Thanks for the reality check IJ, and pointing out that hydrocarbon resources are spread out all over the planet, not just in Texas, or the Gulf, or Alaska. (Or the middle east etc.)
What we need is to stop complaining, and pointing fingers at who's controlling the weather. (I think if diety was going to smite a location, we need a nice small metor impact on Washington DC, while the rest of the flying bits can come down in the middle eastern capitols of radical Islam.)
Back on topic, I just left Austin after two weeks of 12+ hour days in a row. It sucked, and everyone I talked to on the phone had stories to tell of death and distruction, and loss. I'm drained of any sympathy regarding ANYONE who lives in areas prone to these storms that does not leave the area, or build what they own to survive the storm. BooHoo if your 100 year old wood shack home that is 4' above high tide was wiped away along with your 85,000.00 fishing boat, two 5,000.00 jet ski's, the extra 2 or 3 40,000.00 each SUV's and other vehicles you did not have enough drivers to leave the storm's path in. It was so tempting at the end to just say "Duh" to everything these folks complained about.
There are houses that survived intact. They had minimal damage. They were expensive to build, but are designed to survive 250mph winds, high storm surge water levels and are basicly concrete/stone bunkers with lower levels designed to let water surge on by. (Think pylons, and garage walls that retract up to allow water to pass under the house, v/s push the house over.)
You want an ornate, wood decked, house with a back yard that is the beach on the Gulf of Mexico? Guess what? when a storm comes along, yoru house is TOAST, along with anything else you leave there. Why are people so supprised and shocked at "the violence of the storm".... or that "God hates NO..." Whatever, it's just like people who have built homes on hillsides prone to collapse when they are soaked with rain water, then are shocked when after a few days of rain, the house slides down with the muddy hillside... What a shocker. Sure did not see that coming. DUH!!!!
So, we are looking at another round of death and distruction, and homes that survived prior storms will not survive this one. It is all about wind speed and storm surge height. A house that weathered 50 storms before might have only seen 85mph winds, and 10' surge heights. The owner says "This house has been through 85 years along this coast, and never had water up past that oak tree in the yard..." Then the storm nails them dead center, with 185 or 200mph winds, and 30' of storm surge, and the house and everything around it is completely wiped away. What a shocker. DUH!!
The crazy part is almost everyone who I've talked to, is going back to build again. I just hope they build homes that are designed for 250mph winds and 40' surges. It's about as likely as the government coming out with a real energy program that puts all our current resources into production, builds new refineries everywhere in the USA near where they need the gas and other products and minimalizes our need for oil from other countries with hostile governments.
Yep, DUH Greg, it's not going to happen, but I can hope right?
