President (To Win Colorado)
See Full Big Line
(D) Kamala Harris
(R) Donald Trump
80%↑
20%
CO-01 (Denver)
See Full Big Line
(D) Diana DeGette*
(R) V. Archuleta
98%
2%
CO-02 (Boulder-ish)
See Full Big Line
(D) Joe Neguse*
(R) Marshall Dawson
95%
5%
CO-03 (West & Southern CO)
See Full Big Line
(R) Jeff Hurd
(D) Adam Frisch
50%
50%
CO-04 (Northeast-ish Colorado)
See Full Big Line
(R) Lauren Boebert
(D) Trisha Calvarese
90%
10%
CO-05 (Colorado Springs)
See Full Big Line
(R) Jeff Crank
(D) River Gassen
80%
20%
CO-06 (Aurora)
See Full Big Line
(D) Jason Crow*
(R) John Fabbricatore
90%
10%
CO-07 (Jefferson County)
See Full Big Line
(D) B. Pettersen
(R) Sergei Matveyuk
90%
10%
CO-08 (Northern Colo.)
See Full Big Line
(D) Yadira Caraveo
(R) Gabe Evans
52%↑
48%↓
State Senate Majority
See Full Big Line
DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS
80%
20%
State House Majority
See Full Big Line
DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS
95%
5%
May 21, 2013 08:11 AM UTC
26 Comments
Where are CAntor, Romeny, and Bush (Jeb) and their calls for privatizing FEMA now?
Hell- the R's collapsed on sequestering FEMA funds back in Feb.
If only all those OK kids had guns, and no undocumented neighbors. Someone, somewhere will blames this on gay marriage/civil unions. Of course, we all know whose fault this really is.
I hate to disagree with you, Pols.
"They'd do it for you," said Pols.
Actually, no they wouldn't. And they didn't.
Oklahoma lawmakers voted against increasing Sandy relief
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2013/05/oklahomas_us_senators_voted_ag.html
Didn't Texas also? But yes, libruls may not be real Americans according to the Palin lovers but we are mostly better human beings than to want to leave children to suffer for spite.
By the way, does anyone know if there is a reason why most homes and public buildings are built without basements in OK'? It seems as though, if there isn't an impediment, there ought to be a requirement for public buildings such as schools to have underground shelters. Especially in the very same area that was devastated by the last worst tornado.
And why haven't we heard from the Pat Robertson et al about how the Texas and OK killer tornadoes must be a punishment from God for… oh, I don't know… not hating gays enough?
BC I have heard excuses offered that the ground is too hard for basements. I can not buy that at all. More likely it is so a building can be constructed more quickly and less expesively. Land planners and folks on planning commissions are often beleaguered by those property owners wishing to garner the largest possible profit from their property. In my view no future building plan should be complete without a basement in Tornado Alley. Land that can not be dug ought be left in ag or used for purposes that are less likely to result in loss of human life
It's certainly sad that there was simply no right way to protect those children, interior "safe' rooms being so inadequate in a tornado of that magnitude, which was demonstrated in the same area 14 years earlier. Some people did have storm shelters so you are probably right.
I seem to recall seeing something on TV once. It was new homes with tornado-proof rooms in the basement. I can't recall the details, but they were basically like panic rooms, concrete on all sides with a heavy steel door for access, in the center. This was in Oklahoma.
Now, I don't know much about Oklahoma's geography. It's possible that there are areas where the bedrock is so close to the surface that you can't dig deep enough. But that would be the only way that it would be impossible. Even the hardest clay is no match for a standard backhoe.
That's what I heard on the news yesterday, Ari. OK city sits flat on the bedrock and it makes basements damn near inpossible to dig. Storm cellars aren't nearly as deep as would be neccesary for proper basements.
Hmmmm…That doesn't sound right. here's a geologic map:
http://www.ogs.ou.edu/geolmapping/Geo_mapOK1954.pdf
OK City and the surrounding area sit on the Hennesey Shale, from within a very thick pile of sedimentary rocks. It would be easy to dig a basement in that stuff.
Googling around a bit, this question comes up after every tornado. Answers tend to be the ground is too wet, the clay expands, or it costs money.
Interestingly, a realtor page suggested to a homebuyer that they look for older houses if they wanted a basement. So houses used to be built with basements, but not anymore. Another site stated that the frost depth in OK City was only 18". Codes probably require a footing that deep, so it's cheap and easy to dig a shallow footer and then pour a concrete slab on grade.
great catch.
Local codes in Tornado Alley should result in a future cutoff from FEMA disaster funds, like the federal flood insurance requirements
They don't build basements cuz that costs more.
At least storm shelters, if not full basements, ought to be required in public buildings such as schools, theaters, hospitals, malls, etc.
And with that, I am donating right now. Because Americans are better than this.
Done. I refuse to act like cold-hearted asshat. I will cede that space to the GOTP.
Of course we;ll send money to the Red Cross. When the letter comes from Habitat For Humanity, which will undoubtedly go to OK to teach them how to build houses that will stand up to disasters, they'll get some, too. However, it chaps my hide that Sens. Imhoff and Coburn have the unmittigated gall to put their hands out for FEMA money when they both voted no on relief for Sandy unless it was "paid for" with cuts elswhere in the Federal budget. Karma bites.
Not to mention that while it may be questioned whether this had anything at all to do with climate change, Imhofe has denied any chance of climate change.
ummmm…. there are no magical houses that will stand up to a tornado of that magnitude but houses should definitely have basements or storm shelters. Perhaps developments could be required to include so many community underground shelters per so many houses.
perhaps FHA, VA and others should quit lending on homes built within 100 miles of Tornado Alley that do NOT have such shelter. Planning boards and commissioners ought require them in their building codes
The mayor of Moore says the city, after '99, offered $ to those who would build underground shelter. He is not falling onto the bedrocck excuse
underground is probably not at all practical in LA or other areas on a coast
Naturally, nor in Florida or New Orleans. I was talking about the situation in OK. In many other states with lots of tornadoes most homes and buildings do seem to have basements.
Metal storm shelters are advertised and sold in shopping malls in Missouri. They aren't terribly expensive and could easily be incorporated into a mortgage, if they were required in all new housing there.
Above ground?
Yes. They bolt them to a slab. But I don't recall the specs on wind resistance. They are really good for protection against flying debris. They call them safe rooms…
http://www.missouristormshelters.com/prefabricated-saferooms.aspx
It seems that only underground is safe with these extra powerful tornadoes. That's what the experts were saying. Advice for the usual doesn't apply to the super, not unlike the situation with the New Orleans levees. In Holland they don't settle for he usual. They spend what it takes to be safe from the extraordinary. Being prepared for the worst is a better bet.
My guess is that the engineering isn't the problem. It's the cost. Would you rather pay for a basement, a safe room, or a 4th bedroom? I think it's pretty clear that homebuyers opt for the latter.
Schools, hospitals and nursing homes, for starters, ought to be held to some standards.
I believe there are also heavy duty plastic pods that go below ground
A guy on the Maddow show was saying that the metal above ground safe rooms work very well. Guess we'll eventually hear how some of them worked well or didn't in Moore. The two elementary schools that were hit didn't have any built in safe rooms. There are schools elsewhere that do. They double as clasrooms most of the time.