Sandy Nearly Claims Lives of Newborns

In all her destruction Sandy spared none as even the sick were under duress from the storm.  Patients at New York University's Langone Medical Center were forced to relocate due to power failures.  The tropical storm Sandy caused widespread flooding throughout New York City; the basement of the University Medical Center flooded, causing the power failure.  Ventilators that provide air to newborns could not be powered; the hospital staff quickly began to prepare patients to be transferred to hospitals that could take them.  Thankfully there was no mention of any newborns dying, but this makes me think back to secondary sources causing fatalities.  The storm was the primary hazard and the power outage from flooding was the secondary hazard.  This story, and more, can be found following this link:  Sandy changes lives forever

Sandy is a Dandy

The arrival of Hurrican Sandy Monday evening brought with it massive amounts of water, flooding much of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York.  The huge storm stretched from Maine to the Carolinas, "leaving 7.4 million people accross the east" without electricity.  The death toll in the United States has reached 33, most people dying as a result of fallen trees.  President Obama has declared the event a national disaster with many parts of the country's most bustling city under water.  Lower Manhatten, which includes Wall Street has been shut down for only the second time in the past century.  This catastrophic storm occurred with very low barometric pressure, resulting in large amounts of water being pushed inland from the ocean.  The recovery effort will be interesting to watach unfold, especially one week away from the Presidential Election.  Our thoughts are surely with the families of those who have passed from the storm and we all hope that our east coast can recover, stronger than ever.

Drought Relief in Sight?

Weather forecasts predict a series of showers over the next day or so, stretching from the southwestern deserts all the way up to the Michigan.  This wide range of rainfall is much needed, though it is not reported to be a "drought buster."  The drought has been substantial this summer; current conditions show improvements with overall drought coverage dropping from 25% to 16% between last week and this week.  The situation for Wisconsin seems to be deteriorating.  The state has experienced a jump in "severe drought conditions," increasing from 36% to 52% since the prior week.  The rain will be nice to all those who miss it dearly, though it seems it will not be enough to break us from this drought.

Cold temperatures could mean trouble for crops?

The United States has seen its' worst drought in over fifty years and the effects have been felt throughout.  Last night brought the first flurries of the year and the combination of cold temperatures and a very dry summer may equal trouble for US corn and soybean crops.  According to the US Department of Agriculture, the harvesting of the nations wheat crops are complete and 94% of the corn crops have matured; 85% of soybean crops have matured as well.  Though it would seem that the fairly early frost would cause issues for America's farmers, it seems the majority of crops have matured fully and/or have been mostly harvested at this point.  While we may not be enjoying the change in seasons, it seems there is minimal concern for our food crops.  Follow the link below for a time lapse video of crop harvesting during a drought.  Harvest Video

As the leaves begin to change we are treated with a beautiful display of yellows, reds, oranges, and browns.  Unlike last year, this year should turn out to be gorgeous.  New Hampshire's tourism industry suffered last fall due to "less-than-ideal foliage" resulting from damage caused by the Tropical Storm Irene.  This is an example of the effects resulting from hazards; this would be an example of direct losses.  You can read the full story here.  New Hampshire's fall foliage  Here in Wisconsin we don't worry about the results of tropical storms, rather we have the privilege of full view before we are covered in snow.  Enjoy the view of Wisconsin in the fall!

When weather strikes, are you prepared?

Given the recent topics that have been discussed in class, I found this article to be thought provoking.  Nancy Larson writes for the StarPress and wrote a piece giving advice to prepare yourself and your family in case of a natural hazard.  She suggests the storing of food and water supplies, enough for three days per person and per pet.  Some of the things she suggests be stored are canned fruits and vegetables, dried milk, crackers, granola bars, etc.  Her suggestion for water is enough for a person to have one gallon a day.  Seems like a lot, but when survival is at stake no level of preparedness is too much.  I thought this seemed interesting given that we have been talking about natural disasters and hazards and the number of people they affect.  Being prepared is never a bad thing and it would be best to do it before the storm hits.

More Weather Game Fun!

The National Weather Service has created a game that is designed to educate and inform young students about the dangers and preventative measures involving severe weather.  The game is called PLAN!T NOW! and features a fun and helpful owl named Owlie (how original).  The game is designed for children in grades 3-8 and teaches children about hurricanes, lightning, floods, tornadoes and winter storms.  I thought this sounded similar to what we did in class and reminded me of all the educational games I once played.  A video of the game is listed in the videos post so be sure to check it out!