While President Biden claims he didn’t have “any authority” to provide emergency supplies to Texas, scientists are warning Beryl won’t be this year’s last extreme storm…
Landing in Texas
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On Monday, Hurricane Beryl hit Texas (as a category 1 storm) and left over 2 million people without power.
This was after the storm caused major chaos in the Caribbean as a category 5 hurricane, complete with wind speeds up to 165mph, which left 11 people dead.
Too Soon?
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Scientists warned that this is the first time we’ve seen a category 5 Atlantic hurricane this early in the year, as most major storms only arrive closer to September.
But Beryl made quite the entrance by quickly accelerating from a minor storm to a category 4 event in only two days.
Again, Global Warming
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Scorching ocean temperatures greatly contributed to Beryl’s fatal intensification, scientists are claiming, adding that seawater heated by climate change led to the hurricane’s extra energy over the past 10 days.
Freak of Nature?
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According to Brian McNoldy, a climate scientist at the University of Miami, “Beryl would be astounding to happen anyway, but for it to form in June is completely unprecedented”.
Warmer Waters
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“It’s just remarkable to see sea temperatures this warm. I don’t think anyone would expect an outlier like this to happen, it exceeded expectations. With a climate-change influenced ocean, we are making extreme storms like this more likely to happen”, McNoldy added.
Stronger, If Not More
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Scientific studies show that while climate change isn’t necessarily causing more hurricanes, there is evidence that the storms are becoming stronger much quicker and even moving slower.
A New Category?
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Not only are hurricanes being charged by warmer oceans, but the extra moisture held in the Earth’s atmosphere due to global heating is causing the storms to unleash more drastic bouts of rainfall.
Some scientists are calling for a new “category 6” classification to be added to storms over 192mph.
Tragedy in Houston
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Thus far, at least eight people in the Houston area lost their lives due to the heavy storm, which brought winds exceeding 80mph.
A No-Show for Abbott
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Beryl slammed into Texas while the state’s governor Greg Abbott is currently on an economic development trip in Asia, causing Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (both Republicans) to take over the reins.
President Needing Permission?
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On Tuesday, President Joe Biden, a Democrat, said that the federal government was unable to distribute emergency relief supplies, including power generators, until the White House could get hold of state leaders and obtain their formal request for a major disaster declaration.
Unable to Help
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“I’ve been trying to track down the governor to see — I don’t have any authority to do that without a specific request from the governor,” Biden said.
Say What?
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However, Abbott’s spokesman Andrew Mahaleris, stated: “This is a complete lie from President Biden, and frankly doesn’t make any sense”.
Could Have, Should Have
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Mahaleris continued: “The President and his Administration know exactly how to get in contact with the Governor and have on numerous occasions in the past, and even most recently on Friday when FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell called and spoke with him while on a trade mission.”
No Need to Pause
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According to Rafael Lemaitre, FEMA’s former national director of public affairs, major disaster declarations don’t need to wait for systematic on-the-ground assessment.
He said that although governors are the lead requesters regarding the designation and support, they can amend their asks as they obtain more information.
Waiting for What?
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“The fact that 80% of Texas’ largest city was in the dark, along with widespread public reports of impacts to life and property is more than sufficient to begin the process,” Lemaitre said before adding: “The one thing you never get back during a response is time.”
Abbott’s Answer
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In a press release on Tuesday evening, Abbott said that “The President granted the state’s request”.
He also added: “The State of Texas may make additional requests as damage assessments are completed.”
Politics at Play?
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Patrick is now accusing the president of turning Beryl into “a political issue” by saying: “[Biden] is falsely accusing me that I was not reachable”.
Posting on X, he added: “He obviously did not know his own employees from FEMA were side-by-side with me for 3 days! All he had to do was call them and have them hand their phone to me. I even took a photo with them!”
Working Together
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According to the Chronicle, Patrick said at a press conference that there was “no delay” and “total teamwork” between federal and state officials.
Fueling More Storms?
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Meanwhile, much of the Gulf of Mexico’s temperatures are “essentially as warm as bathtub water”, said Alex DaSilva, lead hurricane expert at AccuWeather.
DaSilva added: “Those warm waters are at the surface, and they extend hundreds of feet down. Warm waters act like jet fuel for hurricanes, and it won’t take long for temperatures to rebound in the wake of Beryl.”
Thinking of Texans
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In his statement, Abbott claimed that the safety of Texans remained his No. 1 priority.
“Our hearts grieve for all Texans impacted by Hurricane Beryl, including our fellow Texans who tragically lost their lives or were injured,” he said.
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