Dammit to hell, Hurricane Irma is a thing.

[fraurosena]

I don't know why he just has to keep enforcing his image of saying the absolute wrong thing every.single.time.

Trump: Hurricanes are helping the Coast Guard improve its 'brand'

Spoiler

 President Trump said Sunday that the major hurricanes hitting the U.S. are improving the “brand” of the U.S. Coast Guard.

Trump told a reporter that the country has “great people” responding to the massive storms and that “a group that really deserves tremendous credit is the United States Coast Guard," according to a White House pool report.

“What they've done — I mean, they've gone right into that, and you never know. When you go in there, you don't know if you're going to come out. They are really — if you talk about branding, no brand has improved more than the United States Coast Guard,” Trump said.

Trump also called the Federal Emergency Management Agency “incredible” as Hurricane Irma made landfall in Florida on Sunday.

Trump's comments came after returning from a Cabinet meeting at Camp David, where he and other administration officials received a briefing on Hurricane Irma.

Irma is the second major hurricane to strike the U.S. in recent weeks after Hurricane Harvey devastated Texas late last month.

I guess it's just really hard to say that they are hero's, so saying they are good, no, the very best, at 'branding' is just as appropriate. Right?

[GrumpyGran]

1 hour ago, fraurosena said:

if you talk about branding, no brand has improved more than the United States Coast Guard,” Trump said.

What? Ok, and no brand has fallen further and faster than POTUS. 

BTW, it's over for me, thank goodness. Ended last night at 10:30 with a tornado warning. No tornado, though. Need to sleep for a week, it seems like this has been going on forever. Hope everyone who was in the path is ok and that those of you who are now getting lots of rain don't have flooding.

[Carm_88]

Glad all is well @GrumpyGran. Get some sleep and I pray that all those who were hit by Irma and are dealing with her aftermath continue to stay safe. 

[AuntK]

Well, Irma is gone, and while I am grateful and fortunate to have emerged unscathed,  I am PISSED at the Weather Channel for scaring the SHIT out of everyone and creating a situation which made it worse for the entire state! There was no need for gas lines and shortages or water shortages,  those I blame on WC and Gov. Scott, another climate denier, who enjoyed the hell out of this because he got to be on tv constantly which helps his Senate bid next year.  UGH.  

Yes, the Keys and S. Florida took a shot,  but the pics you saw were the absolute worst. And it's to be expected when you allow rampant overdevelopment on fragile islands and coastal areas. And they kept showing the same thing over and over. The worse damage wasn't even in the U.S., it was in those poor little islands in the Caribbean; they didn't stand a chance.

I started watching my local news on Sunday and they said, stop watching WC, calm down, it is not going to be bad. By the time it got here, it was a tropical storm at best.  I slept through it!! I woke up Sunday morning to a messy yard and waited. And waited. That was it? Although there were 1000s who lost power for a while here, most were only for a short while and I think everyone is back on now. I never even lost power. And the 5-8 foot storm surge in Tampa? The Bay receded!! The water got sucked out!!

Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful,  and if I sound like a bitch, you can call me one, but I lived through a state of panic for 4 days, had a family of evacuees from Tampa, including a little niece who was terrified all because of these erroneous forecasts. This is the biggest miss by far I have ever seen. Oh, and their prediction for today? Rain and thunderstorms?  It's beautiful,  blue skies, cloudless, 80 degrees, perfect for cleaning up the yard debris. Weather Channel - Wrong again!

Thank you everyone for your good wishes, prayers and thoughts. You are good people. And I am a bitch, but a grateful one. 

[sawasdee]

@AuntKMeteorology is not yet an exact science! Would you rather they gave you worst case scenario, and gave you time to prepare, or be soothed by "oh, it probably won't happen" and then be flooded/stranded/dead? 

Poor sods can't win. With Harvey, they apparently didn't warn enough. Nobody believed the worse case scenario - and that's what they got. With Irma, they gave the best advice they had, with the knowledge they have, and are being castigated for worrying people!

If there had been a tiny deviation, and Irma hadn't hit Cuba, and if the conditions hadn't changed at the last minute for Tampa, you would have had that worse case scenario. 

I'd rather be frantically worried, and prepared, unnecessarily, than soothed, and then lose everything, including my life..

I live in a country with nothing like the level of meteorological expertise of the States - in fact, the government relies on warnings from your satellites, relayed by your Weather Service.

Wish we'd had more warning when we flooded to 12', and in some places to 20'*, and our town was cut off from the rest of the country, with no power, for 4 days. Many of my Thai friends lost everything - home, contents , the lot - and were very lucky indeed to escape with their lives.

*I live on a hill, and had only minor flooding - most of my Thai and European friends were not so lucky.

[GrumpyGran]

41 minutes ago, AuntK said:

Gov. Scott, another climate denier,

I was greatly amused at how he managed to praise Trump ad nauseum while trying to manage a hurricane. I think he started every news event I saw with "The president has been so wonderful. He's such a dreamy guy, ya' know?"

[Carm_88]

@sawasdee I was going to say the same, I would rather be prepared for the worst and have it never happen; then be caught off guard. If they had underplayed it and the worst case scenario did happen...that would have been much worst. 

As Dr. Seuss said "Hope the best, expect the worst, life is a play and we're unrehearsed." 

[sawasdee]

I realised I might be denigrating Thailand in my last post - may I say, the Government response was magnificent. We were lucky that two of the biggest military bases in the country are on the outskirts of our town, and the army was there very quickly, minimising as far as possible the damage.

Since that event, almost 15 years ago, whenever heavy rain is forecast, the army is out sandbagging properties and helping evacuate seriously threatened areas. Roads have flooded since, and some homes, but to nothing like the degree of that incident.

(I've driven home after a bad storm unable to see the storm drains roadside - and they are not guarded by barricades.They were built quickly to mitigate flooding. In the last really bad one, a friend and I knew where the storm drains were only by the cars we could see immersed in them...)

[GrumpyGran]

just an FYI in case anyone on here is thinking of heading south to Georgia or Florida from any where along the east coast-don't. I-95 is one lane just south of the NC/SC line because a culvert collapsed. A 90 mile long traffic jam on the interstate.

[Cartmann99]

[AuntK]

@sawasdeeOh I know meteorology is not an exact science, I've lived in Florida all my life and I've seen plenty of hurricanes, more than most of these guys on tv. But, SOME of them did get it right, the local reporters who kept saying don't worry, it will not be that bad here! And my common sense and decades of living through them was telling me that, the hurricane is strongest over water and weakens QUICKLY once it gets over land! And since I was located 100s of miles from where Irma made landfall, the impacts were going to be much less. But my complaint is the Weather Channel gets so pumped up about these storms, that they go overboard, imo, in warnings and advisories. Yes, Irma was devastating in S. Florida and the Keys, but other than flooding in Jacksonville, the rest of the state was unscathed, and the panic that set in was much worse than the storm!

[GreyhoundFan]

"A Marriott rescue ship left stranded tourists behind because they weren’t guests of the hotel"

Spoiler

The hundreds of people waiting on the dock in St. Thomas on Friday night had just survived a hit from Hurricane Irma that had crippled the airport and devastated pretty much every building not made of concrete.

Supplies of food and water were dwindling. Electricity was spotty. And Hurricane Jose had not turned north yet. The people on the island feared that the second storm could boom in, bringing more misery to St. Thomas.

But a large ship with enough room to transport all the tourists was approaching the dock. Just in time, help had come.

Just not for everyone.

I've stayed at Marriott properties many times. In fact, I have reservations at a Residence Inn in a few months. I think I need to cancel and go with a different company. Of course, I'll be letting them know why.

[AuntK]

I would hope that Florida would finally learn the importance of limiting coastal development, reducing impacts to delicate marshes, dunes, that are nature's protective structures, and imposing strict building codes for those who insist on building on barrier islands, coastlines and areas subject to flooding. Of course, I'm dreaming, since scientists have been telling Florida officials that Miami is steadily losing ground, with streets flooding during typical rainstorms. It is only going to get worse with each named storm if they do not.

And they can deny climate change all they want, but that doesn't make it a hoax.

[GreyhoundFan]

"As Irma raged, Floridians stopped to take care of creatures great and small" There are way too many pictures to quote, but it's worth a look.

[GreyhoundFan]

"Don't forget about us: Irma's desperate Caribbean survivors"

Spoiler

(CNN)Hurricane Irma was a Category 5 storm when it crashed through the Caribbean, leaving at least 36 people dead in its wake before moving on to Florida.

The storm carved out a path of devastation, leaving a trail of extensive damage in small islands like St. Martin/St. Maarten, the twin-island state of Antigua and Barbuda, the British territories of Anguilla and the Turks and Caicos Islands, the British Virgin Islands, and the US Virgin Islands.

Many islands are still assessing the damage, as they begin to pick up the pieces.

...

Here's a look at just a few stories from the hardest hit areas, where residents are still reeling.

Do you live in the Caribbean and have been affected by Irma? We would like to hear from you. WhatsApp or text us on +1-347-322-0415.

Antigua and Barbuda

Elvis Burton, 57, was born in Barbuda but lived most of his life in the Bronx, New York. In 2005 he returned home. Irma was his first major storm.

Burton and most of the island's 1,800 residents were evacuated on Friday to Antigua. Burton has not been able to return home.

Looking at pictures from the island, he said, "I think it's going to take a long time for Barbuda to get back on its foot. Everything is completely destroyed."

"Most of the people left with just the clothes on their backs."

"I want to get back because I want to start to rebuild. It's sinking in, you're feeling the impact of the hurricane. After a day or two you realize you have lost everything."

Burton is staying with a friend in Antigua, while many others are in shelters on the island.

"The people of Antigua have done so much to make us feel comfortable, but I just want to get home. It is human nature."

St. Martin/St. Maarten

"We survived, we survived," Stacy-Ann Taylor said in a Facebook Live video on Wednesday, after Hurricane Irma hit the Dutch Caribbean island of St. Maarten, where the storm left at least four people dead and caused widespread devastation.

The storm ravaged the island on Wednesday, and Taylor, who lives with her husband and two children in the capital, Philipsburg, told CNN that people there were still in dire need of security and supplies.

"We are in great need of supplies, food and water, and more security," Taylor told CNN in a Facebook message, adding that she was fearful of looters and had heard stories of people being held at gunpoint in their homes.

"It is so freaking scary. Right now, I wish my children could leave so they would not have to experience -- and also my husband and I can focus on each other. It's not easy here," she said, adding that the Dutch marines and police force were doing their best to cope with the situation.

Anguilla

Lloyd Gumbs was born in Anguilla, where he has lived for most of his life.

"We were prepared for the hurricane," he said, "but this wasn't a normal hurricane."

The storm left at least one person dead on the island.

Gumbs says he was on Anguilla, a British territory, in 1995 when Hurricane Luis hit. "Luis was a Cat 4 storm, and lasted for something like 36 hours, Irma last a shorter time but it caused more damage."

Gumbs, who has 6-year-old twins and a 3-year-old, is without electricity and running water. He says he stocked up on drums of water in advance of the storm but it's beginning to run low.

"It's a challenge," he said, "we are using candles at night."

Cellphone networks on the island have remained online and Gumbs has been documenting the destruction Irma left behind on his Facebook page.

He charges his phone every day at a nearby hotel that has a generator.

"I would estimate that 70% of the electricity poles on the island are down," he said.

Cellphone network Flow has set up charging stations on the island, he said.

"We need water, we need toiletries, we need nonperishable foodstuff, we need candles," he said.

US Virgin Islands

Irma killed four people in the US Virgin Islands and caused widespread damage, hitting three of the largest islands; St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas, the hardest.

Jennifer Stephens Cooper, a nurse at Schneider Regional Medical Center, moved to St. Thomas with her husband and their two children this summer from Washington, D.C. Her home and the hospital where she works were both destroyed in the storm.

"We're staying in our shell of the house at the moment," Cooper said over the phone. "The first floor is a concrete apartment, which is where we were staying during the storm. Everything above that, which was wooden, blew apart. If we hadn't been downstairs we wouldn't be here anymore."

"My husband is in the Army. As he says, it looks like a war zone. There's not one tree left standing," she added.

Cooper, who lives in Peterborg, on St. Thomas, said many of the homes in their neighborhood were destroyed in the storm. Cooper has been walking a mile down the road twice a day to get cell service and call her family in North Carolina, their only source of news.

"We're hearing rumors that people are posing as police officers and robbing people. We spoke with another nurse who was robbed at machete-point a few days ago," Cooper said. "We're terrified. It's a desperate situation. When people run out of water and food, tempers flare. It's just going to get worse."

John Obbagy and his wife fell in love with St. John on their first trip there in the '90s. Now they manage four villa rentals on the island, where they've lived for the last six years.

"It's a magical place. We want to see it bounce back. There's nowhere like it," Obbagy said.

The Obbagys were evacuated late on Sunday night to Puerto Rico, where they've since been able to connect with clients and family members. For days, the porch on Ronnie's Pizza parlor was the only spot on St. John where anyone could get enough service to make calls.

"About 80 percent of all structures, not just homes, have either suffered severe damage or are destroyed. The two major resorts are pretty much out of commission too," Obbagy said. "We know a lot of people who lived through [Hurricanes] Hugo and Marilyn, and they say this was worse than both combined."

The local community has pulled together to start picking up the pieces, with many people clearing trees and pulling power lines from the road, Obbagy said. He shared a photo showing a local restaurant handing out burgers and fried chicken for free, one of many acts of kindness seen in the aftermath of the storm.

British Virgin Islands

"My house is completely gone," Kennedy Banda, from Tortola, said by phone. Banda made the last-minute decision to shelter at a hotel in Tortola with his wife, their four children, and his elderly mother-in-law. They barricaded themselves in their room, using mattresses and chairs to block the glass doors.

"I went back to the house and the fridge was in the water. Our beds, the clothes, everything was blown out," said Banda, who shared a video on Facebook of the scene.

He said that now, five days after the storm hit the British Virgin Islands, killing four people, everyone is on edge. On Sunday, he went to a gas station to fill up on diesel and a man on a scooter cut the line of cars, pulling out a gun. His children were in the car with him at the time.

"It's scary. Give us a week, a couple more days from now, people are going to start looting other people's houses. I have a 1-year-old, 2-year-old, 5-year-old, 8-year-old, and a mother-in-law who is pretty old. I'm worried for their safety."

Banda said he's hoping to get his children, who have British passports, evacuated to the United Kingdom to stay with family.

"We can't stay in the hotel forever. Where are we going to go next? When the looting starts getting heavier, where am I going to go? It's scary for me to think of my kids. Where am I going to put them? Is the government going to help me? I just want to get my kids out."

"Nothing's ever happened like this here before, my head is spinning," Banda said.

Puerto Rico

Maria Rivas, who has lived in Puerto Rico for 18 years, camped out in her Toa Baja home with her husband, their two children, her mother and mother-in-law, during the hurricane.

"I wanted to make sure everyone was under one roof. My kids' anxiety level was through the roof, so it was important for us to maintain calm. We played a lot of games, colored," Rivas said.

The island avoided a direct hit, but high winds and torrential rains knocked out power.

"The way the wind sounded was terrible. I've never heard wind like that," she said. "We're relieved, and happy we're all well, and that the storm didn't cause more damage."

"We got very lucky after seeing what happened in Culebra and Loiza," two towns hit hardest in Puerto Rico.

Rivas said the community has come together in the storm's aftermath. A hotel in San Juan has been collecting donations, which will be distributed to families in Loiza who lost their homes.

Turks and Caicos

Ken Adams, the 61-year-old owner of Building Materials Do It Center in Providenciales, reopened his hardware store on Sunday, three days after the storm hit Turks and Caicos.

"On Sunday we opened with a prayer, giving God thanks for life," Adams said, adding that his store is now sold out of reconstruction materials, like plywood. "We are trying our best because we're in a position to help."

He said he hopes to get new supplies in by the weekend, but after storms in Texas, and now in Florida, it could take a while.

Hurricane Irma barreled through the British overseas territory, home to about 52,000 people, overnight Thursday into Friday.

"At the moment, we have a lot of houses with roof damage. We have major infrastructure damage. There's no electricity, a lot of the cell towers are down. Gas stations have very little gasoline," Adams said.

Adams, who was born and raised in Turks and Caicos, said he's never seen a storm like Irma.

"We've seen many hurricanes before, but this was more than anything we've ever experienced. We saw something like 200 mph wind gusts. It was a scary experience," Adams said. "But it could have been worse. It's not nearly as bad as some of the other islands."

Cuba

Irma made landfall in Cuba overnight on Friday as a Category 5 storm, blasting into seaside towns and causing flooding in low-lying areas of the capital. Winds of 125 mph whipped roofs clean off buildings, ripped trees from the ground and forced evacuations along the coast. Authorities said 10 people died as a result of Irma.

Maykel Galindo runs a bed and breakfast in Havana, where seven people died as a result of building collapses.

Galindo said most of his guests for the coming weeks have canceled their visits due to the storm.

"Don't cancel," he said. "Our emerging private sector really needs the support to grow."

Telecommunications on the island have been poor due to the storm, he said, and when CNN attempted to call him the line dropped several times.

On the other end of the island, US military staff and their families also avoided the worst of the storm. Danielle Nicole Debano, who lives at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, posted video on Friday evening of thunder and lightning as Irma neared. "Everyone here at GTMO is safe and sound, and Irma has been kind to us compared to others in her path," she said by text.

The pictures are sobering.

[Cartmann99]

2 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

I've stayed at Marriott properties many times. In fact, I have reservations at a Residence Inn in a few months. I think I need to cancel and go with a different company. Of course, I'll be letting them know why.

 On top of it just being the right thing to do, this was an incredibly stupid public relations move on their part.

How much would it have cost Marriott to rescue everyone who was in need of assistance? I'm betting it's less than they will have to now spend on advertising and charitable donations to try and fix their tarnished image with the public. 

 

[RosyDaisy]

Aunt and Uncle's house has extensive damage. They will be staying with us for a while. They are actually considering moving back to Alabama.

[LeftCoastLurker]

Mother Nature is PISSED!

I have lived in the greater San Francisco Bay Area for most of my life. In a normal weather year we usually get zero thunderstorms. We have now had them two days in a row...in September no less.

My 2.5 year old dog went berserk. Mom, what the hell was that! The 9.5 year old dog handled it a tad better.

[Cartmann99]

4 hours ago, RosyDaisy said:

Aunt and Uncle's house has extensive damage. 

I'm sorry about their house. 

2 hours ago, LeftCoastLurker said:

Mother Nature is PISSED!

I have lived in the greater San Francisco Bay Area for most of my life. In a normal weather year we usually get zero thunderstorms. We have now had them two days in a row...in September no less.

Oh wow, I didn't know that about thunderstorms in the San Francisco area. That is odd.

I'm glad to see that it's finally cooled off for you guys. During your recent heatwave, I'd look at your weather forecast and feel guilty, because it was actually cooler here than in your area.  Now, we're having a mini heatwave, but the predicted highs are not going to be as bad as what you recently suffered through. Crazy weather!

[GrumpyGran]

@RosyDaisy, glad they were with you safe when the storm came. So sorry for them about the house, though.

@LeftCoastLurker, it seems none of us are escaping. Ha, didn't realize that you guys don't have thunderstorms. Well, until now.

Why do I feel like we're all in for a bad winter? Been here for 15 months, one hurricane, one tropical storm, hottest summer on record and, oh yeah, it snowed here last winter. You know, I'm older and I have experienced weather cycles. A few years in a row where it's warmer than usual for the whole year and then the cycle moves and it's colder for a few years. But all of this in one year? But don't worry, I know there's no such thing as global warming. Rush Limbaugh told me so. 

[GreyhoundFan]

Okay, we've shared plenty of sad, but here's something a little lighter: "‘I feel faint … send help!’ Gainesville ‘hot cops’ steam up Facebook after Irma."

Spoiler

As Floridians waited in dread for Hurricane Irma on Sunday evening, the Gainesville Police Department posted photographs on Facebook of officers preparing for the night ahead.

One particular selfie of three Gainesville officers was, well, easy on the eyes. And in the photo’s comments, the ladies of northern Florida did not hold back.

...

“Heeeelloooo”

“I feel faint … send help!”

“I feel safer just looking at this picture.”

“I can’t believe how many women are objectifying these poor, fine, young, strong, handsome, brave, sexy, delicious, virile, ovulation-inducing, mouth-watering, beefy….. I can’t remember where I was going with this,” one comment read.

“Do a calender, add puppies and I’m pretty sure we can rebuild Texas and Florida.”

The photo clearly drew interest in the days that followed, circulating far beyond Gainesville. But it was the endless stream of flirtatious comments that brought welcome comedic relief to those facing evacuations, power outages and flood damage from Irma. By Wednesday night, the post had been shared or liked more than half a million times.

“These comments are cracking me up. need some good laughter after being evacuated for almost a week.”

“These comments have honestly made me really laugh for the first time since Irma hit us (in Orlando). Thank you to all the funny ladies on here.”

As the officers’ fans gushed, the Gainesville Police Department happily played along.

“We are dying with the comments. You’ve actually made our chief blush with some of them,” the department wrote in a Tuesday update on the original selfie post.

The public asked, and the department obliged: “There WILL be a calendar,” it wrote. It added that the staff would try to put one together quickly, and donate the funds raised to Hurricane Irma recovery efforts in Florida.

It also added an important PSA for interested suitors: Two of the men in the photo, Officers Nordman and Hamill, are indeed taken. And “MRS. Nordman and MRS. Hamill have also enjoyed knowing how millions of women are going crazy over their husbands.”

However, it added: “We can confirm that Officer Rengering (far right with the amazing hair) IS SINGLE.”

“On another note, Officer Rengering is being placed into Cougar Prey Protective Care, similar to the witness protection program for his safety,” the post read. “Please do not call 9-1-1 and request this group respond to your ‘incident.’

Gainesville Police continued to post photos of some of its finest — men and women.

“I’m about to quit being a firefighter, and come become a police officer down there my God! She’s beautiful!” one comment read on a photograph of a female officer.

“It’s raaaaaining men. Halllllllljejuuuuuuuaaaaaaa,” one woman wrote. “I’m convinced this police department is fake and this is actually an ad for Magic Mike 3,” said another.

“What is in the water down there??? Goodness!”

“Sweet baby Jesus … I broke the law, arrest me officer.”

...

It was not the first time the Gainesville Police Department has gone viral. In January of last year, a Facebook video spread widely of a Gainesville police officer responding to a noise complaint about a group of people playing basketball on the street. Instead of yelling at the youths, the officer decided to play with them. The video even got a response from basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal, who paid a surprise visit to the Gainesville Police Department to praise the officer, Bobby White.

The spokesman behind the social media magic is Ben Tobias, who made news this summer for criticizing comments from President Trump about police brutality.

The Gainesville “hot cops” were so popular, another Florida police department followed their lead. On Tuesday, the Sarasota Police Department posted a photo of a group of its officers, posing around a rescue vehicle, as if for the cover of a calendar.

“Gainesville Police Department has nothing on us,” the post read, with a winky face emoji.

“ATTENTION LADIES! Sarasota Police Department sent backup to this post!” the Gainesville Police Department then shared.

“So, Sarasota Police Department evidently has some guys headed out to help with rising floodwaters. If they happen to stir the Interweb like we did earlier … they’re going to need rescues themselves! Not bad, SPD. They don’t have awesome hair … but they’ll do.”

All over again, the Internet went wild.

“Arrested in two cities in one night can be accomplished if done correctly,” one woman commented.

...

Sometimes you just need to laugh.

[Cartmann99]

25 minutes ago, GreyhoundFan said:

Okay, we've shared plenty of sad, but here's something a little lighter: "‘I feel faint … send help!’ Gainesville ‘hot cops’ steam up Facebook after Irma."

Check out the second picture. The black police officer from Gainesville has a really great smile!

[onekidanddone]

11 minutes ago, Cartmann99 said:

heck out the second picture. The black police officer from Gainesville has a really great smile!

Where is my fainting couch?  I do believe I'm gonna swoon.

[fraurosena]

Sigh. 

 

[GrumpyGran]

14 hours ago, fraurosena said:

Sigh. 

Wonder if we can convince Mulvaney that his job is a hoax.