Category Archives: disaster

From the NYTimes today: Until recently, the consensus of climate scientists was that the impact of melting polar ice sheets would be negligible over the next 100 years. Ice sheets were thought to be extremely slow in reacting to atmospheric warming. The 2001 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, widely considered to beContinue reading “Sealevel to Rise a Foot or Two in Coming Decades, Richard Alley Fears”

Over a hundred people recently came down sick after eating bagged spinach contaminated by the rare but potentially deadly E. coli 0157 bacteria. One person died, according to the FDA. But insight into this sickening has been hard to come by until today, when three excellent stories were published on the subject, the first linkedContinue reading “Don’t Eat Your Spinach”

Yesterday the Washington Post published an op-ed on climate change that, if it were a hurricane, would have to be rated Category 5. Entitled "We’re All New Orleanians Now," Mike Tidwell argues: Barring a rapid change in our nation’s relationship to fossil fuels, every American within shouting distance of an ocean — including all ofContinue reading “Category 5 Level Argument against Inaction”

Faithful readers may have noticed that since being asked to contribute to the worthy Gristmill site, that my posts here have entered what Tennessee Williams once called "a period of adjustment." It’s taken me a week or two to decide on a new tack. But I remind myself that I started this blog largely toContinue reading “Tribe Follows Tribe”

From the "Photo of the Week" in Editor and Publisher.

Hurricane Katrina couldn’t force President Bush to say the words "global warming," but a huge storm that has drenched the East Coast just did — thanks to an elm tree dropped in front of the White House. Interestingly, Bush claimed in a brief statement that he has "consistently said" that global warming is a "seriousContinue reading “Huge Storm Forces Bush To Say “Global Warming””

Oh, those crazy kids! Here’s a satellite picture of Ophelia, Nate, and Maria in 2005. This from a new study issued yesterday by the National Center for Atmospheric Research, which reports that global warming "increases the risk of further enhancements in hurricane activity," in the characteristically cautious language of scientists.  Or, as the press releaseContinue reading “Pic of the Week”

Hurricane season began last week with a flood of facts that completely blew out the information belief systems of yours truly. Extensive knowledge repair and reconstruction was required.

While digging out of the wreckage, here are some of the things I’ve learned:

1)    Hurricane experts–led by William Gray –say there is a one-in-eleven chance that a hurricane Category 3 or stronger could hit the East Coast between New York City and Cape Cod, according to a story in the Wall Street Journal [that is not on-line].

One such storm came ashore on Long Island with waves thirty to fifty feet high in l938, killing fifty people, in a time when millions fewer lived in the area.

According to the NYTimes [$] Nationwide Insurance will not cover homes within a half-mile of the Long Island coastline. Allstate, which lost $1.55 billion in the third quarter last year, is dropping "thousands" of customers, according to the WSJ, while rival Metlife Auto & Home is greatly restricting the amount of coverage it writes, requiring hurricane shutters or storm windows, and raising the deductible. 

Both insurers say the hurricane of 1938 has factored into their thinking. Back then, few people understood what was coming. While still out at sea, the hurricane at one point was traveling at 70 miles an hour, which remains the record for the fastest moving storm, according to a history compiled by Scott Mandia, a meteorology professor at Suffolk County Community College. At the time, however, most forecasters believed the storm would veer out to sea.

Instead, it plowed into Long Island, but the damage was limited because so much of the island was farmland. A repeat now could be deadlier, and almost certainly costlier. Then, Long Island was home to 600,000 people. Now it has more than 2.8 million. Median home values have risen 30% since 2003 to $475,000, among the highest values in the nation.

"If that were to hit today in the same area, it would rival Hurricane Andrew, if not more so, as far as damage done," says Mike Wiley, meteorologist in charge of the National Weather Service’s forecasting office on Long Island. If the most forceful winds hit closer to New York City, he added, "It would surpass the damage that we just saw with Hurricane Katrina." And he adds that "statistically, we’re overdue."

In a fairly stunning column for the NYTimes (that I’m not allowed to repost in full) a New Orleans native and novelist named John Biguenet reveals that not only is the ruined city not happy with Federal response to Katrina, but that chances are good it will have legal recourse: Listen to David Vitter, Louisiana’sContinue reading “New Orleans to White House: We’ve Just Begun to Fight”

We’ve all seen a lot of pictures from New Orleans after Katrina, but this is a real winner. They’ve asked bloggers not to republish it, but they do want visitors. Took a look.