Did "Sandy" storm match expectations?

   / Did "Sandy" storm match expectations? #101  
I have to check, but as I said before, my insurance apparently will pay to remove a tree damaged by lightening. I assume the tree must pose a danger to covered property.

Chuck
 
   / Did "Sandy" storm match expectations? #102  
the electric companies themselves do not do anything for preventive maintenance other then random tree removal without any practical theory. They came through with "extensive cutting" last year. What a joke dead trees leaning towards tthe lines left, cutting the limbs off large trees but on the opposite side from the wires leaving the tree heavy on the wire side. And if they cannot drive the bucket truck directly under a tree forget it completely. If the hot wire were insulated most outages would be eliminated, before cost is mentioned to be a reason look at the cost of repair and constant trimming.

Our area had looked like they had not maintained the lines for decades, then a few years ago they came thru and did a lot of good work, primarily pruning.
 
   / Did "Sandy" storm match expectations? #103  
   / Did "Sandy" storm match expectations? #104  
For some reason, this statement bothers me. I hope there are lots of residents already "doing."

From:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/04/n...fter-hurricane-sandy.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

On Long Island, there was a profound sense of isolation, with whole towns cut off from basic information, supplies and electricity and people in washed-out neighborhoods saying the felt increasingly desperate. "I just keep waiting for someone with a megaphone and a car to just tell us what to do,..."
 
   / Did "Sandy" storm match expectations? #105  
Same here, heard a statement from a lady on Friday eve on NBC that said basically the same thing.

Turns my stomach.

--- J
 
   / Did "Sandy" storm match expectations? #106  
For some reason, this statement bothers me. I hope there are lots of residents already "doing."

On Long Island, there was a profound sense of isolation, with whole towns cut off from basic information, supplies and electricity and people in washed-out neighborhoods saying the felt increasingly desperate. "I just keep waiting for someone with a megaphone and a car to just tell us what to do,..."

It makes for good news, but I wouldn't indict all of the humanity on Long Island based on that comment. Consider that there are things happening to these people that are beyond their frame of experience. They have losses, and maybe can see no way to make up for them. Their world has been turned upside-down, they are in shock really.

For those who grow up in rural areas, we are "in-training" of sorts our entire lives, we have reasonable ideas on what is needed, and some of the skills needed to accomplish our needs. If I dumped a rural person onto the sidewalk in a large city and said, " you are homeless, jobless and penniless", I think they would be a bit bewildered and in shock too, and have some learning curves ahead of them on how best to survive.

It is all contextual.
 
   / Did "Sandy" storm match expectations? #107  
It makes for good news, but I wouldn't indict all of the humanity on Long Island based on that comment. Consider that there are things happening to these people that are beyond their frame of experience. They have losses, and maybe can see no way to make up for them. Their world has been turned upside-down, they are in shock really.

For those who grow up in rural areas, we are "in-training" of sorts our entire lives, we have reasonable ideas on what is needed, and some of the skills needed to accomplish our needs. If I dumped a rural person onto the sidewalk in a large city and said, " you are homeless, jobless and penniless", I think they would be a bit bewildered and in shock too, and have some learning curves ahead of them on how best to survive.

It is all contextual.

I agree, good post Dave. I have lived in some big cities and city living is different. They are just not equipped like many of us in a rural area. Heck we are all here because we have tractors. You didn't see that as a household item when I lived in San Francisco, Chicago or Atlanta.

MarkV
 
   / Did "Sandy" storm match expectations? #108  
dave1949 said:
It makes for good news, but I wouldn't indict all of the humanity on Long Island based on that comment. Consider that there are things happening to these people that are beyond their frame of experience. They have losses, and maybe can see no way to make up for them. Their world has been turned upside-down, they are in shock really.

For those who grow up in rural areas, we are "in-training" of sorts our entire lives, we have reasonable ideas on what is needed, and some of the skills needed to accomplish our needs. If I dumped a rural person onto the sidewalk in a large city and said, " you are homeless, jobless and penniless", I think they would be a bit bewildered and in shock too, and have some learning curves ahead of them on how best to survive.

It is all contextual.

Excellent post, context is everything...
 
   / Did "Sandy" storm match expectations? #109  
I see one of the great differences between the "urbs" (urban or suburban) and the "rurals" as organization. Especially when lives are not being threatened, just comfort.

When I'm in the rural areas, be it Vermont or Mississippi, and there is a "problem", I or a FEW people around me try to solve it, without any organizational pattern.
Example:
A tree falls across the road. No electrical danger, no danger to humans.
I/we make sure other traffic is warned.
I take out a chain throw it around the tree, hook it to my dually and drag it out of the way, or take out a chainsaw and we cut it up. We don't want to wait for authorities, it'll take forever.

When I'm in the "urbs", things go differently.
A tree falls across the road. No electrical danger, no danger to humans.
We make sure other traffic is warned. And it's always a "we" because there are so many other people around.
Then - whose tree and responsibility is it? Whose got the better tools and knowledge to take care of it? How long will it take the authorities to arrive and clean it up with the proper tools an knowledge?

It's not much help to a solution for someone to decide they will tow it out of the way with a little Honda Fit and just make more of a mess. We need some organisation to get things done.

In a big disaster type situation, well after the damage is done, many of those in the urbs wait for a while and look for organisation, "the man with the megaphone" to step in and tell them what to do. Otherwise there can be a lot of wasted effort, like collecting food for the Red Cross which they won't take.

I am surprised there were no local community leaders to step in with a megaphone and start telling people what to pick up and what to do.
 
   / Did "Sandy" storm match expectations? #110  
I don't see this as a city vs rural. It is a fundamental difference in expectations. It is really about They and I/We. I have seen a few disasters here in NC. Some areas were rural, others in towns, and some in cities. The people mostly responded the same way, which was to go out and start working. Not all of course but many/most. I have seen elderly people cleaning out there destroyed homes to rebuild. They did a huge amount of work by themselves. I have seen people whose only food was provided by the National Guard or Red Cross, yet a grocery store stood nearby with not one broken window. People do get frustrated which is understandable. If you have lost a home and/or loved ones, many/most are in some degree of shock which makes working difficult. Having strangers help clean up helps the victim mentally but in the end the person affected has to start doing.

People from other states as well as within NC came to help out the people in the affected areas. I never ever heard of people cussing at power crews from out of state much less throwing eggs at them. What I heard was people giving the power crews food, water and support. Grateful vs a...holes.

I moved to NC from FLA literally as Andrew hit. I got the last box in the rental moving truck and started driving just as the first rain from Andrew hit. It took me 4-5 hours to drive what should have taken 60 minutes due to the evacuation traffic. When I got to NC, people here were collecting clothes, food, household items and money to send to FLA. I see some relief efforts for Sandy but not many. Frankly, there is not that much to do relief wise that others can do from afar. The locals need to be doing the work instead of waiting on THEY. Bloomberg should have the PD going door to door in the areas without power to have a presence to minimize looting and to check on people which is what happened in NC after Floyd. Not immediately canceling the marathon BEFORE the storm hit was unreal to me.

Sandy was NOT a powerful storm. If a Floyd, Fran, Andrew, Hugo, Karina, or similar intensity storm had hit instead of Sandy, it would really be ugly. Hopefully Sandy was a lesson for people to take these storms seriously, prepare and get out if told to get out. THEY seem to have gotten quite a bit of the infrastructure back up and running pretty quickly.

Later,
Dan
 

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