Hurricane Sandy

[rjhowie]

It was a dreadful experience by all accounts and higher than any "routine" such event. Not something you want to expreince at all and thoughts must go out o those homelss, flooded or left without a home. There is a curious aside o this. Are such events made worse because America tends to go in more for wooden houses? I have noted also that in feature films and actual films you see of US towns and suburbs there seems to be a surfeit of electric cables over streets and between houses alongside electrical boxes suspended from them many which are seen exploding. We also tend to have water tanks in attics and one tv report said that wasn't the norm over the pond? Not something we have here as we tend to have things more underground.

Anyway, it is not a pleasant time at all for those who have suffered and our thoughts must go out to them as it will take time no matter how modern a place is to sort out what nature can do as it is no respector. So far the general advice has been excellent and most heeded what was advised so here's hoping some normality will quickly begin to take effect along with the sadness of those who perished. Seems the deaths were even greater in the Carribean.

 

[qassaquyangli]

I hope everyone's okay. I was sick on Tuesday and Wednesday. It snowed about 3-4 in. here in Anchorage, I missed out :'(. I have a few friends on OpenFient ( I play Jetpack Joyride ) who are in Sandy's way and I wished them good luck too.

 

[Euphod]

Are such events made worse because America tends to go in more for wooden houses? I have noted also that in feature films and actual films you see of US towns and suburbs there seems to be a surfeit of electric cables over streets and between houses alongside electrical boxes suspended from them many which are seen exploding. We also tend to have water tanks in attics and one tv report said that wasn't the norm over the pond? Not something we have here as we tend to have things more underground.

Several good points there in your post. Keep in mind that that area of the country was the first developed, and yes wood was the most plentiful building material available in the early days. Underground utilities are used far more frequently now in new construction, but not in the era these communities were built. I suppose one can assume that in such a crowded area, it may be cost prohibitive to convert the utilities paths now, although it may be a sound idea. Water tanks (assuming you mean home hot water heaters) are traditionally in the basements of American homes, although why this is so I am not certain.

There are certain areas of the country that require buildings meet different codes for hurricanes and earthquakes, but again I have to assume that history has indicated that this should apply only to those areas. Most hurricanes skirt the Eastern coast and then go East across the Atlantic to visit you as a low pressure front and give you all that lovely rain you adore, and very few have turned West where this one did. I'm sure when the rebuilding begins there will be much discussion on where and how new structures will be built.

 

[StorkNest]

Takes more than drying the salt water on the electrical equipment to get everything back to working order.

But here we have a lot of older equipment, not more modern stuff.

Building Codes, more to it than that. Some of the local homes damaged were actually older homes and bungalows passed down through generations of family so not up to modern specs. Then you add in what seemed to be a lack of building codes found in other parts of the country, not just for hurricanes and earthquakes. Example, a development where relatives live had driveways and streets designed based on 1 car per family, well now you have people living there with 2-4 cars, parking is horrible. Another development has a street that looks more like a back alley. One home that went up is only 9 feet wide across one side, I have lived in a 10x10 foot room so I cannot figure how someone would design a house 9 feet wide and consider it livable but they did. There have been a lot of complaints regarding building codes over the years, the things Staten Island home developers get away with is disturbing.

Spent the entire weekend on Facebook sharing information and getting people connected with various relief efforts and information, while it is getting better most people involved are out working so they need info sharing. Gas problems are insane, one guy several blocks nearby got arrested for whipping out a knife in an argument on a gas line. Nassau County in LI still has the worst power problems of any county even all of NYC combined, last I knew over 400,000 customers out Sunday, worst was over 1 million, handled by the same company LIPA that handles the Rockaways where the fire was that ruined 50+ homes.

Speaking of railroads, I recently checked NY&A is restricted based on how the LIRR gets into shape plus the Bay Ridge yards are out, this was the only way apparently to interchange with NS, according to the NY&A website they now have to send NS traffic through CSX all the way to Selkirk upstate.

 

[amtrak2041864]

This storm took out most if NJT commuter lines, which means i have to take the bus to new york. I hate that alot.

 

[StorkNest]

Why some power companies are not doing well, this is what I meant regarding power comanies and older equipment though I did not think it was this bad.
http://www.newsday.com/long-island/...ngs-it-wasn-t-ready-for-major-storm-1.4203976


COBOL, there's something I have not heard in 2-3 DECADES.

 

[Engineerkenny]

everybody ok

 

[stratuspheretrish]

What Im about to post below is about to mess up Thanksgiving plans for travelere and Hurricane Sandy clean up efforts.

Nor'easter via a "Miller A" storm track!! This could mean a snowstorm around the thanksgiving timeframe and this is supported by the NAO/AO Oscillations that are forecasted to start tanking into negative territory and the uncanny multi model ensemble agreement on this LPS!

Right now I consider it a good possibility due to the similar atmospheric signals of a very 09/10 like winter.. as I have alluded to for months now! At this point I would give it 60/40 chance of actually happening due to outstanding agreement by all of the more trusted guidance products!

Please share this post with your friends and stay tuned because its about to get very cold and snowy!!

Euro ensemble mean

[/IMG]

 

[Dinorius_Redundicus]

OK, I'm dumb enough to ask: what is a Miller A storm track, an NAO/AO oscillation, a multi-model ensemble agreement, an LPS, a 9/10 winter, the geopotential height and the units on the color scale? Until you de-mystify this jargon, I'm assuming the following;


- Miller A storm track: the kind of storm where the best thing to do is stay inside and drink Miller beer.

- NAO/AO oscillation: it's a new dance craze popular with the nao generation.

- Multi-model ensemble agreement: it's like when Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss both like the same clothes.

- LPS: This harks back to the days of 45rpm records. Any song that lasted more than 2 minutes 40 seconds was billed as a 'Long Playing Single'.

- A 9/10 winter: Any winter mild enough that your water pipes don't freeze and burst would get a rating of 9 or 10 on a 10-point scale.

- Geopotential height: The height the earth could have been if it wasn't for gravity and soil erosion.

- Color scale: The units represent the average cost per week of a holiday or cruise in the region indicated. Obviously they need to pay people to holiday in Florida...


.

 

[stratuspheretrish]

For the east coast of Winter 2012-2013, there will more icestorms than snow storms this year.