It is being reported today that Tom Bossert has been forced to resign his position at the White House by newly appointed National Security Adviser John Bolton.  There is absolutely nothing about this that is good news. This is not winning.

According to Bloomberg’s Jennifer Jacobs (very reliable) Bossert was essentially fired from his position as Homeland Security Adviser due to a conflict with incoming National Security Adviser John Bolton (replaced HR McMaster).

According to Jacobs: “Tom Bossert is regarded as an effective and professional figure by colleagues. But he resisted a reorganization of the National Security Council that made him subordinate to the national security adviser, then H.R. McMaster.”  The White House released the following statement:

The President is grateful for Toms commitment to the safety and security of our great country. Tom led the White Houses efforts to protect the homeland from terrorist threats, strengthen our cyber defenses, and respond to an unprecedented series of natural disasters. President Trump thanks him for his patriotic service and wishes him well.

~Sarah Sanders

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President Trump arrives in Dallas, Texas, to get a briefing on ongoing hurricane recovery efforts and attend two republican party functions.  After an initial greeting by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, POTUS Trump goes to meet the crowd.
A very enthusiastic group of Gen-Zer’s greets President Trump with a sign: “We Played Hooky to High-Five Our President“. Of course POTUS Trump couldn’t resist:

The Mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Carmen Yulin-Cruz attempts to make the crisis in Puerto Rico political.  The insufferable mindset to make things political is only exceeded by the ridiculous optic of calling for federal aid while surrounded by relief supplies provided entirely by the U.S. federal government.

•50% of the native Puerto Rican National Guard refused to report to duty when the governor called them up. •Thousands of tons of supplies and equipment, provided by FEMA, U.S. military and U.S. relief agencies, sit at ports while municipal government has no process for delivering them. •Frente Amplio (PR Teamsters Union – truck drivers) are on strike and refusing to deliver supplies. •Over 10,000 U.S. federal personnel are providing recovery and relief on the island….

…and the priority for the Mayor of San Juan, with no power or infrastructure, is to have T-Shirts made to push a political agenda?

Funny how Anderson Cooper never asks:Where does one get a shirt like this made when Puerto Rico is under water and out of power? (rhetorical question)
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It’s really challenging to get solid information into the hands of the people who need it most.  Several, heck a lot, of people we’ve met are ‘renters’, have absentee landlords and don’t have any insurance coverage themselves.
There are door-to-door FEMA response crews out in the various neighborhoods in Florida (Irma), and Texas (Harvey). Here’s a decent article with phone numbers (how to) and explanations of what to expect:

FLORIDA –  If you live in one of the disaster-designated Florida counties and experienced property damage or loss directly caused by Hurricane Irma, register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency for disaster assistance – even if you have insurance.

You may register for assistance the following ways:

Online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov

If you don’t have Internet access, you can call 800-621-3362.

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What a day!!  There’s no fuel to be found in South Florida. We quit looking.
I traded some tools for a 5 gal can and paid another guy $100 to siphon his tank from a farm near Arcadia, FL.
Not having watched the news – has anyone mentioned that Lake Okeechobee breached it’s banks and sent a torrent of water two miles North of the town of Arcadia and into the Peace River? Has this been on the news. Not a peep was on the radio… (f**kers).
En route to the coast we got a ham radio call, well, more of a desperate plea for help on U.S. 17 for a group of families stuck between Wachula and Arcadia.  By the time we got there… yikes, desperate homeowners and families trying to salvage anything amid chest high water actually flowing on US 17.
We were able to get about 5 families and their pets, and a few belongings, relocated about 2 miles away and called for the United Way to get there and help. It was like something out of a farm movie. These people are suffering, and they didn’t have much to start with; and they are so thankful.
By the time we got them to safety, we couldn’t get back to where we came from.  We had to drive 20 miles north; to head West toward I-75 near Bradenton; to head South. On the way across SR64 there were people stuck with the Peace River flowing down the streets and driveways.  We helped who we could amid widespread downed power lines; broken power poles snapped like twigs (East to West wind); and trees as thick as cars that were blown over (North to South wind).
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The northern eye wall of Hurricane Irma is going to impact Marco Island (the Southern point of Collier County), within the hour.  Now is the time to move into your interior safe room for those in Collier County.    Collier residents will have about 2 to 3 hours of peak damaging winds beginning  about 45 minutes from now.
At 200 PM EDT (1800 UTC), the center of Hurricane Irma was located near latitude 25.6 North, longitude 81.8 West. Irma is moving toward the north near 12 mph (19 km/h), and a north-northwestward motion with a further increase in forward speed is expected later today, with that motion continuing through Monday.
On the forecast track, the center of Irma should move near or over the southwest and west coast of the Florida Peninsula later today through tonight. Irma should then move inland over northern Florida and southwestern Georgia Monday afternoon.
Maximum sustained winds are near 120 mph (195 km/h) with higher gusts. Irma is a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. While weakening is forecast, Irma is expected to remain a powerful hurricane while it moves near or along the west coast of Florida. (link) (more…)

The forecasting for Hurricane Irma is still rather unpredictable. However, the entire southern peninsular of Florida is urged to hurry preparations to completion. As many long time CTH readers will note, I have zero experience with the forecasting but a great deal of experience with hurricane prep, response and recovery.

At 500 PM EDT (2100 UTC), the distinct eye of Hurricane Irma was located near latitude 20.9 North, longitude 71.1 West. Irma is moving toward the west-northwest near 16 mph (26 km/h), and this general motion is expected to continue for the next couple of days with some decrease in forward speed. On the forecast track, the eye of Irma should continue to move between Hispaniola and the Turks and Caicos Islands this evening. The core of the hurricane will then move between the north coast of Cuba and the Bahamas during the next day or two. –ADVISORY LINK–
Maximum sustained winds remain near 175 mph (280 km/h) with higher gusts. Irma is a category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Some fluctuations in intensity are likely during the next day or two, but Irma is forecast to remain a powerful category 4 or 5 hurricane during the next couple of days.
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WHITE HOUSE – President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump announced today a personal donation of $1 million dollars to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts and have designated twelve organizations to receive contributions.

The President and First Lady witnessed the work of some of these groups first hand while visiting with hurricane survivors, first responders, volunteers, and Federal, State, and local officials, and are proud to further assist the recovery efforts in Texas. Several of the following organizations were recommended, at the invitation of the President, by members of the White House Press Corps, and he would like to thank those who made recommendations for their attention to this important cause.
The President and First Lady continue to pray for the people of Texas and Louisiana.
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For those unfamiliar with the geography of Florida the forecast concerns may seem to be unusually high.  This is not the case.  It is not alarm to be prepared. Safety and prudent decision-making should be the #1 priority of every Florida resident.  That said, Bryan Norcross has some exceptional insight and advice:

Bryan Norcross Twitter Account HERE – Bryan Norcross Facebook HERE

There are a lot of heroes in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey; from the local first-responders to the Cajun Navy, to the ordinary American who just makes a commitment to help their neighbor – even when that neighbor might be a thousand miles away.   There are a ton of great uplifting stories that make us all proud to be American.
One of those groups is the Texas military and Air National Guard, and when the sun goes down, they don’t quit.  Even right now, moments ago, in the middle of the night, they are on patrol as earthly angels rescuing people in the dark of night.  Stunningly incredible people….. Truly the pride of Texas.

Sunset doesn’t stop these crews from continuing to answer rescue calls and search for people in remote flooded areas; places where the media cannot reach.  Obscure rescue stories that will never make the media headlines.
Just people, ordinary people, ordinarily quiet invisible Americans who now need assistance, and the intensely brave men and women of the U.S. military who are answering those calls.  God Bless these people.
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