Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/668971
ByMichaelGraczyk and Nomaan Merchant The Associated Press HOUSTON As more than a foot of rain deluged the nation's fourth-largest city, inundating homes, shutting down major highways and leaving at least six people dead, Houston's mayor said there was no immediate so- lution. Heavy flooding has be- come nearly an annual rite of passage in the practically sea-level city, where experts have long warned of the po- tential for catastrophe and have criticized city leaders for not doing more to ad- dress the problem. "A lot of rain coming in a very short period of time, there's nothing you can do," Mayor Sylvester Turner said Monday. Flash flooding and a 50 percent chance of more were possible Tuesday, a day after nearly 18 inches fell in 24 hours. The Na- tional Weather Service had the area under a flash flood watch through Wednesday morning. Scores of subdivisions were flooded and most schools remained closed although the city itself was returning to normal. Mu- nicipal offices reopened Tuesday and by midmorn- ing, less than 10,000 Cen- terPoint Energy customers were without power, an im- provement from 24 hours earlier when electricity out- ages topped 100,000. Hous- ton's Metropolitan Transit Authority resumed service and most highways within the city were open. Outside the city and into the suburbs of north- west Harris County, runoff from Monday's rains forced creeks over their banks and forced more people to evac- uate their homes overnight. In addition to its loca- tion, Houston's "gumbo" soft soil, fast-growing pop- ulation and building boom that has turned empty pas- tures into housing devel- opments all over the city's suburbs and exurbs make it vulnerable to high waters. Harris County has seen a 30 percent jump in pop- ulation since 2000. Its sur- rounding counties have al- most grown more than 10 percent since 2000, accord- ing to the Greater Houston Partnership, a business group. Some of the resulting developments include ade- quate greenspace for water runoff, but not all of them do, said Philip Bedient, an engineering professor at Rice University. "Could we have engi- neered our way out of this?" Bedient said. "Only if we started talking about alter- ations 35 or 40 years ago." Samuel Brody, director of the Environmental Plan- ning & Sustainability Re- search Unit at Texas A&M University, has called Hous- ton "the No. 1 city in Amer- ica to be injured and die in a flood." He said Tuesday that mounting damages from flash floods point to a woe- ful lack of planning in a city that added 90,000 peo- ple last year alone and is a major cog in the national economy. He suggested the city should offer buyouts to homeowners in areas that chronically flood and turn the land into open space. The city should also up- grade its building code to mandate elevating struc- tures in flood-prone areas, he said. "To throw up your hands and say we're going to be vulnerable and have hun- dreds of millions of dol- lars of impact every year in Houston just because it rains a lot is not the at- titude we need to take," Brody said. "We are not thinking about the big pic- ture." Rainstorms last year over Memorial Day week- end caused major flooding that required authorities to rescue 20 people, most of them drivers, from high water. Drivers abandoned at least 2,500 vehicles, and more than 1,000 homes were damaged in the rain. The year before, flash flooding in Houston and suburban counties left cars trapped on major highways. Those storms still pale in comparison to the devasta- tion wreaked by Hurricane Ike in 2008 and Tropical Storm Allison in 2001. Alli- son left behind $5 billion in damages and flooded parts of downtown and the Texas Medical Center, which sits near the Brays Bayou, a key watershed. The National Weather Service's chief meteorolo- gist for Houston, Jeff Ev- ans, said Monday's soak- ing and the 2015 Memorial Day deluge were the sec- ond- and third-biggest rain events on record after Al- lison, which dumped more than 30 inches of rain on parts of the sprawling city over two days. Asked if man-made cli- mate change could be a fac- tor, he said the data is un- clear but that the El Nino weather phenomenon, caused by heightened sur- face temperatures in the eastern Pacific, could "be a player in why we're had so many big rain events this year." Evans said rain fell in some places Monday at a rate of 3-4 inches an hour. "No matter what drain- age system you build, any- thing will struggle with that kind volume in that short a time," he said. Bedient has worked with the Texas Medical Center on better preparing its fa- cilities for massive rainfall, including the use of a so- phisticated weather alert system that gives the med- ical center extra time to ac- tivate gates and doors that block excess rainwater. Improving the moni- toring of specific water- sheds and flood-prone ar- eas might give affected res- idents the extra bit of time they need to save lives and take protective measures. "We can't solve this flood problem in Houston," Bedi- ent said. "All we can do is a better job warning." SEVERE WEATHER Houston recovering from yet another deadly flood PHOTOSBYDAVIDJ.PHILLIP—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Louis Marquez carries his dog Dallas through floodwaters a er rescuing the dog from his flooded apartment Tuesday in Houston. Residents wait to be evacuated from their flooded apartment complex. By Joan Lowy The Associated Press WASHINGTON The Senate approved a bipartisan avi- ation policy bill Tuesday that would boost airport security, extend new pro- tections to airline passen- gers and help speed the in- troduction of package-de- livery drones. The bill, passed on a vote of 95-3, would also extend the Federal Aviation Ad- ministration's programs and powers through Oct. 1, 2017. That authority is due to expire July 15. "This legislation does more to enhance security against the threat of ter- rorism and help frustrated passengers than any pro- posal in recent history," said Sen. John Thune, R- S.D., the bill's chief sponsor. The House, bogged down in a dispute over whether to privatize air traffic control operations, must still act. Airlines have been press- ing for privatization, argu- ing that the FAA's culture is too slow and inflexible to finish the air traffic sys- tem's transition from old radar technology to satel- lites. The modernization has dragged on for more than a decade and fallen short of promised finan- cial benefits and reduced congestion. Thune decided to side- step the issue given strong opposition scheme from Democrats and powerful GOP committee chairmen reluctant to cede a large share of Congress' author- ity over aviation to a pri- vate, nonprofit corporation. The bill written by Thune, the Senate Com- merce committee chair- man, and Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida, the panel's se- nior Democrat, targets avi- ation safety, security and consumer concerns in ways broadly supported by both parties. Thune is pitch- ing the measure to House members as a way to make important policy changes without waiting for the privatization question to be sorted out, which might not happen this year. But Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., chairman of the House transportation com- mittee, made clear after the vote that he still wants an aviation bill that includes privatization. "Transformational air traffic control reform is ab- solutely necessary to end the unacceptable status quo at the FAA and to en- sure the future of America's aviation system," he said in a statement. Under the bill, airlines would have to refund checked bag fees to pas- sengers whose luggage is lost or arrives more than six hours after a domes- tic flight has landed and more than 12 hours after an international flight has landed. Fees for services not delivered, such as ad- vance seat assignments or early boarding, would also have to be refunded. Airlines' disclosure of fees for checked bags, seat assignments and ticket changes or cancellations would be standardized so consumers can more eas- ily compare prices as they shop for tickets. Airlines would also have to seat families together at no ex- tra charge. Missing from the bill, though, was a Democratic amendment the Senate re- jected that would have barred airlines from fur- ther shrinking the size of seats and required the FAA to set minimum dimen- sions for passenger space. The consumer provisions were opposed by the airline industry. Nick Calio, pres- ident of the trade associa- tion Airlines for America, said they "would take a step backward to pre-1978 regu- lation polices and make it more difficult for consum- ers to afford to fly." Responding to last month's attack in Brussels and the destruction of a Russian airliner by a sus- pected bomb last year, sev- eral security-related provi- sions were added: —Authorizing an in- crease from 30 up to 60 in the number of government "viper teams" that stop and search suspicious passen- gers in airport public ar- eas that are outside the se- curity perimeter, often us- ing bomb-sniffing dogs. —Requiring the Trans- portation Security Admin- istration to use private companies to market and enroll more people in its PreCheck program while ensuring PreCheck screen- ing lanes are open during high-volume travel times. The aim is to reduce crowds waiting for security screen- ing by vetting more pas- sengers before they arrive to get them through check- points faster. —Enhancing the vetting of airport employees who have access to secure areas, expanding random inspec- tions of employees and re- viewing perimeter security. —Requiring secondary barriers on all new pas- senger airliners to keep unauthorized people from gaining access when a pi- lot opens the cockpit door. The wife of a pilot killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks led the lobbying effort to re- quire the barriers. BIPARTISAN VOTE Senate passes bill boosting airport security JEFF ROBERSON — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE Eette, specially trained by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to detect explosives on moving objects in busy environments like an airport, stands at a security checkpoint as part of a demonstration at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport on Tuesday in St. Louis. LEGALNOTICE NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE File No. 7023.115138 Title Order No. 8607952 MIN No. YOU ARE IN DE- FAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST, DATED 01/22/2007. UNLESS YOU TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF THE PROCEEDING AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LAWYER.A public auction sale to the highest bidder for cash, cashier's check drawn on a state or national bank, check drawn by state or federal credit union, or a check drawn by a state or federal savings and loan association, or savings as- sociation, or savings bank speci- fied in §5102 to the Financial code and authorized to do busi- ness in this state, will be held by duly appointed trustee. The sale will be made, but without cove- nant or warranty, expressed or implied, regarding title, posses- sion, or encumbrances, to satis- fy the obligation secured by said sion, encumbrances, fy the obligation secured by said Deed of Trust. The undersigned Trustee disclaims any liability for any incorrectness of the property address or other com- mon designation, if any, shown herein. Trustor(s): DEBRA NEWBY AN UNMARRIED WOMAN Recorded: 01/29/2007, as Instru- ment No. 2007001882, of Official Records of TEHAMA County, Cal- ifornia. Date of Sale: 05/03/2016 at 2:00 PM Place of Sale: At the main entrance to the Tehama County Courthouse, 633 Wash- ington Street., Red Bluff, CA The purported property address is: 1015 LUTHER ROAD, RED BLUFF, CA 96080-4267 Assessors Parcel No. 031-230-034-000 The total amount of the unpaid balance of the obligation secured by the property to be sold and reason- able estimated costs, expenses and advances at the time of the initial publication of the Notice of Sale is $121,470.13. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to return of the purchaser entitled only to a return of the deposit paid, plus interest. The purchaser shall have no further recourse against the beneficia- ry, the Trustor or the trustee. NOTICE TO POTENTIAL BIDDERS: If you are considering bidding on this property lien, you should understand that there are risks involved in bidding at a trustee auction. You will be bidding on a lien, not on the property itself. Placing the highest bid at a trustee auction does not auto- matically entitle you to free and clear ownership of the property. You should also be aware that the lien being auctioned off may be a junior lien. If you are the highest bidder at the auction, you are or may be responsible for paying off all liens senior to the lien being auctioned off, be- fore you can receive clear title to the property. You are encour- aged to investigate the exis- tence, priority and size of out- standing liens that may exist on this property by contacting the county recorder's office ti- property by contacting county recorder's office or a ti- tle insurance company, either of which may charge you a fee for this information. If you consult either of these resources, you should be aware that the same lender may hold more than one mortgage or deed of trust on the property. NOTICE TO PROPERTY OWNER: The sale date shown on this notice of sale may be post- poned one or more times by the mortgagee, beneficiary, trustee, or a court, pursuant to Section 2924g of the California Civil Code. The law requires that in- formation about trustee sale postponements be made availa- ble to you and to the public, as a courtesy to those not present at the sale. If you wish to learn whether your sale date has been postponed, and if applicable, the rescheduled time and date for the sale of this property, you may call 877-484-9942 or visit this Internet Web site www.USA- Foreclosure.com or www.Auctio n.com using the file number as- signed to this 7023.115138. using signed to this case 7023.115138. Information about postponements that are very short in duration or that occur close in time to the scheduled sale may not immediately be re- flected in the telephone infor- mation or on the Internet Web site. The best way to verify post- ponement information is to at- tend the scheduled sale. Date: April 6, 2016 NORTHWEST TRUST- EE SERVICES, INC., as Trustee Ju- lian Ojeda, Authorized Signatory 2121 Alton Parkway, Suite 110, Ir- vine, CA 92606 866-387-6987 Sale Info website: www.USA-Foreclos ure.com or www.Auction.com Automated Sales Line: 877-484- 9942 or 800-280-2832 Reinstate- ment and Pay-Off Requests: (866) 387-NWTS THIS OFFICE IS ATTEMPTING TO COLLECT A DEBT AND ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE. NEWBY, DEBRA ORDER # 7023.115138: Publish: 04/13/2016,04/20/2016, 04/27/201 i}> ÌVià i}> ÌVià i}> ÌVià i}> ÌVià i}> ÌVià i}> ÌVià i}> ÌVià i}> ÌVià i}> ÌVià i}> ÌVià | NEWS | REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20, 2016 6 B