---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message-ID: <20170906033321.GC6768@telecom.csail.mit.edu> Date: Tue, 5 Sep 2017 23:33:21 -0400 From: Bill Horne <bill@horneQRM.net> Subject: Re: Texans' do-it-ourselves rescue effort defines Hurricane Harvey On Tue, Sep 05, 2017 at 04:57:28AM -0700, Neal McLain wrote: > ... the vast majority of south Texas houses (including mine) are > built on concrete slabs a few inches above grade. When floodwater > exceeds those few inches, it enters the house. In most cases the > water level doesn't rise much above a foot or two. That's certainly > enough to be a major disaster for the homeowner but the damage can > usually be repaired by removing all floor coverings and all > wallboard/sheetrock/panelboard up to a couple feet above high water, > drying the place out, then reconstructing the wall and floor > coverings. > This is done in the vast majority of such cases. It's certainly not a > permanent solution but it doesn't require razing the entire building > and rebuilding it. Think of prohibition: it took years, but America realized that the cure was worse than the disease. The costs of both solutions are frightening, but the one we (as a nation) chose was the one that put the responsibility back into individual hands, instead of having the government dictate it. Our taxes subsidize flood insurance. Since those without flood insurance turn to the government for help, our taxes are used for that, too. I'd like my tax money to be used more effectively: we could either require anyone building or rebuilding in a flood plain to buy the insurance, or tell them to go to higher ground. Those who choose to remain in the flood plain would have the option of paying full- price for the insurance, or of constructing homes which are much less likely to be damaged by a flood, thereby justifying substantial discounts. Either way, it's a solution that allows people to make a choice which is in *EVERYONE's* best interest. -- Bill Horne (Remove QRM from my email address to write to me directly) ------------------------------ Message-ID: <091A6D7D-7868-4315-BBF2-8B93ABCA01C8@roscom.com> Date: Mon, 4 Sep 2017 15:55:52 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> Subject: Scammers using robo-calls about insurance to fleece Hurricane Harvey survivors Scammers using robo-calls about insurance to fleece Hurricane Harvey survivors By Joel Achenbach Amid the many feel-good stories about strangers helping strangers in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, a feel-bad story has almost inevitably surfaced: Scammers are using robo-calls to try to fleece storm survivors. The robo-calls tell people that their premiums are past due and that they must send money immediately or else have their flood insurance canceled. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/08/31/scammers-using-robo-calls-about-insurance-to-fleece-hurricane-harvey-survivors/ ------------------------------ Message-ID: <B1665443-1031-45DA-9404-90BE8DD96917@roscom.com> Date: Mon, 4 Sep 2017 16:01:10 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> Subject: Radio Hacker Interrupts Police Chase in Australia Radio Hacker Interrupts Police Chase in Australia By Catalin Cimpanu A pirate broadcaster posing as a police officer interfered in a police chase this week in Australia, forcing officers to call off the pursuit of two suspected armed robbers. The incident took place on Tuesday when officers from Victoria Police were called to intervene in [an] alleged armed robbery that took place in the town of Sale. https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/radio-hacker-interrupts-police-chase-in-australia/ ------------------------------ Message-ID: <adb262c5-aa5b-4be8-9bc3-8fc3b61cbd8f@googlegroups.com> Date: Tue, 5 Sep 2017 04:57:28 -0700 (PDT) From: Neal McLain <nmclain.remove-this@and-this-too.annsgarden.com> Subject: Re: Texans' do-it-ourselves rescue effort defines Hurricane Harvey In Message-ID: <C6B18756-9841-4F19-B9C4-F682C927B236@roscom.com On Sun, 3 Sep 2017 10:41:13 -0400, Telecom Digest Moderator wrote: > Likewise for Houston: there just doesn't seem to be anyone with the > common sense to tell people they'll have to rebuild their homes so > that they can't be flooded out again. Dirt is cheap enough: each > house owner who's building form now on, and all the ones which will > be receiving tax money for repairs, should be forced to build up > their foundations so that the next flood will be an occasion for a > party instead of a life-threatening disaster. > > This isn't rocket science: the Netherlands have been doing it for > centuries. Well yeah. But the vast majority of south Texas houses (including mine) are built on concrete slabs a few inches above grade. When floodwater exceeds those few inches, it enters the house. In most cases the water level doesn't rise much above a foot or two. That's certainly enough to be a major disaster for the homeowner but the damage can usually be repaired by removing all floor coverings and all wallboard/sheetrock/panelboard up to a couple feet above high water, drying the place out, then reconstructing the wall and floor coverings. This is done in the vast majority of such cases. It's certainly not a permanent solution but it doesn't require razing the entire building and rebuilding it. As for me, my wife, my dog, and I left our house in Brazoria, Texas a week ago and we're camping out at my daughter's place in Katy, Texas. Before we left the house we put everything of any value on tables or counters, at least three feet above the floor. I don't know what has happened since we left because all roads in the area are closed due to flooding. There's still a chance that water didn't enter the house, but if it did, hopefully it didn't rise above two feet. As soon as the County opens a road I'll head down there and take a look. Neal McLain ------------------------------ ********************************************* End of telecom Digest Wed, 06 Sep 2017