Did "Sandy" storm match expectations?

[murphy1244]

Check these photo's out Sandy from above | Photo Gallery - Yahoo! News

 

[Tollster]

For some I am sure it did, but around here,it was Irene that surpassed history and willlong be in the minds anytime a hurricane approaches....11+ inches of rain from Irene was a record!
Someone elses turn this time, and the way things have changes with the climate,these stroms aremuch more impressive and considerably larger,its just a roll of the dice on who gets it next, hope and pray in ain't you!

 

[texasjohn]

Sandy was bad. All hurricanes are bad.

Lest we forget:

The actual cost of Hurricane Katrina's damage was between $96-$125 billion, with $40-$66 billion in insured losses. Half of these losses were a result of flooding in New Orleans. An estimated 300,000 homes were destroyed or otherwise made uninhabitable. At least 118 million cubic yards of utter debris and devastation was left behind, making clean up efforts a mind-boggling attempt.

More people were displaced (770,000) than during the Dust Bowl migration during the Great Depression. About 1/10 of these (75,000 people) found out on their return that their homes had been destroyed.

The Louisiana death toll was 1,836 people.

Hurricane Katrina affected 19% of U.S. oil production. Hurricanes Katrina (and a smaller previous Hurricane Rita) destroyed 113 offshore oil and gas platforms, damaged 457 oil and gas pipelines, and spilled nearly as much oil as the Exxon Valdez oil disaster. This caused oil prices to increase by $3 a barrel, and gas prices to nearly reach $5 a gallon.

 

[Mighty Dodge]

Still without power. There's a big tree across the lines just down the road. The County says it Baltimore Gas & Electrics responsibility to remove it, the power co. says it's the County's job. There's a couple of dudes from the power co. I assume that have been sitting at the downed wires most of the afternoon. Maybe I'll have power tomorrow, but I'm not holding my breath.

 

[newbury]

No, I'm quite sure I get your meaning. What you had suggested in your posts is that all trees that are large enough to pose a threat to homes and power lines should be pruned or removed. Correct? And all property along the coast of the United States, far enough inland that is in threat of damage from a hurricane lets say twice the size of Sandy, just to be safe, should be turned into park land and/or farm land. Did I get it right so far?

Trees - pruned, removed or be prepared for the consequences
Flood prone land - forget about just the "coast", there's potential damage everywhere from flooding if your built on a floodplain. Turn it into land that won't be greatly damaged by floods. Make into parking lots for WalMarts that are built on stilts. If people want to build where they can be pretty sure of storm damage they should bear the consequences. There are plenty of construction methods that minimize damage. There are several threads at TBN about building storm proof houses.
/edit - Most of Puerto Rico is built of concrete houses to be immune to hurricanes.

Just start using long term planning.

 

[newbury]

<snip>
I am sure we have all heard very vocal arguments from individuals about how rights were being violated because they were told they could not do certain things on LAND THEY OWN. I say let them build and when damage occurs they then pay to rebuild and not be subsidized by someone elses money. I don't think when the word spreads there will be to much building going on.

Yup, sounds good to me.

 

[ljohnson778]

No - I'm blaming people that rebuild beach houses time and time again often with TAXPAYER $$. I'm blaming governments that KNOW places will flood and allow people to rebuild. Last year Hurricane Irene just about topped all the seawalls, that was the warning.

I'm blaming Gov. Christie for promising to rebuild what get's wiped out.

I'm blaming the people, like me, that say "Oh, that's a nice tree, save it" then it takes out your house or car.

If you watched the footage of the people being "rescued" in Northern New Jersey due to flooding most of the area had two story houses and it was the same areas that flooded LAST year.

We've an area here in Northern Virginia, Huntington Creek, that the local govt. is FINALLY talking about not letting people rebuild, after bailing them out about every other year for thirty years.

Mother Nature is like most mothers, she's always right, and get's the last word.

I don't blame the people who are not smart enough for being ignorant. However most climatologists, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo, know that storms are getting bigger and stronger thus doesn't say much about "anyone". Witness record hurricanes, record snowstorms, record drought. There is a "New Normal".

People have to learn to suffer or prepare.

Seriously? Guess we should bulldoze the houses in tornado alley, no one should build there... Guess anywhere a blizzard could hit is off limits too... Wait, forest fires could be devastating, can't build around there either...

 

[dave1949]

Trees - pruned, removed or be prepared for the consequences
Flood prone land - forget about just the "coast", there's potential damage everywhere from flooding if your built on a floodplain. Turn it into land that won't be greatly damaged by floods. Make into parking lots for WalMarts that are built on stilts. If people want to build where they can be pretty sure of storm damage they should bear the consequences. There are plenty of construction methods that minimize damage. There are several threads at TBN about building storm proof houses.
/edit - Most of Puerto Rico is built of concrete houses to be immune to hurricanes.

Just start using long term planning.

I share your general sentiments.

I think long-term planning is key. 99% of our cities were built without the future in mind. Whether it is NYC because it was handy to water, really the only shipping method of the time, or Phoenix. Who would choose to build a mega-opolis where water is scarce and it's so hot that without massive power for AC, it would be uninhabitable? We are running on inertia, not planning, and that is costly in many ways.

It's a big and long problem of how we get from where we are, to where we should be. We aren't even working to identify the goals, let alone how we could reach them.

The tidal estuaries and rivers of the Northeast should be teeming with life, providing nurseries for ocean fisheries and waterfowl, and feeding millions, not slowly dying. The same is true of the Gulf of Mexico, the Great Lakes, and on and on. Our solution is to build on top of these valuable resources then figure out what crap can replace real food. Not smart.

 

[Carl Bert]

Utility company employees have been threaten with serrious bodily harm for even thinking about trimming trees. The same people who threaten the employees over trimming trees, then threaten to sue the utility company because they lost power because a TREE fell across the power line.

We have all lost power many times in our lives. Did you ever sue the power company? I didn't.


I am sure we have all heard very vocal arguments from individuals about how rights were being violated because they were told they could not do certain things on LAND THEY OWN. I say let them build and when damage occurs they then pay to rebuild and not be subsidized by someone elses money. I don't think when the word spreads there will be to much building going on.

I am quite sure, if you owned one of the properties that was damaged, you would be talking a different story. Keep in mind, the amount of taxes that are paid by the NE.

 

[Carl Bert]

Trees - pruned, removed or be prepared for the consequences
Flood prone land - forget about just the "coast", there's potential damage everywhere from flooding if your built on a floodplain. Turn it into land that won't be greatly damaged by floods. Make into parking lots for WalMarts that are built on stilts. If people want to build where they can be pretty sure of storm damage they should bear the consequences. There are plenty of construction methods that minimize damage. There are several threads at TBN about building storm proof houses.
/edit - Most of Puerto Rico is built of concrete houses to be immune to hurricanes.

Just start using long term planning.

So that would mean cutting the entire tree line at least 50' or more back from all power lines, on every road, in every town, in every state across the entire United States on both sides of the road, and most of which is on private property. Good luck with that.

Well now your changing what you said. You specifically said that all flood prone land should only be used for parks or agriculture. You can look back in the posts, just in case you don't believe me.

Ok to start off let's just say we have to prepare for a storm that is twice as big as Sandy, juuust to be safe. That would mean, just to name a few places, that would have to be part of your well thought out plan. NYC, eastern Conneticut, Long Island, the Jersey Shore, LBI, Atlantic City, Florida, New Orleans, the entire California coast line, and so many more, that would have to be turned into parks and farm land. Wow that would be some expensive farm land. Can't imagine what you would grow to make up for the land cost and to continue paying the existing taxes.

Now lets move to Hawaii, Bermuda and the Bahamas, shall we do the same? Oh let's not forget the tornados in Kansas and the earthquakes in California.

Listen, I am not trying to insult you, I'm just trying to open your eyes as to what you are proposing as a solution, just doesn't work with our existing situation.

This has been a national disaster, and will be treated as one. Just because it happened in the N.E., or better yet NYC, doesn't give you the right to start complaining about how we are using YOUR tax money to rebuild. No one has more right to tax money then the people that pay the majority of taxes.