Bob Henson, a meteorologist and journalist based in Boulder, Colorado, published a fascinating a story in The Washington Post on September 26, 2020. It makes good weekend reading. The story is about a 17-year old boy named Alexander Hamilton, living on the island of St. Croix, when a hurricane struck it on August 31, 1772.
Hurricane Article Establishes Hamilton’s Creds as Writer
Says Henson, “The hurricane — probably at least a Category 3 in St. Croix, according to a leading weather historian — prompted a teenage Alexander Hamilton to write an evocative description of the storm published in a local newspaper. Impressed by his essay, leaders of the Caribbean island took up a collection to send him to the American Colonies for formal education. The rest is history…”
Hamilton literally wrote his way off the island.
Bob Henson in The Washington Post
Hamilton’s Account of the Storm
Hamilton wrote: “It seemed as if a total dissolution of nature was taking place. The roaring of the sea and wind, fiery meteors flying about it in the air, the prodigious glare of almost perpetual lightning, the crash of the falling houses, and the ear-piercing shrieks of the distressed, were sufficient to strike astonishment into Angels. A great part of the buildings throughout the Island are levelled to the ground, almost all the rest very much shattered; several persons killed and numbers utterly ruined; whole families running about the streets, unknowing where to find a place of shelter; the sick exposed to the keeness of water and air without a bed to lie upon, or a dry covering to their bodies; and our harbours entirely bare. In a word, misery, in all its most hideous shapes, spread over the whole face of the country.”
Busiest Hurricane Season in History
Michael Chenoweth, a climate historian quoted in the article, believes that the storm grew into a Category 4 hurricane and may have been one of the five strongest hurricanes in the Atlantic before 1900. Chenoweth also believes that the decade of that storm ties for the busiest in history.
Reading Henson’s article I felt compelled to dig more into the history of Hamilton and St. Croix.
History of St. Croix
St. Croix has been a territory of the United States since 1917. Columbus discovered the island in 1493, but the Spanish never colonized the island. Denmark, England, Norway and France jostled for possession of the island in the 1600s. For nearly 200 years, Saint Croix, St. Thomas and St. John were known as the Danish West Indies. In 1916, Denmark sold Saint Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John to the United States in the Treaty of the Danish West Indies. The cost: US$25 million in gold.
Hamilton’s Contributions
Hamilton’s ideas are credited with laying the foundation for American government and finance. He was:
An American statesman, politician, legal scholar, military commander, lawyer, banker, and economist.
Active in ending the legality of the international slave trade
Reshaping History
Hamilton campaigned against Aaron Burr, whom he felt was unprincipled. Hamilton died in a duel with Burr in New Jersey in 1804, but not before shaping the nation that would shape world history.
Had it not been for that hurricane in 1772, he might have died an orphan on St. Croix. And who knows how different history might have been?
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/27/2020
1125 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/440px-Alexander_Hamilton_portrait_by_John_Trumbull_1806.jpg?fit=440%2C521&ssl=1521440adminadmin2020-09-27 11:24:442020-09-28 10:32:38How a Hurricane Shaped World History
The oil and gas company with the joke name (Exxon spelled backwards) is no joking matter. After flooding from Hurricane Harvey, Noxxe left a mile-long trail of devastation in Forest Cove for taxpayers to clean up. The company’s toxic legacy includes dozens of abandoned wells, toppled tanks, and twisted, rusting, ruptured pipes – all in the floodway of the San Jacinto River West Fork, which supplies drinking water to two million people.
Meeting with Texas Railroad Commission
After a series of posts on this subject, I received a call from the Texas Railroad Commission (TRRC). TRRC took control of Noxxe’s operation after the company went bankrupt in February.
Sign posted on entry to Noxxe lease
The Commission’s District Cleanup Coordinator invited me to tour the site with him and discuss the status of cleanup. There’s good news and bad.
Good News
Tanks have been drained of toxic chemicals.
Some wells have been plugged.
TRCC believes the oil spilled on the ground will degrade naturally.
A small check dam should keep oil-contaminated rainwater from washing into the river (except in floods).
Bad News
Many of the wells have NOT been plugged.
Oil has spilled on the ground.
Rusting, oil-covered equipment litters the property.
Legally, the state has no recourse against the company’s management or the property owners.
The State Comptroller’s Office has taken over bidding for cleanup jobs like this, but reportedly has no specialists in toxic waste cleanup.
The Comptroller’s Office has reportedly established an “approved vendor list” for these jobs, but the list doesn’t have enough vendors to handle all the work needed in the State.
TRRC has no budget to handle the Noxxe job and may not get it.
Thieves steal equipment with salvage value.
Brine (saltwater produced with oil and gas) has contaminated many parts of the site, killing vegetation.
Ground-Level Photos
These photos represent only a small portion of the site. But I’m sure you get the picture.
Editorial Opinion
Texas and Texans make their living from minerals. But left like this, those minerals may be the death of us, too. Noxxe has given a black eye to the entire oil and gas industry, which has thousands of reputable companies and millions of hard-working people in Texas.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/26/2020
1125 Days after Hurricane Harvey
The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/20200916-RJR_1721.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2020-09-26 14:26:022020-09-26 16:28:39Close-Up Photos of Noxxe’s Devastation
Probably not everyone will be called on to speak, but we want the committee to know that this affects vast numbers of people. It’s CRITICAL to communicate how many of us are negatively affected by existing and planned sand mines, quarries, concrete plants, and other APOs.
All of the House Interim Committee members will be present and this will be similar to speaking in front of the committee at the Capitol in Austin–but online.
Speakers will also come from the Hill County where APOs are severely impacting quality of life.
Examples of Problems in Lake Houston Area
Mouth bar on the West Fork San Jacinto that mostly formed during Hurricane Harvey. It backed up water and contributed to flooding thousands of homes and businesses. Much of the sediment came from 20 square miles of sand mines immediately upstream.Cleanup cost to state and federal governments so far: about $150 million.The day the West Fork (right) ran white after the LMI Mine upstream put 56 million gallons of process wastewater into the drinking water for 2 million people (Source: TCEQ).Breach at Triple PG mine one White Oak Creek emitted process wastewater into headwaters of Lake Houston, the source of drinking water for 2 million people.Attorney General is suing mine for approximately $1 million.Concentrated silt after sand is washed. Exposed in floodway of the San Jacinto West Fork.River mining without a permit at the Spring Wet Sand and Gravel Plant on the west fork.
Speak for Up to 3 Minutes
Be prepared to speak for up to three minutes about how YOU personally have been or will be impacted by quarries, concrete batch plants, or asphalt plants. Pick one or two of these key issues that most affect you personally:
???? Air particulate emissions ???? Water use and availability ???? Water pollution and flooding ???? Rapid development of APOs without adequate regulatory oversight, mine planning, or reclamation ???? Truck traffic ???? Nuisance issues: blasting, noise, odor, light trespass, visible blight ???? Economic impacts, devaluation of property
URGENT: DO TODAY BEFORE 5pm
Just send in an email requesting to speak. You’ll have a week to plan and prep. Thanks for helping protect our families and community!
If possible, it is VERY IMPORTANT to speak at this meeting. However, if you aren’t selected to speak, or you don’t get your request submitted in time, there will be an additional opportunity later this month to submit written testimonial. We’ll send more info on this in the upcoming days and weeks.
How a Hurricane Shaped World History
Bob Henson, a meteorologist and journalist based in Boulder, Colorado, published a fascinating a story in The Washington Post on September 26, 2020. It makes good weekend reading. The story is about a 17-year old boy named Alexander Hamilton, living on the island of St. Croix, when a hurricane struck it on August 31, 1772.
Hurricane Article Establishes Hamilton’s Creds as Writer
Says Henson, “The hurricane — probably at least a Category 3 in St. Croix, according to a leading weather historian — prompted a teenage Alexander Hamilton to write an evocative description of the storm published in a local newspaper. Impressed by his essay, leaders of the Caribbean island took up a collection to send him to the American Colonies for formal education. The rest is history…”
Hamilton’s Account of the Storm
Hamilton wrote: “It seemed as if a total dissolution of nature was taking place. The roaring of the sea and wind, fiery meteors flying about it in the air, the prodigious glare of almost perpetual lightning, the crash of the falling houses, and the ear-piercing shrieks of the distressed, were sufficient to strike astonishment into Angels. A great part of the buildings throughout the Island are levelled to the ground, almost all the rest very much shattered; several persons killed and numbers utterly ruined; whole families running about the streets, unknowing where to find a place of shelter; the sick exposed to the keeness of water and air without a bed to lie upon, or a dry covering to their bodies; and our harbours entirely bare. In a word, misery, in all its most hideous shapes, spread over the whole face of the country.”
Busiest Hurricane Season in History
Michael Chenoweth, a climate historian quoted in the article, believes that the storm grew into a Category 4 hurricane and may have been one of the five strongest hurricanes in the Atlantic before 1900. Chenoweth also believes that the decade of that storm ties for the busiest in history.
Reading Henson’s article I felt compelled to dig more into the history of Hamilton and St. Croix.
History of St. Croix
St. Croix has been a territory of the United States since 1917. Columbus discovered the island in 1493, but the Spanish never colonized the island. Denmark, England, Norway and France jostled for possession of the island in the 1600s. For nearly 200 years, Saint Croix, St. Thomas and St. John were known as the Danish West Indies. In 1916, Denmark sold Saint Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John to the United States in the Treaty of the Danish West Indies. The cost: US$25 million in gold.
Hamilton’s Contributions
Hamilton’s ideas are credited with laying the foundation for American government and finance. He was:
Reshaping History
Hamilton campaigned against Aaron Burr, whom he felt was unprincipled. Hamilton died in a duel with Burr in New Jersey in 1804, but not before shaping the nation that would shape world history.
Had it not been for that hurricane in 1772, he might have died an orphan on St. Croix. And who knows how different history might have been?
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/27/2020
1125 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Close-Up Photos of Noxxe’s Devastation
The oil and gas company with the joke name (Exxon spelled backwards) is no joking matter. After flooding from Hurricane Harvey, Noxxe left a mile-long trail of devastation in Forest Cove for taxpayers to clean up. The company’s toxic legacy includes dozens of abandoned wells, toppled tanks, and twisted, rusting, ruptured pipes – all in the floodway of the San Jacinto River West Fork, which supplies drinking water to two million people.
Meeting with Texas Railroad Commission
After a series of posts on this subject, I received a call from the Texas Railroad Commission (TRRC). TRRC took control of Noxxe’s operation after the company went bankrupt in February.
The Commission’s District Cleanup Coordinator invited me to tour the site with him and discuss the status of cleanup. There’s good news and bad.
Good News
Bad News
Ground-Level Photos
These photos represent only a small portion of the site. But I’m sure you get the picture.
Editorial Opinion
Texas and Texans make their living from minerals. But left like this, those minerals may be the death of us, too. Noxxe has given a black eye to the entire oil and gas industry, which has thousands of reputable companies and millions of hard-working people in Texas.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/26/2020
1125 Days after Hurricane Harvey
The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.
Action Alert: Aggregate Production Testimony Needed
Deadline 5pm today, Friday, 9/25: We need you!
Please sign up to speak at an ONLINE/VIRTUAL town hall meeting about sand mines and/or other aggregate production operations (APOs). The meeting will be Thursday, 10/1 for the House Interim Committee on Aggregate Production Operations. Please send an email to both jeff.frazier_hc@house.texas.gov and jeff.frazier@house.texas.gov stating your name, contact info, and your request to speak at the 10/1 town hall.
Probably not everyone will be called on to speak, but we want the committee to know that this affects vast numbers of people. It’s CRITICAL to communicate how many of us are negatively affected by existing and planned sand mines, quarries, concrete plants, and other APOs.
All of the House Interim Committee members will be present and this will be similar to speaking in front of the committee at the Capitol in Austin–but online.
Speakers will also come from the Hill County where APOs are severely impacting quality of life.
Examples of Problems in Lake Houston Area
Speak for Up to 3 Minutes
Be prepared to speak for up to three minutes about how YOU personally have been or will be impacted by quarries, concrete batch plants, or asphalt plants. Pick one or two of these key issues that most affect you personally:
???? Air particulate emissions
???? Water use and availability
???? Water pollution and flooding
???? Rapid development of APOs without adequate regulatory oversight, mine planning, or reclamation
???? Truck traffic
???? Nuisance issues: blasting, noise, odor, light trespass, visible blight
???? Economic impacts, devaluation of property
URGENT: DO TODAY BEFORE 5pm
Just send in an email requesting to speak. You’ll have a week to plan and prep. Thanks for helping protect our families and community!
If possible, it is VERY IMPORTANT to speak at this meeting. However, if you aren’t selected to speak, or you don’t get your request submitted in time, there will be an additional opportunity later this month to submit written testimonial. We’ll send more info on this in the upcoming days and weeks.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/25/2020
1123 Days since Hurricane Harvey