Climate Change

[kladner]

It looks like Barbados could be under an advance outer band of expected-to-become-a-hurricane Maria. The local conditions don't seem really threatening, ATM.
EDIT: The purple dot in the West-most blob of activity is close to Barbados, which is covered in the map by said blob.
EDIT2: Map of the area for reference.

[chalsall]

Originally Posted by kladner

It looks like Barbados could be under an advance outer band of expected-to-become-a-hurricane Maria.

Yup. Linda and I have spent the weekend preparing. Shouldn't be too much of a problem for us; lots of rain and some wind. But better safe than sorry...

I feel sorry for those to the east-northeast of us. Could be a Cat 3 when it passes directly over some of the islands which already suffered from Harvey.

[kladner]

It looks like a lot of people who are already hurting are in potential storm tracks. Last I read, much depends on what cyclone Jose does, in terms of steering Maria.

[chalsall]

Originally Posted by chalsall

Shouldn't be too much of a problem for us; lots of rain and some wind.

So, we received 86 mm of rain between midnight and 0900 this morning, with strong winds. The power went out at ~0530 for several hours, and the mains water remains offline in our area (Barbados pumps water up the hills using electricity for many areas).

The good news is our household has a 34,000 litre pool which we can use to flush toilets during a long term outage, 11,000 litres of rain water in tanks which is "potable" after boiling, and about 1,000 litres of immediately potable water in portable containers (stored throughout the house with a tiny amount of bleach).

The bad news is the power failure fried one of my 2 TB harddrives (backed up, of course).

And to think there are still some who think climate change is a leftest hoax....

Edit: Oh, and hurricane Maria is now a Cat 3.

[Dr Sardonicus]

Originally Posted by chalsall

The good news is our household has a 34,000 litre pool which we can use to flush toilets during a long term outage, 11,000 litres of rain water in tanks which is "potable" after boiling, and about 1,000 litres of immediately potable water in portable containers (stored throughout the house with a tiny amount of bleach).

God willing, 1000L will see you through until you can get drinking water from your taps again. The question occurs to me, will you be able to boil water if the power remains out? I mention this because it seems that there are a number of people in the Florida Keys who are under "boil orders" for drinking tap water, but can't boil water with the power out.

If you've got a non-electric stove, you're set as long as the fuel holds out.

And to think there are still some who think climate change is a leftest hoax...

As I like to say (in Full Snark Mode), "Just think how bad it would be if climate change were real!"

[chalsall]

Originally Posted by Dr Sardonicus

I mention this because it seems that there are a number of people in the Florida Keys who are under "boil orders" for drinking tap water, but can't boil water with the power out. If you've got a non-electric stove, you're set as long as the fuel holds out.

Excellent point!

Yes, both our stove and our oven are gas. And we have two 100 lbs tanks feeding the system (only one is open at a time; when one runs out we close it and have it refilled, and open the other one). We use about one tank a year (mostly making coffee, and baking).

For those who don't have gas appliances, it would make a lot of sense to buy a small 20 lbs tank and a camp stove top for just such situations.

Manage the reality within which you might find yourself.

[Dr Sardonicus]

Originally Posted by chalsall

For those who don't have gas appliances, it would make a lot of sense to buy a small 20 lbs tank and a camp stove top for just such situations.

Manage the reality within which you might find yourself.

When Harvey inundated SE Texas, I was reminded of the passage in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,

Water, water every where,
Nor any drop to drink

Of course, when water is contaminated with toxic chemicals as well as pathogens, boiling probably won't help.

But let's say you have to boil your drinking water. There's a problem, in that it takes a lot of heat to boil water -- so, a lot of fuel. If you allow a liter of drinking water per person per day, you can probably estimate how much fuel you would need every day just to boil drinking water. My guess is, "a lot."

It seems to me, there are a couple of ways you could conserve fuel, with the help of Mr. Sun. One way is, put water in a container painted black on the outside, and set it out in the sun. That should get it hot enough to save a lot of fuel for boiling.

Another idea is, rig up a sun-powered distillation unit to produce fresh water. I think I saw something like this in a magazine, only it was something that could be rigged up by someone stranded in a desert, to distill water from unpalatable plants. A modern take on this idea may be found here.

[chalsall]

Originally Posted by Dr Sardonicus

As I like to say (in Full Snark Mode), "Just think how bad it would be if climate change were real!"

Yeah. Various versions of this have shown up on Facebook et al...

Originally Posted by US of A Republicans

Climate change is a hoax!

Originally Posted by Mother Nature

Hold my beer...

[kladner]

Another idea is, rig up a sun-powered distillation unit to produce fresh water. I think I saw something like this in a magazine, only it was something that could be rigged up by someone stranded in a desert, to distill water from unpalatable plants. A modern take on this idea may be found here.

That new approach looks really promising.

I remember instructions for the capture of condensation. It basically was a horizontal sheet of plastic, raised on 4 or more supports, a rock in the middle to make a collection point, and something to catch the drip. I have never tried this.

[kladner]

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/201...-make-landfall
.

[Dr Sardonicus]

EPA chief on Irma: The time to talk climate change isn't now

Washington (CNN)Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt told CNN in an interview about Hurricane Irma on Thursday that the time to talk about climate change isn't now.

"Here's the issue," Pruitt told CNN in a phone interview. "To have any kind of focus on the cause and effect of the storm; versus helping people, or actually facing the effect of the storm, is misplaced."

This brought to mind a passage from Letter from Birmingham Jail. Yes, the context was different (though distressingly relevant today). But WRT the subject of time, it is pertinent to Mr. Pruitt's remarks.

More and more I feel that the people of ill will have used time much more effectively than have the people of good will. We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people. Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability; it comes through the tireless efforts of men willing to be co workers with God, and without this hard work, time itself becomes an ally of the forces of social stagnation. We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right. Now is the time to make real the promise of democracy and transform our pending national elegy into a creative psalm of brotherhood. Now is the time to lift our national policy from the quicksand of racial injustice to the solid rock of human dignity.