jasons

I'll chime in about Sharpiegate (since, ironically, I can't talk politics on my own forum, but I think it's best that way) -- I'm an Independent and I lean Libertarian. I think it's fair to say most of the media has been out to get Trump since day one. It's no secret they cannot stand him. Justifiable? Yes. He brings it on himself with his combative style, idiotic comments and constant tweetstorm. But let's call a spade a spade -- anything to make him look bad goes into overdrive. Especially outlets like CNN. But that's another topic for another forum. Sharpiegate is a new low for Trump. As someone who has been committed to delivering accurate and scientific information to the public, and always preaching the mantra of "When in doubt, follow the official guidance from the NHC" - this is enraging. Meteorologists and Emergency Management Officials have it tough enough as it is, cutting through the BS and dealing with old-timers who always refuse to evacuate, regardless of the situation. But now that Trump has turned a scientific discussion into a political one -- it's going to be that much harder. The undermining of the NWS and the NHC is unforgivable. James Spann - whom I deeply respect - is exactly right. This tweet by an 'unidentified spokesperson' at NOAA is nothing but a political sham. It was ordered by Trump to his Secretary of Commerce to 'set the story straight.' It's disgusting; it's beyond the pale. I have relatives who are die-hard Trump supporters. I have tried my best to use this example to show them once and for all that this man cares for his reputation above all else, even peoples' lives and safety. This is dangerous and unprecedented. Yet, they still rebuff my criticism, even though I'm a co-owner of Storm2k and have at least 10X the meteorological knowledge of all of them combined. What's even more disheartening is that these are otherwise smart and intelligent people, but they are completely blinded by pure politics. I've tried to get through to them and I can't. One of them told me today that I was 'alienating' them from the family and my response was "I'm so sorry - I thought Sharpiegate was a no-brainer!" It baffles me that they cannot see the truth or reason in all of this. They believe the sharpie map was real? Really? And the criticism of it is another CNN-driven-media conspiracy? Are they kidding me? I've read commentary that this is perhaps an opportunity to discredit NOAA and the NWS as it relates to global warming research. If that's the case, then again, it's disgraceful and does us all a disservice. The purpose of those organizations is to be objective and deliver accurate information while adhering to the scientific method we were all taught in grade school. In summary, the events of the last week have been horrifying. It is a sad and pathetic state of affairs when our President is allowed to distort official information, break the law by altering official forecasting products, and not only gets away with it -- but a significant percentage of the population still shrugs it off as 'fake news'. I can only hope that somehow, people will finally see this naked narcissism for what it really is, because it is a danger to our national security.

I will say one thing regarding overdevelopment - that was a valid point with all the concrete and flooding. I moved to the Houston area in 2005 and I’ve lost count of the number of 100, 500, 1,000 & “unprecedented” floods we have gotten over the last 14 years. It’s become routine for any major rain event to break some sort of record.

Josh's money comes from his digital marketing business. He didn't get into chasing for the money. The new show probably just finally covered all the crazy plane tickets/hotels/cars/equipment he's purchased over the years so he could chase at a moment's notice.

I think I've been on the interwebs long enough to know when someone is trolling. They are usually folks with self-esteem issues compensating for something.

Some people seem to take pleasure in just being an a$$hole apparently.

No, you missed the point. That house was the only new construction in the area; it was concrete pilings, and it was the only one left standing. All the other houses that were washed away were older houses on wooden pilings. All the new houses in Gilchrist are now built higher and on concrete pilings, like the yellow house.

Look at a photo of the lone standing house left in Gilchrist, TX after Ike and get back to us.

913mb Product: Air Force Vortex Message (URNT12 KNHC)Transmitted: 19th day of the month at 21:29ZAgency: United States Air Force Aircraft: Lockheed WC-130J Hercules with reg. number AF97-5303 Storm Number & Year: 15 in 2017Storm Name: Maria (flight in the North Atlantic basin)Mission Number: 5Observation Number: 17 ( See all messages of this type for this mission. )A. Time of Center Fix: 19th day of the month at 21:12:30ZB. Center Fix Coordinates: 16°46'N 63°58'W (16.7667N 63.9667W)B. Center Fix Location: 179 statute miles (288 km) to the SE (129°) from San Juan, Puerto Rico (U.S.).C. Minimum Height at Standard Level: 2,356m (7,730ft) at 700mbD. Estimated (by SFMR or visually) Maximum Surface Wind Inbound: 137kts (~ 157.7mph)E. Location of the Estimated Maximum Surface Wind Inbound: 7 nautical miles (8 statute miles) to the NNE (21°) of center fixF. Maximum Flight Level Wind Inbound: From 102° at 148kts (From the ESE at ~ 170.3mph)G. Location of Maximum Flight Level Wind Inbound: 7 nautical miles (8 statute miles) to the NNE (21°) of center fixH. Minimum Sea Level Pressure: 913mb (26.96 inHg)I. Maximum Flight Level Temp & Pressure Altitude Outside Eye: 13°C (55°F) at a pressure alt. of 3,045m (9,990ft)J. Maximum Flight Level Temp & Pressure Altitude Inside Eye: 21°C (70°F) at a pressure alt. of 3,040m (9,974ft)K. Dewpoint Temp (collected at same location as temp inside eye): 12°C (54°F)K. Sea Surface Temp (collected at same location as temp inside eye): Not AvailableL. Eye Character: Closed M. Eye Shape & Diameter: Circular with a diameter of 10 nautical miles (12 statute miles)N. Fix Determined By: Penetration, Radar, Wind, Pressure and TemperatureN. Fix Level: 700mbO. Navigational Fix Accuracy: 0.02 nautical milesO. Meteorological Accuracy: 0.5 nautical milesRemarks Section:Maximum Flight Level Wind: 148kts (~ 170.3mph) which was observed 7 nautical miles to the NNE (21°) from the flight level center at 21:10:30ZDropsonde Surface Wind at Center: From 15° at 5kts (From the NNE at 6mph)