Harvey makes landfall again, Texas death toll mounts from record floods ~Reuters

Why Ordinary Citizens Are Acting as First Responders in Houston ~The Atlantic

Photo: Jon Bridgers, Houston Chronicle

~The ethos behind these efforts is straightforward and admirable: Some people are in trouble, and other people have the tools to help them. Why wouldn’t they? Clyde Cain, who runs a Cajun Navy Facebook page told USA Today last year, “The reality of the Cajun Navy is everybody out here with a boat that isn’t devastated gets out and helps others.” Read more

~Cajun Navy volunteers attacked in Houston while helping Harvey victims ~Houston Chronicle

How to salvage flood-damaged artwork, books and photographs

'Unseen Dangers' of Harvey: Petrochemical Plants Release 1 Million Pounds of Harmful Air Pollution ~Lorraine Chow, EcoWatch
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Harvey Moves Back Over Water; Historic Rainfall Will Continue ~Dr. Jeff Masters, Weather Underground
~When we first saw the model predictions last week of widespread rain amounts for Houston of 15 – 25 inches, with some amounts as high as 40 inches, we issued the required “Catastrophic rains coming” forecast, but our view of the forecast was tinged with a sense of unreality. Could the models be wrong? What would that kind of rainfall would do to Houston? Surely the heavy rains wouldn’t center directly over the nation’s fourth-largest city, would they? But they did. Here we are, in the midst of a mega-disaster on the scale only surpassed by Hurricane Sandy and Hurricane Katrina in recent decades, from a hurricane hazard we’ve never seen on such a large and destructive scale—torrential rain. The damages from Harvey will undoubtedly run into the tens of billions of dollars, making Harvey’s rains the most destructive ever experienced from a hurricane. Read more.

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Harvey's 2-day rain in Houston is 3 times floodwater pumped from New Orleans after Katrina ~Nola.com
~For the 48 hours ending at 11 a.m. Monday (Aug. 28), Harris County, Texas, which includes Houston, measured an average 23.7 inches of rain, which represents 732 billion gallons of water, said Jeff Lindner, a Harris County Flood Control District official. While sort of an apples to oranges comparison, that's almost three times as much floodwater as was pumped out of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 by the Army Corps of Engineers.

Of course, that's only the rain total in Houston for the past two days. According to the National Weather Service, the city saw 35.48 inches of rain for the four-day Harvey drenching, as of 11 a.m. Monday. Read more.

Pump at Station No. 6, which drains Lakeview, down again
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Early Monday morning Harvey Forecast Update ~Space City Weather

Radar as of 6 AM shows the heaviest rains oriented from about Beaumont and Lake Charles northwest to Livingston and Madisonville. (GR Level 3).

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Flood Calamity Continues In Houston and Beyond; Harvey Edges Toward Coast ~Bob Henson, Weather Underground

~The nation’s worst flood disaster since Hurricane/Superstorm Sandy continued to unfold late Sunday across Houston and nearby parts of southeast Texas, as Tropical Storm Harvey punished the area with record-shredding rainfall. As of 6:00 pm CDT Sunday, Harvey was centered about 10 miles northeast of Victoria, TX, moving southeast toward the coast at a mere 3 mph with top sustained winds of 40 mph. Despite its minimal tropical-storm-strength winds, Harvey is a superpowered rain producer. Parts of the Houston area have racked up 20” or more in torrential rainbands since Saturday; another 10” – 20” or more is expected, with flooding expanding into parts of southwest Louisiana. The National Weather Service has kept the Houston area in a Flash Flood Emergency since Saturday night—a truly unparalleled stretch—and a Civil Emergency has been declared. And as if we needed any more trouble, a Tropical Storm Watch has been issued for the North Carolina coast as newly designated Potential Tropical Cyclone 10 threatens to strike as Tropical Storm Irma on Tuesday. Read  more

Hurricane Harvey: How to help victims of the Texas storm ~Chron.com

Oil markets roiled as Harvey hits U.S. petroleum industry ~Ahmad Ghaddar, Reuters
~Texas is home to 5.6 million barrels per day (bpd) of refining capacity, and Louisiana has 3.3 million bpd. Over 2 million bpd of refining capacity was estimated to be offline as a result of the storm. Read more.
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Tropical Storm Harvey: Live updates as 'catastrophic' flooding swamps Houston ~Nola.com

NWS @NWS This event is unprecedented & all impacts are unknown & beyond anything experienced. Follow orders from officials to ensure safety. #Harvey

 Chief Art Acevedo‏ @ArtAcevedo have reports of people getting into attic to escape floodwater do not do so unless you have an ax or means to break through onto your roof #Harvey
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Catastrophic, Historic Flooding Happening Now in Houston, Death Toll Rising in Harvey ~Weather Channel
~Thousands of homes are taking on water and hundreds of people are trapped and stranded in rising floodwaters across the Houston metro after Harvey dumped more than two feet of rain. More than 1,000 people have been rescued across the area so far as the death toll from Harvey rose to six.

“There is life-threatening, catastrophic flooding happening now in Southeast Harris County,” Jeff Lindner of the Harris County Flood Control District told The Weather Channel.

Five people have died in the Houston area in unconfirmed flood-related deaths as torrential rain continues to fall, according to the National Weather Service.

Harvey from the ISS, image credit: NASA/Getty

~~Harvey Mangles Rockport, Texas: 'I've Never Seen Anything Like It'

Houston resident urged to climb to their roofs

Residents at epicenter of Harvey's landfall return to heartbreaking devastation

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@liprap Retweeted @BradDriverKHOU

The poor Waugh Ave bat colony...

Brad Driver KHOU @BradDriverKHOU click for video

There are bats swimming in Buffalo Bayou. #HurricaneHarvey

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Culprits in New Orleans' Pumps Crisis Will Soon Be Found Out ~Levees.org

Harvey Impacts Underway in Houston, Galveston: Hundreds of Thousands Without Power ~Weather Channel
Almost 300,000 are without power and possible tornado damage was reported in cities near Houston Saturday as heavy rain and strong winds from Harvey continued to threaten the area with dangerous flooding.
Heavy rainfall and gusty winds will persist in the Houston area through at least Monday, according to weather.com meteorologist Linda Lam. Rainfall totals of 15 to 30 inches are expected, with locally up to 40 inches possible through midweek. This amount of rainfall brings a serious concern of catastrophic and life-threatening flooding.
The storm left at least one dead in Rockport Friday night. A man was killed when his home caught on fire during the height of the storm. Read more

Why storm experts are so scared about Hurricane Harvey’s rain ~Brian Resnik, Vox

 Hurricane Harvey is a huge, life-threatening storm. It struck the Central Texas coast Friday night and brought with it 130 mph winds and several feet of storm surge. But perhaps more concerning is the rain still to come.

“Catastrophic and life-threatening flooding is expected across the middle and upper Texas coast from heavy rainfall of 15 to 30 inches, with isolated amounts as high as 40 inches, through Wednesday,” the National Hurricane Center reports in its forecast. That’s almost an entire year’s worth of rain over the course of a few days.

Hat Tweet for above graphic: Jeffrey Ray @cbs11jeffrey

And, it’s kind of mind-boggling. So I called up Hal Needham to help put in in perspective. Needham is a scientist (a geographer by training) and consultant who studies storm surge risk. He’s based in Galveston, Texas, and writes about storm surge science on his blog. He says when a storm like Harvey comes along, we tend to think too simply about storm risk: We fixate on wind speed, or storm surge height, or rain. But what makes this particular storm risky (and complex) is how all those elements mix together. Read more 

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Second line and rally to commemorate 12th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina ~Alex Woodward, Gambit

Intensifying Harvey On Track to Hit Texas as Major Hurricane ~Bob Henson, Weather Underground

NOLA Ready ✔ @nolaready

Sandbags are available to be picked up from 9a-5p until further notice @ Elysian Fields Ave & I-610 and Broad St & Poydras St

GCOOS: Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System
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Dangerous, Rapidly Intensifying Harvey Expected to be a Major Hurricane ~Dr. Jeff Masters, Wunderground
Now that Harvey has a well-formed structure, I don’t see any impediments to it intensifying right up until landfall. I expect Harvey will be a Category 2 hurricane by Friday morning and a Category 3 hurricane by Friday night. Harvey probably does not have enough time to become a Category 4 storm, though we cannot rule that possibility out yet.
The current favorable conditions for development will remain in place through Friday night, according to the 12Z Thursday run of the SHIPS model. Wind shear will remain light to moderate, and the atmosphere will be moist. SSTs will remain near 30°C (86°F), and warm waters will extend to considerable depth, with a total ocean heat content of 50 – 80 kilojoules per square centimeter. From Thursday night into Friday, Harvey will get an extra boost in energy as it passes over a warm-core eddy that broke off from the Loop Current. The oceanic heat content within the eddy exceeds 75 kilojoules per square centimeter, enough to support rapid intensification. However, the heat content of this eddy is not as high as the heat content available to Hurricane Katrina of 2005, when it moved over a similar warm-core eddy.
This morning’s runs of our top intensity models—the HWRF, LGEM, COAMPS-TC, and DSHIPS—all predicted a Category 2 or 3 hurricane at landfall. Read more.

Tropical Storm Harvey as seen by the GOES-16 satellite at 10:15 am CDT Thursday, August 24, 2017. Image credit: NOAA/CIRA/RAMMB. NOAA’s GOES-16 satellite has not been declared operational and its data are preliminary and undergoing testing

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Deborah ‘Big Red’ Cotton, writer shot in Mother’s Day mass shooting, dies ~WGNO

Remembering Deb Cotton: New Orleans must hold leaders accountable for violence prevention ~The Lens

Deborah Cotton, longtime Gambit second line correspondent, dies at 52 ~Kevin Allman, Gambit

How to Do Hogs for the Cause Like a Boss Hog ~GONOLA

Mardi Gras Pass is building land. Here’s why it’s important ~Theryn Henkle

Hankering for oysters? Here's how your craving is helping save Louisiana's coastline ~Janet McConnaughey, The Advocate

Over 5,000 homes have tornado damage, EF3 strongest ever in Orleans Parish ~WGNO

Black Indians announce practice schedule ~Big Red Cotton, Gambit

Opposition to Trump agenda goes unanswered, literally, by Louisiana’s U.S. senators ~Charles Moldonado, The Lens

Trump Wants to Downplay Global Warming. Louisiana Won’t Let Him ~Christopher Flavelle, Bloomberg

Causeway lands on Trump team's infrastructure priority list ~Robert Rhoden

Major expansion of surveillance cameras in French Quarter, 20 hot spots plus new 3 a.m. rule for bars ~Jeff Adelson, N.O. Advocate 

Louisiana police chief pushes ‘Blue Lives Matter’ law to make resisting arrest a felony ‘hate crime’ ~Erin Corbett, Raw Story

To Fight Coastal Damage, Louisiana Parishes Pushed To Sue Energy Industry ~Tegan Wendland, WWNO

Coyote wanders onto Frenchmen Street, seeks refuge at Dat Dog ~Wilborn P. Nobles III

Battle Against the Bayou Bridge Pipeline Threatens to Become the Standing Rock of Louisiana's Atchafalaya Basin ~Julie Dermansky

Study reveals how salt water impacts La. wetlands ~Dan Boudreaux, HoumaToday.com

Without resources to repair the coast, New Orleans is in peril ~John Barry

Pipeline hearing attracts crowd concerned about Atchafalaya ~Richard Burgess

Louisiana's disappearing wetlands, seen through decades of environmental photojournalism ~Ted Jackson

Phunny Phorty Phellows, Krewe de Jeanne D’Arc, Societé du Champs Elysées

Saints decided it was time for something new by making sweeping changes to coaching staff ~Nick Underhill

Native Americans of Grand Bayou seeking help to remain in homeland~Bob Marshall, The Lens

Princess Leia second line parade planned for Friday to honor Carrie Fisher ~Doug MacCash

Mark Ingram, Jairus Byrd star in Saints' redemption win ~Mile Triplett, ESPN

The Big E: Emeril Lagasse  ~Brett Martin, Garden & Gun~Before the TV shows, the cookware, “Bam!,” and the rest, Emeril Lagasse was a young chef taking over the venerable Commander’s Palace, the launching pad for a career that would change the food world forever. Now, with his first new New Orleans spot in nearly two decades, he’s back to doing what he really loves

New Orleans agrees to pay $13.3 million for police post-Katrina killings ~Jon Herskovitz, Reuters

Louisiana coastal work delays could cost billions of dollars, study says ~Mark Schleifstein

Homes bought out in Bayou Corne sinkhole disaster provide place for tornado victims ~David Mitchell, The Advocate

The veins of America: Stunning map shows every river basin in the US ~Daily Mail

Created by Imgur user Fejetlenfej , a geographer and GIS analyst with a ‘lifelong passion for beautiful maps,’ it highlights the massive expanse of river basins across the country – in particular, those which feed the Mississippi River, in pink

 

 

 

 

Study says New Orleans will see one of the highest levels of sea level rise in the world ~Bob Marshall, The Lens

Consider The Alligator II: Big Changes Come To Louisiana’s Gator Ranching Industry ~Scrumptious Chef

Jeff damage suit against 9 oil firms to go to trial, judge rules ~Mark Schleifstein

Attorneys in BP settlement will divide $555.2 million, modest compared to similar cases, judge says~The Advocate

A home for The Music Box, the musical architecture village opens its permanent space in Bywater ~Gambit

Hey tourists! Live like a local in a taxpayer-subsidized Airbnb apartment ~Charles Maldonado, The Lens

$80 million Shell Island restoration nears completion ~Mark Schleifstein

Chicago museum agrees to correct Hurricane Katrina exhibit ~Levees.org

North Rampart streetcars finally a go: Riders to board new line on Sunday ~Jessica Williams, N.O. Advocate 

Volunteers gather to rebuild homes across NOLA~WWLTV

Piedmont Wind Symphony getting a jump on Mardi Gras ~Lynn Felder, Winston-Salem Journal

“New Orleans was the most musically vibrant city in the country at that time. You could go see a different opera seven days a week, even on Sunday,” ~Mathew Troy, music director.

Music Box Village, NOLA's most unique music venue opens ~Doug MacCash

Waiting for change: New Orleans restaurant workers, tips and new ways to pay ~Helen Freund, Gambit

Buckwheat Zydeco, bandleader who helped introduce Louisiana zydeco to the world, dies at 68 ~Keith Spera

Helis Oil abandons fracking project in St. Tammany Parish ~Robert Rhoden

After Federal Flood of New Orleans 8-29-05, house elevations depended on timing, funding, mindset ~David J. Mitchel, The Advocate

Why we're going to lose on short term rentals ~Library Chronicles

Flooding damage to Louisiana agriculture pegged at $277M ~AP

Top 50 New Orleans Saints of All-Time: No 10-6 ~John Hendrix, Canal Street Chronicles

Feds to shoulder bigger share of Louisiana flood costs ~Julia O'Donoghue

I triumphed over the Army Corps of Engineers and the Sioux Nation can, too ~Sandy Rosenthal

Water mark studies to lend important lessons on Louisiana flood patterns ~Any Wold, The Advocate

Would Better Inspection Technology Prior To Katrina Have Mattered? ~Sandy Rosenthal, Huff Post

Timeline: More than 500 photos from Louisiana flood of 2016, aftermath ~The Advocate 

Meet David Young, a farmer planting the seeds for a healthier 9th ward ~WGNO

Louisiana Takes Stock Of The Damage After Devastating Flooding ~Merrit Kennedy, NPR

Saturday Odds & Sods: Here Comes The Flood  ~Peter Adrastos, First Draft
~It’s been an exhausting few weeks in the Gret Stet of Louisiana. Everyone I’ve heard from in the flood zone is okay but thousands of people are not. I’m proud that many of my friends are helping. We take care of our own here in Louisiana but we need all the help we can get. If you haven’t already done so please click on this link to see a few ways you can help. Your reward is a musical interlude from the Boss: read more

How Climate Change Will Redraw Louisiana’s Flood Maps ~Chelsea Leu, Wired

As The Floodwaters Subside, Rebuilding Begins. How To Prepare Before Returning Home ~Jason Saul, WWNO

Louisiana's Drowning: Follow our Photographer's Journey Capturing Hope and Loss in Historic Flood ~Julie Dermansky, Desmog

Louisiana flooding victims now struggling with where to live ~WWL

Baton Rouge businesses rail against curfew as airport loses flights, restaurants lose patrons ~Advocate

State opens preregistration for disaster food stamps 

Floodwaters still threatening homes in St. John, St. James parishes

Backwater flooding defies easy explanation; video shows Bayou Manchac flowing in opposite direction ~Amy Wold, Advocate 

More areas approved for federal disaster assistance ~WWL

Federal government agrees to assist Louisiana, Gov. John Bel Edwards says 20,000 rescued in historic flooding ~Advocate 

Hat tweet @jwilliamsNOLA Ways to help flood victims in Baton Rouge, elsewhere across Louisiana via @theadvocatebr

~Interactive map: See Baton Rouge areas hit hardest by historic flooding over the weekend

~Hat Tweet~ Gov John Bel Edwards ‏@LouisianaGov  If your parish is not currently in the federal declaration, you can still register with FEMA, but only by phone→ 1-800-621-3362 #lawx #lagov

Historic, deadly floods will worsen as waters rise ~WGNO

Heavy rains flood Southeast Louisiana, Photos ~WWLTV 

With huge bill due to Army Corps of Engineers, Louisiana to ask feds to forgive debt for new levees ~Bob Marshall

Group Plans to Make House Into Hurricane Katrina Memorial ~Janet McConnahey, AP

Flooded Gentilly home to be turned into museum attraction, pics ~Greg LeRose

Nick Underhill's analysis: Eight things we've learned about the Saints during the first phase of training camp ~N.O. Advocate

Pete Fountain, New Orleans' clarinet-playing musical ambassador, dies at 86

Meet the Vegetable: Mirliton, a Hearty, Stuffable Squash ~Anne Wheeler, Modern Farmer

Gulf reef dying of unknown cause: NOAA ~Richard A. Webster

Twin Invests 96L and 97L Worth Watching in the Atlantic~Dr. Jeff Masters, Weather Underground

Federal agencies make little progress on levee safety initiatives ~USA Today

Little criticism of four options for revised streetcar, bus service after opening of North Rampart line ~Jeff Adelson, N.O. Advocate

New law may be the first step to regional funding for flood protection in metro New Orleans ~Sarah Gamard, The Lens

State rejects $30M in solar tax credits ~WWL

Baton Rouge heroes: Remembering officers Montrell Jackson, Matthew Gerald, Brad Garafola after fatal shooting ~The Advocate

Police report on Baton Rouge pawn shop burglary makes no mention of threat to officers ~Travis Spalding, Acadiana Advocate

Baton Rouge: “Put Those Damn Weapons Down!” ~Bill Quigley, Huff Post

600-Foot-Long “Bioswale” Planned for Coliseum Square Park ~Canal Street Beat

Bob Dylan's New Orleans, in Oil on Canvas ~David Alm, Forbes

Bayou Benediction: A Taste of Chef Melissa Martin’s Mosquito Supper Club ~Monica Willis, Modern Farmer

"Hey, Tidy, whada'ya in for?" "Me? *Artifyin." Are those painted electrical boxes outlaw art? ~Doug MacCash

An electrical equipment box painted by artist Jessica Normington (Photo courtesy Jessica Normington).

 ~Tidy claims she had an informal hand-shake arrangement with the former Public Works director when she started the project in 2010, and she is a bit bewildered that municipal leaders allowed 104 of the city's electrical boxes to be *artified*, as she puts it, without official okay up to this point.

Happy 3rd of July at City Park!

Happy 3rd of July

Happy 3rd of July

Happy 3rd of July

Happy 3rd of July

Happy 3rd of July

New Orleans Learns to Love Water ~Laura Bliss, The Atlantic

State says it’s still waiting on Gusman to prove deputies should get extra pay ~Charles Maldonado, The Lens

The Maps are not the Problem: In Perpetuating a Myth, Horowitz Misses the Key Point ~Dr. Ezra Boyd, DisasterMap.net
~Andy Horowitz’s recent New York Times opinion piece on the new flood insurance rate maps for New Orleans contains a number of inaccurate statements, fails to address the fundamental issue, and amounts to nothing more than picking on the “cash-strapped New Orleanians” as they continue the long process of recovering from catastrophic levee failures that occurred over a decade ago. Many of the shortcomings of this piece have been pointed out here and here. In addition to the factual errors that these critiques raise, Prof. Horowitz perpetuates a fundamental misunderstanding of flood risk and how our nation manages it. In no way do the new maps suggest that flood risk has been eliminated, as Prof. Horowitz claims. In perpetuating this inaccurate cliche, the article dances around but does not directly address a fundamental flaw in the National Flood Insurance Program.

Beasts of the Southern Wild casting crew looks to Lafayette for movie talent ~Kris Wartell, The Advertiser

New surfaces absorb rain, helping property owners, drivers and environment ~Bob Marshall, The Lens

Who Is Responsible For This Oil Leak? ~nolaspyboy, Vanishing Earth

Who pays for $3 billion MR-GO wetlands restoration? ~Mark Schleifstein

Why New Orleans food isn’t awesome anymore. Groceries are dying? ~NolaChef504

Tyrann Mathieu turns rant on New Orleans' violence into action with youth camp ~Mike Triplett, ESPN

New Orleans’s New Flood Maps: An Outline for Disaster ~Andy Horowitz, NYT

After flood officials ransomed their data, colleagues say protection is in place ~Bob Marshall, The Lens

Second line Sunday: Bayou Steppers Parade for Peace ~Big Red Cotton, Gambit

Can FEMA’s Flood Insurance Program Afford Another Disaster? ~Frontline

Local Artists to Play Benefit for Leigh “Little Queenie” Harris ~Sam D'arcangelo, offBeat

New Orleans area sinking assisted by industry groundwater use ~Mark Schleifstein

Mosquito control officials say New Orleans actively fending off the Zika virus ~Bob Marshall, The Lens

Arpents, Ligas, and Acres ~Richard Campanella, Know Louisiana

Google Earth image of False River area showing French long lots, American township-and-range, and English metes-and-bounds at upper right. Courtesy of Richard Campanella

Shell Oil Spill Response Is A Joke ~SkyTruth

NASA Maps Show How Fast New Orleans Is Sinking ~George Dvorsky, Gizmodo

The Working Coast: As Louisiana Loses Oil Jobs, Lafayette Feels It Worst ~Tegan Wendland, WWNO

Corps could face billions in 'takings' payments for MR-GO misdeeds~Mark Schleifstein