Not if, but when
March 3, 2016 7:47 AM Subscribe
Hell and High Water. Houston is the fourth-largest city in the country. It’s home to the nation’s largest refining and petrochemical complex, where billions of gallons of oil and dangerous chemicals are stored. And it’s a sitting duck for the next big hurricane. (Non-interactive text version)
This is great:
'"In a second statement, Storemski placed the onus primarily on the federal government to safeguard the Houston region from a monster hurricane. He said the city “looks forward to working with the responsible federal agencies when a solution is identified and funded.”'
As if that strategy worked so well for New Orleans, or New Jersey. As if there isn't a large contingent of Texas politicians who want nothing to do with the idea of federal government when it comes to everything else.
posted by epanalepsis at 8:21 AM on March 3, 2016 [5 favorites]
'"In a second statement, Storemski placed the onus primarily on the federal government to safeguard the Houston region from a monster hurricane. He said the city “looks forward to working with the responsible federal agencies when a solution is identified and funded.”'
As if that strategy worked so well for New Orleans, or New Jersey. As if there isn't a large contingent of Texas politicians who want nothing to do with the idea of federal government when it comes to everything else.
posted by epanalepsis at 8:21 AM on March 3, 2016 [5 favorites]
I live here now. The Chase tower thing during Ike was absolutely due to a loose pea-gravel roof on a nearby building, which is a ridiculous thing to allow in a wind-prone city.
posted by uberchet at 8:39 AM on March 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by uberchet at 8:39 AM on March 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
Oh hey, I worked on this! Thanks for posting it!
posted by Jeff_Larson at 8:41 AM on March 3, 2016 [8 favorites]
posted by Jeff_Larson at 8:41 AM on March 3, 2016 [8 favorites]
As a Houstonian, I know that the refinery complex is vulnerable to a major hurricane. A direct hit of a Category 4 or a Category 5 storm would sweep though the vast collection of oil and chemical tanks, and surge out into Galveston Bay.
The result? An apocalyptic pollution emergency. The homes of a million people would be contaminated, the port with the largest volume of international trade would be closed for months. Nature would be devastated in a way that would far exceed the BP oil spill in the Gulf. Cleanup costs would start at $100 Billion.
But wait, there is more. With major gasoline production taken out the cost of gas in the rest of the nation might go to $10 per gallon. Chemicals needed for all sorts of processes would be out of stock. Employment would be affected across the country.
It seems as inevitable as the rising tides. Someday, perhaps this year, there will be Hell to pay.
posted by Midnight Skulker at 8:45 AM on March 3, 2016 [6 favorites]
The result? An apocalyptic pollution emergency. The homes of a million people would be contaminated, the port with the largest volume of international trade would be closed for months. Nature would be devastated in a way that would far exceed the BP oil spill in the Gulf. Cleanup costs would start at $100 Billion.
But wait, there is more. With major gasoline production taken out the cost of gas in the rest of the nation might go to $10 per gallon. Chemicals needed for all sorts of processes would be out of stock. Employment would be affected across the country.
It seems as inevitable as the rising tides. Someday, perhaps this year, there will be Hell to pay.
posted by Midnight Skulker at 8:45 AM on March 3, 2016 [6 favorites]
Sangermaine: "After all, it was Galveston being devastated by a hurricane in 1900 that kickstarted Houston's rise to a major city."
Wasn't That A Mighty Storm
posted by Chrysostom at 9:06 AM on March 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
Wasn't That A Mighty Storm
posted by Chrysostom at 9:06 AM on March 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
You'd think even the most libertarian anti-government business types would support action to protect their property out of pure self-interest. Titanic sums of money have been poured into the region.
posted by Sangermaine at 9:07 AM on March 3, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Sangermaine at 9:07 AM on March 3, 2016 [2 favorites]
Yeahbut those same measures would also protect someone else's property too so fuck them.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 9:08 AM on March 3, 2016 [9 favorites]
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 9:08 AM on March 3, 2016 [9 favorites]
Item #5836 on the "humans are too fucking stupid to be trusted with anything more dangerous than a wet noodle" list.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 9:35 AM on March 3, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 9:35 AM on March 3, 2016 [2 favorites]
You'd think even the most libertarian anti-government business types would support action to protect their property out of pure self-interest.
If a cat 5 hit and closed down Exxon's and BP's and Dow's refineries all their other refineries and chemical plants around the country would instantly be 100 times more profitable. Then they could hit up the government to fund (and bypass the environmental hurdles) for the desperately needed replacements. It would be a win - win!
posted by Bee'sWing at 11:10 AM on March 3, 2016 [2 favorites]
If a cat 5 hit and closed down Exxon's and BP's and Dow's refineries all their other refineries and chemical plants around the country would instantly be 100 times more profitable. Then they could hit up the government to fund (and bypass the environmental hurdles) for the desperately needed replacements. It would be a win - win!
posted by Bee'sWing at 11:10 AM on March 3, 2016 [2 favorites]
The result? An apocalyptic pollution emergency. The homes of a million people would be contaminated, the port with the largest volume of international trade would be closed for months.
Well, Katrina again.
Katrina devastated New Orleans but also produced the was the largest oil spill, clustered spills, the US had seen to that point. (the 2010 Macondo/DWH spill was larger, and hit largely the same area). No one really has a good volume estimate for it, but at least 1M gallons spilled on-shore, and likely near that in the forest of rigs off the coast. Some of the worst on-shore damage was caused by the Murphy oil spill, which got hung up in the nearby wetlands. The remediation of those areas took years, and a few things, like marsh burnings, are still going on.
A spill at Huston would be fairly similar, I would expect. The thing is about these huge weather events is that the scour of the weather both at sea and on land leaves the oil largely dispersed, and really not possible to remove or remediate in most cases. It's only where the oil escapes into sheltered areas like wetlands that there's anything that can be done in many cases. There's a huge ecological insult, of which oil is only one part---other wastes and chemicals and sewage are also enormous problems.
posted by bonehead at 12:31 PM on March 3, 2016 [2 favorites]
Well, Katrina again.
Katrina devastated New Orleans but also produced the was the largest oil spill, clustered spills, the US had seen to that point. (the 2010 Macondo/DWH spill was larger, and hit largely the same area). No one really has a good volume estimate for it, but at least 1M gallons spilled on-shore, and likely near that in the forest of rigs off the coast. Some of the worst on-shore damage was caused by the Murphy oil spill, which got hung up in the nearby wetlands. The remediation of those areas took years, and a few things, like marsh burnings, are still going on.
A spill at Huston would be fairly similar, I would expect. The thing is about these huge weather events is that the scour of the weather both at sea and on land leaves the oil largely dispersed, and really not possible to remove or remediate in most cases. It's only where the oil escapes into sheltered areas like wetlands that there's anything that can be done in many cases. There's a huge ecological insult, of which oil is only one part---other wastes and chemicals and sewage are also enormous problems.
posted by bonehead at 12:31 PM on March 3, 2016 [2 favorites]
All that to say, what's possible post-incident is really limited. High-intensity spill response operations were really hard after Katrina. Most workers were housed on ships brought into the area. Priority has to be given too to rescue and human safety, so any response effort has to work around the efforts to save and secure people.
Spill response rests on four pillars: prevention, preparedness, response and restoration. As response isn't able to be a major factor after a hurricane usually, the best strategies are all protection and prevention: hardening resources to resist hurricane damage and prevent spills in the first place.
posted by bonehead at 12:38 PM on March 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
Spill response rests on four pillars: prevention, preparedness, response and restoration. As response isn't able to be a major factor after a hurricane usually, the best strategies are all protection and prevention: hardening resources to resist hurricane damage and prevent spills in the first place.
posted by bonehead at 12:38 PM on March 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
“My district is working-class, Latino, and [has] many people in poverty,” said state Sen. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, who represents many of the industrial towns along the Ship Channel
That explains a lot.
posted by Monochrome at 1:45 PM on March 3, 2016
That explains a lot.
posted by Monochrome at 1:45 PM on March 3, 2016
The foul smells in Baytown, Pasadena, Texas City and, especially, Freeport have to be experienced before you can believe them possible. Even when you live in the prosperous suburbs, many miles away, they can be nasty if the wind is out of the wrong direction.
But, bizarrely, part of the reason no one with money lives near the refineries is that they are all near sea level and exposed to hurricane flooding.
posted by Bee'sWing at 3:34 PM on March 3, 2016 [2 favorites]
But, bizarrely, part of the reason no one with money lives near the refineries is that they are all near sea level and exposed to hurricane flooding.
posted by Bee'sWing at 3:34 PM on March 3, 2016 [2 favorites]
As a Houston resident, it is pretty depressing to read the buck-passing happening among the politicians in this article.
-Mayor Turner passed the buck to the federal government (but very-recently-former-mayor Annise Park astutely noted the problems there).
-Governor Abbott refused to comment (and recently former governor Rick Perry cheerfully threw Houston under the bus).
-Land Commisioner Bush (yes, of those Texas Bushes) wants to do something but needs the federal government to pitch in its share for the study that has been approved.
-The Army Corps of Engineers as much as admitted that it needs Texas politicians to get onboard before anything will get funded on their end.
-The various state and federal legislative delegations fell all over pointing fingers at each other to be the first to support a project.
-Both of Texas' Senators have a strong connection to Houston. One is unfortunately running for President (Ted Cruz) and the other (John Cornyn) ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Houston is the US's fourth largest city. When the hurricane and the winds and the flooding do finally come, a lot of people are going to die unnecessarily so that the levees and walls and spines that everyone refuses to consider today will actually get built.
posted by librarylis at 6:10 PM on March 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
-Mayor Turner passed the buck to the federal government (but very-recently-former-mayor Annise Park astutely noted the problems there).
-Governor Abbott refused to comment (and recently former governor Rick Perry cheerfully threw Houston under the bus).
-Land Commisioner Bush (yes, of those Texas Bushes) wants to do something but needs the federal government to pitch in its share for the study that has been approved.
-The Army Corps of Engineers as much as admitted that it needs Texas politicians to get onboard before anything will get funded on their end.
-The various state and federal legislative delegations fell all over pointing fingers at each other to be the first to support a project.
-Both of Texas' Senators have a strong connection to Houston. One is unfortunately running for President (Ted Cruz) and the other (John Cornyn) ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Houston is the US's fourth largest city. When the hurricane and the winds and the flooding do finally come, a lot of people are going to die unnecessarily so that the levees and walls and spines that everyone refuses to consider today will actually get built.
posted by librarylis at 6:10 PM on March 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
Seems pretty alarming, hopefully we have our best people working on solutions....
“That keeps me up at night,” said George P. Bush, the grandson and nephew of two U.S. presidents and Texas’ land commissioner. As head of an agency charged with protecting the state’s coast, he kickstarted one of the studies that will determine the risk the area faces and how to protect it.
...oooooo
posted by tivalasvegas at 8:39 AM on March 4, 2016
“That keeps me up at night,” said George P. Bush, the grandson and nephew of two U.S. presidents and Texas’ land commissioner. As head of an agency charged with protecting the state’s coast, he kickstarted one of the studies that will determine the risk the area faces and how to protect it.
...oooooo
posted by tivalasvegas at 8:39 AM on March 4, 2016
« Older Need An F-4 Phantom? | "All we can do is hold our hearts." Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
The graphics in this presentation are neat, but I'm not sure what the point is. The Republican leadership of Texas hasn't and isn't going to put money into the kinds of preparation and infrastructure the city needs.
We'll have to rely on Houston's traditional defense: letting Galveston take the brunt of the damage. After all, it was Galveston being devastated by a hurricane in 1900 that kickstarted Houston's rise to a major city.
posted by Sangermaine at 8:08 AM on March 3, 2016 [6 favorites]