Texas round-up

Hurricane Harvey may be the worst storm in US history.  It's bringing out the best in people, and sometimes also the worst.

Photos show the scale of the flooding, and the human impact.

Texas has accepted Mexico's offer of aid for the devastated region, though the Trump administration is fiddle-faddling as usual.  Israel, too, has sent help.

Amid all the destruction and loss of life, religio-wingnuts crow that their God apparently intervened to protect -- a statue.

Best Buy claims its now-notorious water-price gouge was the result of a single employee's math error -- but how often do such errors make it all the way to a printed sign without being caught?  The internet piles on Joel Osteen for not opening up his megachurch as a shelter, but he too has excuses to offer -- you be the judge.  To be fair, other religious centers have behaved differently (found via Ahab).  And maybe God really does punish the wicked.

Inadequate regulation made the flooding worse by allowing too much ground to be covered by water-impervious material.

Fire ant colonies afloat create a further danger.  Fire ants originated in South America -- naturally they're adapted to surviving floods.

Emergency shutdowns of oil refineries are releasing massive amounts of toxic pollution (found via Ahab), and in at least one case there have been chemical explosions, a risk state officials had tried to minimize.

Texas blogger Ranch Chimp hopes the disaster will wake up some global-warming denialists to reality, and links to an expert opinion on the connection.  Yellow Dog is skeptical, and at least some wingnuts are doubling down on teh stoopid.

Texas Republicans in Congress who voted against aid after Hurricane Sandy are now being called out for hypocrisy.

If you want to help, you can do so quickly via the Red Cross.  Update:  More options here.