Obama calls out GOP for Holding FEMA Funds Hostage

The House Republicans are refusing to give more money to the Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA.
(This is a particularly big issue right now, since the money could be of great used for helping the people that are suffering from the effects of Hurricane Irene, and FEMA has run out of money. Of course it has run out of money: this year has seen so much extreme weather, and we have four months to go in the remainder of 2011.)

So, it was quite proper when President Barack Obama criticized the GOP for holding FEMA funds hostage.
Los Angeles Times: White House blasts GOP over FEMA funding".

Now, one wonders whether some middle of the road voters in flood besieged New Jersey will reconsider support for Republican congressional or presidential candidates. Just consider how the supposedly moderate N.J. Governor Chris Christie has taken the state out of the Northeast carbon cap compact.
Will weather disaster-plagued districts flip from Republican to Democratic in the Presidential and Congressional votes in the 2012 general election? Just note (on the 2010 Congressional elections map below) the red district from northeastern North Carolina to New Jersey. Will voters see the light about global warming (as opposed to deniers Rick Perry and Chris Christie?

Well, maybe it will take more 100 degree days and destructive hurricanes. Click on this link for "Natural disaster risk assessment reveals most and least dangerous cities" at AgentGenius.com for natural disaster risk. The very Republican red Southeast has the most cities that are indicated to be the riskiest in which to live.

8/30, PM UPDATES: Airlifts to Vermont; Irene Deaths: 41; 2.85 Million People w/o Power; In NJ: Flooding Remains

TUESDAY, 8/30/11 UPDATES:
Isolated flood-besieged Vermont towns are receiving supplies by way of National Guard airlifts: Newport News Daily Press: "National Guard airlifts take food, water to Vt. towns cut off by Irene's flooding."

(There's the helpful hand of the national government. Think about that one, Tea-Partiers. Army Corp of Engineers, FEMA, those are federal agency helping the public, tax dollars at work.)

CNN reports that the death toll from Hurricane Irene now stands at 41: "Irene update: Death toll at 41; 2.85 million still without power."

Flooding of rivers in the Passaic River Basin is affecting towns throughout northern New Jersey, covering streets, flooding homes. (Reuters)

Most of eastern Connecticut remains without power. (Wall Street Journal)

SUN. 1130 AM IRENE UPDATES: Flood Waters Breach onto New York City Streets

Hurricane Irene has been downgraded from Saffir-Simpson Category 1 to a tropical storm.

The eye of the storm has reached lower parts of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens. The winds are moderate, reduced from level it had been off lower New Jersey.

WABC-TV has shown East River flood waters breaching through concrete barriers, onto South Street, in the vicinity of Wall Street.

UPDATES
Time-Warner's NY1 has shown the Hudson River lapping over the edge, in the Tribeca area and the boardwalk of Battery Park City (cresting at 9:45 AM).

In Brooklyn, flood waters are covering Manhattan Beach streets.

UPDATES
In Staten Island, the Bulls Head section had flooding rising from the Fresh Kills and the Arthur Kills channel between New Jersey and Staten Island. (remaining flooded at 11:30 AM)

LATEST Hurricane Irene Storm Surge, Flood Zone Maps -BREAKING NEWS: New Moon Effects

(NOTE: the above map is for illustration purposes only, is a photo of Miami, during a previous storm.)

MAPS FOR EVACUATION / PREPARATION -IN ANTICIPATION OF HURRICANE IRENE:

Weather Underground Georgia, Carolinas Storm Surge Model Maps, for the four Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scales

Weather Underground Middle Atlantic (VA, MD, DE, NJ, NY) Storm Surge Model Maps

Weather Underground New England (CT, RI, MA, NH, ME) Storm Surge Model Maps

NORTH CAROLINA
North Carolina evacuation, storm surge, inundation maps

VIRGINIA:

Virginia DOT Evacuation Guide portal

Virginia evacuation shelters list (WTVR TV).
Evacuations:

Accomack County – Voluntary evacuation order upgraded to mandatory.
Bayside evacuation areas include all homes generally west of
Craddockville Road, Boston Road, Greenbush Road (Rt. 316), Mears
Road and Neil Parker Road .

Seaside evacuation areas include all homes generally east of Seaside Road, Atlantic Road and Fleming Road.

Chesapeake, City of – Voluntary evacuation for low-lying areas and mobile homes. The VDBHDS Training Center has evacuated 120 residents to Petersburg.
Chincoteague, town of – Voluntary evacuation for residents. Mandatory evacuation for all non-residents.
Gloucester County – Voluntary evacuation for low-lying areas and mobile homes.
Officials recommend residents in flood prone areas evacuate by Saturday morning.

Hampton, City of – Mandatory evacuation for category 1 surge and low-lying areas as of 0800 Friday, August 26. Voluntary evacuation for entire city.
James City County – Voluntary evacuation on low-lying areas.
King and Queen County – Voluntary evacuation
Lancaster County – Voluntary evacuation for low-lying areas.
Mathews County – Voluntary evacuations.
Middlesex County – Mandatory evacuation in low-lying areas and manufactured homes. Voluntary evacuation in effect as of 1200 hours on Friday, August 26.
Newport News, City of – Mandatory evacuation for category 1 surge areas and flood prone sections of the city. Voluntary evacuation for low-lying areas.
Norfolk, City of – Mandatory evacuation for low-lying areas by 0800 Saturday, August 27.
Northampton County – Voluntary evacuation for all coastal and low-lying areas and mobile homes. Mandatory evacuation issued for three campgrounds and the YMCA camp. All visitors required to be out by 1600 hours Friday, August 26
Northumberland County – Voluntary evacuation for low-lying areas and mobile homes.
Poquoson, City of – Voluntary evacuation.
Portsmouth, City of – Mandatory evacuation of low-lying areas as of 1300 hours Friday, August 26
Richmond County – Voluntary evacuation for low-lying areas and mobile homes.
Suffolk, City of – Evacuation recommended for low-lying areas and mobile homes.
Virginia Beach, City of – Mandatory for Sandbridge, Knotts Island (in concert with NC) effective immediately and to be completed by 0600 on Saturday, August 27. Voluntary mobile homes and special needs populations.
Westmoreland County – Recommended evacuation for low-lying areas and mobile homes
Virginia evacuation shelters list (WTVR TV).

Virginia Emergency Management Storm Surge Inundation Maps, with county-, region- city-specific maps
Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Virginia Beach

DELAWARE
Jersey City satellite image maps with color coding for mandatory evacuation of first floor residences for specific areas.

BREAKING NEWS --for night hour impacts, Jersey, NYC, Long Island, lower New England:
New Moon to Make Irene Deadlier: Extreme Tides, Storm Surge Floods Likely --International Business Times

The new moon, which occurs Sunday, is likely to bring severe tidal fluctuations are likely as the sun, Earth, and the moon come in a straight line and the gravitational pull on Earth exerted by the sun and moon intensify. This should aggravate Irene's effects.

Heckova Job, Bloomie: NYC's Bloomberg's Flawed Evacuation Plans -Brace for Katrina #2

Michael Bloomberg, mayor of New York City said that he was concerned with the city's most vulnerable. In his emergency evacuation plans for Hurricane Irene he has not entirely attended to their welfare.

He should take a page from Hurricane Katrina this time in 2005. While most of the New Orleans residents fled in that city's evacuation, a thousand or so for whatever reasons remained in their homes. Civic leaders should be prepared for the contingencies that some people might not heed warnings or might not be able to heed them in proper time.

MTA SUBWAYS SHUT DOWN 22 HOURS AHEAD OF WHEN IT REACHES NEW YORK?!
First off in this critique, the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) shut down time of 12 PM (noon) on Saturday, August 27 is too early. Weather.com only gives 60% chance of precipitation at 3:00 PM, and most warnings now say that Hurricane Irene will not reach New York until 10:00AM Sunday morning.

Next, check out the city's map. Click to the projected flood areas map at NY1.com. Notice how far the evacuation centers are from the big flood areas, e.g. from Coney Island or Far Rockaway (the far southeastern edge of the city --how does the city plan to get the folks of the Redfern Houses out of there?).

(UPDATE: EVACUATION DEADLINE FOR NYC AREA A NEIGHBORHOODS: 5:00 PM)

Why did the NYCHA ever build waterfront / hurricane-target housing projects???

The city needs to draw on the lessons of Katrina -mainly, the difficulty or the unwillingness of some people to evacuate. Oh, we can see Mayor Bloomberg with his arrogant I told you so tone, saying people were warned with ample warning.
This may sound like a stretch, but there are many poor people for whom the $2.25 fare is a burden. (Many of the underclass rarely leave their neighborhoods.) Transit head Jay Walder should made the system free for the last four hours, to give those for whom the fare is a problem, a chance to leave the neighborhood for an evacuation center.
Aside from the transit system option, the city should commandeer transit buses and school buses to get people out of the threatened Area A neighborhoods.
[UPDATE: Compliments to the mayor: latest news reports on Hurricane Irene evacuation of Hurricane Irene Area A plans, buses are being sent to housing projects in places such as Far Rockaway, to shuttle people out to evacuation shelters.
And what about the National Guard? We have heard nothing of National Guard or Red Cross preparations. Ohh, we can see another Katrina a coming. Brownie, Nagan ... the criticisms against them will pale in contrast to the short-sighted limited preparation for this one.
CHECK BACK FOR EXPANSION OF THIS BLOG POST.

Hurricane Irene tracking map and NYC projected flood risk map

PBS News Hour's color coded map of Hurricane Irene's East Coast / Atlantic Ocean path. Drag the second map to reach your section of the Atlantic coast. The first map is for use with Google Earth. It pulls from NOAA and similar agencies.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) NOAA Family Disaster Plan tips:
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/prepare/family_plan.shtml

IN NEW YORK CITY:

The MTA Transit and Bus system will shut down at 12PM (noon) Saturday, August 27.

MAPS:
NY1's zoom-capable and downloadable PDF map of New York City Area A, Area B, Area C flood zones and the five boroughs' evacuation centers.

Here is WNYC.org's map of New York City with Area A, Area B, Area C, indicating which areas fall into these flood risk categories. A: area deeply affected by Category 1 storm, B: by Category 2 or 3 storm, C: by 3 or 4 and beyond.

* * *
The last big hurricanes in the New York City area:
Hurricane Gloria, 1985 (Initially Category 4, but it weakened by the time that it reached the Mid-Atlantic states)
Hurricane Donna, 1960 (Category 3 for the period that it was in the Atlantic Basin, off the Atlantic coast; longest storm to retain hurricane status --nine days)

* * *
"Why Animals Sense Natural Disasters Ahead of Time.