Tag Archives: hurricane matthew

October 9, 2016 · 20:52

After the Storm: Hurricane Matthew and Hampton Roads

Friends of Padre Steve’s World

Hurricane Matthew made his way past the Hampton Roads area last night and our neighborhood received over 15 inches of rain between about 3PM Saturday and this morning. Flooding has been severe throughout the area. We fought waters coming over the threshold of our back door and the sandbags we had put out for 10 hours. Thankfully we didn’t lose power or we would have lost our living room. I have to thank all that I learned from the Damage Control Technicians on the USS Hue City from whom I learned a lot about fighting water. We got through the storm with no damage, unlike the last storm where one of our cars was totaled and the other damages by the flooding. 

Our neighbors were not as fortunate, one neighbor had several inches of water in her home and one of her cars partially under water. I saw quite a few cars that were flooded in the neighborhood. A number of friends in other parts of the area are without power and will remain so.  Right now the water on the roads is too high to take a chance on driving and I expect they will remain that way through Monday. 

The intensity of the storm took people by surprise including most meteorologists as it took a more northern tack and didn’t head out to sea as was anticipated. Even so the eye of Matthew was over 75 miles from us at its closest. The storm rivaled Hurricane Isabel in the damage that it caused in the area. I am told that such occurrences are 50 to 100 hundred year events. But between Isabel, Matthew, and the remnants of Tropical Storm Julia which dumped 16 inches of rain here just over two weeks ago. 

The Navy is beginning a study to determine how climatic changes in the local communities are going to effect operations of the bases here. One thing noted in regard to this is that the area has experienced a sea rise of over 15 inches since the 1930s, the highest on the east coast and this trend is only going to get worse and the effect of these storms is only going to get worse. This is a matter of national security and denial will not make the problem go away. 

As for us we are looking for ways to mitigate the effects of future storms and already are working on ways to make that happen. But tonight I am going to watch the second Presidential debate. I am not going to talk about the latest remarks or actions of Donald Trump until I watch the debate. I have strong feelings about them and analysis of I what this portends for the race as well as the future of the GOP, but those will wait. 

So have a great night and if you are in the areas effected by Matthew please be safe, take care and you are in my thoughts and prayers. 

Peace

Padre Steve+

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October 8, 2016 · 07:00

Judgmental Christians, Hurricane Matthew, and the Absence of Empathy

Friends of Padre Steve’s World,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GDmhVD5GMs

Yesterday I wrote about the reactions of some supposedly Christian preachers and pundits who claimed that Hurricane Matthew was a “God’s judgment” on the nation for extending basic rights to Gays rather than killing them and against Hillary Clinton supporters.

Personally I cannot fathom such hate coming from supposed Christians who are claiming to speak for God. It makes no sense to me. It’s like the preachers including the late Jerry Falwell who said that the attacks of September 11th 2001 where “God’s judgment” on the United States. I just don’t get it. How people can have such hate for their neighbors that they can rejoice in disasters that affect so many people makes no sense to me, it is perverse.

But then I realize that such people have no empathy for their fellow human beings, even those who share their faith. I am reminded of the words of the Army Psychologist at the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials, Gustave Gilbert when he said:

“In my work with the defendants (at the Nuremberg Trails 1945-1949) I was searching for the nature of evil and I now think I have come close to defining it. A lack of empathy. It’s the one characteristic that connects all the defendants, a genuine incapacity to feel with their fellow men. Evil, I think, is the absence of empathy.”

I have to agree with that. A basic lack of empathy, it is the one thing that connects anyone who can rejoice when disasters strike and claim that it is God doing the work. Such people are sociopaths. Sadly, if by some chance Donald Trump takes power we will have a certifiable sociopath for a President.

Until tomorrow,

Peace

Padre Steve+

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October 6, 2016 · 22:34

Hurricane Matthew and the “Judgment of God” 


Friends of Padre Steve’s World,

Tonight a short update about our situation and some comments about what some supposedly “Christian” people and pundits are saying about Hurricane Matthew which when all is said and done may be one of the most destructive weather events of past century. 

First, our situation. We have a new car and the vehicle that was totaled yesterday was towed off today. We had our Mustang looked at and thankfully it was not totaled and we should have it back sometime next week. Likewise I was able to do some more work to seal up our living room and hopefully keep any groundwater out in future storms. I have more work to do on this but I think we are now in a better place than we were a few weeks ago. 

Now as for Hurricane Matthew. This is really an ugly storm. As he goes up the east coast of Florida he will be a category four or maybe even a category five storm. Matthew will hit areas of Florida that have not been hit in decades. The damage potential and the potential loss of life from Matthew is something that we have not seen in a long time. I am praying for my friends and relatives in Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas. This is not good. Thankfully President Obama has already declared a disaster which will speed federal assistance to the areas, and all of the governors are doing the right thing, bit even so there will be people who either cannot get out or in some cases decide to stay for the thrill of it all. 

But even worse are the supposedly “Christian” pundits and preachers who are calling Matthew “God’s judgement.” Of course for them the reason that this storm is God’s judgment is because of the Gays, President Obama, and Hillary Clinton. Of course if Matthew is God’s judgment, which I sincerely doubt, then why the hell isn’t God targeting areas with majorities of gays and liberal Democrats? The fact is that Matthew is targeting counties in the southeast that are majority Republican and if you look at religious democratics heavily conservative and evangelical Christian. So if you are a Christian rooting for Matthew to be an instrument of God’s judgment on the Gays and the Democrats than you better make sure that God can hit his target and not your friends, allies, and dare I say your Christian brothers and sisters who are in the path of this storm. But then the sociopathic fundamentalist ideologues who promote this tripe in the name of the Christian faith have no honor, no empathy, and I would dare say are apostles of evil. 

Of course let’s talk about the college dropout but expert in everything, Rush Limbaugh. Rush said today that hurricanes are something made up by liberals and in the process went into full attack mode against real scientists. But then Rush reflects the anti-intellectual and unscientific base of his listeners, many of whom are in the path of Matthew. I’m sorry, but in no other first world country would such bullshit be rewarded with multi-million dollar contracts. My European friends are aghast at the anti-intellectual and anti-scientific attitudes of so many Americans. 

But at the end of the day we have to face reality. Millions of people are evacuating in the face of a massive storm that has the potential to kill many people and destroy billions of dollars worth of property; the property of decent, hard working people, to include homes and businesses. 

I don’t know about you, but honestly I have major problems saying that God is creating Matthew just to punish Gays and people who support Hillary is abhorrent. Such thinking shows an ignorance of the Bible and the Christian faith in which disasters, natural or human, were directed against God’s disobedient people, especially self-indulgent clergy living high on the hog that ignore the plight of the poor, not against unbelievers or pagans. On only has to read Jeremiah’s Temple Sermon to get an idea what I am talking about. But then, fidelity to the actual teachings of scripture is less important to such people than cherry picking verses to support their hatred of other people. 

Anyway. It has been a long day. I’m tired and I wish all of you well, especially anyone in the target zone of Hurricane Matthew. Please be safe. 

Peace,

Padre Steve+ 

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