Damage From Hurricane Sandy

     The damage from hurricane Sandy effected many parts of Bloombergs New York City.  Of the things effected by the hurricane, I do not think one thing was left out.  Damage was taken on subways, buses, tunnels, trains, and airports.  The big factors that caused damage in these areas were done by flooding, fire, and strong winds. 
     During the storm and after, the subways and buses were greatly damaged.  All seven of the tunnels under the east river flooded in the storm; and the biggest problem is going to be picking up all the debris that was left behind; but it is going to be very expensive to inspect and repair all the electrical components of these tunnels that provide safe transportation for the subways. 
     Some airports in New York City are still closed where others are starting to take flights in and out now.  Bloomberg stated that there were probably 23 fires that erupted throughout the city.  One of the biggest; that models the swiss cheese model to a tea would be the fire that happened in Breezy Point Queens.  You had 111 homes that were destroyed by fire because the wind was so severe; and that is what was fueling the fire, but ontop of that you had terrible blooding throughout that area so when fire trucks tried putting them out they were blocked off by the flooding.  It shows that one problem ontop of the other can cause even greater problems and stall emergency releif. 

Bloomberg Endorses Obama

     In regards to hurricane Sandy; Bloomberg, mayor of New York City, stated that the hurricane "reshaped his thinking about the presidential campaign" and the billionare mayor is now endorsing president Obama.  The mayor goes on to describe that president Obama was the best suited to tackle the global climate change that the mayor believes contributed to hurricane Sandy.
     The hurricane, which has now taken 38 lives of New Yorkers and has caused billions of dollars in damage needs to be addressed by elected leaders and Bloomberg beleives Obama has done an outstanding job. 
     The biggest issue that the Hurricane brought to light in regards to the presidential campaign was the Federal Governments role in disaster response and how important it truly is.  The Hurricane has turned into a very big issue with the presidential campaign and is almost haulting it all together.  A person such as mayor Bloomberg who is a billionaire has and can have unbelievable amounts of persuasive power  and if he is publicaly voting for Obama, he may have people follow his lead; altogether this one mans decision can change the entire coarse of the presidential race. 

Hurricane Sandy Landslides

     USGS has issued landslide alerts for hurricane Sandy.  They stated that with Hurricane Sandy moving inland that heavy rainfall will put a good majority o communities at risk for landslide hazards and slope failure.  A landslide hazard is part of a secondary earthquake hazard.
     USGS members think that most of them will be shallow landslides on coastal bluffs in th eChesapeake Bay area.  An interesting fact, and something to look out for in these areas, is that landslides that were produced by Irene and Lee in 2011 could be reactivated which goes hand in hand with the behavioral model in regards to living in locations prone to these disasters; did people learn from the past or no?
     Some of the major factos that play a role in landslides are the slope of the land, geology, saturation of the ground in regards to slope liquification, and the total rainfall/duration.  Some mitigation efforts you can do before the strom would include a) familiarize yourself with the land, have landslides occurred in the past? b) where does the water drain near your home? c) know your communities emergency response and evacuation plans.  Things that you can do after the storm include a)staying alert and awake, most landslide fatalaties occur when people are sleeping b) listen for sounds that hint toard moving debris. c) be alert when driving especially along embankments.

Hurricane Sandy Water Levels

     Hurricane Sandy made landfall on monday around 1830 hours in New Jersey.  Prior to Sandy's arrival USGS crews deployed around 150 storm surge sensors that measure water elevation every 30 seconds; and now that the storm has moved inland the crews will go out and record the data.  So far there has been record water elevations in the Raritan River at 13.88 feet, Rockaway Inlet at 11.75 feet, and Raritan Bay at 11.21 feet. 
     Gathering this type of information is very important for not only monitoring the storm at certain intervals but also helping in future mitigation.  All of the information the USGS cres gathered and have yet to gather will aid in the effort to assess storm damage; make comparisons between wind and flood damage, and also improve computer models to help improve future coastal change.  One of the after effects of this storm will be/already has been massive snow fall; with this snowfall USGS crews will also look at the potential of snow run-off in regards to flooding.