Hurricane Rita

[Fujisawas Sake]

Good to hear that you're okay, MB Guy.

My in-laws had to evac from Orange, but they're allright. They took a VERY long trip to Dallas.

What bothers me is that I saw a report that says that these nasty hurricanes may be part of a greater problem of cyclical warming of the Gulf and Atlantic waters. The severity of these hurricanes may go down in two or three decades, but that's still going to leave a lot of people in danger.

A senate subcommittee heard arguments on this issue this week. I can only imagine being a fly on that wall. I would think it would go something like this:

Scientist: "Well, I have some good news and some bad news for you. The good news is that this severe hurricane season may not have to do with global climate change so much as..."

Senator 1: "Huh?"

Scientist: "Global climate change, sir. Some call it 'global warming'. Anyway, I ..."

Senator 1: "I KNEW IT! GLOBAL WARMING IS A FRAUD, AND ALL YOU LIBERAL HIPPIES NEED TO DIE RIGHT NOW! I'M GOING TO FILL UP MY SUV RIGHT NOW AND GO OUT AND KILL A WHALE!"

Senator 2: "I'm not a hippie, Mr. Senator. My love beads are simply for decorative purposes. Why cant we all just embrace global warming? I like it sunny and hot..."

(Grunts and squeals from the Senate floor)

Scientist: (sighing) "If I may continue. The bad news, and yes, its bad, is that we may be looking at MAJOR hurricanes for the next two to three decades, and we should prepare contingency plans..."

Senator 1: "What's a 'decade'?" Sounds communist! These "Decadians" are in league with the hurricanes! I say we appropriate ten billion dollars for military buildup and we attack first."

Senator 2: "The Decadians are only attacking because of our failed policies toward them in the past. I say we take that ten billion dollars and put in toward the affluent schools in my district so we can learn to be tolerant of Decadians everywhere."

Scientist: (blinks)

(Sounds of grunting, slurping, and horrifying meaty thuds I won't describe in detail emanating from the Senate floor. Some of the Senators have engaged in mutual grooming)

Scientist: "Please! Listen! Decades are units of time! They are ten-year periods!"

Senator 1: "What? How many stock quarters is that?"

Scientist: "We need to figure out how we're going to help the population in these regions."

(Senators 1 and 2 whisper in each others' ears.)

Senator 1: "Why do they live there? I mean, why would anyone live in a region where they're unsafe?"

(sound of distant D.C.-area gunshots)

Senator 2: "Yes. I mean, why can't they move to my area? Houses are only in the low $3 millions where I live. Hell, I bought five."

Scientist: "Sirs, there are millions of people in this area, and..."

Senator 2: "Are they Decadians?"

Senator 1: "If they are, we gotta call Homeland Security."

Scientist: (blinks)

Senator 1: "Well, this has all been fun, but you go back and tell your Governor Schwarzenegger that I don't care how many earthquakes he says he has caused, we can't make him president yet."

Scientist: "BUT I'M TALKING ABOUT THE GULF COAST!"

Senator 2: "I'm hungry. Is there anything to eat?"

(Senators both eye scientist. He swallows nervously....)

 

[sorseress]

Beautiful!

 

[sorseress]

Glad you're safe

How is the food search going? Good luck on that.

 

[erich orser]

I've been extremely worried about this. SOOOO glad you're all safe and the cephs are fine. Good luck with the live food search! The babies need a'feedin'!

 

[CapnNemo]

Marinebio guy, glad you're back and the cephs made it too.

Let us know if you find anything crazy or exciting (or both) washed up on the shore after Rita!

 

[erich orser]

The last few ocean-based disasters I've noticed "new deep sea creatures beached by (fill in blank here)" and they're always that handful of shots of deep-sea creatures from a couple years back. Cool pics, however.

I'm still waiting to hear back from some friends in S. Louisiana, but other than that it's good to know people are safe. This is always a nervous season for the Gulf coast. This must be similar to the hurricane waves of the 1930s and Sixties.

Erich

 

[CapnNemo]

The last few ocean-based disasters I've noticed "new deep sea creatures beached by (fill in blank here)" and they're always that handful of shots of deep-sea creatures from a couple years back. Cool pics, however.

Erich

Hi Erich, are there any links to those pictures here, or do you have any links?

Hope your friends are ok.

 

[cuttlegirl]

Here's an old link I had of deep sea creatures supposedly washed ashore from the tsunami.

Were These Sea Creatures Washed Up by a Tsunami?

 

[CapnNemo]

Here's an old link I had of deep sea creatures supposedly washed ashore from the tsunami.

Were These Sea Creatures Washed Up by a Tsunami?

Thanks very much Cuttlegirl.There's a link from there to this site:

http://www.oceans.gov.au/norfanz/CreatureFeature.htm

which has actual details of the creatures. I really dig the Pacific Spookfish. There's also a very wonky-eyed Jewel Squid too.

Right now Marinebio guy is probably dragging a dead ragfish with ominous sucker marks out of the rolling surf.

 

[monty]

Unfortunately, it looks like it's time to bring back this thread. for the NRCC and everyone in the Galveston area to get through Ike safely.

 

[Nancy]

I visited the new NRCC facilities when Greg was still working at Moody Gardens, and I was relieved to see that they weren't right on the water any more. The new building seemed much more secure than the old one.

Galveston has endured many storms and will survive this one.

Nancy

 

[monty]

Galveston has endured many storms and will survive this one.

Well, recently, anyway...

1900 Galveston hurricane - Wikipedia

I'm glad to hear that the NRCC is housed in a safer place, now, and I hope you're right that the city is solid enough for Ike... the news seems to think this makes up for its category-2 wind speeds with much larger size:

Hurricane Ike could be "catastrophe" for Texas

Are there any members of TONMO in this area? I know Adam and Greg have moved on, but last I heard FluffySquid was still at the NRCC, right?

still

 

[Nancy]

I'm sure we have both members and lurkers in the Galveston/Houston area, but I don't know of any currently posting (unless they just haven't identified where they're from). Galveston will flood, but the people in danger are the ones with houses right on the beach, and these houses are often not very sturdy.

I'm in Dallas, just at the point where the hurricane turns from a Category 1 hurricane into a tropical storm, so we can have winds of 55 miles per hour and a lot of rain. There are flash flood warnings for tomorrow, and we've secured our things in the yard. Only the poosibility of power outages worry me, because of my tanks.

If you all haven't read Isaac's Storm,
http://www.amazon.com/s/?tag=tonmocomtheoctop
you should - it's a very interesting account of the Great Storm of 1900 and why so many people were killed. You learn a lot about weather and forcasting. There is also a video made from this book.

Nancy

 

[monty]

Good luck to all the New Englanders, and the squids in Newfoundland with Kyle. It looks like the Canadians are getting the brunt of it, eh, but I hope DHyslop's new siding is up to this...

 

[esquid]

Well, I don't know about RI or NL, but things in Maine are ok. It's gray and rainy here and down on the coast. I was in Damariscotta this afternoon at the oyster fest and the weather wasn't too bad.