Today my concern is about the aftermath of the storm called “Sandy”.
Although this storm did not set a record for the lowest
barometric pressure for a storm of this nature north of Cape Hatteras, there is
no denying that this was one hell of a storm. Hurricane Gladys in 1975 is the
record holder for that category (27.73 inches vs. 27.92 inches for Sandy).
There was a wind gust of 140 mph on top of Mt Washington when
the storm passed through that state (nowhere near a record for that area) and
had sustained winds of about 110 mph just off the coast on Thursday, November 1st.
Sandy was nearly 1,000 miles wide at
times and caused severe damage along a nearly 300 mile stretch of our Atlantic
coast.
The devastating thing is that it hit our most densely
populated urban corridor, knocking out power to about 8 million homes and
businesses. That is a lot of downed power lines, flooded and damaged
transformers, and catastrophic damage to the power grid. The downed power lines
are the most superficial and easiest to repair. Testing, repairing, and
replacing transformers to both high and low voltage circuits is more
complicated and challenging.
Five days after the storm hit, there are families with no
heat and nighttime temperatures near freezing. People are helping each other
out, giving shelter to strangers, and making all manner of sacrifice. But, as
with Katrina in 2005, there are just so many people who have lost shelter and
resources, and never enough kind strangers. Unlike Katrina, there is not the
widespread flooding and heat, but freezing temperatures can pose a similar threat
in the sense of a hostile environment. Unlike Katrina, there is functioning
plumbing. Like Katrina, there have been challenges to the supporting
infrastructure.
Sandy was no Katrina and damages are far less costly. Physical
damages are estimated to be about half what they were from Katrina, but the
cost to business is estimated to reach nearly $30 billion. Metropolitan New York
City produces about 10 percent of the U.S. economic output. Small businesses
are the most vulnerable and the longer that power is out, the more they will be
hurt. Sandy will most likely be in the top 10 most expensive hurricanes in U.S.
history at $50-60 billion. The overall cost for Katrina is estimated to have
been around $108 billion.
Finally, I’d like to say that the name, “Sandy”, is really a
whimpy name for such a storm. How does such a name even get into the mix? Sandy
is a nickname – the kind of a name that you give to a friend or a family
member. It is a name that indicates some affection. What the f#&% is that
about? Who is responsible for such a whishy-washy storm name? I say that we
reconsider the purpose that these names have. These storms may be looked at
fondly by meteorologists, but they are real threats to real people in real
life. This storm should have been called “Sandra,” “Sanford,” or “Thor”!!!
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