December 8, 2012

Superstorm Sandy and a faulty memory

From the Wilkes-Barre, PA Citizens Voice/Associated Press:
NY mostly ignored reports warning of superstorm
More than three decades before Superstorm Sandy, a state law and a series of legislative reports began warning New York politicians to prepare for a storm of historic proportions, spelling out scenarios eerily similar to what actually happened: a towering storm surge; overwhelming flooding; swamped subway lines; widespread power outages. The Rockaway peninsula was deemed among the "most at risk."

But most of the warnings and a requirement in a 1978 law to create a regularly updated plan for the restoration of "vital services" after a storm went mostly unheeded, either because of tight budgets or the lack of political will to prepare for a hypothetical storm that may never hit.
Emphasis mine -- oh. Like September 8, 1667? October 29, 1693, August 19, 1788? Or how about the 1821 Norfolk and Long Island hurricane with storm surges up to 13 feet -- Sandy was 13.7 feet. Or this: October 4, 1841 � Gale�force winds affect New York City as a hurricane tracks north along the East Coast of the United States. Damage is estimated at $2 million (1841 USD, $41 million 2007 USD). Or this: 1903 Vagabond Hurricane This: New England Hurricane of 1938 -- Sandy was a tropical storm -- this was CAT3 and property losses were $4.7 Billion in 2005 dollars. Or this: 1944 Great Atlantic Hurricane -- 117 homes are completely destroyed, while 2,427 are severely damaged and almost 1000 businesses are destroyed or damaged. This: 1954 � Hurricane Hazel -- wind gust of 113 mph at Battery Park, highest ever recorded in New York City. Or: September 11, 1960 � Hurricane Donna makes landfall on Long Island as a Category 2 hurricane. Sustained winds of 100 mph (160 km/h) on eastern Long Island and 70 mph (110 km/h) winds on western Long Island are reported, and tides are 6 feet (2 m) above normal along most of the coast. Strong waves also cause beach erosion and several homes along the shore to be destroyed. Due to well-executed warnings, damages are extremely low, and it is reported that no deaths result from the storm. But I am just cherry picking maybe one out of every ten storms on record. Also, these are just the storms and hurricanes that actually hit New York City. Hypothetical storm that may never hit my great hairy ass... These people need to wake up and smell the storm surge -- New York has always been hit and will continue to always get hit with bad weather -- it is the nature of the Atlantic Ocean. A bit more from the article:
The 1978 executive law required a standing state Disaster Preparedness Commission to meet at least twice a year to create and update disaster plans. It mandated the state to address temporary housing needs after a disaster, create a detailed plan to restore services, maintain sewage treatment, prevent fires, assure generators "sufficient to supply" nursing homes and other health facilities, and "protect and assure uninterrupted delivery of services, medicines, water, food, energy and fuel."

Reports in 2005, 2006 and 2010 added urgency. "It's not a question of whether a strong hurricane will hit New York City," the 2006 Assembly report warned. "It's just a question of when."
The Executive Law is still on the books. Shut up and do your work politicians of New York City and State. No more money for 'pet projects' until you get the basic infrastructure on a solid footing. You represent your constituents and you are doing a piss-poor job by not seeing to their safety and by getting distracted by a new shiny project instead of following through on the ones that need doing... Posted by DaveH at December 8, 2012 8:31 PM
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