hurricane sandy
TRANSCRIPT
SANDY HURRICANEBy
Karthik ram
FORMATION OF HURRICANE A tropical thunderstorm can grow into a massive hurricane
under certain conditions. Sometimes several thunderstorms start rotating around a central area of low pressure.
This is called a tropical depression. If the depression strengthens so that winds reach at least 39 mph, it is called a tropical storm.
And if wind speeds increase to more than 74 mph, it is called a tropical cyclone or hurricane.
CONT…. Once formed, hurricanes take energy from the
warm ocean water to become stronger. A storm will strengthen if there is a supply of warm, moist air to feed it.
Warm, moist air is found above warm, tropical ocean waters. While a hurricane is over warm water it will continue to grow.
A hurricane dies when it moves away from the tropics. When a hurricane moves into areas with cooler ocean water, it weakens.
It will also weaken if it travels over land.
CONT…
The rotation of the storm is due to the Coriolis Effect, a product of the Earth's rotation.
This causes the air being drawn into the central low pressure to curve. The air rises as it rotates.
This rising air, which is saturated with water, cools and condenses, forming clouds. Hurricanes do not occur within 300 miles (500 kilometers) of the equator because there is no Coriolis Effect at the equator.
HURRICANE SANDY Hurricane Sandy was an Atlantic tropical
cyclone which affected parts of the Caribbean, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States in late October 2012, and became the largest Atlantic hurricane in diameter, with winds spanning 1,100 miles (1,800 km).
It is expected to make landfall in the East Coast of the United States and Eastern Canada (Nova Scotia).
Sandy is the eighteenth tropical cyclone, eighteenth named storm, and tenth hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season.
IMPACTS
At least 43 people were killed: 40 in the Caribbean and three in the Bahamas. On
October 25, Sandy got weaker and became a Category 1 hurricane.
Bloomberg said the city's transportation department estimates $1 billion in
incremental costs, including nearly $800 million for street reconstruction alone.
The mayor estimated that Sandy cost the New York City economy about $5.7
billion in lost productivity.
In New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie said Friday Sandy had caused more than $29
billion in damage in his state.
Hurricane Sandy left at least 121 people dead across the U.S., with 43 of those
deaths in New York City. Another 67 were killed in the Caribbean and two people
died in Canada.
EMERGENCY RESPONSE
A lot of public schools on the Treasure Coast and in Palm Beach County, Florida
were closed for Friday October 26. FEMA announced that they will monitor Sandy
and help those in need in the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and New England states.
FLOOD AND COASTAL FLOOD WATCHES...WARNINGS...AND ADVISORIES
ARE IN EFFECT OVER PORTIONS OF THE MID-ATLANTIC AND
NORTHEAST STATES.
FOR INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...INCLUDING WATCHES
AND WARNINGS. PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR
LOCAL NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV.
CONT…. The president authorized an emergency
declaration for New Hampshire, Virginia and West Virginia, the FEMA release said.
The president also has authorized emergency declarations for Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.
The president's actions, the release said, authorizes FEMA to coordinate all disaster relief efforts to provide assistance for required emergency measures, directly to state, tribal and local governments, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety.
COORDINATION AMONG VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS:
FEMA DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE RED CROSS BAPISITE VOLUNTEERS NATIONAL WEATHER DEPARTMENT ARDA OTHER AGENCIES
FOLLOWED
In preparation for the storm, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission placed inspectors in all nuclear power plants that could potentially experience impacts from the storm. Inspectors independently verify that plant operators are making the proper preparations and taking actions to ensure plant safety before, during and after the storm. Out of an abundance of caution, three reactors were shut down during the storm while another plant, Oyster Creek in New Jersey, is being closely monitored due to high water levels in its water intake structure. The NRC will continue to coordinate with other federal and state agencies prior to the restart of the affected plants.
MITIGATION STRATEGIES
The first emergency responders to arrive to the afflicted areas
were our Commissioned Corps officers.
On Wednesday October 31st, approximately 75 officers from
Rapid Deployment Force-2 (RDF-2) arrived in Brooklyn, New
York at the Brookdale Hospital and Medical Center to set up
and operate a Federal Medical Station.
FOLLOWED
While there, a mixture of health professionals including
nurses and physicians, provided medical support to victims.
Brookdale, set up as a federal medical needs shelter, has been
serving as a place for displaced nursing home patients as well
as displaced hospital patients and patients with special needs.
On November 13th, Rapid Deployment Force-1 (RDF-1)
relieved RDF-2 and has been working toward providing
continued care and support to the nursing patients.
FOLLOWED Wave energy is often dismissed as impractical to use
because it is located far from people (where we need energy). It is also difficult to harness because of the harsh conditions equipment would have to sustain.
The Salter Sink works as a wave powered pump. Waves push hot water into the top of the cylinder, which pumps the water inside down.
It comes out the bottom (around 200 meters below) and mixes with colder water.
This brings the temperature on the surface down over time. A Salter Sink can move about a gigawatt of thermal energy! It may take thousands of these to protect America’s Gulf region (for example) but we estimate the cost would be much lower than the damage caused by one of these storms.
REHABILITATION AND RESPONSE Mobile Emergency Response Support personnel
and teams have been deployed to support the states with secure and non-secure voice, video, and information services, operations, and logistics support to state response operations as well as with any potential requests for assistance, the FEMA release said.
Ten FEMA disability integration advisors are also deployed to advise emergency management on alert and warning, evacuation, and sheltering needs.
FOLLOWED At all times FEMA maintains commodities,
including millions of liters of water, millions of meals and hundreds of thousands of blankets, strategically located at distribution centers throughout the United States and its territories, including Atlanta, Ga. and Frederick, Md., if needed and requested, according to the FEMA release.
FEMA distribution centers have an overall inventory of more than five million liters of water, three million meals, 900,000 blankets and 100,000 cots.
FOLLOWED
FEMA and the Department of Defense established Incident Support Bases in Westover, Mass., and Lakehurst, N.J., to pre-position supplies, including water, meals, blankets and other resources closer to potentially impacted areas, should they be needed and requested by states, according to the FEMA release.
FEMA has moved roughly 245,000 liters of water, more than 174,000 meals and thousands of blankets and cots to Westover Air Reserve Base; and more than 400,000 liters of water and more than 390,000 meals and thousands of cots to Lakehurst Naval Air Station in Lakehurst, N.J., and more commodities are en route, as weather conditions permit.
FOLLOWED The U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services and FEMA activated ambulance contracts to support state requirements to evacuate patients as needed and requested.
HHS has personnel deployed in support of state response efforts, including two 50-person Disaster Medical Assistance Teams providing triage and basic care in shelters in New Jersey. Additional medical teams are on alert.
HHS also has personnel supporting 350 ambulances in New York that were activated through FEMA’s ambulance contracts. An additional Disaster Medical Assistance Team remains pre-staged in the mid-Atlantic, prepared to deploy quickly along the East Coast if needed.
NGO’S RESPONSE There are a total of 82,000 trained volunteers in
the SBDR network, which is coordinated by NAMB from its Alpharetta, Ga.-based disaster operations center.
The organization also has 1,550 mobile units that can provide food, power, childcare, shower, laundry and a host of other services, and it is one of the three largest disaster relief organizations in terms of volunteers along with the American Red Cross and The Salvation Army.
FOLLOWED In the four days before the American Red Cross
arrived to deliver the meals cooked by Baptist volunteers, Porter said, the Middletown Ministerial Alliance helped provide vans from the city's various churches so food could be distributed that way.
the team prepared 6,000 meals for American Red Cross emergency response vehicles to deliver into the community.
The disaster relief team's kitchen, which has a capacity for turning out 35,000 meals a day, has served 64,535 meals since it began operating in Middletown.
FOLLOWED
State, Tribal and local officials make determinations and announcements about evacuations, according to the FEMA release. States, localities and the Red Cross have emergency shelters open in many affected communities.
To find a shelter, people can download the Red Cross Hurricane app, visit the Red Cross web site, or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
CALAMITY FUND NEW YORK (AP) — More than $664 million in
federal aid has been approved for New York's victims of Super storm Sandy by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The hardest hit areas of the state include Nassau County, which has received about $224 million. Queens County, which includes the hard-hit Rockaways, has received $170 million.
The bill to repair the damage from Hurricane Sandy has climbed to $42 billion US across New York state, officials said Monday as they turned to the federal government for disaster aid.
FUNDING INFORMATION
Total Funding Received to Date: $459,174Remaining Goal to be Funded: $40,826Total Funding Goal: $500,000
The cost includes $32 billion for repairs and restoration, but also includes an additional accounting of $9 billion for mitigation of damage and for preventive measures for the next disastrous storm
Hurricane Sandy brought 3 days of devastating rains and winds throughout the Caribbean and the United States.
FOLLOWED ADRA is providing clean water, food parcels, and
blankets to families in some of the worst affected communities in the Dominican Republic where more than 1,200 homes were completely submerged in mud. In Jamaica, ADRA has already distributed blankets and is currently assessing the damages to homes to assist in the rehabilitation efforts.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Raymond H. LaHood announced in a DOT release issued today that he is making $13 million in quick-release emergency relief funds
STRATEGIES TO PREVENT THE IMPACT OF THE DIS ASTER You must secure your property in the best possible
manner. Windows can be protected by installing permanent storm shutters. Or you may secure your windows with ready to install marine plywood. Keep in mind that tapes are not going to help to prevent the windows from breaking.
You can install straps or additional clips to fasten your roof to the structure of the building. This will give additional strength to the roof and will help to prevent hurricane damage to the roof.
You must trim and groom all the trees and shrubs around your home.
FOLLOWED
If a hurricane is likely to strike on your area, you should gather information about it from the television or other mass media communication processes.
If you have the time, bring in all outside furniture indoors. Close storm shutters and secure your home and its properties.
Find out whether the authorities have instructed to turn off electrical appliances. In fact, it is best to avoid using any electrical or electronic equipment during a hurricane.
FOLLOWED You must ensure a supply of adequate water for
drinking, cooking and sanitary purposes. If you have been instructed to evacuate the
place, you should do so at the earliest. Mobile and temporary structures are very
dangerous during a hurricane. So avoid staying in such structures during a hurricane. Move to a permanent structure before the hurricane.
Hurricanes winds are particularly stronger at higher elevations. So, always move to a lower area during a hurricane disaster.
Coastal areas and areas near waterways are dangerous during a hurricane. So, if you live in and around these areas, it is better to move to a safer place to prevent hurricane damage.
