On February 20, NOAA announced computing upgrades that will enable new and improved weather and climate forecasting. Significant upgrades to supercomputing capacity, storage space, and interconnect speed of its Weather and Climate Operational Supercomputing System will keep the agency’s supercomputing capacity on par with other leading weather forecast centers around the world.
Why We Need More Supercomputing Capacity
As good as weather forecasting has become, it can still go much further. That’s why this item caught my eye.
Triple Capacity, Double Storage and Interconnect Speeds
This increase in high-performance computing will triple the capacity and double NOAA’s storage and interconnect speed. It will help NOAA create better forecast model guidance. The keys: higher-resolution and more comprehensive Earth-system models that use larger ensembles, advanced physics, and improved data assimilation.
“We will restore America’s international leadership with the best weather forecasts, powered by the fastest supercomputers and world-class weather models,” said Neil Jacobs, Ph.D., acting NOAA administrator.
Two new Cray computers, an operational primary and backup, will be located in Manassas, Virginia, and Phoenix. The computers each have 12 petaflop capacity. They will become operational by early 2022 after code migration and testing.
New Total of 40 Petaflops
Coupled with NOAA’s other research and development supercomputers, which have a combined capacity of 16 petaflops, NOAA’s new prediction and research computing capabilties will reach 40 petaflops.
A petaflop is a unit of computing speed equal to one thousand million million (1015) floating-point operations per second.
Earth Prediction Innovation Center
The new computers will help advance research and development under NOAA’s emerging Earth Prediction Innovation Center (EPIC). They should make the U.S. Global Forecast System the best model in the world.
“Through EPIC, we have an opportunity to regain our footing as a world leader in global weather prediction. The system will foster partnerships with university and industry scientists and engineers to advance U.S. numerical weather prediction,” added Jacobs.
EPIC will make it easier for developers across all sectors to collaborate on improving the nation’s weather and climate models. It leverages combined skills and resources and lowers barriers for interaction. It does that through the use of cloud computing and a community modeling approach called the Unified Forecast Systemoffsite link.
Current Acquisition Will Lay Ground for Future Advances
“The National Weather Service ran a competitive acquisition to ensure we have the supercomputing power needed to implement all the great modeling advancements we anticipate over the next several years,” said Louis W. Uccellini, Ph.D., director of the National Weather Service. “This is an exciting time for all of us in the weather research and operations community, with bold changes on the horizon. We are making sure NOAA is ready.”
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/27/2020 based on information provided by NOAA
912 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Digital-Globe.jpg?fit=1200%2C744&ssl=17441200adminadmin2020-02-27 18:27:082020-02-27 18:32:29NOAA to Triple Supercomputing Capacity for Weather, Climate Forecasting
Harvey households covered by FEMA group flood insurance should prepare now to buy standard flood insurance by Oct. 24. Lack of coverage may affect eligibility for future disaster assistance.
Photo of Harvey damage courtesy of Alexis Faust.
What is Group Flood Insurance?
Many families affected by Hurricane Harvey in August 2017 did not have flood insurance.
As part of its disaster assistance, FEMA provided Group Flood Insurance Policies (GFIP) to 6,704 households across counties impacted by Harvey.
Group Policies End October 24
These three-year policies end Oct. 24. So policyholders must now switch to a standard flood insurance policy to ensure continuous coverage.
Those who received a GFIP policy as part of their FEMA disaster assistance after Harvey but don’t buy a standard flood insurance policy are at increased risk. They will likely not receive federal disaster assistance for home repairs if they experience another flood. Just 1 inch of water can cause $25,000 of damage to a home.
Purchasing a flood insurance policy is one of the best ways to protect from financial loss.
Flood Insurance Requirements for Harvey Households
Here are flood insurance requirements for Harvey households:
If you are a homeowner who received a GFIP policy:
Flood insurance coverage must be maintained for the address of the flood-damaged property. The flood insurance requirement is transferred to any new owner of the address and continues for as long as the address exists. If you sell your home, call the NFIP direct servicing agency at 800-638-6620 to transfer your policy to the new homeowner.
If you are a renter who received a GFIP policy:
Flood insurance coverage must be maintained on the contents of the rental property for as long as the renter remains at the flood-damaged address. If you move from your damaged rental property, the flood insurance requirement is not transferred to the next renter.
How to Get or Renew an NFIP Policy
Contact your insurance agent to discuss the cost of a standard flood insurance policy. If you don’t have an agent, you can call 800-427-4661 for an insurance agent referral. Visit www.FloodSmart.gov or www.fema.gov/national-flood-insurance-program for more information about flood insurance.
If You Received Disaster Assistance, You Must Maintain Flood Insurance
Harvey impacted 41,500 square miles of Texas. If it rains it can flood. That means all Texans should purchase or renew flood insurance policies. The 2020 hurricane season begins June 1, but a policy protects you from financial losses from other flood events all year.
For More Information
For additional information about Hurricane Harvey and Texas recovery, visit:
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/27/2020 based on information from FEMA and Congressman Dan Crenshaw’s Office
912 Days after Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Alexis-Lehman4.jpg?fit=1200%2C617&ssl=16171200adminadmin2020-02-27 16:49:172020-02-27 16:49:32Harvey Households Covered by FEMA Group Flood Insurance Should Buy Standard Flood Insurance by Oct. 24
The oral explanations that accompanied each of these presentations provided much of the interest. But even without those, they are still understandable and compelling. Let me attempt to fill in some of the gap.
Barker-Addicks Upstream Case: What Corps Knew and Did
Irvine focused mainly on what the Army Corps knew about flooding potential upstream of the reservoirs and what they consciously permitted to happen through inaction. His presentation is packed with memos and reports dating back to 1973.
In a landmark ruling last December, the judge ruled that the US Government and Army Corps were liable in all 13 test cases for a “taking” private property for public use without just compensation.” That language comes from the Fifth Amendment of the US Constitution.
The Barker-Addicks cases have been divided into upstream and downstream groups because of their different characteristics. On February 19, 2020, Judge Loren A. Smith dismissed all the downstream cases outright. According to the Houston Chronicle, he said that property owners had no right to sue the government for inundating their land in what he called a “2000-year storm.”
Both of these cases set potential precedent for people in the Lake Houston area. The downstream cases contain some circumstances that parallel SJRA actions during Harvey.
The upstream cases contain elements that apply to future flooding now that the SJRA has consciously chosen to balance upstream boating, property and commercial interests with downstream safety.
All in all, it’s an interesting read. The last slide in Irvine’s presentation shows him and co-counsel standing in front of a wall with a quote from Abraham Lincoln. The quote says, “It is as much the duty of government to render prompt justice against itself, in favor of citizens, as it is to administer the same, between private individuals.”
Charles Irvine is third from left.
State of Region and Prescriptions for Future
Blackburns presentation can roughly be broken into two parts: what has been done since Harvey and what still needs to be done to protect us in the future.
Regular readers will recognize many past projects from the archives of ReduceFlooding.com although Blackburn’s purview is admittedly wider than mine. I focus mainly on the Lake Houston Area; Blackburn focuses on the region.
Blackburn, however, makes many prescriptions to reduce future flooding re:
Development in flood plains
Acknowledging climate change
Impacts to low-income and minority areas
A black-mold public-health crisis
Location of hazardous waste sites
Cancer clusters
Allocation of public funds
Design of freeways that flood
Tunneling as a mitigation alternative
Flood alert systems
Ike-Dike Options and more
Jim Blackburn’s biggest worry.
Blackburn does not shy from controversy. But it’s not necessary to agree with each of his observations. It is necessary to discuss them if we are going to move beyond the thinking that keeps us mired in the past.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/26/2020with thanks to Charles Irvine, Jim Blackburn and the Bayou City Initiative
911 Days after Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Blackburn-Worry.jpg?fit=1200%2C664&ssl=16641200adminadmin2020-02-26 20:31:042020-02-26 20:31:22New Presentations on Barker-Addicks Upstream Case and State of Regional Flood Mitigation
NOAA to Triple Supercomputing Capacity for Weather, Climate Forecasting
On February 20, NOAA announced computing upgrades that will enable new and improved weather and climate forecasting. Significant upgrades to supercomputing capacity, storage space, and interconnect speed of its Weather and Climate Operational Supercomputing System will keep the agency’s supercomputing capacity on par with other leading weather forecast centers around the world.
Why We Need More Supercomputing Capacity
As good as weather forecasting has become, it can still go much further. That’s why this item caught my eye.
The paths of tropical storms can be notoriously fickle. Harvey, for instance, made landfall three times. Hurricane Rita caused officials to order the mass evacuation of 3.7 million Houstonians, only to have the storm veer east at the last minute. The evacuation created a disaster in itself. Forecast inaccuracies also lower the confidence of those contemplating lowering the level of area lakes in advance of approaching storms.
Triple Capacity, Double Storage and Interconnect Speeds
This increase in high-performance computing will triple the capacity and double NOAA’s storage and interconnect speed. It will help NOAA create better forecast model guidance. The keys: higher-resolution and more comprehensive Earth-system models that use larger ensembles, advanced physics, and improved data assimilation.
“We will restore America’s international leadership with the best weather forecasts, powered by the fastest supercomputers and world-class weather models,” said Neil Jacobs, Ph.D., acting NOAA administrator.
Two new Cray computers, an operational primary and backup, will be located in Manassas, Virginia, and Phoenix. The computers each have 12 petaflop capacity. They will become operational by early 2022 after code migration and testing.
New Total of 40 Petaflops
Coupled with NOAA’s other research and development supercomputers, which have a combined capacity of 16 petaflops, NOAA’s new prediction and research computing capabilties will reach 40 petaflops.
Earth Prediction Innovation Center
The new computers will help advance research and development under NOAA’s emerging Earth Prediction Innovation Center (EPIC). They should make the U.S. Global Forecast System the best model in the world.
“Through EPIC, we have an opportunity to regain our footing as a world leader in global weather prediction. The system will foster partnerships with university and industry scientists and engineers to advance U.S. numerical weather prediction,” added Jacobs.
EPIC will make it easier for developers across all sectors to collaborate on improving the nation’s weather and climate models. It leverages combined skills and resources and lowers barriers for interaction. It does that through the use of cloud computing and a community modeling approach called the Unified Forecast Systemoffsite link.
Current Acquisition Will Lay Ground for Future Advances
“The National Weather Service ran a competitive acquisition to ensure we have the supercomputing power needed to implement all the great modeling advancements we anticipate over the next several years,” said Louis W. Uccellini, Ph.D., director of the National Weather Service. “This is an exciting time for all of us in the weather research and operations community, with bold changes on the horizon. We are making sure NOAA is ready.”
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/27/2020 based on information provided by NOAA
912 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Harvey Households Covered by FEMA Group Flood Insurance Should Buy Standard Flood Insurance by Oct. 24
Harvey households covered by FEMA group flood insurance should prepare now to buy standard flood insurance by Oct. 24. Lack of coverage may affect eligibility for future disaster assistance.
What is Group Flood Insurance?
Many families affected by Hurricane Harvey in August 2017 did not have flood insurance.
As part of its disaster assistance, FEMA provided Group Flood Insurance Policies (GFIP) to 6,704 households across counties impacted by Harvey.
Group Policies End October 24
These three-year policies end Oct. 24. So policyholders must now switch to a standard flood insurance policy to ensure continuous coverage.
Those who received a GFIP policy as part of their FEMA disaster assistance after Harvey but don’t buy a standard flood insurance policy are at increased risk. They will likely not receive federal disaster assistance for home repairs if they experience another flood. Just 1 inch of water can cause $25,000 of damage to a home.
Purchasing a flood insurance policy is one of the best ways to protect from financial loss.
Flood Insurance Requirements for Harvey Households
Here are flood insurance requirements for Harvey households:
If you are a homeowner who received a GFIP policy:
Flood insurance coverage must be maintained for the address of the flood-damaged property. The flood insurance requirement is transferred to any new owner of the address and continues for as long as the address exists. If you sell your home, call the NFIP direct servicing agency at 800-638-6620 to transfer your policy to the new homeowner.
If you are a renter who received a GFIP policy:
Flood insurance coverage must be maintained on the contents of the rental property for as long as the renter remains at the flood-damaged address. If you move from your damaged rental property, the flood insurance requirement is not transferred to the next renter.
How to Get or Renew an NFIP Policy
Contact your insurance agent to discuss the cost of a standard flood insurance policy. If you don’t have an agent, you can call 800-427-4661 for an insurance agent referral. Visit www.FloodSmart.gov or www.fema.gov/national-flood-insurance-program for more information about flood insurance.
If You Received Disaster Assistance, You Must Maintain Flood Insurance
The National Flood Insurance Reform Act and FEMA regulations require applicants who receive federal financial assistance to buy and maintain flood insurance. This is as a condition to receive assistance for future flood damage to any insurable property for acquisition or construction purposes. If your household received disaster assistance after Harvey, and you live in a special flood hazard area, you must maintain flood insurance.To find out if you have a flood insurance requirement, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-3362 (voice, 711/VRS – Video Relay Service) (TTY: 800-462-7585). Multilingual operators are available (press 2 for Spanish).
To learn more about GFIP, visit https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/133710.
Harvey impacted 41,500 square miles of Texas. If it rains it can flood. That means all Texans should purchase or renew flood insurance policies. The 2020 hurricane season begins June 1, but a policy protects you from financial losses from other flood events all year.
For More Information
For additional information about Hurricane Harvey and Texas recovery, visit:
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/27/2020 based on information from FEMA and Congressman Dan Crenshaw’s Office
912 Days after Hurricane Harvey
New Presentations on Barker-Addicks Upstream Case and State of Regional Flood Mitigation
On February 19, the Bayou City Initiative hosted presentations by Charles Irvine of Irvine & Connor, PLLC and Professor Jim Blackburn of Rice University. Irvine was the Court-appointed, Co-lead Counsel for the Addicks-Barker “Upstream” case. Blackburn is co-director of the Severe Storm Prevention, Education and Evacuation from Disaster (SSPEED) Center at Rice and a faculty scholar at the Baker Institute – just two of many distinctions.
The oral explanations that accompanied each of these presentations provided much of the interest. But even without those, they are still understandable and compelling. Let me attempt to fill in some of the gap.
Barker-Addicks Upstream Case: What Corps Knew and Did
Irvine focused mainly on what the Army Corps knew about flooding potential upstream of the reservoirs and what they consciously permitted to happen through inaction. His presentation is packed with memos and reports dating back to 1973.
In a landmark ruling last December, the judge ruled that the US Government and Army Corps were liable in all 13 test cases for a “taking” private property for public use without just compensation.” That language comes from the Fifth Amendment of the US Constitution.
The Barker-Addicks cases have been divided into upstream and downstream groups because of their different characteristics. On February 19, 2020, Judge Loren A. Smith dismissed all the downstream cases outright. According to the Houston Chronicle, he said that property owners had no right to sue the government for inundating their land in what he called a “2000-year storm.”
Both of these cases set potential precedent for people in the Lake Houston area. The downstream cases contain some circumstances that parallel SJRA actions during Harvey.
All in all, it’s an interesting read. The last slide in Irvine’s presentation shows him and co-counsel standing in front of a wall with a quote from Abraham Lincoln. The quote says, “It is as much the duty of government to render prompt justice against itself, in favor of citizens, as it is to administer the same, between private individuals.”
State of Region and Prescriptions for Future
Blackburns presentation can roughly be broken into two parts: what has been done since Harvey and what still needs to be done to protect us in the future.
Regular readers will recognize many past projects from the archives of ReduceFlooding.com although Blackburn’s purview is admittedly wider than mine. I focus mainly on the Lake Houston Area; Blackburn focuses on the region.
Blackburn, however, makes many prescriptions to reduce future flooding re:
Blackburn does not shy from controversy. But it’s not necessary to agree with each of his observations. It is necessary to discuss them if we are going to move beyond the thinking that keeps us mired in the past.
To download both presentations, click here.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/26/2020 with thanks to Charles Irvine, Jim Blackburn and the Bayou City Initiative
911 Days after Hurricane Harvey