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Monster Hurricane Florence aims to drench Carolinas
WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) — Coastal residents fleeing a potentially devastating blow from Hurricane Florence encountered empty gasoline pumps and depleted store shelves as the monster storm neared the Carolina coast with 140 mph (225 kph) winds and drenching rain that could last for days.
While some said they planned to stay put despite hurricane watches and warnings that include the homes of more than 5.4 million people on the East Coast, many weren’t taking any chances.
Steady streams of vehicles full of people and belongings flowed inland Tuesday as Gov. Roy Cooper tried to convince everyone on North Carolina’s coast to flee.
“The waves and the wind this storm may bring is nothing like you’ve ever seen. Even if you’ve ridden out storms before, this one is different. Don’t bet your life on riding out a monster,” he said.
Forecasters said hurricane-force winds will be blowing ashore early Friday as Florence stalls along the coast before dumping a torrential 1 to 2½ feet (0.3 to 0.6 meters) of rain. Flooding well inland could wreak environmental havoc by washing over industrial waste sites and hog farms.
Up to a foot of rain is now predicted places in the southern Appalachian mountains as projections shifted the storm’s eventual path southward. “This rainfall would produce catastrophic flash flooding and significant river flooding,” forecasters said Wednesday.
President Donald Trump declared states of emergency for North and South Carolina and Virginia, opening the way for federal aid. He said the federal government is “absolutely, totally prepared” for Florence.
All three states ordered mass evacuations along the coast. But getting out of harm’s way has proved difficult.
American and Southwest Airlines were among the carriers canceling flights to and from the hurricane zone starting Wednesday. Charleston International Airport in South Carolina tweeted that it expected to close runways by midnight Wednesday.
Michelle Stober loaded up valuables on Tuesday at her home on Wrightsville Beach to drive back to her primary residence in Cary, North Carolina. Finding fuel for the journey was tough.
“This morning I drove around for an hour looking for gas in Cary. Everyone was sold out,” she said.
Florence is so wide that a life-threatening storm surge was being pushed 300 miles (485 kilometers) ahead of its eye, and so wet that a swath from South Carolina to Ohio and Pennsylvania could get deluged.
People across the region rushed to buy bottled water and other supplies, board up their homes, pull their boats out of the water and get out of town.
Long lines formed at service stations, and some started running out of gas as far west as Raleigh, with bright yellow bags, signs or rags placed over the pumps to show they were out of order. Some store shelves were picked clean.
“There’s no water. There’s no juices. There’s no canned goods,” Kristin Harrington said as she shopped at a Walmart in Wilmington.
People weren’t the only ones evacuating. Eight dogs and 18 cats from a shelter in Norfolk, Virginia, were sent to two shelters in Washington to make room for pets expected to be displaced by the hurricane. Wild horses on the barrier islands were expected to survive.
At 8 a.m., Florence had top sustained winds of 130 mph (215 kph) and was centered 530 miles (855 kilometers) southeast of Cape Fear, North Carolina, approaching the coast at 17 mph (28 kph). Already a potentially catastrophic Category 4 hurricane, it was moving over warmer water and expected to intensify to near Category 5, which means winds of 157 mph (253 kph) or higher.
Significantly, hurricane-force winds extended 70 miles (110 kilometers) from the eye, and tropical-storm-force winds reached 175 miles (280 kilometers) outward, making outdoor preparations difficult or dangerous as early as Thursday.
Florence is the most dangerous of three tropical systems in the Atlantic. Tropical Storm Isaac was east of the Lesser Antilles and expected to pass south of Puerto Rico, Hispaniola and Cuba, while Hurricane Helene was moving northward away from land. Forecasters also were tracking two other disturbances.
The coastal surge from Florence could leave the eastern tip of North Carolina under more than 9 feet (2.75 meters) of water in spots, projections showed. The Navy, Air Force and Army were moving ships and aircraft out of harm’s way. Thousands of Marines and their families evacuated from Camp Lejeune, leaving the rest to dig in ahead of what could be a direct hit.
“This one really scares me,” National Hurricane Center Director Ken Graham said.
Federal officials begged residents to put together emergency kits and have a plan on where to go.
“This storm is going to knock out power days into weeks. It’s going to destroy infrastructure. It’s going to destroy homes,” said Jeff Byard, an official at the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Forecasters said parts of North Carolina could get 20 inches (50 centimeters) of rain, if not more, with as much as 10 inches (25 centimeters) elsewhere in the state and in Virginia, parts of Maryland and Washington, D.C.
One trusted computer model, the European simulation, predicted more than 45 inches (115 centimeters) in parts of North Carolina. A year ago, people would have laughed off such a forecast, but the European model was accurate in predicting 60 inches (150 centimeters) for Hurricane Harvey in the Houston area, so “you start to wonder what these models know that we don’t,” University of Miami hurricane expert Brian McNoldy said.
Rain measured in feet is “looking likely,” he said.
Florence’s projected path includes half a dozen nuclear power plants, pits holding coal-ash and other industrial waste, and numerous hog farms that store animal waste in huge lagoons.
Duke Energy spokesman Ryan Mosier said operators would begin shutting down nuclear plants at least two hours before hurricane-force winds arrive.
North Carolina’s governor issued what he called a first-of-its-kind mandatory evacuation order for all of North Carolina’s fragile barrier islands. Typically, local governments in the state make the call on evacuations.
“We’ve seen nor’easters and we’ve seen hurricanes before,” Cooper said, “but this one is different.”
Despite all that, 65-year-old Liz Browning Fox plans to ride the storm out in the Outer Banks village of Buxton, North Carolina, despite a mandatory evacuation order. Her 88-year-old mother refused to evacuate and will stay with her.
“Everyone who is staying here is either a real old-timer, someone who doesn’t know where would be better, or someone involved in emergency operations one way or another,” said Fox.
ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN) – This past weekend, Salvation USA created one of the most historic evangelical events in the city of Orlando, Florida, where hundreds of people said yes to Jesus Christ.
On April 1-3, Salvation USA held three nights of gospel crusade at Magic Mall in Orlando, Florida. The organization worked with many local churches, pastors, and evangelists from Central Florida to spread the word, reap the harvest, and connect all the new believers into a local church for discipleship. Some of the Christian leaders involved include pastors George Cope and Manny Rosario of Vision Orlando, Bishop Derrick McRae of Experience Christian Center, Evangelist Daniel Kolenda of Nations Church, Pastor Caleb Ring of The River Church Clermont, and many others across the city.
In addition to working with the local churches, Salvation USA offered free giveaways for low-income families that suffered financially in the Pine Hills area. They offered bill payments and groceries to every attendee, and other fun gifts for Pine Hills youth. They also gave away at least one free car to someone in need. Most importantly, they gave the best gift of all: salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
Salvation USA Crusade Day 1
The first night was one of the most exciting and energetic gospel crusades that ever happened in Orlando, Florida. Eddie James and his worship team did an amazing job leading the crowd into the presence of God. It was also amazing to see Evangelist Steven Hurlburt working with the crowd and getting them excited about Salvation USA’s giveaways. After Evangelist Chris Mikkelson preached the gospel, the response was incredible. At least 70 percent of the crowd raised their hands to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. When Mikkelson asked them to come forward, the altar area was full of people, many crying, receiving Jesus Christ into their hearts.
After the altar call, Mikkelson prayed for the sick, and many people testified of being completely healed. One woman came with severe arthritis all over her body. She said she hadn’t been able to dance or walk without pain. She danced on stage, completely healed and pain-free. Many others testified of being healed of various pains and problems, and one crying mother asked the team of Salvation USA to pray for her son, who was on life support in the ER. They all prayed together for her son to be healed, and they got word from her at the end of the night that the boy was taken off life support, and the doctors said he was completely well.
Salvation USA Crusade Day 2
On the second night of the crusade, rain poured down in Orlando, but a big crowd attended anyway and dozens of people still got saved in the rain. Even though the crowd was very small, a few hundred people still showed up.
Salvation USA Crusade Day 3
On the final night of the Orlando Crusade, hundreds–maybe even thousands–of people attended. There was a strong feeling that something special was about to happen. Eddie James and his team led the crowd into very anointed praise. When Evangelist Chris Mikkelson made the altar call, most of the crowd came forward to receive salvation. It was astonishing!
Mikkelson mentioned on social media that he was used to seeing that happen in Pakistan, but not here in America.
This year, a woman named Rose came with her son to the crusade because they didn’t have any groceries in their house, and they heard that Salvation USA was giving out free food. Not only did she go home with bags of free groceries, but she also got healed from major neck pain that she had for years when Mikkelson prayed for the sick. And if that wasn’t enough to show her how much God cares about her, after the prayer for the sick, she won the free car giveaway. She said to Evangelist Chris Mikkelson, the creator of the crusade, that she didn’t have a car and was very much in need of one for her work, but she couldn’t afford one.
About Chris Mikkelson
Chris Mikkelson is an evangelist who has been doing gospel crusades near the Middle East, in places like Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka. Over the last seven years, He has seen over 1.5 million first-time decisions for Jesus, and God has moved mightily with signs and wonders at every crusade. Recently the Lord spoke to him about America and he felt the urgency to start holding crusades right here in the United States.
For more information about Salvation USA and Good News Gospel crusades, go to SalvationUSA.com.
ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN) – Texas Governor Greg Abbott appeared on television telling Fox News’ Sean Hannity that wind turbines were the cause of the days-long energy crisis in Texas that has already killed at least ten people. In reference to the energy crisis, Abbott stated “this shows how the Green New Deal would be a deadly deal for the United States of America.”
Abbott is wrong.
Texas Gov. Abbott blames solar and wind for the blackouts in his state and says “this shows how the Green New Deal would be a deadly deal for the United States of America” pic.twitter.com/YfVwa3YRZQ
— Andrew Lawrence (@ndrew_lawrence) February 17, 2021
It is foolish to blame a legislative agenda that has never been implemented for an existing crisis, it is even more foolish to blame green energy on an energy crisis in one of the largest CO2 emitting states with high demand for fossil fuels.
This crisis dates back to 1935, when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the Federal Power Act, a renaming of the Federal Water Power Act that also expanded regulations over interstate electricity transmission and wholesale power sales. Throughout the history of Texas, it has regularly threatened to secede from the union, so as another act of defiance to escape federal regulations, Texas created its own power grid, the only state to do so. There are three power grids in the United States: the Western Interconnection, the Eastern Interconnection, and the Texas Interconnection.
Texas’ decision to develop its own power grid made way for the creation of ERCOT in 1970, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. ERCOT is an independent system operator (ISO) that is subject to oversight by the Public Utilities Commission of Texas and the state legislature, meaning Republican officials hold responsibility for overseeing ERCOT activities.
Do not be mistaken: this energy crisis was caused by improper planning and limited oversight.
The largest part of the issue is deregulation and privatization of the power grid. In 2011, Kate Galbraith of the Texas Tribune wrote an article about the nature of the Texas Interconnection. Gailbraith highlights the fact that ERCOT was formed as a direct result of a 1965 blackout, to keep up with the federal regulations that Texas tried to escape.
Texas is the only state with a deregulated power grid which presents numerous problems. The largest problem deregulation presents is the lack of incentive to listen to experts that have been warning Texas for years about winterizing their energy supply and diverting a disaster of this caliber.
Green Energy
Bertrand Godfroid/Getty Images
The Texas government’s administrative failure directly led to this event. Their infrastructure is one of the worst in the country and an eventual collapse was expected by experts long ago.
Keeping in mind the Texas government’s secessionist ideals, Texas does not necessarily need to ditch their individual grid in favor of a national grid. Instead, Texas needs to recognize the shortcomings of fossil fuel and capitalism, and start investing in green energy resources.
ERCOT lists wind energy as one of the largest sources of power in the state, at roughly 25 percent. However, Dan Woodfin, the Senior Director of System Operations, stated that less than 13 percent of the power outage was caused by frozen wind turbines.
It is frequently pointed out that the fossil fuel energy sources were not winterized as experts have been warning Texas about for a while. Fossil fuel energy sources were not the only energy resources that Texas failed to winterize; the state failed to winterize their wind turbines as well, which could have saved millions of people from losing their power.
Wind turbines should not freeze in the extreme cold if they are properly maintained, meaning they should have deicers, which Texas failed to provide.
Prior to Texas setting up their own grid, hydropower was among the most important energy sources in the state, satisfying many employment needs. Today, hydropower only provides roughly one percent of energy production in Texas. Hydropower could easily phase out a lot of the fossil fuel energy resources used in the state, providing millions of jobs as well.
While Republican lawmakers are constantly lying about the unreliability of renewable energy and the number of jobs that would be lost from getting rid of unsustainable fossil fuels, they are pocketing money from fossil fuel corporations. Instead of lying about renewable energy, Texas Republicans should acknowledge the old jobs that were destroyed when the state moved away from sustainable energy such as hydropower and focus on working to recreate those jobs.
If the government of Texas cares about their constituents, it would take responsibility for its failure to regulate energy and help save the next generation by substantially increasing renewable energy and technology.
Anyone interested in helping Texans during this tough time can do so here: The Houseless Organizing Coalition of Houston.
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Supervisor Nathaniel Douglas is the youngest person to be elected during the 2020 election, winning Seat 5 on the Orange Soil & Water Conservation District. He is a Florida National News political contributor. | info@floridanationalnews.com
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