From the Washington Post, early on 8/25, see: Texas in direct path of suddenly intensifying, ‘astounding’ Hurricane Harvey. [While there is still time to prepare, note that the Texas Extension Disaster Education Network, Texas EDEN, at http://texashelp.tamu.edu/ has a variety of materials on disaster preparation and recovery.]
See also this WashPost article about response capabilities of the federal government.
Update on 8/25. The Diva is getting word from the field about two looming issues:
(1) the availability and competence of the FEMA reservist workforce, many of whom were alienated during Fugate-era changes; and
(2) The large number of undocumented people residing in Texas communities near the Mexico border. They are wary of going to FEMA-sponsored shelters for fear of coming to the attention of Immigration officials, who also work for DHS.
Now here are some additional unusual issues:
- The unusually large amount of rain expected. Here is one account: Outer bands of Hurricane Harvey swipe Texas as more residents flee. An excerpt:
The combination of heavy rain, “life-threatening” storm surges, flooding and strong winds could leave wide swaths of South Texas “uninhabitable for weeks or months,” the National Weather Service in Houston said. Such daunting language hasn’t been seen by CNN’s experts since Hurricane Katrina, which left more than 1,800 people dead in 2005.
- The substantial no. of key staff vacancies in federal agencies. See: Natural Disaster Response Test.
Recovery Diva 