Anthropogenic Global Warming ... how hot is it ?

[Shiftless2]

President Donald Trump's plan to begin "phasing out" the federal agency that responds to disasters after the 2025 hurricane season is likely to put more responsibilities on states to provide services following increasingly frequent and expensive climate disasters, experts said.

Trump plans to phase out FEMA after hurricane season, alarming experts​

President Donald Trump's plan to begin "phasing out" the federal agency that responds to disasters after the 2025 hurricane season is likely to put more responsibilities on states to provide services following increasingly frequent and expensive climate disasters, experts said.

"We want to wean off of FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) and we want to bring it down to the state level," Trump said on Tuesday in an Oval Office appearance with administration officials about preparations for summer wildfires.

Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have repeatedly signalled their desire to overhaul, if not completely eliminate, the 46-year-old Federal Emergency Management Agency. While there has been bipartisan support for reforming the agency, experts say dismantling it completely would ....

https://www.business-standard.com/world-news/trump-plans-to-phase-out-fema-after-hurricane-season-alarming-experts-125061200075_1.html

 

[Shiftless2]

As for the California wildfires, It's not over until it's over - and who knows how long this will drag on

Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara launches investigation into State Farm's handling of wildfire claims​

Urges wildfire survivors to submit formal complaints to the Department to strengthen the investigation and expedite recovery

Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced today a formal investigation into State Farm’s handling of thousands of insurance claims from wildfire survivors affected by the Palisades and Eaton wildfires. The California Department of Insurance has initiated a Market Conduct Examination of State Farm General Insurance Company, expanding its ongoing investigation into consumer complaints against the insurer.

"Californians deserve fair and comprehensive treatment from their insurance companies. No one should be left in uncertainty, forced to fight for what they are owed, or face endless delays that often lead consumers to give up," said Commissioner Lara. "While there are national standards for insurance claims handling, they can be vague and inconsistently applied, especially during large-scale, climate-driven disasters. This examination will assess whether State Farm has complied with California's consumer protection and claims handling laws and will help determine if further reforms are needed as natural disasters increasingly disrupt insurance markets across the country."

A Market Conduct Examination is one of the Department's most effective tools, involving a thorough, fact-based review that typically takes several months. The Department is currently at a different stage in the claims process for these wildfires, which allows for a more comprehensive regulatory review for an examination of this magnitude and importance. Insurers are now making payment decisions, enabling the Department to evaluate .....

CONTINUED

It's probably safe to say that the investigation is going to extend to other insurance companies as well

 

[Shiftless2]

Property insurer asking state to allow 31% rate increase when policyholders renew​

https://www.tallahassee.com/story/weather/hurricane/2025/06/19/true-property-insurer-asking-florida-31-percent-rate-increase/84243322007/

Two new property insurers approved to sell in Florida. More coming, regulators say​

Two new property insurers approved to sell in Florida. More coming, regulators say

The office on Friday identified the two new companies in a news release as Incline National Insurance Company, headquartered in Texas, and Florida Insurance and Reinsurance Company, a Florida- domiciled company that Insurance Commissioner Mike Yaworsky said will primarily offer coverage for...

insurancenewsnet.com

 

[Shiftless2]

Dozens dead in Texas after devastating floods slam Hill Country, officials say​

Dozens of people are dead in central Texas in what officials called a "mass casualty event" after devastating flash floods slammed Hill Country, with water rescues taking place along the Guadalupe River. While officials couldn't confirm an exact number of those who remain unaccounted for, they said between 23 and 25 people were still missing from Camp Mystic, a children's summer camp.

At least 27 fatalities have been reported so far, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said in an email Saturday morning. The dead include 18 adults and 9 children. Six of the adults and one child remain unidentified, Leitha said. Officials have conducted more than

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How extraordinary rainfall caught Texas by surprise​

Meteorologists had cautioned there was potential for flooding across Central Texas in the overnight hours late Thursday and early Friday morning. But there was little indication of just how torrential and unrelenting the downpours would become in the predawn hours, killing at least 27 people, many of them children at camp.

Radar and precipitation data and National Weather Service warnings show the floods were the result of extraordinary atmospheric conditions that sent intense plumes of Gulf of Mexico moisture into parts of Texas long known to be vulnerable to flash flooding, when bursts of heavy rain cause water to rise rapidly.

And unlike a typical summer thunderstorm that can cause quick flooding, this system formed in a way that allowed it to stall, creating deluges that repeatedly poured several inches of rain on the same areas within a matter of hours.

“The flooding damage is catastrophic,” Kerrville Police Officer Jonathan Lamb told The Washington Post. “It’s the worst flood that we’ve ever seen.”

It occurred against the backdrop of rising global temperatures, as surging fossil fuel emissions trigger the greenhouse effect, causing the most intense rainfall to become even more extreme, scientists say. Warmer air is capable of ....

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Elections have consequences. Sad that Texas had to learn this way.

 

[sear]

"Elections have consequences. Sad that Texas had to learn this way." S2 #344

As I was reading #344 that thought crossed my mind, though in my ignorance it seems more like karma than policy cause & effect.

S2, do you have any specific election related Texas policy in mind?

Elections have consequences. Sad that Texas had to learn this way.

Texas had a rough go with commercial power failure, because they'd tried to save a $little by not complying with federal commercial power grid standards.
Something similar with water too?

 

[Shiftless2]

... do you have any specific election related Texas policy in mind?

In 2024, Trump went on to win Texas by a margin of over 1.5 million votes, the second-largest margin of victory for any presidential candidate in Texas history.

And guess who is slashing government services.

As Flood Deaths Rise, Texas Officials Blast Faulty Forecast by DOGE-Gutted National Weather Service​

"Experts warned for months that drastic and sudden cuts at the National Weather Service by Trump could impair their forecasting ability and endanger lives during the storm season," said one critic.​

As catastrophic flooding left scores of people dead and missing in Texas Hill Country and President Donald Trump celebrated signing legislation that will eviscerate every aspect of federal efforts to address the climate emergency, officials in the Lone Star State blasted the National Weather Service—one of many agencies gutted by the Department of Government Efficiency—for issuing faulty forecasts that some observers blamed for the flood's high death toll.

The Associated Press reported Saturday that flooding caused by a powerful storm killed at least 27 people, with dozens more—including as many as 25 girls from a summer camp along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County—missing after fast-moving floodwaters rose 26 feet (8 meters) in less than an hour before dawn on Friday, sweeping away people and pets along with .....

As Flood Deaths Rise, Texas Officials Blast Faulty Forecast by DOGE-Gutted National Weather Service | Common Dreams

"Experts warned for months that drastic and sudden cuts at the National Weather Service by Trump could impair their forecasting ability and endanger lives during the storm season," said one critic.

www.commondreams.org

 

[sear]

"In 2024, Trump went on to win Texas by a margin of over 1.5 million votes, the second-largest margin of victory for any presidential candidate in Texas history." #346

"And guess who is slashing government services." S2
"yep, Trump and Elon killed those girls." ryjkyj

Thank you S2.
That's clarification enough.

Therefore "America First" is MAGA code for - ME FIRST -
And therefore, don't tax ME for government service that might benefit my neighbor, our countrymen?

It's a dysfunctional feedback loop.
The chiselers, the parsimonyists disregard economy of scale, willing to sacrifice a few school girls if it'll save them a few tax $dollars.

It's a little too close to anarchism for my taste ... every man for himself ...
BUT !
It's Texas, and therefore Texans.

 

[Shiftless2]

And don't forget that he's slashing FEMA (said he actually wants to eliminate it) and that body benefits red states more than anything else.

And I stand to be corrected but my understanding is that the money to build Alligator Auschwitz came from FEMA funds.

 

[sear]

"And don't forget that he's slashing FEMA (said he actually wants to eliminate it) and that body benefits red states more than anything else." S2 #348

FEMA: the longest bone of contention in the U.S. body politic. *

"And I stand to be corrected but my understanding is that the money to build Alligator Auschwitz came from FEMA funds." S2

The rational mind may feel flummoxed here.
It's not a cognitive failure.
Trump isn't laying waste to U.S. institutions and traditions for utilitarian benefit.
Instead, it's Trump's way of amassing power.

IMPORTANT NOTE:
Trump's violent insurrection occurred between election day, and inauguration day.
Trump's January 6th extravaganza appears to be Trump's failed attempt to retain the presidency despite Senator Biden's election to the office.
We should be prepared for an additional power-grab despite our Constitution's 22nd Amendment:

ARTICLE #22: Ratified February 27, 1951
SECTION 1. No person shall be elected to the office of President more than twice ...

According to Trump, who claims he won the 2020 election, Trump has already been elected three times.

* fe·mur (fēmər)
n.
1.a. A bone of the leg situated between the pelvis and knee in humans. It is the largest and strongest bone in the body. Also called thighbone.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.