the responsibility of their decisions.

Houston, Harris County, Galveston, Port Arthur and many other places were flat out LUCKY with Ike. As has been stated over and over again; if Ike had stayed over water 12 to 18 more hours, at the rate it was strengthening—it would have come ashore a category 4 storm and those defying the orders to leave WOULD NOT be alive to tell about it. Those who are bragging about it being “not so bad” better think twice before tempting fate again. Very few people get a second chance to defy death in this life.

The Ugly Truth about the Discrimination in Disaster Coverage and Relief

Lest there be any confusion or misunderstanding, let me set the record straight regarding the dark secret of disasters in this country. Not all disasters are treated equal. Not by any stretch of the imagination. The way a disaster (or potential disaster) is covered in one area bears no resemblance to how it would be treated in another. The ultimate criteria for media coverage and immediate help are political impact and ratings.

Two weeks ago at this time the country of Jamaica was being beaten by Hurricane Gustov. In the days which followed, Gustov managed to usurp the Sen. Obama’s acceptance speech and Sen. McCain’s choice of Gov. Palin as his running mate as the major news story. Instead of seeing images of the opening day of the Republican National Convention on September 1^st, all eyes were glued to the storm that was supposed to kill New Orleans once and for all.

The country, politicians and media of all types waited for the story of the decade to unfold. For many, the fact that Gustov missed causing the destruction of New Orleans was a source of bitter disappointment. As quickly as all the television satellite trucks came, they left and headed for Minnesota and convention they never wanted to attend to begin with. FEMA picked up and moved to the East Coast in anticipation of hurricane Hanna striking there.

The end result was that no one in the United States of America knew that Gustov DID cause incredible damage and untold human suffering in areas just to the west and northwest of New Orleans. Why does no one know? Because there was no “big story” coming out of Baton Rouge, or Lafayette; let alone New Iberia or Grand Isle. Who wants to hear about the suffering Cajuns or see images of heavily damaged poor WHITE people’s homes and businesses?

So now we sit on the precipice of the greatest natural disaster to hit the United States in its history—Hurricane Ike; and where is the non-stop media coverage? Where are the trucks lined up and fighting each other for position to get the best images of poor black people’s homes flooded and destroyed by hurricane winds? Where are the news stories of all the FEMA people and resources standing by ready to swoop in and save the day? There are none because the destruction of Galveston or Houston is not as compelling as the destruction of New Orleans would have been.

The sick and perverted way disasters are handled in this country drives those who try to help in these disasters crazy. While one area receives tons of help and media coverage which promotes more help, another area receives no coverage and thus very little help. Hurricane Rita bore this truth out three years ago. The amount of aid sent to areas destroyed by Rita was a trickle compared to what went to Katrina areas, especially New Orleans.

I went to Cameron, Louisiana seven months after Rita hit. There was no one single relief agency anywhere to be found. Every single group had left the area. There was NO ONE helping these people survive, let alone rebuild their lives. Many groups had to quit because they could not find resources or volunteers to help. All available aid was going to the 5 star volunteer camps erected in and around New Orleans. No one cared about where Rita did its most damage.

When a tornado ripped Greensburg, Kansas off the face of the map, for some reason the media jumped on the story and every relief agency in existence flooded the area before even FEMA could lock down the place. Greensburg became a national icon of disaster relief and recovery. Meanwhile, a tornado ripped areas of Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras, Mexico off the map also. I tried contacting every one of the same agencies which gladly descended on Greensburg to help. Not one of them was willing to lift a finger to aid the area due to the Mexican influence.

Other towns have suffered the same fate as Greensburg since that disaster. Far too many to list in fact. North Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri and Tennessee are just a few of the states which have seen either F-5 tornadoes demolish a town or a rash of tornadoes destroy many towns. Not one of these areas or towns has ever received a tenth of the attention or help Greensburg received. Why? I don’t have an answer for that one, I only know the facts.

A month or so before Greensburg was flattened, a tornado tore though Enterprise, Alabama and hit a high school killing a number of students. The story made national news for a day or so. Weeks after the tornado, there was nigh unto no assistance coming in to the area. I toured the area and found out why. The lion’s share of the damage was to the black part of town except for the high school where the students died. All available resources were diverted to “white” towns in Georgia which had been devastated by the same storms which hit Enterprise.

Disaster relief is not color blind and is many times determined by where the potential for most media coverage and political benefit is found. The discrimination found in providing help to victims of disasters, large and small, is staggering. Soon, I will post excerpts from an account written less than a week after Gustov hit the central Louisiana coast telling of the incredible damage and human suffering. No one knows this story for no one is there covering it. Now after Ike hits, this poor area will receive no media coverage, no outside help and very little government help.

There are many things in the United States which are good and wonderful and reflect the honest desire on the part of many of its citizens and agencies to help others in time of need. There are also many dark and ugly elephants in the closets of many groups whose claim is to equally share resources and volunteers with those in need. The sad reality is that for every disaster, every town and every family who receives the loving support and help of strangers, there are ten who never see anyone but a stray government official or scam artist. This is a sad testimony to our heart of giving .

Ike Heading for Freeport, TX=A Worse than Carla Scenario for Houston

CONDITION CRITICAL

Those living in the Galveston and Houston area need to get a move on or face dire consequences. Those still mesmerized by the hourly wobbles in computer models and official statements from the NHC better get some guts and start making decisions based on instinct rather than what the latest model run shows. The situation with Ike is far more critical than Rita ever was, yet there is still a complacency in the very area targeted for destruction. Why?

If you turned on the television one day and heard that commercial jet airplanes had been deliberately crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York, and a plane had hit the Pentagon in Washington and another had crashed in Pennsylvania—what would be the instinctive reaction? Well, what was the reaction to this news seven years ago this day? The country basically “hunkered down” for a season anticipating another attack any minute. In other words, the situation warranted drastic action due to the uncertainties involved.

I remember schools closing, people leaving work in droves and pretty much the country going into shut down mode as the initial reports of what took place on this date in 2001 filtered in. The authorities everywhere did all that was possible to keep panic from setting in and did all they could to facilitate order and promote a sense of security. No one old enough to recall the events of this date will ever forget the uneasiness that arose from not knowing what was coming next and the helpless feeling of not being able to do a thing to prevent it.

Ike has the capacity to cause more damage and disrupt more things than either the attacks on 9-11 or Hurricane Katrina. IF Ike should become a category 4 or 5 storm and come ashore at or near Freeport, Texas; the worst case scenario would be played out in Galveston and Houston. What appalls me is that here we sit less than 48 hours from landfall and still the general attitude is one of “it will miss us” or “it won’t be that bad”. Years of false alarms have produced an apathetic attitude.

GUSTOV AND RITA

There would be no problem getting people to understand the urgency of this situation if not for the Rita false alarm of three years ago and the recent spectacle of evacuating New Orleans for a minimal storm (for them). Just as most people ignore tornado warnings because the tornado never affects them personally, so more and more people ignore hurricane watches and warnings due to feeling invincible. If the events of 9-11 and Katrina should have taught us anything, it is that we are NOT invincible and catastrophic disasters CAN and DO impact us in this country.

Fools sit back and stake their protection on the mistaken notion that just because nothing happened before, it never will happen. Such foolishness always breeds apathy and complacency toward potential disasters. As someone I know quite well says all the time, “foolishness doesn’t impress me.”

TAKE ACTION NOW OR FACE THE CONSEQUENCES

Unless those in harm’s way act now, there is no way the number of people involved will get out in time. Ike is a huge storm and its effects will be felt LONG BEFORE the eye of the storm makes landfall. Once the winds start rising and the outer bands of rain set in; the panic will soon follow. As hundreds of thousands of vehicles hit the road at the same time, we all know what happens—gridlock.

THE worst case scenario would be to be trapped in your car when a hurricane hits. Any place would be better than a car. Between winds, flooding rain and storm surge; a car is no match for a hurricane. The time to go is now before the ability to move is hindered by volume.

No one who lived through Katrina ever expected to suffer what they did where they lived. No one had ever seen a storm surge go ten or more miles inland. No one had ever seen severe tree and roof damage 125 miles from the coast before. No one had ever seen so many tornadoes and other freaks of nature associated with a major hurricane before. No one anticipated so many problems.

CONCLUSION

Preparation now has come down to either leaving or making sure all is in place to weather the storm. Just having a generator is not enough, is there enough gasoline to keep it going for weeks? Is there enough fresh water to last for up to a week? Is there enough food that does not need an oven to last for a week? Is there medicine and first aid supplies and TOILET PAPER to last for upwards of week or more? Is there CASH money around to get things? Is the cell phone charger in the car to keep it charged if there is no power?

I believe Ike could end up cutting power to as many as 6 or 7 million people for upwards of a month or more in a worst case scenario. I believe the city of Houston could end up being coated with an oily mess just like the areas impacted by Gustov were. I believe there is a distinct possibility the entire area could be basically shut down for weeks just like after Katrina. These things are not just some wild science fiction ideas, they are entirely possible and PROBABLE based on what appears to be happening with Ike.  This could very well end up being the Houston Carla.

URGENT–Galveston and Houston Now Appear in Ike’s Sight

URGENT

Look at the latest GDFL model run!! It now has Ike going straight for Galveston/Houston. This is an extremely bad situation. Ike is intensifying quickly and no doubt will attain category 3 and probably category 4 status. A worst case scenario would be a hit to the south of Galveston pushing a huge storm surge up Galveston Bay. Considering the amount of oil related businesses, this could be an economic and environmental disaster.

Is the greater Houston area prepared for winds of 100 mph or greater? I don’t know for I don’t live there. All I know is that at this time, no one outside of coastal Texas is taking Ike seriously. Ike will pass hundreds of miles to the south of Mississippi yet there are coastal flood warnings in place there until Friday. Word has it the water is already high and covering some roads. What is going to happen as Ike gets bigger and stronger and passes by New Orleans and areas hit by Gustov?

Ike is still not a major news story because the nation as a whole is far more interested in lipstick on various animals than the potential catastrophe heading for Texas. Whether the nation as a whole wakes up to what is happening or not, those living near where Ike could end up making landfall need to be packing their vehicles and getting a head start on the monumental traffic jam coming when millions of people will try leave at once.

IKE IS NOT GOING AWAY.

Ike is behaving in much the same way Katrina and Rita did three years ago. A storm the size of Ike is not going to just fall apart in September in the Gulf of Mexico. With each passing model run, the odds of Ike hitting farther and farther UP the coast of Texas increase. Yet, I heard on the news a couple of hours ago about Ike maybe hitting Brownsville. What planet were they on? NO ONE is talking about a south Texas hit any longer.

The multitudes of people in the Galveston/Houston area will end up having less than 48 hours to get out of the way of Ike. Many will think just going inland fifty miles will allow them to be safe. Let me tell you, after seeing the damage Katrina did 125 miles north of landfall, those people will deeply regret only going 50 miles.

There is a huge risk of a massive tornado outbreak with Ike just as there was Rita. I was at Cameron, Louisiana and spoke with survivors. They lived through Rita and told me there were “hundreds of tornadoes” and that it was the tornadoes which caused as much damage as the storm surge and winds. I was at a hurricane conference in Houston and brought this up and was promptly shot down by the “experts” at the NHC.

THE REAL AND PRESENT DANGER

Complacency breeds disaster. Far too many people have been lulled into a false sense of security by looking at maps showing Ike heading for south Texas. Unless people wake up and realize what is happening with the steering currents, they will not have time to get out. Whether the storm actually makes it all the way to Galveston or not, the people there and in Houston have to deal with highways unable to handle the mass exodus of a total evacuation. The nightmares associated with the Rita evacuation have caused many to wait until the last minute to leave. Not a good thing.

Many of the oil rigs in the Gulf have already been caught off guard by Ike and many more will be. When looking at the satellite it is obvious that Ike is quickly taking on all the characteristics of a major hurricane, including taking up most of the Gulf of Mexico. There is a very real chance that by tomorrow, Ike could look on a satellite almost exactly as both Katrina and Rita did at nearly the same spot. The difference is that those two storms went predominantly north and Ike is going west to northwest.

Please, if you live anywhere on the Texas coast or have interests there, investigate what is really being said about Ike outside of the “official” line. Ike will become a major news story shortly, and once it does, it will be a royal mess trying to go anywhere. A smart person would already have the car and truck packed and ready to leave at a moment’s notice. I pray all involved are smart people.

I just checked with one of my most trusted sources and he has pulled the trigger urging the evacuation of Galveston and Houston. I know he would not go out on that limb if he did not feel there was reason to risk his reputation and worse. Those with interests in the area need to not only have the car packed, but the gas tank full and the engine running. Please stay abreast of this potentially horrible disaster in the making.

Lessons NOT learned from Katrina; A Bigger Disaster Looms

When Hurricane Katrina smashed into the Gulf Coast almost three years ago, everything within me wanted to pile supplies in my ancient 1979 van and head down to help.  Unfortunately that was not available since my 87 year old mother lived with us and I was her official caregiver.  I prayed daily for those whose lives were devastated by the storm, and I knew from having lived down there the horrible impact that hurricane would have on countless lives.

As the images of destruction started appearing on television, the impact of the storm was far worse than anyone could have predicted.  Initially the majority of the news coverage was coming from the Mississippi coast where a 25’ storm surge had literally wiped buildings and homes off the face of the earth.  But then the levees broke in New Orleans and Katrina’s legacy would be forever changed.

Once the flooding of New Orleans started, the destruction in Mississippi became an afterthought.  While most of the nation’s attention was focused on the horrible and needless loss of life taking place in New Orleans, the unbelievable devastation in Mississippi was hardly noticed and the problems in Alabama were totally neglected.  Not to diminish the horrific loss of life in New Orleans, but the loss of property in other places was the story of Katrina as much as the senseless flooding of a city whose reputation preceded it.

Millions of people were in one way or another impacted by Katrina and a few weeks later by Rita.  The people whose lives were turned upside down by these storms had endured many storms and most of them saw no reason the storms of 2005 should be any different.  Even though experts had been warning of the looming catastrophe ready to swamp New Orleans; little had been done to prepare for a direct hit by a major hurricane.  The city’s trust was put in ancient levees and pumps that would take the water out of their city and put it back in the nearby lakes.

Little had been done along the coast of Mississippi to prepare for a major storm.  From the time casinos brought new wealth to the Mississippi coast, there had been a great building boom which had seen huge numbers of eating and lodging places spring up along with other businesses catering to the influx of gamblers who would flood the area, especially on weekends.  Gulfport and Biloxi were two cities which experienced great growth during the past twenty years and many other smaller areas were getting ready to join in the boom. 

No one ever thought a storm would actually come in with a 25’ storm surge.  Everyone knew it “could” happen, but nobody believed it ever “would” happen.  The apathy and arrogance which ran rampant in both New Orleans as well as the Mississippi coast was staggering.  Everyone from the top elected officials down to the individual home owners thought they were invincible.  Building codes were lax and official preparations for a major disaster were merely words on pages and never practiced. 

The perfect storm of Katrina was not so much in the physical storm as it was in the combination of a fierce storm, public apathy and spiritual filth.  Between the evil of every kind and nature which fills New Orleans with a spiritual stench that can be smelled for miles and the greedy commandeering of the Mississippi coast by huge casinos; the entire area had become a cesspool of spiritual iniquity.  In one sense, it is truly amazing that the number of fatalities from Katrina weren’t fifty times what they were.

Little has been learned from Katrina in the almost three years since it hit.  The first things rebuilt in Mississippi were the huge casinos.  The rationale was that jobs and income needed to be provided.  Anyone believing that can buy some property I have for sale on Mars.  New Orleans made a huge attempt to make sure the nation knew that Bourbon Street was still open and not wiped out by Katrina.  All that led New Orleans downhill to begin with was quickly back up and running.

If another major hurricane came ashore next month in the same areas as Katrina, the results would be about the same.  Although new building codes and regulations prohibit the building of homes and businesses directly along the coast unless able to withstand a gigantic storm surge; if nature decided to push a true category FIVE hurricane into the area the results would be catastrophic. 

I remember when there was the possibility of a hurricane in the late summer of 2006 talking to the various charities doing the rebuilding work.  I asked what would happen if another storm came in and wiped out everything again.  Their response was that they would start over and do it all again.  This struck me odd then and still does.

How many times will man insist on defying nature?  Man is intent on building his dwellings and businesses on top of fault lines, next to volcanoes, in the middle of huge forests with histories of fires, along rivers that flood, and worst of all—along the coastlines where tropical storms and hurricanes hit somewhere almost every year.  The absolute most insane thing is to build a huge city BELOW SEA LEVEL and then depend on pumps and levees to keep the water from one of the biggest lakes in America from swamping the city during a major hurricane.

Man’s stubborn stupidity and beligerant arrogance allows him to receive the recompense of his error which is appropriate.  Jesus said that the person who builds their house upon the sand is a fool, for the storms come and wash it away.  People who build houses on flood plains, fault lines, deep in forests which are prone to burn, on the sides of volcanoes and directly along the coastline of areas known to be prone to hurricanes must live with the risks attached to their choices.

Don’t we all tire of seeing destroyed homes rebuilt time and again in disaster prone locations?  Between private insurance and government help, these people have been able to get away with doing this for years.  I am glad to see one major insurance carrier after another back away from even offering insurance to those who insist on building homes directly on the coast of Florida and Mississippi.  I think the same thing should be done in regard to flood plains and other disaster prone areas.

Hey, it is free country and if a person wants to build a home on top of the New Madrid fault, they should be allowed to.  But, if they do, they are responsible in full for any damages and rebuilding costs.  If a person insists on living on the Mississippi coast, they should be allowed to, but with the understanding they pay for any damage to their property and rebuilding expenses.  If a person wants that cabin deep in the woods of any one of our Western states, they should have it; with the understanding they are responsible for any expenses if it burns in one of the yearly forest fires.

People need to take responsibility for their decisions instead of expecting everyone else to pay for their privilege to live in a scenic, yet disaster prone area.  If a person has enough money to build their dream house in a place that could be wiped off the map next week, they have enough money to rebuild it over and over again if they like that place so much.  I think New Orleans and the Mississippi Coast are pretty much in this category.

Fires, Floods and Fears of Hurricanes; Disaster Update 7/1/08

FIRES

As of early this morning, over 1,400 fires were burning in California with no relief in sight.  Many of these fires have been burning for over a week with new ones starting daily.  With the weather forecast calling for a chance of more dry lightning, there is a crisis of epic proportions brewing in paradise.  Even now, there are air quality warnings in effect for much of the Bay area as the smoke from fires settles over the area.  The fire near Big Sur may prove to be especially devastating due to the loss of tourism during the normally busy summer. 

Every tanker used to fight wildfires in the United States is currently in use in California.  This is very troubling since the fire season usually doesn’t peak until the end of July and first of August.  This summer could end up being one of the most physically and financially taxing in many years.  President Bush has already declared California a disaster area and thus eligible for federal help.

FLOODS

Now that the levee has broken at Winfield, Missouri, the flood of ‘08 will be hard pressed to keep its position at the top of the headlines.  As the rivers slowly fall and the extent of the devastation in Iowa, Indiana and Illinois (along with Missouri) begins to be apparent; the full scope of this disaster will shock anyone with eyes to see.  Unlike tornadoes, hurricanes and earthquakes; flooding generally does not physically destroy buildings.  Floods creep in, do their dirty work and sneak out.  The damage done by floods is not seen looking at a dwelling from the outside.  The damage is internal.

Not only does furniture and other personal effects need to be replaced after a flood; of much greater importance is the replacing of ruined carpet and drywall.  If said items are not replaced, there is almost a dead certainty of black mold growing.  One of the problems with a major flood along a river a wide as the Mississippi is how long it takes for the flood waters to recede.  In flash flooding, the water comes up and goes down quickly.  In major river flooding it take a long time for both the water to rise above flood stage as well as to drop below it.

FEARS OF HURRICANES

The hurricane season has completed its first month with only one very minor named storm.  Is this unusual?  Not at all would be the correct answer.  Although not unheard of to have a hurricane in June, it is very rare.  The components needed to develop and grow a storm into hurricane strength are usually not there in June.  July is when the various pieces of the hurricane development puzzle start coming together and August through September is usually when the greatest threat of hurricanes striking the United States exists.

Those entrusted with trying to see what the next few months hold are very concerned about the potential for at least one major hurricane hitting the East Coast of the United States.  Most experts are expecting at least one direct hit and possibly two or three by the time the season winds down in October.  Areas from Texas to Florida should be ready to deal with potential development by mid-July and North Carolina and points north by August.  This is NOT  a year to take the hurricane threat lightly.

CONCLUSION

This has been an exceptionally difficult year for states such as Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana.  Many of these states have been hit with repeated disasters starting with ice in December and continuing to the present flooding and violent storm damage.  Missouri saw horrific flooding in the southern part of the state this spring and now has seen disastrous flooding along the Mississippi River in the northeast part of the state.  So far, the only silver lining has been that the Missouri River has not reached levels anywhere near the floods of 1993 and 1995. 

Iowa was buried with record snows this past winter and then inundated with incredible storms this spring and early summer.  It is no wonder that when areas were hit with a half foot of rain a few weeks ago, the inevitable result would be massive flooding.  Earlier this year Arkansas was hit repeatedly with deadly tornadoes which claimed many lives and caused extraordinary damage.  Also this spring the major rivers in Arkansas reached historic levels and caused extensive damage.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

It has been a rough year for middle America and the year is only half over.  Although the emphasis now switches to the western fires and potential hurricanes in the southern and eastern United States; I pray all remember the all those who will still be suffering in middle America when the rest of country sits down to Thanksgiving dinner.  It takes time to recover from tornadoes and floods even when on a small scale.  It takes “forever” to recover from repeated disasters impacting thousands upon thousands of people covering almost one third of this country.

I am sure those who have lost everything to storms and floods would greatly appreciate your prayers and any help that you could send via your favorite charity.  Many groups are working as hard as they can to help as many as possible.  They are all spread very thin and have pretty much exhausted their resources.  If you want to help, please contact the American Red Cross, Salvation Army or numerous small independent charities working I disaster areas.

 

 

 

SCAMMED in the Name of Charity; Our Sick World

I watched in horror as it rained relentlessly this spring throughout the upper Midwest and Ohio River valley.  This came after a winter with record breaking snows in some of the same areas.  When snow melts, it produces water.  The rivers had been running high since March.  Now they are at record levels.  I honestly feel badly for those whose lives are being turned upside down by floods, tornadoes and other natural disasters.  Everything within me wanted to help, but the funds were not there to personally do much of anything.

A week ago, while on the road delivering supplies to needy groups, I received an unsolicited e-mail from a person overseas who knew of me and what I was doing and wanted to help.  This person said she was dying of cancer and the doctors had put her in hospice.  She was trying to hide her assets from greedy step-children and honor the wishes of her deceased husband which was to open a huge charity/foundation for disadvantaged people with an emphasis on medical care and vocational training.

This person offered a huge amount of money to start this foundation with the stipulation it had to be used for charity except for 5% to cover my trouble in setting it all up.  The money was to come to me by way of an inheritance upon her soon decease.  I of course was very skeptical of the message and responded with short messages explaining I was on the road.  I checked the person out from every angle available to me.  There was absolutely nothing amiss.

Of course I was susceptible to this at the current time.  Right when I was thinking I could do nothing to help other groups directly helping those hurt by the storms and floods I have an offer of millions of dollars dropped in my lap.  I allowed myself to think it was “God” supplying a need and once I did, my ability to objectively look at the situation vanished.

Monday morning I received a message from a bank in Liverpool, UK with instructions for handling the inheritance.  I checked everything out, and it all appeared legit.  I called a lawyer friend to confirm that the requests were genuine when dealing with an overseas inheritance.  He said everything was being done exactly correct. 

Everything within me wanted this to completely genuine.  Everything within me simply wanted there to be the means to provide much needed funding to various small groups trying to help others.  I knew the risks and weighed the pros and cons of following through with the instructions and decided it was worth the risk just in case this whole thing was God’s way providing for His people.  With little trepidation I sent a copy of my driver’s license and an account number to a bank account.

Almost immediately after sending this information I felt that feeling deep inside one feels when they have just done the stupidest thing they ever did in life.  I wanted so badly to press the key on the keyboard that is not there; the “I want to take it back” key.  I knew within a minute of sending the information I had screwed up even though I had no verifiable proof.

As soon as this happened I prayed and did another search on the internet and buried deep on page 5 of a search I found a troubling thing.  On a page dealing with scams, someone was writing about the exact same thing I had just been through earlier this year.  Obviously no one listened nor did anyone do anything about it for I had just fallen prey to the same scam.

Once I took off my rose colored glasses and honestly looked at the e-mails I had received, I began to see small discrepancies I had not noticed before.  I raced to the bank and closed the account which I had sent the number to.  The bank manager, who I know quite well, just shook his head when he looked at some of the documents and said they were 100% the work of scammers.  Thankfully they had not yet withdrawn the funds we were sure they were about to do.

Upon leaving the bank I was left with the depressing realization that I had voluntarily sent a copy of my driver’s license to people who were about to use the information on it to either steal my identity or destroy me financially.  I felt like I had taken all my clothes off and was standing in the middle of the highway. 

I called the State Attorney General’s office and explained the situation.  They suggested I bring all the correspondence to their office (100 miles away).  Yesterday morning I went there and to various other offices and found out there was nothing they could do since the scammers were obviously out of the country.  Even though my social security number is not on my driver’s license, I was told all the horrible things that will probably happen as my license is duplicated and sold to criminal interests. 

My cell phone and land lines received about 50 calls from these people starting at noon yesterday.  They relentlessly called every few minutes, obviously upset about the account being closed.  My cell phone has been turned off since yesterday afternoon and the land line disconnected.  Even though I sent these crooks an e-mail telling them I was onto to their scam and that I had turned the case over to the Attorney General’s Office; I have no idea what will come next.

As upset with myself as I am over this, I know I did the right thing to close the account and take the situation to the state’s highest legal authorities.  I can do nothing but pray about the driver’s license situation and the release of personal contact information to unscrupulous people.  Through this ongoing ordeal I am left with one overwhelming question:  How could I be so stupid?

Why am I sharing this with you?  Because I do not want anyone to have to go through what I have the past two days.  I don’t want anyone to have to worry about identity theft and losing their assets and their good name.  I don’t want anyone else to fall for something that looks 100% legitimate on the outside, only to find out it was all a lie. 

Listen, I am 55 years old and have lectured groups on protecting themselves from scams.  I had never fallen for one in my life.  I feel like the biggest creep on this planet that I would allow my personal desire to help others to blind me to an attempt to totally ruin me.  I cannot believe I could be so stupid to not see what was happening.  All I know is that I so wanted it to be true, I made it true in my own mind.  This ladies and gentlemen is called DECEPTION.

Please remember what has been said countless times; “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t”.  In my case I have had to learn this the hard way.