Houston-area residents enter sixth day without power, air conditioning

Post by sjs382 » Sun, Jul 14, 2024, 2:58 PM UTC

hedora wrote: post #71

blantonl wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This wasn't a "grid issue." It is a last-mile issue. It's specifically an issue with the sheer amount of above ground power lines and population density. There is no easy fix, preparation, or practically anything else that can be done to prevent something like this. Plus, what causes the same amount of power outages (wind damage) isn't going to be different between 90mph winds and 150 mph winds. The effects are going…

I disagree, and I speak from experience. We've been repeatedly hit by climate-change induced typhoons here (near the SF Bay Area), and hurricane-force gusts hit both of the last two years. Our area looses a lot of roads to mudslides, and of course we have extended power outages. Having said that, the first year, PG&E only delivered one nine of availability last year, and this year, they're closer to two nines. The di…

Post by whoknowsidont » Sun, Jul 14, 2024, 3:01 PM UTC

blantonl wrote: post #15

RheingoldRiver wrote: post #9

I was there last weekend & for the day of the hurricane. This was just a cat 1 hurricane at the time it passed through Houston, and there was SO much damage. I can't imagine the city is remotely prepared for (god forbid, and idk how likely it is that far inland anyway) a cat 4 or 5. We were staying in a hotel that had a backup generator, but every single other building that was visible from our hotel had lost power d…

This wasn't a "grid issue." It is a last-mile issue. It's specifically an issue with the sheer amount of above ground power lines and population density. There is no easy fix, preparation, or practically anything else that can be done to prevent something like this. Plus, what causes the same amount of power outages (wind damage) isn't going to be different between 90mph winds and 150 mph winds. The effects are going…

Post by kjkjadksj » Sun, Jul 14, 2024, 3:23 PM UTC

roenxi wrote: post #318

sdenton4 wrote: post #279

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Consider earthquakes. Preparation and infrastructure are what matter. If you don't do the prep, you'll have a hundred thousand dead from a 6.0. But if you do the prep, you'll have relatively trivial damage from a 7.0. Texas power, thanks to their 'we don't need no regulamazations' attitude, has shown itself to be woefully underreported repeatedly in the last few years.

I can't walk by this comment without noting that their 'we don't need no regulamazations' attitude resulted in a large populous state which people want to migrate to. The other large US state, California, has electricity prices that appear to be 2x higher [0]. And their migratory trends are not encouraging. People underestimate the heavy burden of a strong regulatory state. High standards and high costs. All in it th…

Post by kjkjadksj » Sun, Jul 14, 2024, 3:35 PM UTC

massysett wrote: post #258

gunapologist99 wrote: post #206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are vanishingly few examples of infrastructure spending that don't turn into massive, wasteful boondoggles; perhaps the Interstate Highway system. The national railroad system a century prior and even the Internet were nearly entirely built with private funds.

Railroads got massive subsidies in at least two forms: huge land grants, and the power of the U.S. Army to wage war on the native peoples who otherwise would have stood in their way.

Post by [deleted] » Sun, Jul 14, 2024, 3:38 PM UTC

presentation wrote: post #351

AlbertCory wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

so that's one comparable. Surely there are other First World cities that have storms?

Look to Asia, all the major coastal and island cities have far bigger storms than whatever Houston experiences, many times a year, and they pretty much all fare better than this.