Science And Society, Social Commentary

Batten Down The Hatches, East Coast

12 Comments

Irene could be worse than Katrina, in terms of total property damage, and even in terms of loss of life, if people don’t prepare and evacuate. I don’t live in hurricane country, any more, though we still have a house there, but as I always noted when I went through this, the most annoying thing about hurricanes is that you have warning of them, and have to prepare, even if in the end it turns out to be a false alarm. I sort of dread the day they start to think they can predict earthquakes, because unless it’s better than they do with hurricane location and intensity, it’s going to result in a lot of lost productivity in earthquake country. Nonetheless, be prepared, and be careful out there.

12 thoughts on “Batten Down The Hatches, East Coast”

  1. The spectacular event always eclipses the perceived mundane event. The Missouri River has been out of its banks for many, many miles since early June and has caused billions in damage and lost business yet you don’t see much about it in the national press. The river, at Omaha, has been at flood stage since June 13th. The true cost can’t be calculated yet because, until the water recedes, the cost in roads and sewers can’t be determined.

  2. I hadn’t read the story and when I did, I found this:

    • Irene is only a threat to coastal areas. Admittedly, I probably inadvertently contribute to this one; I tend not to focus as much as I should on inland flooding. But inland flooding is a big deal, a huge killer and property-destroyer, often causing more damage than the “sexier” coastal effects. It’s a particular threat in this instance because Irene is expected to move more slowly through the mid-Atlantic and northeast than most storms do at this latitude. And the ground in many places is already saturated. So it’s going to be a major, major, major rain event, and potentially a major flooding event. If you live in an area prone to river flooding or flash flooding, even well inland, be prepared!

  3. MD/VA/DC are now hurricane country and earthquake country… and 2 of the last three winters, blizzard country. Maybe there is something to this wrath of God stuff regarding the FedGov!

  4. So I’m leaving the safety of Florida tomorrow to fly up to Baltimore — to meet a hurricane. That’s after I moved near Baltimore from Southern California, expecting that quakes would be a thing of the past.

    Somebody’s trying to tell me something…

  8. I remember reading Brendan Loy’s blog posts at the time of Katrina. He was calling for the evacuation of New Orleans before anybody else, as far as I know. I found him via Instapundit, so I was reading his posts two or three days before Katrina made landfall. Even though I was 1000 miles away, it was kind of terrifying watching the hurricane approach land, knowing what was about to happen.

    Irene has a more personal interest for me, since I live in the Philadelphia suburbs. I think I’m about as well-prepared as I know how. I guess we’ll see.

  9. After losing power for 5 days following Isabel, I sure hope their forecast is correct as far as the central Virginia area. Rain we can deal with (and need). I’m getting to old for camping (even in the house).

  11. Beware of unanticipated consequences in steering hurricanes. Color me really skeptical. Should Congress wish to fund this research, I suggest using the mis-appropriated funds for “climate” research.

  12. Irene could be worse than Katrina, in terms of total property damage, and even in terms of loss of life, if people don’t prepare and evacuate.

    It appears to already be causing damages to the rights of free people.

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