Post Huicane Sandy

Now that the storm has finally passed we can take a look and assess the damage of Hurricane Sandy, or for all my Spanish readers, huracán Sandy. My main coverage is focused on New York and their extensive mass transportation systems that were affected. The seven tunnels under the east river were flooded by the 14 foot storm surge, with three of them already opening up after 3 days since Sandy. But bringing back the subway system in New York is a massive project to say the least. Pumping out thousands of gallons of water is the first place to start, followed by repairing the many electrical components. Cleaning off the salt and other corrosive compounds off of the tracks is another large scale project. While New York’s' transportation systems received a large amount of damage, problems arose elsewhere. Water treatment facilities that were near the coast were flooded which caused a mix of storm water and sewage to bypass the plant flowing straight into the water ways and streets of New York. 111 homes have reportedly been destroyed by fire, exacerbated by strong winds.

 

 

Article found at: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/10/30/nyregion/hurricane-sandys-aftermath.html

 

Hurricane Sandy Update

So far Sandy has caused much of the predicted damage forecasted before the storm hit. There was flooding in every state from North Carolina to Massachusetts coupled with wide spread power outages leaving 8 million without. Gale force winds damaged many homes and businesses; flights have been grounded and transit systems flooded. So far the death toll has reached 111people. Some estimates put an amount of $88 billion dollars worth of damage.

This naturally occurring event was mitigated in many ways, most notably the evacuations (mostly mandatory) that were called for. The federal government and FEMA were a bit more prepared for this event than they were for Katrina, bringing in machines to pump out the water that much of the coast is bathing in. What makes this event even more interesting is the fact that it happened just days before the election. Natural Disasters make or break governments because disasters like Sandy show how well a president or state official can govern. Looking back to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, former president George W. Bush was greatly criticized for his inaction during that disaster. This inability to govern and show leadership lowered his popularity ratings. Obama, as I stated earlier, handled this event quite well. The death toll of Katrina was roughly 1700, while Sandy as of now only killed 111. Had Obama not reacted with the right measures in a timely fashion, the outcome of this election may have been affected.

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