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George was a weaker storm and was not a direct hit on the island itself. Maria made landfall with winds in excess of 153 mph and gusts of over 200 mph, ran diagonally across the island cutting through the mountains, perhaps the most vulnerable part of the island. Incomparable to recent storms and that's added to the weakened infrastructure. Governance is, and was then, an issue. Stateside americans shpuld take note that fema is not capable of handling a large scale disaster. They are most effective where disasters are localized but the system is largely intact, and they can come in and cut checks. PREPA needs to go though as do the bondholders for PREPA who are blocking progress.
George was a weaker storm and was not a direct hit on the island itself. Maria made landfall with winds in excess of 153 mph and gusts of over 200 mph, ran diagonally across the island cutting through the mountains, perhaps the most vulnerable part of the island. Incomparable to recent storms and that's added to the weakened infrastructure. Governance is, and was then, an issue. Stateside americans shpuld take note that fema is not capable of handling a large scale disaster. They are most effective where disasters are localized but the system is largely intact, and they can come in and cut checks. PREPA needs to go though as do the bondholders for PREPA who are blocking progress.
If you ask me, I think every American household should be encouraged to have a generator + fuel, water, and non-perishable foods to last for up to 2 weeks.
We need to bring back the old Civil Defense system from the Cold War to get the public to be prepared to survive on their own for a period of time in the event of a natural disaster or human caused incident (ie: a war, civil disturbances, etc).
More terrazzo. My DILs relatives lost wood floors, and other coverings, over terrazzo, so they are taking everything out because of water damage, and polishing the terrazzo for evermore.
If you ask me, I think every American household should be encouraged to have a generator + fuel, water, and non-perishable foods to last for up to 2 weeks.
We need to bring back the old Civil Defense system from the Cold War to get the public to be prepared to survive on their own for a period of time in the event of a natural disaster or human caused incident (ie: a war, civil disturbances, etc).
I remember fallout shelters. Some still exist, where school and municipal buildings have only been updated and not renovated. Every community should have a few of these, and every resident should be aware of them. They should be maintained, with "almost expired but still 100% edible" stuff given out at food pantries and soup kitchens, and restocked regularly, especially with MREs and multiple 5-gallon water jugs.
Generators are so important these days especially in a world where the climate change that doesn't exist, exists. We don't have one but we're probably moving this coming year so we'll leave that up to the new homeowners to pick out.
I don't have a fallout shelter, but I do have a generator, lots of water stored,and water purification methods, canned goods, boxes of MREs, firearms, sidearms and rifles, first aid kits, wilderness survival kits.
A 'Bug Out' bag with all my documents, both vehicles are never less than 1/2 tanks of gas.
There is alway around a thousand dollars in small bills in my safe.
My preparation is partly for natural disasters, I live along the banks of the Delaware River, my neighborhood got flooded 3x since 2002 because New York was emptying their reservoirs into the Delaware far upriver during heavy rains as a result Pennsylvanians and New Jereyans living in close proximity to the river suffered the consequences of a selfish neigboring state.
During Hurricane Sandy we were without power for 8 days, food, water and generator came in handy as well as the wood stove, stash of firewood and the propane gas grill.
Another reason for being prepared is I live in a leafy suburb of a Capital City, I am a short 3 miles North of downtown Trenton..
I worked there as a Senior County Investigator for 30 years, It's like a Wild West town, part of my job was locating and arresting fleeing Felons and fugitives...I'm retired now, but there are still plenty of these peeps in the City, not to mention the garden variety thieves, robbers, Rapists, con artists etc.
If we have a terrorist attack, or if the grid goes down for any reason..these Zombies will be walking down River Road heading for my neighborhood for easy pickings..I could stay and defend my house, but with my military and law enforcement traing, I realize it is tactically impossible to properly defend it.
So,the plan is to simply and quickly load the Cherokee up with needed supplies, 'beat feet' and get outta Dodge City.
Cash will be King because the ATMs will be down, if gas stations are pumping gas, the guy with cash is going to get it, same thing with food stores etc...Cash.
This might be fatalistic thinking, I might be too prepared, but it really doesn't take too much effort to take these steps, maintain a cache of money, meds food, firearms etc.for protection..
Natural Disasters are happening with increasing frequency and severity, Nut Cases and Terrorist are slaughtering innocent people almost everyday,
we have a Leader who seems unhinged and is bullying and stepping on the toes of other world leaders..
Just doing what I can to try and increase my chances to survive in these times.
The effects will be lasting. Rebuilding is expensive. Many may be able to rebuild but many will be forced to relocate. FEMA relief is very limited. If people's homes were not fully insured, it will be a long road to full recovery, if possible.
We certainly will see more Category 5s, as we had two of them back to back. We can and should rebuild stronger but remember that hurricanes mini-twisters inside of them. There is still no guarantee that one's home will survive.
At least Puerto Rico is receiving media attention. The U.S. Virgin Islands receives very little and we were hit with both and without power longer. Thousands have left here as well.
The effects will be lasting. Rebuilding is expensive. Many may be able to rebuild but many will be forced to relocate. FEMA relief is very limited. If people's homes were not fully insured, it will be a long road to full recovery, if possible.
We certainly will see more Category 5s, as we had two of them back to back. We can and should rebuild stronger but remember that hurricanes mini-twisters inside of them. There is still no guarantee that one's home will survive.
At least Puerto Rico is receiving media attention. The U.S. Virgin Islands receives very little and we were hit with both and without power longer. Thousands have left here as well.
Whether or not you have "Mini-Twisters" a Class 5 Hurricane is basically a medium-strong tornado 50 miles in diameter.
Whether or not you have "Mini-Twisters" a Class 5 Hurricane is basically a medium-strong tornado 50 miles in diameter.
Yes, but that's not the point. Many people do not understand that within the hurricane are mini-twisters that can destroy homes with excellent construction. Further, having items stocked up will not help you if one of those mini-twisters hits your home directly.
That's why you will find sturdy homes still destroyed. That can be seen all over these islands I live on post-Irma and Maria. Not to mention, when the eye of Maria hit land on St. Croix, it split in two. As it came back together near the other side, it created a sonic boom that sent cracks up sturdy cement walls. People underestimate the power of these hurricanes when they tell all of us how they on the outside feel we should prepare.
George was a weaker storm and was not a direct hit on the island itself. Maria made landfall with winds in excess of 153 mph and gusts of over 200 mph, ran diagonally across the island cutting through the mountains, perhaps the most vulnerable part of the island. Incomparable to recent storms and that's added to the weakened infrastructure. Governance is, and was then, an issue. Stateside americans shpuld take note that fema is not capable of handling a large scale disaster. They are most effective where disasters are localized but the system is largely intact, and they can come in and cut checks. PREPA needs to go though as do the bondholders for PREPA who are blocking progress.
Georges was horrible... and affected the entire island. When I returned 3 weeks later, people on the plane were commenting on how things must be really good on the island for so many people to have swimming pools in their homes... until I mentioned that they weren't swimming pools, they were FEMA & Red Cross blue tarps set up to shield the residents from the elements...
I will never forget Georges.... or Hugo, or Hortensia, or any of the other hurricanes that hit during the 34 years I lived there...
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