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Tropical two-fer

532,477 Views | 3418 Replies | Last: 3 yr ago by V8Aggie
cgh1999
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third coast.. said:

J.D. c/o 05 said:

We are trying to organize some post Laura assistance. Please let us know if we can doing anything for your parents after the storm.

Feel free to email jdlco2005 at gmail. No idea how any of this is going to shake out but if we can help we will.
just fyi i am messaging those i know over there to see if they need help i will keep you posted.

I've got a lot of family In Lake Charles (3 aunts/uncles, 4 cousins, parents, grandparents + some extended family). We have lots of healthy bodies to go to work if needed.

My dad is very active in their churches rebuilding together ministry which did a TON of work after Rita. I'm sure he'll have a game plan if necessary.
Sazerac
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I'd like to see the costs for a neighborhood. Maybe an HOA would be willing to do a one time assessment then X years of monthly additional fee.

There are ways to address but no one is even discussing.
gigemJTH12
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serious question...if the landfall holds true to current prediction...are we going to get ANYthing from this?
MAS444
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Hurricane Alicia was a CAT3 that hit us directly and it caused a ton of damage but Houston is still here as we know it.

I was at my grandparents at the time who lived in the Braeswood area. They had some branches down from the oak tree in their yard and I remember some windows damages in tall buildings downtown.
let the mystery be
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Quote:

There are several proposals for protecting the Houston region from the kind of superstorm that leveled Galveston in 1900, in what remains the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history. The most well-known plan is the Ike Dike, a seventy-mile-long, $23 billion to $31 billion coastal barrier and gate system designed to keep storm surge out of Galveston Bay. O'Rourke advocates, instead, for the "Galveston Bay Park Project." The idea is to use dredged-up sand, rock, and mud to build a string of publicly accessible islands that would buffer the western side of Galveston Bay and the Ship Channel while also providing locals with new destinations for camping, fishing, migratory bird-watching, and marina access.

At an estimated cost of $5 billion to $7 billion, the project would be far cheaper than either the Ike Dike or the cost of recovering from an epic natural disaster. Proponents believe the project could be financed at the county and state level, ideally with the help of local industry, and be completed within five years. Unfortunately, O'Rourke said, officials haven't completed the kind of environmental impact analysis necessary to move the proposal forward in that timespan.
Why One Expert Predicts a Major Hurricane Hitting Houston Would Be "America's Chernobyl"

This article is obviously a little extreme/fear mongering but I thought the quote posted above offered an interesting alternative to the Ike Dike.
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cone
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cost per user to replace all residential poled power lines is a couple of dollars per person per year?

for how many years? I guess I'd need to see the math.
cgh1999
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gigemJTH12 said:

serious question...if the landfall holds true to current prediction...are we going to get ANYthing from this?

Depending on where you are in Houston, Light- medium - strong winds. Rain.
schmendeler
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gigemJTH12 said:

serious question...if the landfall holds true to current prediction...are we going to get ANYthing from this?
it depends what side of town you live on, but if you're west of 45, i think you're looking at 1-2" of rain, and strong wind gusts up to 40mph?
Nitro Power
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I would not be okay with an increase in homeowners dues to pay for something that while maybe necessary, is far behind more pressing needs.
Sazerac
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West Houston MAY see some 40+ gusts.
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kansas02gt
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schmendeler said:

cmag said:

MAS444 said:

"Houston as we know it would be be pretty much gone."

Isn't that a little (or lot) dramatic?
I thought they were supposed to be "weather without the hype"
what effect do you think 15-20 foot storm surge would have on the refineries, etc, along the ship channel area?

i'm not an expert, but i imagine they are aren't that high up? i could be completely mistaken, though.
pipes are made so no liquid gets out...or in.

water doesn't play well with electric motors on pumps though.

You would be surprised with the lack of safety shut-offs some of these tank farms and plants have with the amount of flammable product pushed through...see: ITC.
gigemJTH12
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im on the southeast side
Cromagnum
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Staring down the barrel of a loaded gun right now. Hope it makes that turn away soon.



Martin Q. Blank
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Fitch said:

cone said:

lol who going to fund all that digging
1. Private Developers (speaking as one) already will volunteer sometimes to do that, cost isn't small but is a line item in budgets and you figure it out.
2. Centepoint, and downstream electricity users. Cost would equate to a couple extra cents/dollars a year.


Think about your house ALONE. What it would cost to: remove overhead line poles and conductors, dig a trench, the cost of conduit and the conductor, pull the cables, and reconnect. Not to mention the communication cables attached to that utility pole. Does that equate to a couple extra cents/dollars?
P.H. Dexippus
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Sorry to link to the Comical, but this article vaguely estimates the cost at $1mm/mile.
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/local/gray-matters/article/When-should-we-put-power-lines-underground-12193949.php

Govt says $2k/mile
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=7250
Cromagnum
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Center just starting to appear on HGX radar. First outer rain bands on the way.

BKSeoul
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FB Group created for people to request assistance after the storm to help organizer assistance efforts better. Please share if you can.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/3385320508197722/?ref=share
Fitch
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I think we're talking about different things. I'm referring to changing design standards to be underground moving forward for new construction, not going back city-wide and burying lines across the board.

The better way to do that is similar to the storm sewer replacements across town when roads come up for rehabilitation, spread it out over long-term planned improvement & bond out the capital cost over 30-50 years through rate increases.

Transmission lines are a b*tch to bury. Done that too - cost $2000/linear foot. That makes no sense.
Ag_N_Houston
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cone said:



I'm with most of this, although I don't know how you "construct for high winds"
I think he is referring to building codes. He's saying we should building in Houston the way they build someplace like Miami.
jetch17
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pretty unsettling seeing that thing sitting right off the coast as the post above out it 'staring down the barrel'
Honky Tonk Hero
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Ferris Wheel Allstar said:

cone said:

the liquefaction terminal?
si it is not built very well
What makes you say that?
TXAG14
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Chaser broadcasts should be crazy tonight. Going to have the bourbon ready and kick back and watch all the adrenaline junkies.
cone
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but updated building codes aren't going to fix the month without power issue

which is the main issue I would argue

that and the storm surge knocking out the plants
BohunkAg
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Reed Timmer already out. Love this guy.

HotardAg07
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Fitch said:

I think we're talking about different things. I'm referring to changing design standards to be underground moving forward for new construction, not going back city-wide and burying lines across the board.

The better way to do that is similar to the storm sewer replacements across town when roads come up for rehabilitation, spread it out over long-term planned improvement & bond out the capital cost over 30-50 years through rate increases.

Transmission lines are a b*tch to bury. Done that too - cost $2000/linear foot. That makes no sense.
I agree that our building codes should reflect the real threats that face our city.
Ag_N_Houston
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I'm not trying to argue a point. I'm just stating what I think he was referring to. Take it or leave it.
Dr. Doctor
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Ag_N_Houston said:

cone said:



I'm with most of this, although I don't know how you "construct for high winds"
I think he is referring to building codes. He's saying we should building in Houston the way they build someplace like Miami.
My old house was in a new development. Much like Kingwood, the lines were buried in the house areas, with overhead lines around the perimeter of the neighborhood. So only a few places the power can get 'cut' with a falling tree.

Houses should be built, in Houston, for at least a Cat 3 hurricane winds. Once again, this would be new construction and updates to houses. So over time, the costs are minimized.

Similar to what happened after Ike. Beach houses were required to be 12' above the ground, then 14' then 16' to get insurance. I remember renting a house in a neighborhood after Ike and you could see when they were built and what insurance was covering them (three houses next to each other; the last one the latest and you could see the stair-step effect of raising the minimum floor elevation).

I haven't seen any reports that says we should go back and rip everything up to make it all underground or rebuild all houses for X winds.

~egon
TXAG14
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These are the three I will be following most of the night. Will also browse periscope to see who else is live.

https://twitter.com/ReedTimmerAccu?s=21

https://twitter.com/Jeff_Piotrowski?s=21

https://twitter.com/iCyclone?s=21
BillYeoman
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Rumors are that it hasn't turned North as expected at this time and still tracking NW. Not to alarm but still too close for comfort
Ag_N_Houston
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I agree with everything you said.
CoachRTM
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It's times like these you realize that our way back ancestors didn't have access to technology and understand that a storm like this was coming. I mean, look at the video posted above - looks like a normal day and we're 12 hours from devastation.

Could you imagine a 12-foot storm surge and then this mammoth storm that seemingly came out of nowhere with no warning? It kills all of your cattle, drowns your crops, and half of your friends. You can kind of understand why they thought it was God punishing them, etc.
lawless89
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BillYeoman said:

Rumors are that it hasn't turned North as expected at this time and still tracking NW. Not to alarm but still too close for comfort


Yeah just watching the current track it crazy because it looks like it's headed straight for Houston. As much as it moved around with predictions, it's making me a little uneasy about how they think it's going to take a turn North at the last second.
Fitch
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I'm in land & commercial development so I spend quite a bit of time thinking about it.
 
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