Saturday, November 9, 2013

Jefferson, Plaquemines consider filing lawsuits ~Jeff Adelson, New Orleans Advocate
~Even as Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration launched an all-out assault this year against a state agency’s lawsuit accusing energy companies of destroying coastal wetlands, officials in the Republican strongholds of Jefferson and Plaquemines parishes were quietly preparing their own cases aimed at forcing the oil and gas industry to repair the damage it allegedly has done in those areas.
In coming weeks, both parishes’ councils could file their own suits centered around allegations that the industries have taken an enormous toll that can be measured in terms of land that has simply washed away, multiple sources familiar with the cases told The New Orleans Advocate.
The cases would be separate and more narrowly focused than the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East suit that set off a storm of criticism from Jindal and his aides when it was filed this summer, and there are early indications that the parishes’ suits would not face the same backlash from the Jindal administration, which sought to play up the differences between the cases on Friday.
Even so, the parish cases could complicate efforts to short-circuit the flood authority lawsuit, and they represent growing pressure to hold one of the state’s most powerful industries to account.

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Super Typhoon Haiyan Closes in on the Philippines With 190 mph Sustained Winds ~Dr. Jeff Masters, Wunderblog
~MODIS satellite image of Super Typhoon Haiyan taken at 4:25 UTC November 7, 2013. At the time, Haiyan was a Category 5 storm with top winds of 175 mph. The Philippines are visible at the left of the image, and the Caroline Islands at the lower right. Image credit: NASA.
Super Typhoon Haiyan is one of the most intense tropical cyclones in world history, with sustained winds an incredible 190 mph, gusting to 230 mph, said the Joint Typhoon Warning Center in their 15 UTC (10 am EST) November 7, 2013 advisory. Haiyan has the most spectacular appearance I've ever seen on satellite loops, with a prominent eye surrounded by a huge, impenetrable-looking mass of intense eyewall thunderstorms with tops that reach into the lower stratosphere. With landfall expected to occur by 21 UTC (4 pm EST) on Thursday, Haiyan doesn't have time to weaken much before landfall, and will likely hit the Philippines at Category 5 strength.
Jonathan Vilma done for season ~Mike Triplett, ESPN

Lee Zurik Investigation: Contribution questions to Jindal go unanswered ~WVUE

The Louisiana sinkhole: It gets even worse ~Stuart Smith

DHH issues emergency rule regarding drinking water ~WDSU

With Few Official Resources, a Community Builds Its Resilience From the Ground Up ~Nathan C. Martin, Resilient Cities