Listen and listen well - things are much worse in Texas than

[malaise]

you're being told.
There is damage at the refineries - no one is saying how bad - 13 of 17 are closed.
There is severe damage at Houston airport
Oil platforms are floating out in the Gulf
The media is just beginning to show you the real damage in seaside communities. Many, many people have not been rescued or found. Stay tuned to local Texas stations - The cable Greedia (love that Frank) are keeping a lid on the real bad news.

Check local Texas blogs and watch here
http://www.maroonspoon.com/wx/ike.html

[malaise]

1. Senior Dems on DU, please contact Sheila Jackson Lee

she's on KHOU right now

[uppityperson]

2. Posting link to my topic where am gathering news on other areas.

If anyone wants me to search for an area or community, please let me know and I will. I agree, news is just getting out, picts etc.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3997458&mesg_id=3997458

[malaise]

3. Great

See what you can find out about the airport and the refineries.
Some more progressive links
http://irregularnews.com/states/texas.html

[uppityperson]

6. Scholes International Airport will remain closed until further notice.

http://www.khou.com/news/local/galveston/stories/khou080914_mh_galveston_update.764fb1b7.html

Which airport? Does this one do? They found a submerged car there with a person in it.

[malaise]

9. We know it's closed but we want information on the severity

of the damage.
How sad for that person and his/her family. :cry:

add.

KHOU says they're evacuating an assisted living residence. More water today.

[uppityperson]

10. Got it. off to check. Found a forum, am looking, lots of stuff from outlying areas.

http://www.khou.com/forums/
can't find anything on airport yet

[uppityperson]

31. Found a picture but nothing yet for a story. Maybe no one's there yet. Will keep looking

Debris surrounds damaged aircraft and hangars at Scholes Field on Galveston Island after the passing of Hurricane Ike, Sept. 13, 2008.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/14/sunday/main4447789.shtml

[Nevilledog]

44. If you owned a plane WHY wouldn't you have flown it out before?

I just don't get that....it's not like there wasn't time to move those planes. I understand maybe not being able to move something like a boat out of the way in time, but a PLANE?

[MissB]

145. My brother flies for a living.

He is often out on a week-long trip overseas, flying a client around in their corporate jet. His personal plane is parked when he is flying the corporate jet. If this hit his area when he was in Europe, then yeah, his personal plane would be toast and there wouldn't be much he could do about it.

[malaise]

52. Thanks uppityperson n/t

[uppityperson]

123. Twelve Texas refineries showing little damage

http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN1444970020080914

PORT ARTHUR, Texas (Reuters) - Twelve of the 15 Texas oil refineries shuttered ahead of Hurricane Ike showed no visible signs of flooding or damage in the storm's wake, although fewer than half of them appeared to have power, a Reuters eyewitness said on Sunday.

The assessment was in line with reports from emergency management officials that the state's refineries appeared to have escaped serious flooding -- a sign fuel production could resume more quickly than initially thought.

Five refineries in the Houston area -- owned by Valero Energy Corp (VLO.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), Lyondell LYO.N, Pasadena, Exxon Mobil (XOM.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Shell Deer Park (RDSa.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) -- had some power with only Lyondell's plant showing superficial damage to two on site storage tanks.

In Texas City, Beaumont and Port Arthur -- areas struck by widespread power outages -- none of the refineries had visible lights, the Reuters witness said. "Even though there is little indication of serious damage, I think it will be difficult to restart these oil refineries because of the power issue," said Chris Jarvis, senior analyst at Caprock Risk Management in Hampton Falls, New Hampshire. "Parts of the power system took a devastating hit."...

[uppityperson]

126. Ike destroys a number of Gulf platforms

http://www.onelocalnews.com/howelltimesandtranscript/stories1/index.php?action=fullnews&id=33139

HOUSTON - Hurricane Ike appears to have destroyed a number of production platforms and damaged some of the pipelines in the Gulf of Mexico, federal officials said Sunday.

"It‘s too early to if it‘s close to Katrina- and Rita-type damage," Herbst said. The MMS says Hurricane Katrina destroyed 44 platforms three years ago, and soon after Hurricane Rita destroyed 64.

Specifics about the size and production capacity of the destroyed platforms were not immediately available. Herbst said the aerial inspections showed Ike damaged several large pipelines, but the extent of the damage was not known.

[uppityperson]

128. So, 12 refineries show little damage, but a # platforms destroyed?

summing up my last 2 posts above.

[malaise]

149. KHOU reporters just said ten platforms destroyed

Let's say so far since this is all preliminary.

[lonestarnot]

4. K & R.

[gblady]

5. Judging from the intensity of the storm...

I figured things were worse than they were initially reported.
Something blowing that big for that long has to leave huge mark.

[lonestarnot]

7. Sort of like a bushitler/dick McSame/McMoose

[uppityperson]

8. Ike Shutters 20% of U.S. Refining Capacity; Reserves Released

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a.rPLbKihqn0&refer=home

Sept. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Almost 20 percent of the U.S.'s oil refining capacity was shut after Hurricane Ike slammed into the Gulf Coast, limiting fuel deliveries and prompting the Department of Energy to release 309,000 barrels from its strategic reserves.

At least 13 refineries in Texas including plants operated by Exxon Mobil Corp., Valero Energy Corp. and Royal Dutch Shell Plc shut 3.64 million barrels a day of refining capacity as Ike approached Texas. Exxon and Shell said yesterday they would begin assessing damage of Gulf facilities as soon as weather permitted. Gulf refineries and ports are the source of about 50 percent of the fuel and crude used in the eastern half of the U.S. Analysts predict gasoline prices may again reach $4 a gallon.

``If these refinery outages go three weeks or more, most of the nation could see $4 gasoline again,'' Bruce Bullock, director of the Maguire Energy Institute at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, said in an telephone interview. ``If they are back up in a week, it may be a 15- or 20-cent-a-gallon increase.''

The U.S. Department of Energy said today it released a total of 309,000 barrels in crude from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve because of shortage in refineries owned by ConocoPhillips and Placid Oil along the Gulf Coast.

``The oil was requested because of disruptions in supply caused by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike,'' the Department said in an e-mailed statement. Deliveries will begin today, it said. The deliveries are for the ConocoPhillips refinery at Wood River along the Capline pipeline system and Placid Oil's Port Allen refinery, the statement added.

[Buns_of_Fire]

85. Deleted.

After rereading the clip, I realized it could be interpreted either way. Mia culpa. (Although I think I would have rephrased that paragraph that said "The U.S. Department of Energy said today it released a total of 309,000 barrels in crude from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve because of shortage in refineries..." a little more concisely.)

[bluesmail]

98. And oil is down to 99/barrel, because Ike didn't fulfill

their expectations?! I've had my tinfoil hat on for years. Not gonna take it off.

[K Gardner]

184. K&R. We're already at $5/gallon in Tennessee, $6 in some parts and there is no gas.

[ensho]

11. La. had some bad flooding too - areas haven't been checked yet

got this from CNN early a.m.

[malaise]

12. Very, very bad in Cameron Parish

I saw another report. We're hearing very little about Louisiana and Gustav left them in a mess which has been exacerbated thanks to Ike.

Little hints like Texas launches its largest search and rescue operation are scary.

[screembloodymurder]

13. Not a single picture in my local paper.

Second page story. I don't get it.

[bigtree]

14. right, massive search and rescue is still underway

many folks certainly still trapped

[screembloodymurder]

15. Why would they lie about storm damage?

Why wouldn't we be told the truth? Why would they keep a lid on the real bad news? I don't get it.

[Glimmer of Hope]

17. I don't think certain people want others to be reminded of what a fiasco Katrina was.

[alarimer]

20. Because they do not want criticism like with Katrina.

In an election year, a major screw-up by the Republican administration would seal the deal for Obama. This is purely political on the part of Perry and the Bush administration. Katrina exposed how rotten this administration is. Bad pictures from this will reveal just how big a fuckup the government really is. Although to be fair, I think local official probably are to blame as well. But most of it goes to FEMA and DHS which just suck generally and also in specific.

[malaise]

22. Bingo

Let me add that more than a few of the citizens made no preparations after deciding to stay so they are also to blame, but perceptions not reality) are what create the problems for elected officials.

[alarimer]

69. There is a lot of denial on all sides when it comes to these storms.

No one wants to think it will hit wherever they are. Couple that with a good deal of uncertainty with this storm and you have a disaster. People were preparing here in Corpus and in areas up the coast but I think no one really expected it to go to Galveston. And so they may have been caught a little bit unaware.

[wanpete]

25. ding ding ding!

[mnhtnbb]

129. They don't want people to see Texans being treated differently

than the residents of New Orleans were treated. That's the real reason.

[cui bono]

165. I heard on NPR today that first responders had no water and that they were asking

the general public to help them out. Food too I think.

[JCMach1]

166. or pictures of bloated bodies lying in the streets... that's why

they are keeping the press out...

[Lars39]

23. Keeps the rest of the population unaware so that they cannot demand

action and change. Keeps those who are directly affected off-guard...not knowing what to expect or when. It all adds to the general confusion and chaos. Bushco thrives on chaos.

[radfringe]

36. also would squash the DRILL HERE DRILL NOW crowd

refineries damaged, floating platforms etc. and gas prices will go up

people will wonder if a cat-2 storm could do this much damage, then how much sense does it make to drill/build more platforms in the gulf?

I know Ike was more dangerous than what people think of as a CAT-2, but the connection of IKE BEING a CAT-2 is already in people's heads

[malaise]

58. Bingo and the drill baby drill vote was supposed to be

this week

[jpak]

49. Panic buying of gasoline -> empty gas stations -> chaos

and it won't be "just a Texas problem" either....

[Marr]

78. It doesn't go well with the "drill here, drill now" slogan, for one thing.

Big Oil (via their PR system called the Republican Party), asserts regularly that "not one drop of oil was spilled during Katrina". It's untrue, of course-- but a very profitable lie if you can get enough dopes to believe it.

[XemaSab]

189. Looking at the few pictures

There's a lot of oil in the flood water down there.

If I had to guess, I would say it had leaked from cars and other engines, but that's just a guess. :shrug:

[TheWatcher]

167. Look at everything that the criminials running this country have done the past eight years and ask

yourself that question again.

If the answer is too frightening for you to handle, do not feel shame.

Because it is.

[Junkdrawer]

178. What if the media were completely excluded from Katrina?

Wouldn't the horrors have been even worse?

Would we have eventually found out or would the news have been called "groundless rumors" or "conspiracy theories"?

[kath]

16. Looks like there will be no more aerial coverage --

Der Homeland Securiteschenfuhrer (made-up German) has closed down the airspace over Galveston Island.

veddy inteddesting...

[malaise]

24. Since yesterday

In a few hours bodies will be floating.
Now I don't think either local or federal officials can be blamed for some of the losses which are coming but when elderly people need help leaving and get none, then they are totally to blame.

[SoCalDem]

42. sharks.. maybe not so many bodies

:cry:

[malaise]

60. If the numbers of trapped/missing people are as large as

we're hearing, even sharks won't help them here.

[ensho]

181. how unamerican, how uncaring

nt

[Egalitariat]

18. I call BS. The MSM loves nothing more than overhyping bad news

If there was something horrific, not only would it be all over the news, but it would also be greatly over-exaggerated.

To keep horrific info off of every last channel would take a conspiracy of epic proportions.

[alarimer]

21. hopefully you are right.

I wouldn't put anything past these DHS goons though. Everything they do is suspect and probably political. My fondest wish is to dismantle that agency. I wish someone would start exposing them for what they are.

[AndyTiedye]

54. No It Wouldn't. ALL Of The Networks Take Their Orders from the RNC

The RNC will not want hurricane deaths to be in the news, so they are being downplayed.

[2Design]

163. retaliation by the government would stop the truth - think of palin

in alaska and bush

[nebenaube]

171. dupe

[nebenaube]

172. no just full spectrum dominance.... stated policy is not conspiracy n/t

[rainbow4321]

19. Truck driver trying to get FEMA supplies to Houston/Galveston

is being interviewed on one of the channels. Is being delayed by people on the highways looking at the damage. He's really frustrated, asking people to listen to local officials who are telling people to stay OFF the roads. Says he is on I-10 60 miles outside Katy and is having problems getting to where the supplies need to get to.

[Blue Diadem]

26. another website with 11 stations, including Terrebonne Parish La.

I've been watching La's coverage. People are upset there with Fema. News guy said they're forbidden from riding in the choppers to report on damage but newspaper media was allowed. He wanted to know why they didn't want any video recorded.

http://www.livenewscameras.com/map.html

[MiniMe]

29. OMG, that is hurricane overload

Thanks for the link

[Blue Diadem]

30. Thank goodness the default is set to mute!

Can you imagine them all talking at once? :hi:

[malaise]

32. Did you hear the city manager

He said he's not sure what happened to the people in the West End. There were several calls from them during the storm. Drip, drip, drip.

Ooops Kay Bailey Hutchinson says the refineries are going to be offline for at least nine days.
No wonder McSame and Wondermoose haven't shown up.

[tnlurker]

27. Other than the kid that had the limb fall on him

I have not heard of any other deaths yet. Usually that is one of the first things reported.

[malaise]

28. A tree fell on a woman's home

and uppityperson mentions another one upthread.

The Galveston mayor is holding a press conference now on KHOU. She appears clueless from before the hurricane hit. Perry on now.

http://www.maroonspoon.com/wx/ike.html

add

[wanpete]

34. is galveston's mayor dem o repub?

[malaise]

37. You're not serious

Every name she called was a Rethug - she's as Rethug as the Keating Five. :D

[KnaveRupe]

170. The Keating 5 consisted of 4 Dems and St. John McCain. n/t

[WolverineDG]

38. She's a dem, as if that matters now nt

[wanpete]

43. I'm only asking because the fingers will soon start pointing. That is all. Just wondering.

the whole story of this storm and it's aftermath have yet to be told.

[malaise]

55. I was wrong

She is a Dem

[WolverineDG]

62. Yes because hurricanes decide how much damage they'll do

based on the political affiliation of the local mayor. :eyes: That has as much relevance to this situation as the price of tea in China.

dg

[malaise]

48. You're right but many sites say otherwise

Governor: Rick Perry (R) Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas (R)

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080914042912AA3IzvR

[tammywammy]

39. She's a Dem

[Skidmore]

35. I've heard 25 deaths reported on one of the cable channels.

I do believe it is much worse than we are being shown and we need to step up and demand to know how much infrastructure is damaged since we'll be footing the bill for it too. Look, New Orleans was never to happen again. Ray Nagin learned that but FEMA hasn't and I strongly suspect that * and crew are doing some major CYA to deflect backlash so that it doesn't take out McCain.

Don't we have Dems with cameras and mouths down there and some place to archive video/photographs and stories?

[malaise]

57. They can't cover this up from now to November

Dems are in the field. We'll soon get the whole story from progressive radio and blogs. Photos are slowly coming out.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

51. You should delve a little deeper than the corporate media.

[tammywammy]

33. The refineries cannot open until they get the electricity restored

Once that's done, they'll call in the people that work there and they'll get them up and running.

It takes a couple of days to get the refinery up and running anyways. It's not just flipping a switch.

[WolverineDG]

40. My brother usually has "hurricane duty"

but was on vacation this week, so didn't have to report to the refinery, thank God. It does take time to get them back up & running. Don't want the refinery to go :nuke: .

dg

[tammywammy]

45. Yep

It takes time to get them up. None of the men in my family have been called back up by the refineries yet.

[uppityperson]

56. Glad he was on vacation.

[rxdem84]

41. They won't be able to hide much longer. The truth is going to

come out BEFORE the election. They can try to ignore it, but the truth will come out. Where the heck is Anderson Cooper? He was so outraged during Katrina.

[Janeite]

137. Anderson Cooper was broadcasting live yesterday evening

standing waist-deep in water.

[roamer65]

46. They "learned" from Katrina to control the information.

Our gov't is as bad as the old USSR.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

113. Our government's hurricane math is like the USSR's Chernobyl Math.

It's completely fucked up.
Duckie

[Dreamer Tatum]

47. Bull

Of course there's damage at the refineries, but they're not working because they need juice and they need people to show up for work.

Which airport are you talking about? Hobby has two runways open.

Got any evidence for the platforms being on the loose?

The media is just beginning to show the seaside damage because it's taken that long just to get there. No one has any reason to downplay the damage, which is severe.

This one was BAD, no question, and it will be MISERABLE for a while, but it's not on the level of Katrina by a longshot.

[SammyWinstonJack]

50. And you know this, how?

[countryjake]

53. "Two Oil Rigs Break Loose after Ike"

http://www.cnbc.com/id/26692149

By CNBC.com 13 Sep 2008 08:43

Two oil rigs broke loose from their moorings in the Gulf of Mexico during Hurricane Ike, CNBC has learned Saturday.

The rigs are now about 100 miles off shore in the Central Gulf of Mexico, U.S. Minerals Management Service spokeswoman Eileen Angelico said.

The rigs are relatively stationary now and will be secured by tugboats when the seas calm, Angelico said.

The rigs involved are drilling rigs and not production platforms, but Angelico would not say what company owns them. There is no word yet on any environmental damage, she said.


Ike sends two drilling rigs adrift in Gulf
http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20080913/HURBLOG/809130287/1223&title=Ike_sends_two_drilling_rigs_adrift_in_Gulf

Published: Saturday, September 13, 2008 at 6:40 p.m.

NEW ORLEANS — The Minerals Management Service has two confirmed reports of drilling rigs adrift in the central Gulf of Mexico because of Hurricane Ike, the agency says in a news release.

The MMS, industry, and the U.S. Coast Guard are working together to monitor the paths of the two rigs. MMS has determined through a pre-hurricane season risk analysis that there is minimal infrastructure in the areas surrounding these two rigs.

“MMS is closely monitoring these rigs, and they have been relatively stationary for several hours,” said Lars Herbst, regional director, MMS Gulf of Mexico Region. “We expect tugs to be on location to secure the rigs as soon as sea conditions allow.”

[MiniMe]

59. I have a feeling that the death toll will unfortunately make Katrina look small in comparison

If 28,000 people stayed in Galveston, I fear a lot of those people were lost. I'm hoping I'm wrong, praying I'm wrong. And they even had deaths in Lousiana from this storm.

[malaise]

61. I thought it was more like 150,000

people who remained.

[Igel]

66. Something like that in all the areas under mand. evac.

Galveston was a small part of that.

[malaise]

93. Thanks n/t

[malaise]

63. Chertoff on KHOU now

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Hutchison as well. Chertoff says search and rescue is of grave concern now. Questions about missing people are increasing. Cattle are the only sign of life in the West End.

Something serious is up - the big boys and girls are back in Galveston.
add.

[eleny]

67. Afraid of losing Texas in November, no doubt

And they should be if the devastation you report is going on. The news will only be worse in the days ahead.

Thanks, m.

[malaise]

72. This was not in their plans n/t

[OneGrassRoot]

105. We'll never know the real death toll from Katrina. n/t

[MiniMe]

122. Agreed

We'll probably never know the true death toll in this one either.

[dogday]

64. FEMA is not allowing air traffic over Galveston, including press

Crystal Beach is gone... They won't even begin to say what happened to the Bolivar Penisula... People in Houston are suffering...

We are the lucky ones.. We only went without power for 12 hours.. Over 2 million in Houston do not have power... Everyone around us does not have power.. We don't know why we do, but we feel blessed..

[malaise]

65. You probably live near a hospital or other emergency building

Same here - we're near to a hospital.
The Bolivar Ferry station is gone. KHOU is showing both Crystal Beach and Bolivar Peninsula now. Gone - total devastation.

[dogday]

68. We are near Trans Star command center where Hurricane Central

is located, and a hospital as well. It is worse than they are letting us know.. I have had nothing but local tv for a day and I have been watching these officials when asked about Bolivar Peninsula, they say they are not speaking about it now, will talk about it later they say.. I can tell something is up...

[malaise]

71. Yep many of us have suspected this since Jim Cantore

from Weather Channel hinted that something really bad happened in the West end. Every now and then one of them slips up - the City Manager slipped earlier and suggested that it is very bad. And so did Chertoff when he said the search and rescue is grave.
Glad you're OK and power is back. That helps always.

[EFerrari]

74. The Galveston mayor told the press she was in no position

to have complaints. Perry on one side of her, Skeletor on the other.

[rainbow4321]

77. Glad someone else noticed that

She had a pretty long awkward pause when asked by the media if she had any complaints. After that she added the "I'm in no position to complain"

[EFerrari]

80. She looks like she's not easily intimidated and I bet she'll have minders

by her side for a while.

[dogday]

87. Early this morning one of the local reporters said they just

happened to run into the Mayor of Galveston and asked her how she was holding up... Said she just broke down crying and said I love this town... I thought that heart wrenching....

[dogday]

84. They left the mics on during one press conference and you could hear Perry tell the Mayor to

push the recovery effort, he said that is what we need to be saying, push the recovery effort... I thought that was so strange when I heard it...

All I had was local news till just 30 minutes ago and I came straight here for the scoop... I have the worst of feelings and hope I am wrong....

[merh]

73. My cousin lives on Bolivar

another had a summer home there.

I don't know where my cousin went to during the storm or if he left, he is the hardheaded Texan type, he may have stayed. :(

[malaise]

81. I hope your cousin is OK merh

:grouphug:

[merh]

91. you know how it goes, you just keep trying to find out what's

going on and you hold on to hope.

[dogday]

88. I hope your cousin is ok...

I will let you know if I hear anything.... :hug:

[malaise]

89. KHOU confirming deaths

says next of kin being contacted. Also said there will be more.
Night hurricanes are ten times more deadly.

[merh]

90. Please do

I've been calling family all day, can't get through to most - did reach an uncle who lives outside of houston and he is doing okay - without electricity but okay.

[uppityperson]

118. forum link (khou forum)

http://www.khou.com/forums

[elehhhhna]

155. reports here say everybody got off bolivar, the water came up & flooded

it HOURS before the storm hit & before rained. Weird, but it probably saved quite a few lives.

Bet your cousin left & he's & on hold w/ his insurance co. right now

[merh]

161. I hope you are right - thank you for the report, I hadn't heard that

about the early flooding. That gives me more hope. :hi:

[countryjake]

164. Some of the helicopter rescues we saw on Friday morning were Bolivar Peninsula...

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/15/us/15scene.html

A Coast Guard spokesman, Senior Chief Petty Officer Steve Carleton, said that 93 people in the Houston area had been rescued by helicopter before the storm hit, and that many of those were from the peninsula.

But others were trapped by a storm surge that hit in the wee hours Friday morning — well in advance of the hurricane — swamping evacuating cars and flipping a dump truck that constables were trying to use as a rescue vehicle. “They were saying there was going to be a surge when the storm hits, not 24 hours before the storm hit,” Mr. Isaacks said.

Petty Officer Carleton confirmed that some of those rescued Friday had been in their cars.

Some of the rescue workers said they had been asleep when they got a call on Friday warning them that the storm surge was upon them. They immediately began a fraught rescue operation. Stranded people were loaded into the pickup truck of an emergency worker from Crystal Beach, on the peninsula, but just as they were about to reach safety, the truck rolled over, the workers said. The evacuees, floundering through chest-deep, snake-infested water, were herded to a guard rail for safety. Four were rescued by helicopter.

[EFerrari]

70. I just saw a shot of Crystal Beach. It is gone.

What is left looked like toothpicks and there didn't seem to be much of that.

[JeanGrey]

176. Where are you getting this? I just saw a ton of pictures

taken over Galveston island and other points by the guys at a weather site that took up a small plane.

[dogday]

177. I am getting this from my news here in Houston... At one point

FEMA gave the order not to allow them any more access to fly over Galveston.. The Press here was livid.. They contacted Washington and got the ok to fly over again...

I am in the heart of this storm and have been watching my local news day and night since this affects me and those I love...

[JeanGrey]

194. Well I just saw the pics yesterday.

[annabanana]

97. There were reports of 3 platforms loose on MSNBC earlier

this morning..in the crawl

[malaise]

99. They don't even know how many are loose

and the numbers will only rise. GEM$NBC is now showing damage from the West End and saying several pipelines and production platforms were damaged/destroyed. Seven now confirmed dead.

[malaise]

147. KHOU reporters just said 10 production platforms were

destroyed.

Crystal beach is a complete disaster. I hope people escaped or are still hanging on.

[countryjake]

150. slug bug!

:hi:

[malaise]

153. LOL

:hi:

[akwapez]

162. per MSNBC -

"Federal officials said Ike destroyed a number of production platforms, though it was too soon to know how badly"

ummm. I think "destroyed" is pretty f**king bad.

[malaise]

169. Isn't that the truth n/t

[XemaSab]

190. "Damaged" versus "destroyed"

I was looking at pictures of "damaged" houses yesterday and thinking that "damaged" implies fixable. If your roof is halfway down the street, one wall is flat on the ground with a boat on it, and another wall is nowhere to be seen, that ain't "damaged."

[countryjake]

148. KHOU has just reported that 10 Oil Production Platforms were destroyed...

not damaged, but totally destroyed, and that is just the initial report.

http://www.khou.com/video/?nvid=178826&live=yes&noad=yes

[pnutbutr]

182. 10 out of 3800

[tannybogus]

75. This was a setup for disaster.

People had evacuated for Gustav and Rita(years before). That was an awful experience and they were not major problems.
People who haven't been through a major hurricane tend to downplay what can happen in their minds. I'm not sure it can be comprehended.
Some people who have been through a major hurricane tend to gloss over what happened.
Katrina may have subconsciously given some people a better feeling. Katrina had levees that broke. People may have been thinking that since there were no levees that it couldn't be that bad.
And it's just hard to leave home I don't care who you are and what you've been through.:(

[malaise]

83. National guard at the stadium have neither food nor water in Houston

They're begging for people to bring food and water to the stadium. On Khou now. First responders have no water or food.
Another Bushco/FEMA clusterfuck.

add and correct subject.

[Glimmer of Hope]

92. This needs to get out there. It is unacceptable.

[dogday]

115. Just got back from Tully where I dropped off some

food and such... There are cars backed up as far as the eye can see...When the call was made, Houstonians answered for our lst responders... Even all of those who have no power and are in hardship were there as well...

Made me smile for the first time in days....

[malaise]

138. You're a good person

KHOU people just said that the first responders now have more than enough food and drink thanks to people like you. :yourock:

[marions ghost]

94. Do you think people

would leave if they were fined for staying?...Seriously large fines could be put into the rescue fund, but the point would be that many would finally take it seriously and actually leave.

[Two Americas]

140. please stop

Please stop with that. It is heart breaking to hear people continue to frame this problem as the victim's fault.

Not everyone is as clever or fortunate as you are. Have some compassion.

[marions ghost]

175. Oh BS

Nobody's framing this as the victim's fault.

We have lots of laws and fines that are designed to protect people from their own worst decisions. When it comes to life or death, it's completely justified. You must be one of those people who rail against seat belt and helmet laws. My goal is to have less victims, not blame them. Your philosophy is "let em die" in the name of some bogus personal freedom. But that's par for the course in a country where real personal freedom is nothing but an illusion.

Fines would have the effect of saving many lives. Bottom line.

[Two Americas]

193. there is nothing to argue about

I asked you to stop. You can ignore me, but I am not going to argue over what should have been done by "us" to "them" for "their own good" when people are desperately suffering. What you talk about is your own business.

[TheWatcher]

168. No, I think you're just proudly displaying the enormity of how big

of an asshole mentality you have.

It's quite impressive.

::Golf Clap::

[marions ghost]

185. let's

all degenerate to the name-calling level...and display our enormous assholes shall we?

[merh]

96. Please get your facts straight

what the media focused on was the leeves that failed after Katrina came inland.

Katrina was the total destruction of the Mississippi Gulf Coast much like the coastal towns of Texas knows from Ike. Our storm surge was much greater 25 to 35 feet - the damage and destruction went far inland as did much of the flooding. Most of the 83 counties of Mississippi were declared disaster areas after the storm.

We were blessed, Katrina came in during the daylight hours, had it been night there would have been far more fatalities.

What you see of those Texas coastal towns is what the entire MS Gulf Coast looked like, from Alabama to Louisiana. And sadly, those in Hancock County Mississippi have been flooded out again due to Ike, they were flooded out due to Gustav as well.

There is nothing anyone can do to predict mother nature or the devastation of hurricanes.

[uppityperson]

119. However it is true that the focus post-Katrina was NO and levees, not the coast

so it seems a lot of people missed the fact that hurricanes are wide, the destruction goes on and on and on and on and on. I sure wish media coverage would have shown more of the breadth, but that would have been difficult, or at least not focused so much on the levees.

Thinking of you (yes, you merh) was why I've been searching and posting for reports wider than Galveston/Houston, though they are difficult to find. http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3997458&mesg_id=3997458

[merh]

141. I appreciate your work putting all those links and all that information

in one place.

The only good thing I can say about this is Texas will get all the aid they need and the feds will not fail them, its election time and too many votes would be lost - oh and they will be sure the voting precincts are ready for the voters come November.

[Jeanette in FL]

76. This reminds me of Hurricane Andrew in 1992

The cover up of death and destruction. Local news was reporting that thousands of people were dead, yet the official death count was something like 50.

I lived in South Florida at the time and remember how large areas of South Florida were blocked by military and volunteers were not permitted to enter.

Then miraculously the local news started back tracking on their initial reports of death and destruction.

The areas that were heavily hit were inhabited by migrant workers.

I always wondered what the truth was then.

[malaise]

79. Katrina too

Some local Texas networks are flying over communities today.

[EFerrari]

95. I didn't know that happened. Good lord. n/t

[WritersBlock]

111. A first responder to Andrew told me deaths were in the thousands.

He also said we'd never hear about it in the media because they were concentrated in the migrant settlements.

[readmoreoften]

82. It's not just "the media." The media has been barred from the disaster site by the Feds.

Let's be real. The death count is going to be off by magnitudes. 11K to 20K people stayed behind in Galveston but only 3 dead so far and all media banned from the rescue area? 140,000 people stayed along the coast as a whole and only 8 dead. We here that they're seeing many "houses that just pancaked" but apparently the only pancaked houses were only ever owned or rented by people who evacuated.

Let's add it up:

No photos of dead bodies. Keep it 'tasteful.' (Chertoff)
Embedded reporting. Other reporters barred.
No fly overs. Official fly over released to public.
40% of Galveston reported to have stayed: estimated 11K-20K people.
140,000 stayed in effected areas.
"Mass Devastation" "Pancaked Houses" whole communities "Gone"
We only hear about the rescues.
8 total deaths over 3 states.

I'm in Austin and the Starbucks my girlfriend works at is filled with middle class people from Houston and Galveston. Many have flocked to Starbucks to replan their lives, access the internet, and so forth. She said that she is overhearing conversations full of suspicion: why is it going to take minimum 2 weeks to have the electricity restored. Why are they being discouraged from returning home if some areas have electricity? Many are skeptical about the reporting out of Galveston.

There is so much weirdness going on here, it's difficult to describe.

[malaise]

86. They can't hide this forever n/t

[ColbertWatcher]

100. It's Ron Paul's district; there were no hurricanes in the Constitution ...

Just kidding.

Although, I do wonder what the esteemed "Dr." Paul is doing for his constituents.

Anyone know?

[malaise]

101. Haven't even seen him

Look at Bolivar - damn!

[ColbertWatcher]

102. At all? I wonder if that's why they elected him to represent them? n/t

[EFerrari]

103. It could also be that the embedded media hasn't given him time.

It looks pretty captured to me, anyway.

[malaise]

104. Good point n/t

[EFerrari]

106. On the other hand, he can't very well come out and nag people

about waiting for FEMA, can he? lol

[malaise]

107. No he can't

Not with his libertarian stance.

[ColbertWatcher]

109. I'm glad someone caught my "not in the Constitution" joke! n/t

[malaise]

114. Paying attention

:rofl:

[EFerrari]

116. Sorry! lol

[ColbertWatcher]

108. He's the representative of the area. He can call a press conference.

Or, show up during someone else's press conference.

He is, after all, a U.S. representative. And, from the looks of things, his constituents on Galveston Island seemed fairly wealthy. Maybe wealthy enough to have some sway with someone in the press?

Regardless, if the GOP-controlled media doesn't want to come to a press conference if he felt so compelled to have one, he could just blog about whatever he felt is important or post something on YouTube.

Hell, he still has supporters, maybe one of them can post his comments online and the rest of them can Digg it up.

Or perhaps it's "Dr." Paul who's embedded?

[EFerrari]

110. Could be both. I looked for a statement from him and didn't find anything yet. n/t

[malaise]

112. Hobby and Bush airports will be reopened for limited service

tomorrow.

[EFerrari]

117. Houston Ch 11 is now showing aerial views.

It looks pretty terrible. :(

[malaise]

131. It's terrible

There's another problem - it's a pool video - embedded - and you're not sure where they're showing.
The Feds are becoming more brazen. Imagine if they prevent the greedia from covering an aerial view of a major attack on citizens by the Feds or Blackwater. They are setting frightening boundaries and are not acting like the lamefucks they are at this stage.

[EFerrari]

132. They just showed a long line of people waiting to leave.

Not close enough to really see them except that most of them are black or brown.

Got the message? I feel like I'm watching a crime in progress.

[ColbertWatcher]

120. I just find it strange that his supporters were every where during the primaries ...

... yet they can't be found anywhere now.

I mean, if he was trying to say anything that is.

I would think it'd be very easy for someone with a huge following like he has to get something out.

[EFerrari]

121. I agree, it's weird. Nothing in my news search, nothing new on the web. n/t

[ColbertWatcher]

125. I don't know how it is in Texas, but out here in La-la Land ...

... the rich control the media.

If they wanted something said, it would get said.

[EFerrari]

127. Things look pretty tight in Houston. Skeletor and Perry stood

on either side of the Galveston mayor to make sure she didn't "misspeak".

No excuses for Paul from me, but, there ain't nada coming out of Houston that the Feds haven't approved. I betcha. How that one Congressman got on the air to call out FEMA for not feeding first responders, I don't know. That was amazing.

This whole thing has been airbrushed, though. Where are the ladies crying over their destroyed homes? Where are the worried looking kids? Where are the colorful people? Where are the homeless people that rode out the storm in downtown Houston? :shrug:

[malaise]

133. Another press conference coming up

in a few minutes. Give those people another day sfexpat2000 Not even Chertoff and Perry will stop them. Did you see the people outside Walgreens a few minutes ago. As soon as the manager saw the camera, he started letting in more than five people.

[EFerrari]

136. Power to the people.

lol

:hug:

[ColbertWatcher]

134. Good questions all. I'd just like to know where that ol' Mavrick Paul is. That's all. n/t

[SweetieD]

124. I noticed there was something fishy about the MSM coverage of this too.

[EFerrari]

130. It just seems unreal to me. Unless you're a white guy giving out food

from the back of a mostly new truck, you don't get on the air. That's what it looks like, anyway.

:shrug:

[KeepItReal]

139. What coverage? CNN and MSNBC are hardly bothering to interrupt regular shows

<eom>

[countryjake]

152. Here...

Live Streaming Video
http://www.khou.com/video/?nvid=178826&live=yes&noad=yes

[LonelyLRLiberal]

135. In press conferences, FEMA people refused to talk about casualties.

They bounced that back to local authorities. They had a very, very hostile tone when talking about the people who stayed; basically, the impression I got was "if you stayed, you deserved what you got, and we don't give a damn."

[limit18]

142. Ike

Ray Wilkinson, 67, didn't want to leave Friday until it was too late. When authorities realized he was there, they decided not to endanger their personnel to get him out of town.

When authorities got to him Saturday morning, Wilkinson was drunk.

"He kinda drank his way through the night," Davison said. Wilkinson was waving when officials got to the house.

[uppityperson]

143. And? Huh, search shows me something you thought was funny.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=283&topic_id=693&mesg_id=693

[malaise]

154. There are a few survivors in the Bolivar penninsula

PHEW.

[uppityperson]

158. That's good. I haven't seen the news, doing internet searching. thanks.

[malaise]

159. A lady who was working with the emergency team, whose

home was in Gilchrist, said that not only was her home destroyed but that only 20% of homes had survived on the Bolivar peninsula. They had to go in by boat.
KHOU also showed us a huge croc in the water. That's is hostile water.

[defendandprotect]

144. Are you in the area?

Anything of their national guard left?

[sudopod]

146. Saw my first episode of Frank today.

He kicks so much ass. XD

[malaise]

151. Wasn't that fabulous

:D

[B2G]

156. KHOU has been showing video all day

They've had a chooper doing extensive flyover coverage of Galveston, Chrystal Beach & the entire Boliver pennisula.

The Boliver pennisula is utterly destroyed. Wiped out, gone. It's devastating. Roads in are either gone or impassable.

The authorities know the death toll will be bad. What are they supposed to say until they have recovered bodies? It must be so nice to sit in our air conditioned homes and denigrate the rescue efforts for potential political gain. The word macabre comes to mind.

[EFerrari]

160. You're missing the point entirely. The reporting has erased

people out of their reports almost completely.

That's macabre.

[tom_paine]

180. Katrina exposed a major hole in Bushie Propaganda Ops. It's been sealed.

What did you think would happen?

I have absolutely no doubt that the management of the press is now done military style for major storm events.

Like the Soviets, the only time we will see the actual effects of catastrophes is when the Bushie Party Comrades want us to be afraid.

[hunter]

186. It's so very Soviet...

Remember when we used to pat ourselves on the back and claim we weren't like that whenever some major disaster occured in the Soviet Union and Tass would claim ludicrously low casualties?

I've no doubts that if there is no one who can speak out for you, and your body is eaten by the alligators or otherwise lost, that that's it -- you simply never existed. Undocumented workers, homeless people, and elderly people alienated from their families simply disappear.

[EFerrari]

188. And their first impulse is to excise the people from the event.

Exactly.

[cwydro]

157. Houston airport is supposed to open tomorrow.

I think the media is embarrassed that their "certain death" scenario did not come true. They just don't have all the horribleness they had so desperately hoped for. So they've moved on.

Of course there is damage; it was a Cat 2 storm and a large one. But there was nowhere near what all the panicmongers (including some right here on DU predicted).

If what they predicted had they come true, with scores of dead - it would be all over the news.

I see the vultures down here in the Keys making up stories when there is none. Last week we had one crew with a reporter shaking a stop sign while the cameraman filmed it.:eyes:

[XemaSab]

191. Are you f***ing kidding me?

If you stayed behind in Gilchrist, you died.

That's it. It's over.

I think understating the danger is much worse than overstating the danger.

[Cherchez la Femme]

173. Not good

Not good for we poor peons who need to buy gasoline to get to work :cry:

Not good for Republicants :woohoo:

as gas prices will surely rise.
If they don't, there is no stronger indictment/correlation on how deeply Big Oil is intertwined and in collusion with those crooks.

[JeanGrey]

174. There is very little damage at the refineries! They are closed

because the power isn't back on yet.

[Breeze54]

179. But XXON ugh CEO was on teevee and said they had set up generators BEFORE Ike got there....

He was on (not so)Good Morning America with Matt.

He said... I can't remember... something about needing electricity
and to do more inspections and assessments of the actual damage.

[JeanGrey]

195. Generators can't run an entire refinery.

[pnutbutr]

183. refineries shut due to power loss and hardly any damage

12 of 15 have no damage and are only shutdown due to power outages.

One of the two damaged only had damage to two storage tanks.

10 of 3800 oil platforms in the gulf were damaged.

If there was severe damage to any of the oil infrastructure, oil prices would be skyrocketing and no amount of media spin would be able to hide it.

[malaise]

187. We told you!!

They're trying to hide the truth

[earth mom]

192. Kick. nt