Hurricane Wilma Most Powerful Yet
Hurricane Wilma has now reached Category 5 status and is the most powerful hurricane of the season. Wilma Strengthens to Category 5 Hurricane (AP) Hurricane Wilma strengthened into a Category 5 monster early Wednesday packing 175 mph winds, and forecasters said a key reading of the storm's pressure showed it to be the most powerful of the year. Wilma was dumping ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on October 19, 2005 05:00
Tropical Storm Wilma May Set Records
Tropical Storm Wilma is slowly moving out of the Caribbean, likely to make landfall in Florida as a major hurricane this weekend. Tropical Storm Stalls in the Caribbean (AP) Tropical Storm Wilma stalled over the warm waters of the northwestern Caribbean early Tuesday, where forecasters said it would strengthen into an intense hurricane before potentially menacing the U.S. Gulf Coast this weekend. ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on October 18, 2005 07:05
Schroeder Quits Government
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder will not play a role in the future government of Germany. BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who has led Germany since 1998, said for the first time on Wednesday he would not play a role in the next government, in an emotional farewell including broadsides at the United States and Britain. "I will not be a part ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on October 12, 2005 13:49
Pakistan puts quake toll at 18,000 (CNN)
Amazing the number, and scope of natural disasters the world has experienced this year: ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- The Pakistan earthquake toll has reached 18,000 dead and 41,000 injured, Pakistan military spokesman Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan has told CNN. Sultan said the information the Pakistan government had on Sunday morning was that 18,000 was the number of confirmed dead from the magnitude ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on October 8, 2005 22:47
Asian Quake Leaves Hundreds Dead
Hundreds of people are feared dead after a powerful earthquake on the India-Pakistan border. Powerful Asian Quake Leaves Hundreds Dead (AP) A powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake near the Pakistan-India border Saturday reduced villages to rubble, triggered landslides and flattened an apartment building, killing hundreds of people in both nations. Pakistan's army called the devastation "a national tragedy." In the capitals of Pakistan, India and ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on October 8, 2005 09:51
Bush’s Poll Numbers Up
Proving once again that what goes down must come up, President Bush's poll numbers have rebounded from the low point they reached in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Bush's poll numbers up (CNN) President Bush's standing with the public improved over the previous week as he made a highly visible effort to manage the consequences of the second major ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on September 30, 2005 07:01
Refinery Damage Lighter Than Expected
One of the reasons that gasoline prices are not screaming upto $5/gallon as some predicted is that the damage to refineries by Hurricane Rita was less than expected. DALLAS - Oil companies said Monday that damage to their massive Texas refineries from Hurricane Rita appeared lighter than expected, but analysts are still predicting that retail gasoline prices may remain near $3 ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on September 27, 2005 15:42
What Happened to $5/Gallon Gasoline?
Well, it looks like the dire predictions about gasoline simply aren't going to materialize. In looking at the Daily Fuel Gauge Report the national average for gasoline is $2.813, and in looking at the state data there appears to be no evidence of run-away gasoline prices. Oh well, another Doom-n-Gloom prediction bites the dust.Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on September 27, 2005 15:21
FEMA to Reimburse Church Groups for Hurricane Aid
FEMA will, for the first time, reimburse churches along with other groups that provided relief services to hurricane victims. FEMA Plans to Reimburse Faith Groups for Aid (WaPo, A1) After weeks of prodding by Republican lawmakers and the American Red Cross, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said yesterday that it will use taxpayer money to reimburse churches and other religious organizations that ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on September 27, 2005 10:59
Should Disaster Relief be Run by Military?
President Bush yesterday called on Congress to make the Defense Department, not FEMA, the lead agency in emergency response in the event of major natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina. Bush Urges Shift In Relief Responsibilities (WaPo, A12) On Sunday, President Bush called on Congress to consider a larger role for U.S. armed forces in responding to natural disasters, as he completed ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on September 26, 2005 12:22
