And more rain to come.
Many people knew Houston was prone to flooding. Hurricane Harvey was well forecasted to hit Texas and dump enormous quantities of rain. Yet, how much was really done in advance? Could some areas have been evacuated, if not the whole of Houston? Did people just not believe the forecast? And what about that chemical plant? Could they have neutralized or done something with those combustible chemicals before leaving the scene?
As all of this was occurring, Congress and the Senate remained out on recess. The President’s proposed budget cut FEMA and NOAA’s National Weather Service. The current administration won’t accept the science, which clearly indicates climate change is happening and will result in more extreme weather and greater, more costly impacts.
I’m a scientist, but also a citizen and caring individual. I feel sick to my stomach when our President goes on-air in a disaster zone and talks about crowd size. In the U.S. and across the world (huge flooding in South Asia) people are suffering and that’s what you recognize and highlight?
Sadly, I understand politics all too well and get the desire to be re-elected. Come on people, we elected you to do the best job possible for us, the citizens of the U.S. and world. Texans are illustrating that working together is much more powerful than anything an individual or one group can do alone.
Congress, the Senate, our local representatives and those with guts in the administration need to stand up and begin to work together to solve the huge problems we face today, including climate change. The warming planet may not cause weather to happen, but it is making the impacts more extreme. And without better planning the consequences are going to be extraordinarily costly, both in terms of lives and property.
Hey Washington! This is a wake-up call. Get your act together – and I mean together. Do you think the families who have lost loved ones or people who have lost their homes, cars, and jobs in Texas care what political party you are with? No! They just need help and for you to do your job. We need effective leadership, compromise, and collaboration. And please, look at the credible data, believe the forecasters and while we do as much as possible for the victims today, let’s plan for the next Harvey now, not when it happens. Because it is not if it will happen again, but when.