Ed The Hurricane [or Tropical Storm] Harvey Thread

[Marcus]

Depends what you mean by toxic. Just because there is no radiation involved, it can still be hazardous to health. It could be equally carcinogenic with ill health showing up several years down the line.

Organic peroxides don't need to be 'warmed up'. They need to be kept at refrigerated temperatures. Room temperature is enough to set them off as it causes a rapid oxidization process = flames/explosions.

http://www.nof.co.jp/english/business/chemical/product01_06.html

Of course they were warmed up. The power went out, then the backup generator failed because it was flooded, so power to the refrigeration unit was lost.We saw the result.

I agree that "toxic" is relative. Yes, they are not as benign as water, but as chemical plant disasters go, this one is not really a threat to the surrounding residents.

 

[casebro]

They've just dumped a load of Oxi-Kleen into the wash water.

If it had been the acetic acid system, them Texans could have been in a pickle.

 

[Vixen]

They've just dumped a load of Oxi-Kleen into the wash water.

If it had been the acetic acid system, them Texans could have been in a pickle.

Speaking of which, did anybody see the Charlie Hebdo front page?

what is that about? Are people in Houston known for being 'neo nazis', as it claims?

 

[Craig4]

That's an odd thing to think considering that Houston is a majority minority city with whites making up slightly less than half of the population. Seems like the Charlie Hebdo staff are making a generalization about Texas.

 

[sts60]

I get that Charlie Hebdo is in large part about provoking people, but that's just stupid.

Houston is relatively liberal, voted for Clinton by double digits, recently had an openly homosexual woman as a mayor, has a black mayor currently, is home to multiple universities and Johnson Space Center and the gigantic Texas Medical Center, and as Craig4 said is majority-minority with a huge accumulation of folks from what used to be called Latin America, as well as Asia and other decidedly non-KKKish places. ETA: it's a decidedly international city, that still in ways managed to retain a small-town friendly feeling, and is quite far from the stereotype CH is trotting out. That doesn't mean there aren't racists and other dirtbags, but most of the folks who were killed were probably not even white, let alone Klansmen.

A silly and dumb cover.

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

I'm sorry but I do not understand how anyone could leave their dogs or cats behind. A hamster or a bunny, fine, put the cage up as high as you can. But I couldn't leave my dogs behind, no way. Unless I had children to save, OK maybe. But otherwise, I could not leave my dogs behind.

 

[Vixen]

I'm sorry but I do not understand how anyone could leave their dogs or cats behind. A hamster or a bunny, fine, put the cage up as high as you can. But I couldn't leave my dogs behind, no way. Unless I had children to save, OK maybe. But otherwise, I could not leave my dogs behind.

Me neither. It is heartbreaking to see horses left behind and poor bedraggled dogs.

 

[Dr. Keith]

I get that Charlie Hebdo is in large part about provoking people, but that's just stupid.

Houston is relatively liberal, voted for Clinton by double digits, recently had an openly homosexual woman as a mayor, has a black mayor currently, is home to multiple universities and Johnson Space Center and the gigantic Texas Medical Center, and as Craig4 said is majority-minority with a huge accumulation of folks from what used to be called Latin America, as well as Asia and other decidedly non-KKKish places. ETA: it's a decidedly international city, that still in ways managed to retain a small-town friendly feeling, and is quite far from the stereotype CH is trotting out. That doesn't mean there aren't racists and other dirtbags, but most of the folks who were killed were probably not even white, let alone Klansmen.

A silly and dumb cover.

Not to mention the influx of folks from Louisiana after Katrina. And yes, any Texan will be clear on the fact that Louisiana is a foreign country.

Seriously though, that is what I miss from Houston: great mix of cultures and fantastic food that results from such a good mix of cultures.

 

[Vixen]

BREAKING: Now thick black fumes are rising out of the put out fire at Arkema.

Residents who did not evacuate are being told to shut their windows, turn off the air-conditioning and shelter in place.

The substance being emitted is believed to be:

CUMENE HYDROPEROXIDE.

H242 (99.9%): Heating may cause a fire [Danger Self-reactive substances and mixtures; and Organic peroxides - Type C, D]
H302 (100%): Harmful if swallowed [Warning Acute toxicity, oral - Category 4]
H311 (47.19%): Toxic in contact with skin [Danger Acute toxicity, dermal - Category 3]
H312 (53.51%): Harmful in contact with skin [Warning Acute toxicity, dermal - Category 4]
H314 (100%): Causes severe skin burns and eye damage [Danger Skin corrosion/irritation - Category 1A, B, C]
H317 (44.69%): May cause an allergic skin reaction [Warning Sensitization, Skin - Category 1]
H318 (43.69%): Causes serious eye damage [Danger Serious eye damage/eye irritation - Category 1]
H330 (39.78%): Fatal if inhaled [Danger Acute toxicity, inhalation - Category 1, 2]
H331 (60.22%): Toxic if inhaled [Danger Acute toxicity, inhalation - Category 3]
H341 (35.67%): Suspected of causing genetic defects [Warning Germ cell mutagenicity - Category 2]
H373 (62.42%): Causes damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure [Warning Specific target organ toxicity, repeated exposure - Category 2]
H411 (100%): Toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects [Hazardous to the aquatic environment, long-term hazard - Category 2]

Information may vary between notifications depending on impurities, additives, and other factors. The percentage value in parenthesis indicates the notified classification ratio from all companies. Only Hazard Codes with percentage values above 10% are shown.

It is used in the production of phenols and acetone.

 

[Bob001]

Question: Does Houston have an actual downtown, a central business district with office buildings, department stores, high-rise apartments, etc? All of the news reports I've seen focus on what looks like suburban neighborhoods. Did the downtown avoid the floods, or were their buildings protected better, or what?

 

[Stacko]

From the AP:

BREAKING: AP Exclusive: Many Houston ultra-polluted Superfund sites are flooded, concerns about toxins spreading; EPA not on scene.​

 

[rwguinn]

Question: Does Houston have an actual downtown, a central business district with office buildings, department stores, high-rise apartments, etc? All of the news reports I've seen focus on what looks like suburban neighborhoods. Did the downtown avoid the floods, or were their buildings protected better, or what?

People live in the suburbs, but yes...
https://www.expedia.com/pictures/texas/houston.d178265/downtown/

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

 

[newyorkguy]

Question: Does Houston have an actual downtown, a central business district with office buildings, department stores, high-rise apartments, etc?...

Bob I posted a photo in this thread Thursday, message #169. They definitely do have a downtown. Here's another shot.

.

 

[newyorkguy]

Question: Does Houston have an actual downtown, a central business district with office buildings, department stores, high-rise apartments, etc?...

Bob I posted a photo of the flooded downtown, taken from the JP Morgan Chase Tower, in this thread Thursday, message #169. They definitely do have a downtown. Here's another shot. Click on the image to enlarge.

.

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

Question: Does Houston have an actual downtown, a central business district with office buildings, department stores, high-rise apartments, etc? All of the news reports I've seen focus on what looks like suburban neighborhoods. Did the downtown avoid the floods, or were their buildings protected better, or what?

By default maybe, but not by design. People quibble about what 'zoning' means when they say Houston has no zoning laws. It does have some re building codes, lots sizes, that sort of thing. But there are zoning issues.

The weirdest images to come from Houston's lack of zoning laws

 

[Marcus]

It's better without much zoning. I was born and raised there, and Downtown has always been the focus. . It doesn't matter that there are also some large buildings in Memorial, or Sharpstown or Galleria. It's not by default either. My grandparents moved there in the 20's, all those outlying areas were not even considered part of the city, they were someplace you took a horse and buggy for an outing.Downtown was, and is, the center of the city and the central business district.

 

[newyorkguy]

A coworker helped move his son to Houston in June to start a new job. Naturally he was very worried when he heard about the approach of Harvey and then when it hit Houston. But he said his son called him and he was okay. His son lives in the city -- he didn't say what neighborhood and I didn't think to ask him -- and his son said it was a tough couple of days but no real damage where he lives. There was some flooding in the parking lot of the apartment complex where he lives, but it only got about a foot deep, not enough to damage anyone's vehicle. I think they also lost power but for less than a day. He said his job was also okay, not much damage. That the job was closed for a couple days, the city was asking people to stay off the roads anyway, but he was working again by Friday. Some of his coworkers did have to evacuate and one or two suffered some very serious damage to their homes.

 

[Dr. Keith]

By default maybe, but not by design. People quibble about what 'zoning' means when they say Houston has no zoning laws. It does have some re building codes, lots sizes, that sort of thing. But there are zoning issues.

The weirdest images to come from Houston's lack of zoning laws

Having grown up there, none of that seems odd to me.

Except that Zone d'Erotica used to be a waffle house type restaurant that was a good place to get grub on the way home so long as you had a dedicated driver. Almost always a cop or two there.

 

[William Parcher]

Looting of a beauty supply store in Houston on video. The water is almost knee deep and first they fill a SUV and then a boat. More than six guys first arrive in the SUV and break in with a sledgehammer. They fill it and there's no room for passengers so they all climb on the roof and hang from the doors as they drive away.

https://www.liveleak.com/view?i=77b_1506440993

 

[Darth Rotor]

I was in Houston, Southeast sector, the weekend of 16 September. All I'll say is that the water has drained away, my wife's two sisters were on high enough ground (in the Houston area, high ground is relative) that they are OK, and I've learned that a bunch of homes that keep getting rebuilt by federal flood insurance will be bought out and turned into parkland. (We'll see how that goes.) Saw a few signs in a few neighborhoods along the lines of "if you like to loot we like to shoot" but that was the exception not the rule.

It's the cleaning up afterwards that's such a bugger.