OT...Here comes 'Frankenstorm'

[Bullwinkle58]

"The authorities estimated that as many as 100,000 homes and businesses on Long Island had been destroyed or badly damaged in the storm, from bedroom communities in Nassau County to the towns of the South Shore to Long Island’s notable summer refuges — Fire Island, the Hamptons, Jones Beach — which were ravaged by the storm. Sand dunes were flattened and whole rows of beach houses crushed. The storm’s furious flood tide created new inlets that could become permanent parts of the topography.

“Fire Island is changed forever,” Steve Bellone, the Suffolk County executive, said at a news conference.

As Hurricane Sandy approached, Long Island appeared to be well out of its path. But the storm’s incredibly wide, counterclockwise swirl of damaging winds and rain, combined with an unusually high tide, sent a huge storm surge along its top like a right hook, slamming both the north and south shores of the island.

Many communities along the coast felt as if they were marooned, with cellphone reception spotty and power showing no signs of returning. Floods washed out roads, and the winds scattered cars across the beach, foiling the owners’ hopes of leaving.

Neighbors have been left to trade rumors about which hospitals were accepting patients, which streets had been hit by looters and whether the water was safe to drink.

An outsider who stopped to visit a darkened house in Long Beach was peppered with questions about the outside world. “The lines of communication have been very bad,” said Lincoln Jawahir, 49, who was among a group of neighborhood men who stayed behind to repair their homes by day and guard them by night.

And for those who made it out in search of supplies or news, confusion reigned. “People are on line but they don’t even know what they’re on line for,” said Lou Safonte, an information-technology engineer in Melville, where gas station lines stretched for blocks. "


http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/04/nyreg ... wanted=all

Much of the reporting has been from Manhattan, which is where the media lives. Long Island's story has not been told yet.

[JohnDillworth]

John, can you clarify the "lost 100,000 homes and businesses" in Long Island's two counties? That can't be right. I can understand hundreds of homes being badly damaged or destroyed, but 100,000?

Thanks Moose. The local power Authority is reporting about the same. It's pretty densely populated in some areas and sparse in some areas. NY State and Robert Moses were wise to make many of the most vulnerable areas into parks in the 1930's, but some of the barrier islands had year round populations (Long Beach, Fire Island). It's the areas behind the barrier islands on the other side of the South Bay that are heavily populated but just a few feet above sea level that got hit hard. Breezy Point and Rockaway are on he same sand bar but are technically part of NYC. There is an Aircraft carrier parked off Rockaway. I think they are doing food relief and supply some Marines to Staten Island for clean up. And yet many people are going to work. Life goes on. I'm going to sit tight a couple more days. I work on the City's 911 system so I made it in last week, but we are solid there. All worked well. Quite a mess to clean up though. There is some spotty "social disorder" but for the most part folks have really stepped up. I think it was wise not to bring in the National Guard for security or impose heavy curfews, people would have panicked. Getting colder each night so the priority is to get people in warm places tonight. It's all good

[JohnDillworth]

I'm on the North Shore but on a hill above the harbor. The area I live it is heavily wooded so we took storm surge, tree and power damage. The areas on the South Shore took the real hit. The big Island, Fire Island, is now breached and is 2 islands and no long provides much protection to the south shore behind the island. That breach can not be filled, it is permanent. Staten Island in NYC took a bad hit as did the Rockaways. Sad thing is these areas are where many NYPD and FDNY live. They took a bit emotional hit on 911. Long Beach and the areas next to the Great South Bay are the hardest hit on Long Island and where most of the lost homes and business are. I suspect we may have to re-think living in some of the areas hardest hit, there are just 10 feet or so above sea level.

[Canoerebel]

100,000 is an unimagineable number. Just beyond comprehension. And just on Long Island? With New Jersey, Staten Island, and many other places also very hard hit. I cannot wrap my mind around this.

I'm pretty familiar with hurricanes. I grew up in Miami. My dad founded Hurricane Engineering Company. My sister lost her house in Andrew. I saw Katrina and Hugo. All three of those were epic, but I don't think any of them affected that many houses and businesses.

I take it that storm surge (and the fire at Breezy Point) were the biggest culprits. While the winds were powerful, they weren't out of the real of what you experience from time to time. But the affect of wind, high tide, and storm surge truly pushed this into the realm of Katrina and Andrew.

Of course, a storm is epic to one person if it destroys his house, so I don't mean to minimize any storm. But when you lose dozens or scores of houses (in a tornado, for instance), you rebuild quickly. When you lose hundreds it becomes a nightmare. When you lose hundreds of thousands you really have to apply a logarithmic scale to understand what happened and the impact.

Good luck to all the folks in Sandy's way.

On a lighter side note, Sandy was felt strongly as far south as the southern Appalachians. On Saturday, Oct. 27, two ladies completed the northern half of the App. Trail in Greaty Smoky Mountains National Park. They were wearing shorts even though it was modestly cool. Two days later, the Sandy snow storm began. Three feet of snow fell over two days, sustained winds of 50 miles an hour, temperatures in the low 20s. One backpacker had to be rescued by helicopter.

[frank1970]

Hm, the US Red Cross has to learn, that there are countries out of the US, too.
Treid to fill the form, but stupid program insisted in some zip-code and phone number I wasn´t able to supply. Is there a possibility to change that idiocy?

So I had to use the Bavarian Red Cross site. I hope the money will reach the US.

Good luck to all who suffered from this storm.

[frank1970]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: Frank
Is there something I can do?

Hi Frank,

I think the International Red Cross or the American Red Cross are actively soliciting donations to support their efforts in helping victims of Sandy. Nice of you to think about helping out from so far away.

Chickenboy,
Grafenwöhr (Graftown, for those guys who had the "pleasure" to have to train their combat readiness over here in Germany), the city I am living, has a very large American community (6000 Germans, about 8000 Americans). I think, I have more American neighbours than German ones. Some are good friends. I even know some of the guys posting here quite good. So the US might be far away geographically from me, but not from my mind.

[JohnDillworth]

Here are some good pictures from the region. Mostly NYC. Weird losing the subways. Many are back now.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/hurricane-sandy-strikes-east-coast-gallery-1.1194577

[morganbj]

ORIGINAL: crsutton

I believe in global warming and that it is caused by humans. Of course, I realize that some doubt that this is true....

Sounds like a religion. [:D]