Tag: Hurricane Irma

Small Montana firm lands Puerto Rico’s biggest contract to get the power back on

The following article by Steven Mufson, Jack Gillum, Aaron C. Davis and Arelis R. Hernández was posted on the Washington Post website October 23, 2017:

Hurricane Maria knocked out the electricity in Miram Carrasquillo’s home in Canóvanas, Puerto Rico. Ten days after the storm, she was able to get a small generator to power her nebulizer. Authorities say it could be months before the electrical grid is up and running again. (Zoeann Murphy, Victoria Walker, Melissa Macaya, Adriana Usero/The Washington Post)

For the sprawling effort to restore Puerto Rico’s crippled electrical grid, the territory’s state-owned utility has turned to a two-year-old company from Montana that had just two full-time employees on the day Hurricane Maria made landfall.

The company, Whitefish Energy, said last week that it had signed a $300 million contract with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority to repair and reconstruct large portions of the island’s electrical infrastructure. The contract is the biggest yet issued in the troubled relief effort. Continue reading “Small Montana firm lands Puerto Rico’s biggest contract to get the power back on”

Florida governor has ignored climate change risks, critics say

The following article by Brady Dennis and Darryl Fears was posted on the Washington Post website September 8, 2017:

Florida Gov. Rick Scott gives an update on Hurricane Irma on September 6, 2017 in Doral, Florida. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

TAMPA — Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) has been ubiquitous in recent days as Hurricane Irma bears down on the Sunshine State, warning of deadly winds and storm surges and imploring residents to heed evacuation orders.

“This is a catastrophic storm our state has never seen,” he cautioned at one of many news conferences.

By all accounts, Scott and other officials have aggressively tried to prepare the state and its residents for the destructive storm’s impact and immediate aftermath. Continue reading “Florida governor has ignored climate change risks, critics say”

Trump’s beachfront Mar-a-Lago Club ordered to evacuate as Hurricane Irma approaches

The following article by David A. Fahrenthold was posted on the Washington Post website September 8, 2017:

Hurricane Irma, the most potent Atlantic Ocean hurricane ever recorded, is expected to make landfall in South Florida over the weekend. Mar-a-Lago, President Trump’s waterfront golf club, evacuated ahead of the storm. (Reuters)

President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club — which Trump has christened the “Winter White House” — was ordered to evacuate on Friday, along with the rest of ritzy Palm Beach island, as Hurricane Irma’s powerful winds and storm surge approached the Florida coast.

The evacuation order went in place at 10 a.m. Friday, part of a series of orders that will require 155,000 people to leave their homes in Palm Beach County alone. Continue reading “Trump’s beachfront Mar-a-Lago Club ordered to evacuate as Hurricane Irma approaches”

Rush Limbaugh indicates he’s evacuating Palm Beach days after suggesting Hurricane Irma is fake news

The following article by Callum Borchers was posted on the Washington Post website September 8, 2017:

Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh. (Ron Edmonds/AP)

I wrote on Wednesday about Rush Limbaugh’s claim that the media is manufacturing unwarranted panic about Hurricane Irma as part of a plot to hype climate change, boost ratings and increase advertising revenue from businesses that stand to make money off purchases of batteries and bottled water.

Limbaugh then accused The Washington Post and other news outlets of twisting his words while simultaneously doubling down on his conspiracy theory on Thursday.

“I explained how severe weather events are opportunities for big ratings boosts in the media and explained how it happens,” he said. “I explained how severe weather events impact retailers and how some retailers are smart enough to coordinate advertising with television stations. It happens!” Continue reading “Rush Limbaugh indicates he’s evacuating Palm Beach days after suggesting Hurricane Irma is fake news”

Rush Limbaugh’s dangerous suggestion that Hurricane Irma is fake news

The following article by Callum Borchers was posted on the Washington Post website September 6, 2017:

Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh. (Ron Edmonds/AP)

Rush Limbaugh didn’t say the magic words, but on Tuesday he basically accused the media of creating fake news about Hurricane Irma, which is threatening Florida after hitting Barbuda and Antigua. The storm’s 185-mile-per-hour winds tied the record high for any Atlantic hurricane making landfall.

“These storms, once they actually hit, are never as strong as they’re reported,” Limbaugh claimed on his syndicated radio show. He added that “the graphics have been created to make it look like the ocean’s having an exorcism, just getting rid of the devil here in the form of this hurricane, this bright red stuff.”

Why would the media exaggerate the threat of a hurricane? Here’s Limbaugh’s theory: Continue reading “Rush Limbaugh’s dangerous suggestion that Hurricane Irma is fake news”