Zombie Squad

Posted: **Thu Aug 31, 2017 7:09 pm**

More on scammers. Also $99 for a case of water and $20 for a gallon of gas.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/08/31/ha ... icans.html

Posted: **Thu Aug 31, 2017 7:34 pm**

Meanwhile, Irma is gathering force.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-08-3 ... -ever-seen

Posted: **Thu Aug 31, 2017 7:48 pm**

Shades of 2005. Glad I am no longer in ETX.

Posted: **Thu Aug 31, 2017 9:58 pm**

absinthe beginner wrote:Meanwhile, Irma is gathering force.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-08-3 ... -ever-seen

Meanwhile the accuracy of the science of weather prediction is on display. The weather guessers have narrowed down Irma's impact point to somewhere between Port Arthur, TX and Nova Scotia.

Posted: **Thu Aug 31, 2017 10:34 pm**

Some craziness going on in the Austin area today.

There's a run on gasoline underway, starting at roughly mid-day today. Didn't take long before tons of stations were either out or overwhelmed with massive lines. See story here

My wife had let her car go down too low on gas too, but not run-dry type level. With the hurricane inbound, she had around 5/8 in the tank by my estimate this past weekend. By Monday morning, this area was fine in terms of storm activity and she returned to work as normal. But with 4 days of driving 20+ miles each way to work & home plus shopping, errands, school sports, etc that had dropped her gauge down to less than 1/4 tank. She went to fill up this afternoon - and found massive lines everywhere.

These lines sprang up between 12 and 3 pm today. It was that fast. There were no crazy news stories that seemed to push this into motion. Everyone just figured OK, Houston is hit hard and things are shut down. Then the lines started forcing everyone to expect the worst. So it was all panic buying.

We were talking about this - I had been getting texts and calls from my wife & daughter about how hard it was to find gas while they were out on numerous small errands. I had remarked that now that the storms were over, I had planned to top off the RV with the relatively fresh gas in the cans, and my wife said "Nope, don't do that. We might now need it for the cars." Once she was home, we continued talking about the craziness.

The whole exercise really opened my wife's eyes about how fast these things can go sideways and absolutely for no real reason. Plus of course she appreciated the fact that we had gas, which I had just rotated into the cars & replaced a couple weeks prior to the hurricane - prior to the warnings etc.

I did end up helping a neighbor from down the street who ran out on his way home. He got up from a nap at home, headed out to pick up his daughter and planned to get gas on the way home. When he went to sleep mid-day, there was no issue.

But by the time he was up & about it was completely NO DICE - every station for miles had major lines, if they had gas at all. After going to four different stations on his route home, he said he thought his lawnmower can at home was full so he zeroed in on just getting home. Alas, his little truck starved out less than 100 yards from his house right in our neighborhood, literally one street over. Only to then learn his lawnmower can was bone dry.

So, he came to me. He had borrowed things before - a chain saw last time. But he'd always taken care of my stuff and returned them promptly. Happy to help, I got him a couple gallons of gas (in said empty can) and he had what he needed to go get more. And I started filling up my wife's car. I originally had 15 gallons just in the blitz cans. Minus a gallon we had used for weed whacker oil/gas mix last week, and two for him, we had roughly 12 to cover the Mrs' vehicle. Taking my time, no rush.

Turns out, the local grocery store still had Premium so he filled up, and even returned his re-filled can to me as repayment within a couple hours or so.

We didn't truly have anything to worry about. We've got four vehicles. Despite wife's commuter being just below 1/4 and mine at just less than half, the RV has over 3/4 and my son's F350 has most of the single tank currently in the truck. Neither of those vehicles move much. We don't have TONS of fuel but we have plenty. But only because we plan for it.

I guess now one of my preps has become "prepare for entire city to be stupid for no reason" even more than I had previously estimated. hahahahah

Then I went out to pick up my daughter from volleyball practice, and I planned on looking to see what the fuel situation was at that point. Which was well after rush hour commute was done. What we saw was nothing short of amazing.

Her practice gym is at the end of suburbia where it hits rural living. And I planned to go a bit further out - get out of the crush of humanity going on. So we headed out on a two-lane road to the tiny little town north of us. Not only did we strike out on gas - but the one we found that DID have gas right where I expected it, there were at least 9 cop cars, two ambulances and I think multiple fire trucks and the whole road was blocked off. We had two choices and both of them had us on the road back home.

Odd, I thought. So, we decide to shine getting gas at all tonight. No worries.

Then we get 1/3 home, and we have to dodge gas lines that have people blocking major intersections to go get gas. Being downright idiots on the road. We re-route and keep heading home.

Another major intersection - the traffic lights are out, in an apparently planned service to the signals at night. I say that only because they already had sand-bagged stop signs in place. But, this was immediately in front of two major/popular gas stations and just down the street from a third. All empty.

We FINALLY get back home, no worse for wear and only down maybe a half gallon extra for the adventure.

Note to self - let things stabilize then get a bunch of gas so we have a full 2nd fill for ALL vehicles going forward. And acquire & install the 2nd tank for the F350. The velocity with which people go STUPID about fuel is not to be underestimated again. Even after the majority of a storm that DIDN'T really hit locally is over.

Posted: **Fri Sep 01, 2017 1:06 am**

raptor wrote:
absinthe beginner wrote:Meanwhile, Irma is gathering force.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-08-3 ... -ever-seen
Meanwhile the accuracy of the science of weather prediction is on display. The weather guessers have narrowed down Irma's impact point to somewhere between Port Arthur, TX and Nova Scotia.

OMG! It is heading straight for US!

ALL OF US! Everyone take cover.

Posted: **Fri Sep 01, 2017 1:16 am**

zombieapocalypsegame - Your story reminds of Katrina when similar insanity took over the East Coast. In the middle of the first day fuel madness I went over to some acreage I own that I also rent out a house on. I went to my storage building to check on my fuel supplies to find my tenant breaking in to my storage building and walking off with one of my 5 gallon fuel cans.

I was very seriously WTF? He didn't even try to apologize. Needless to say I made two changes:

1. Got rid of the tenant that month
2. Change the way and locations that I store stuff that I might need later.

Posted: **Fri Sep 01, 2017 5:30 am**

Not that it has never happened, but I do not recall ever seeing an intensity model take a storm to Cat 5 with continuing intensity... yet here we are with Irma.
http://flhurricane.com/images/2017/clarki11latest.png

Posted: **Fri Sep 01, 2017 7:21 am**

Old_Man wrote:Not that it has never happened, but I do not recall ever seeing an intensity model take a storm to Cat 5 with continuing intensity... yet here we are with Irma.
http://flhurricane.com/images/2017/clarki11latest.png

What about Andrew? They all lose strength over land. It is the way weather works.

Posted: **Fri Sep 01, 2017 3:34 pm**

Stercutus wrote:
Old_Man wrote:Not that it has never happened, but I do not recall ever seeing an intensity model take a storm to Cat 5 with continuing intensity... yet here we are with Irma.
http://flhurricane.com/images/2017/clarki11latest.png
What about Andrew? They all lose strength over land. It is the way weather works.

Harvey went back to the water to recharge.

This is a crazy storm season.

Posted: **Fri Sep 01, 2017 3:56 pm**

DJPrepper wrote:
Stercutus wrote:
Old_Man wrote:Not that it has never happened, but I do not recall ever seeing an intensity model take a storm to Cat 5 with continuing intensity... yet here we are with Irma.
http://flhurricane.com/images/2017/clarki11latest.png
What about Andrew? They all lose strength over land. It is the way weather works.
Harvey went back to the water to recharge.

This is a crazy storm season.

Oct 1985 Hurricane Juan never got above Cat 1 and looped all over the place.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane ... _track.png

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Juan_(1985)

Posted: **Fri Sep 01, 2017 4:12 pm**

A preview of coming attractions when the SHTF.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-09-0 ... n-gas-soar

Posted: **Fri Sep 01, 2017 4:19 pm**

RBOB = Reformulated Blendstock for Oxygenate Blending.

Still sayin' WTF?

ETA: Petroleum & other liquids

Posted: **Fri Sep 01, 2017 5:24 pm**

I cannot vouch for the veracity of the post but I am not surprised if it is true. If you have loved ones in a disaster zone make you own plans and GTFO.

https://www.facebook.com/BrandonSBeaty/ ... 1730920571

Posted: **Fri Sep 01, 2017 6:11 pm**

raptor wrote:I cannot vouch for the veracity of the post but I am not surprised if it is true. If you have loved ones in a disaster zone make you own plans and GTFO.

https://www.facebook.com/BrandonSBeaty/ ... 1730920571

If true, the NH management needs to be charged.

Posted: **Sat Sep 02, 2017 8:21 am**

CDC Emergency Preparedness

Knowledge is sumthin'-sumthin'...

Also: Tropical Outlook – Atlantic:

Hurricane Irma (Advisory #12, as of 5:00 a.m. EDT)
• Category 2 Hurricane
• Located 1,320 miles E of the Leeward Islands
• Moving W at 14 mph
• Fluctuation in strength is possible during the next few days

Disturbance 1 (as of 8:00 a.m. EDT)
• Located a few hundred miles SW of the Cabo Verde Islands
• Moving west at 15 mph
• Formation chance through 48 hours: Low – (near 0%)
• Formation chance through 5 days: Medium – (60%)

Tropical Cyclone Harvey:

Current Situation:
• Response and recovery efforts continue throughout the Gulf Coast
• Dry weather this weekend; area rivers and bayous to fall below major flood stage
• Record flooding will continue on the Neches River near Beaumont through next week
• Harvey’s remnants may cause locally significant flash flooding, especially in Kentucky
• Isolated tornadoes possible, primarily over the Carolinas

Impacts:
• Widespread Damage: Nearly 137k (+18k) of 2.7M homes in 29 counties impacted
• Evacuations:
o TX – Mandatory evacuations for 430k; Voluntary evacuations for 234k people
o LA – Mandatory evacuations for 6.9k; Voluntary evacuations for 133k people
• Shelters / Occupants: 258 / 42k in TX; 6 / 1,507 in LA
• Transportation: Limited operations across the region
o Airports: Beaumont closed (expected to open Sep 4)
o Seaports: Dredging to begin this weekend
o Roads/Bridges: Major roads remain closed through the impacted area
• Communications: 2.4% cell tower outage; 100k landline customers out of service
• Medical: 29 hospitals closed; 12 hospitals reopened
• Power Outages: 123k customers without power in TX* (as of 5:30 a.m. EDT)
• Schools: Houston schools closed for at least 2 weeks
• Other: Numerous tornadoes, high wind, and hail events reported across the Lower Mississippi Valley and much of the Southeast

*Note: Customer outage data is provided by the Department of Energy’s EAGLE-I system. Comprehensive National coverage of all electrical service providers is not available.

• Explosion at the Arkema Chemical Plant in Harris County, TX:
o Trailers of organic peroxide burning, emitting black smoke
o Six remaining trailers of the compound at the facility, with
remaining compounds expected to degrade at any time
o No known incidents involving the sulfur dioxide at the plan

Posted: **Sat Sep 02, 2017 9:47 am**

While social media can be a useful tool for situational awareness during a crisis situation, it can also be a means of spreading RUMINT and disinformation, and fanning hysteria. Case in points: the idiots in Austin and Dallas who read social media posts about a gas shortage, then went out and created one.

http://www.centraltrack.com/look-idiots ... -shortage/

Let’s all say it together now: There is no fuel crisis in Texas.

Not here in Dallas. Not in Austin, either.

What happened yesterday in the wake of some early media reports getting super hyped up on social media was far less a study in American petroleum reserves and far more a lesson in supply and demand.

Yes, of course if everyone heads out at once and creates a run on a product — as many of us indeed did at gas stations yesterday — that product’s supply is naturally going to take a temporary hit. And, sure, we may be feeling the repercussions of that for the next few days as gas companies scramble to replenish their stations’ tanks.

But, again, there is no gas shortage. So everything is going to be OK.

Unless, y’know, maybe it isn’t.

Here’s the thing about yesterday’s run on gas here in North Texas: Far more frightening than the prospect of running out of gas for a few days was the behavior exhibited at area pumps as people freaked the fuck out and did all they could to get their hands on some gasoline.

Seriously, just take a gander at some of what we we found circulating around social media over the course of the last 24 hours’ rush: [lemming-like stupidity ensues]

Posted: **Sat Sep 02, 2017 9:53 am**

absinthe beginner wrote:While social media can be a useful tool for situational awareness during a crisis situation, it can also be a means of spreading RUMINT and disinformation, and fanning hysteria. Case in points: the idiots in Austin and Dallas who read social media posts about a gas shortage, then went out and created one.

http://www.centraltrack.com/look-idiots ... -shortage/

Let’s all say it together now: There is no fuel crisis in Texas.

Not here in Dallas. Not in Austin, either.

What happened yesterday in the wake of some early media reports getting super hyped up on social media was far less a study in American petroleum reserves and far more a lesson in supply and demand.

Yes, of course if everyone heads out at once and creates a run on a product — as many of us indeed did at gas stations yesterday — that product’s supply is naturally going to take a temporary hit. And, sure, we may be feeling the repercussions of that for the next few days as gas companies scramble to replenish their stations’ tanks.

But, again, there is no gas shortage. So everything is going to be OK.

Unless, y’know, maybe it isn’t.

Here’s the thing about yesterday’s run on gas here in North Texas: Far more frightening than the prospect of running out of gas for a few days was the behavior exhibited at area pumps as people freaked the fuck out and did all they could to get their hands on some gasoline.

Seriously, just take a gander at some of what we we found circulating around social media over the course of the last 24 hours’ rush: [lemming-like stupidity ensues]

I heard that Johnny Carson said something about a TP shortage on The Tonight Show & one was created where none existed.

Posted: **Sat Sep 02, 2017 10:48 am**

Early Data From Harvey Shows Epic Flooding

A Bipartisan Bill Helped Save Pets From Harvey, And Maybe Their Humans Too

A Bipartisan Bill Helped Save Pets From Harvey, And Maybe Their Humans Too September 2, 2017 6:59 AM ET By Scott Simon

Houston and Texas made Americans proud this week. Hurricane Harvey assaulted southeast Texas with vicious winds, rains and floods, but Texans struck back with unshrinking courage, spirit and selflessness. They risked their lives to save neighbors and strangers.

A lot of the images of people being plucked from flooded roads and picked up from rooftops showed them holding dogs, cats and other pets in their arms. Pictures from shelters show people sharing cots and food with their pets. These images help reveal an important change in U.S. emergency policies.

In 2005, a number of people in the path of Hurricane Katrina refused to be evacuated by emergency crews when they were told that they couldn't bring their pets. Some people then chose not to leave and risked riding out the storm. Sometimes, they didn't survive.

We did a story at the time on Miss Emma Anita Wagner Seals of Pass Christian, Miss. She was an 81-year-old woman who decided to stay in her home to take care of her cats and dogs as Hurricane Katrina surged ashore. She chose to perish with her companions in life, rather than leave them to drown. Her story reminded a lot of our listeners that while pets are not human beings, but they are members of our human families.

Emergency managers began to grasp that if they didn't make room for family dogs, cats, birds and turtles in rescue boats, buses, and shelters, they wouldn't be able to persuade a lot of people to leave their homes. So a bill was passed with bipartisan support — remember that?

The 2006 Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act was sponsored by Republican Ted Stevens of Alaska in the Senate and Democrat Tom Lantos of California in the U.S. House of Representatives. It charges the Federal Emergency Management Agency with telling local emergency officials that they must include pets and service animals in their disaster evacuation plans.

This week, we saw what an act of Congress can do. It may have saved not only the lives of cats and dogs, who were carried out in the arms of their owners and rescuers, but the lives of people who love those animals as members of their family and wouldn't have left them.

We spoke with Chris Schindler of the Humane Society this week as he and volunteers worked in Dickinson, Texas.

"This time there was a plan for animals, and it made a difference," he told us.

"It's gratifying to see people united with their pets. And for some people in Texas," he reminded us, "their pets are all they have left."

Posted: **Sat Sep 02, 2017 11:54 am**

As someone who helped and struggled with all of the abandoned pets after Katrina for months (& still have 4 cats I picked up from the water soaked streets) I can tell you that people died because they could not bring pets.
I can tell you people were traumatized when rescuers forced them to leave their pets. I can tell you that rescuers shot (slaughtered is a better term) pets left behind in group shelters. The people were told to go and leave the pets.

There are horrific and quite true stories about such things during Katrina. Hopefully the lessons learned then were applied here.

As for me...If I evacuate all of my pets come with me. If they can't go, I am not going anywhere.

Posted: **Sat Sep 02, 2017 1:04 pm**

Here’s the thing about yesterday’s run on gas here in North Texas: Far more frightening than the prospect of running out of gas for a few days was the behavior exhibited at area pumps as people freaked the fuck out and did all they could to get their hands on some gasoline.

I think I posted previously on some experiences with Rita and watching a mini-riot unfold at one of the last gas stations with fuel. This station had several tanks and one of the tanks ran dry. The people that had been sitting in line at the one that ran dry decided that they were not going to wait in the other line on the other side of the station and instead tried to jump the line. A little melee broke out over control of the gas pumps.

Initially me and my guys waded in and got people separated and calmed down. Keep in mind this was back in the day when I was a military commander without any authority to act in any law enforcement capacity (although all military officers are charged with quelling civil disturbances, riots and rebellions). Nor were we equipped and trained to do so. We just happened to be in the area in events completely unrelated to the storm.

Even though we got people calmed down I could not make more fuel appear magically though. Once we got the lines to merge we got out of there.

Posted: **Sat Sep 02, 2017 1:19 pm**

EPA grants fuel waivers for Gulf Coast, Southeastern states

http://www.businessinsider.com/ap-epa-g ... tes-2017-8

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency has issued emergency waivers allowing states from Maryland to Texas to ignore some clean-air requirements for gasoline. The move is intended to ensure an adequate fuel supply despite disruptions caused by Harvey.

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said the waivers issued Wednesday will help ensure an adequate supply of fuel throughout the South, Southeast and Mid-Atlantic.

In a letter to governors of the affected states, Pruitt said the shutdown of nearly a dozen refineries and extreme weather conditions that have prevented fuel-barge movement in the Gulf Coast region justify the waiver. The designated states receive significant gasoline supplies from Gulf-area refineries.

The waivers are effective immediately and continue through Sept. 15 at least.

Affected states are Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia, as well as Washington, D.C.

Posted: **Sat Sep 02, 2017 1:59 pm**

zombieapocalypsegame wrote:Some craziness going on in the Austin area today.

There's a run on gasoline underway, starting at roughly mid-day today. Didn't take long before tons of stations were either out or overwhelmed with massive lines. See story here

(SNIP)

Odd, I thought. So, we decide to shine getting gas at all tonight. No worries.

Then we get 1/3 home, and we have to dodge gas lines that have people blocking major intersections to go get gas. Being downright idiots on the road. We re-route and keep heading home.

Another major intersection - the traffic lights are out, in an apparently planned service to the signals at night. I say that only because they already had sand-bagged stop signs in place. But, this was immediately in front of two major/popular gas stations and just down the street from a third. All empty.

We FINALLY get back home, no worse for wear and only down maybe a half gallon extra for the adventure.

Note to self - let things stabilize then get a bunch of gas so we have a full 2nd fill for ALL vehicles going forward. And acquire & install the 2nd tank for the F350. The velocity with which people go STUPID about fuel is not to be underestimated again. Even after the majority of a storm that DIDN'T really hit locally is over.

My son lives in the Austin A/O. He mentioned the same thing. Panic buying - fill the tank and fill a few gas cans - yes, there is now a gas can shortage in parts of TX as well.

This is something Raptor pointed some time back - gas cans being worth more than the fuel they carried. .

My son just sent me a pic of a fuel nozzle in his auto tank. Now, maybe, he'll buy a couple of 5 gallon cans for use during the hurricane season.. Sadly, he has an electric mower...so rotation would be problematic.

This is another case of an opportunity to learn from other peoples problems at little cost to you. Panic buying can erase store stock (except tufu) in a matter of hours. Same for gas supplies.

The media feeds this panic to some extent by covering the lines - thus panicking other people out of the area...Houston is a long ways from Austin......

Sure to be "Next on the news" is a rash of building fires from improper storage of gasoline.....

Posted: **Sat Sep 02, 2017 3:50 pm**

I am in SW MS. The Wal-Mart I went to today had no gas cans. I know the locals likely did not buy them all. This is the land of the 4 wheelers. Everybody has at least 2 already.

So either Wal-Mart transferred them, they sold out co.pletely or out of town folks night them.

Gas cans are worth a lot at times like this.

Zombie Squad

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