Hurricane Katrina came ashore 2 years ago and completely leveled our home. All that is left is a slab. It is still a residential area and are considering donating the property for a family to rebuild a home there. We have bought a new home and do not wish to hold on to this property. What would be the best thing to do. Sell, Donate or just sit on the property for a long term investment?
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Past History has demonstrated time and time again that a lack of awareness and preparedness are common occurrences among all major hurricane disasters.
Preparing for hurricane; you can be less vulnerability by knowing what actions you should take for you and your family’s personal safety, the protection of your home and cherished belongings; in order to reduce the effects of a storm disaster.
Hurricane Preparedness is about becoming informed about these hazards and gaining knowledge and developing a hurricane preparedness list which can be used to take ACTION.
The information we will share with you her can be used to save lives at work, home, while on the road, or on the water this Baja hurricane season.
These hazards of a come in many forms:
Storm Surge:
Storm surge is simply water that is pushed toward the shore by the force of the winds swirling around the storm.
This advancing surge combines with the normal tides to create the hurricane storm tide, which can increase the mean water level 15 feet or more. In addition, wind driven waves are superimposed on the storm tide.
This rise in water level can cause severe flooding in coastal areas, particularly when the storm tide coincides with the normal high tides.
Marty was the deadliest tropical cyclone of the 2003 Pacific & Baja hurricane season.
Forming on September 18, it became the 13th tropical storm and fourth hurricane of the year.
The storm moved generally northwestward and steadily intensified despite only a marginally favorable environment for development, and became a Category 2 hurricane before making two landfalls on the Baja California peninsula and mainland Mexico.
Marty was responsible for significant flooding and storm surges that caused $50.5 million (2003 USD) in damage, mostly on the peninsula of Baja California, and resulted in the deaths of 12 people.
Marty affected many of the same areas that had been affected by Hurricane Ignacio a month earlier. The level of surge in a particular area is also determined by the slope of the continental shelf.
A shallow slope off the coast will allow a greater surge to inundate coastal communities. Communities with a steeper continental shelf will not see as much surge inundation, although large breaking waves can still present major problems.
Storm tides, waves, and currents in confined harbors severely damage ships, marinas, and pleasure boats.
High Winds:
The strength of a land falling hurricane is expressed in terms of categories that relate wind speeds and potential damage.
According to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SaffirSimpson_Hurricane_Scale), a Category 1 hurricane has lighter winds compared to storms in higher categories.
A Category 4 hurricane would have winds between 131 and 155 mph and, on the average, would usually be expected to cause 100 times the damage of the Category 1 storm.
Depending on circumstances, less intense storms may still be strong enough to produce damage, particularly in areas that have not prepared in advance.
Tropical storm force winds are in fact strong enough to be hazardous to those who get caught in them.
Hurricane force winds can with no trouble destroy weakly constructed buildings and mobile homes. Signs, roofing material, and other debris such as small items left outside become flying missiles in hurricanes.
Extensive damage to trees, towers, water and underground utility lines, and fallen poles cause considerable disruption.
High rise buildings are also amongst the vulnerable to hurricane force winds, predominantly at the higher levels since wind speed tends to increase with height.
Recent research suggests you should stay below the tenth floor, but still above any floors at risk for flooding.
It is not uncommon for high rise buildings to suffer a great deal of damage due to windows being blown out.
As a result, the areas around these buildings can be very dangerous. The right side of the hurricane, known as the eyewall tends to maintain the strongest winds.
Wind speed usually decreases significantly within 12 hours after landfall. Nonetheless, winds can stay above hurricane strength well inland.
Hurricane John, for example, hit the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula in September, 2006.
John was a Category 3 Hurricane with 115 mph winds at 5am. This translates into some pretty serious damage for the coast. (Courtesy of Storm Tracker Meteorologist Erin Jordan)
Tornadoes:
Hurricanes can also produce tornadoes that add to the storm’s destructive power. Tornadoes are most likely to occur in the right front quadrant of the hurricane.
However, they are also often found elsewhere embedded in the rainbands, well away from the center of the hurricane. Some hurricanes seem to produce no tornadoes, while others develop multiple ones.
Studies have shown that more than half of the land falling hurricanes produce at least one tornado. We have no way at present to predict exactly which storms will spawn tornadoes or where they will touch down.
The new Doppler radar systems have greatly improved the forecaster’s warning capability, but the technology usually provides lead times from only a few minutes up to about 30 minutes. Consequently, preparedness is critical.
Facts about Hurricanes & Tornados
o When associated with hurricanes, tornadoes are not usually accompanied by hail or a lot of lightning, clues that citizens in other parts of the country watch for.
o Tornado production can occur for days after landfall when the tropical cyclone remnants maintain an identifiable low pressure circulation.
o They can also develop at any time of the day or night during landfall. However, by 12 hours after landfall, tornadoes tend to occur mainly during daytime hours.
Flooding:
When it comes to hurricanes, wind speeds do not tell the whole story. Hurricanes produce storm surges, tornadoes, and often the most deadly of all; inland flooding.
While storm surge is always a potential threat, more people have died from inland flooding from 1970 up to 2000.
Intense rainfall is not directly related to the wind speed of tropical cyclones. In fact, some of the greatest rainfall amounts occur from weaker storms that drift slowly or stall over an area. Inland flooding can be a major threat to communities hundreds of miles from the coast as intense rain falls from these huge tropical air masses.
1997 Nora was the fourteenth named tropical cyclone and seventh hurricane of the Pacific hurricane season.
The September storm formed off the Pacific coast of Mexico, and aided by waters warmed by El Ni?eventually peaked at Category 4 intensity on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saffir-Simpson_Hurricane_Scale)
Nora intensified and weakened quickly before taking an unusual path, which lead it to make landfall twice as a hurricane in Baja California. After landfall, its remnants affected the Southwestern United States with tropical storm-force winds, torrential rain and flooding.
Nora is blamed for two direct casualties in Mexico, (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico) as well as substantial beach erosion on the Mexican coast, flash flooding in Baja California, and record precipitation in Arizona.
Nora persisted far inland; it was only the third known tropical cyclone to reach Arizona while tropical. (Courtesy of Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Therefore it is crucially important for your family to have a plan that includes all of these hazards.
Carefully examine the safety actions recommended with each type of hurricane hazard and prepare your family disaster plan accordingly.
But do remember this is only meant as a guide. The first and most important thing anyone should do when facing a hurricane threat is to use common sense.
The following questions should be answered before a hurricane threatens:
o What are the Hurricane Hazards? o What does it mean to you?
o What actions should you take to be prepared?
Download the hurricane preparedness list (2008 version) High Resolution Poster (1.8MB PDF) at www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/pdf/2003_HAW_poster.pdf
Frequently visit the NOAA Coastal Services Center Historical Hurricane Tracks website at www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/pdf/AT_Track_chart.pdf to learn about historical tropical cyclones taking place in different areas located throughout the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico.
The website provides information and links to various Internet resources focusing on tropical cyclones.
The interactive mapping application allows you to search the National Hurricane Center historical tropical cyclone database and graphically display storms affecting your area since 1851.
Hurricane preparedness is essential to protect your family and personal belongings, learn the facts, and be prepared this Baja hurricane season.
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I know this is old news, but I would like to know who else agrees with me here. He seemed insincere. It makes me think that he only did it for ratings so that he could move on up to a better position. In other words, crocodile tears.
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USA Today.com reports that, over one century, the United States is likely to be struck by about 280 hurricanes, 81 of those being major storms with winds over 111 miles per hour. On average, one major hurricane lands somewhere on the US coast every year.
Hurricanes are powerful storms, bringing high winds and rain. A category 3 hurricane, considered “extensive” on the Saffir-Simpson scale, can have winds from 111-130 miles per hour and storm surges from 9 to 12 feet. A category 5 hurricane, the “extreme” variety, can contain winds over 155 miles an hour and storm surges over 18 feet.
These tropical cyclones (the term describing both hurricanes and typhoons) are extremely dangerous. During the United States’ hurricane season, from June through November, individuals and families who live in coastal areas should be prepared for their onslaught.
There are a few things you can do to protect your family and your property for the threats presented by a hurricane coming your way:
* Stay Aware
Every hurricane has different and unpredictable characteristics. The best bet is to be prepared for the worst, category 5, hurricane.
* Have a Plan and Checklist
While your family plans for their response to a hurricane, take an inventory. Make a list of items outdoors that you will need to bring into the house or other shelter to prepare for a storm. This may be your lawn furniture, gardening equipment and tools, or large toys.
* Give your Lawn a Manicure
Maintaining a healthy yard, including trees and shrubs, will keep it strong to withstand high winds. Keeping trees and plants trimmed and neat will also prevent the weakest branches from being snapped off to land in your bedroom!
* Stay High and Dry
Check your gutters and drains frequently, and be sure they are clear of debris. This will reduce potential flooding in yard and home. Why add through negligence what Mother Nature will bring your way?
* Invest in Hurricane Shutters
Installing permanent shutters for windows and doors is much safer, and more attractive, than relying on plywood or tape over glass. If the storm is predicted to be a category 4 or 5 hurricane, you may want to add plywood over the outside to reinforce indoor shutters.
* Have an Escape Route
Be prepared to evacuate your home should it become necessary. Know where to find emergency information over the radio or through emergency agencies like the Red Cross. Find out where the official emergency travel routes are in your community, and identify nearby shelters.
* Prepare to Camp Out
Whether you’re on the road or in a shelter, you’ll want to have sleeping bags or blankets and a change of clothes. It’s a good idea to bring your own fresh drinking water as well.
* Consider Spot and Fluffy
Decide in advance what you’ll do to protect and care for your pets. After the experience of Katrina, agencies are more aware that pet owners do not want to abandon their pets. Have a supply of food and water set aside that you can either leave at home for the pet or bring with you.
* Set up a Supply Cache
To help you respond quickly, set up supplies that may be needed during the storm, whether you stay at home or evacuate. Include clean water, flashlights, batteries, a transistor radio, food, a can opener, blankets, extra clothing, and the all-important first aid kid.
* Unplug
Unplug appliances and equipment to reduce energy use and fire hazards. You don’t know what kind of damages your house will suffer, and you don’t want to find a pile of ashes when you return. If you leave your refrigerator plugged in, set it to the highest setting.
* Consider some Reconstruction
If you are in an area that has frequent storms and flooding, you might want to look at elevating your home. If you can’t do that, you might develop alternatives for getting furniture off the bottom floors.
Preparing for hurricanes is a fact of life for many Americans that live on our coasts. If you haven’t done so in the past, now is a good time to sit down and make a plan to protect you, your family, and your property from the extensive damage a hurricane can impose.
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From Love At First Sting. this song is covered on the hit video game Guitar Hero 3. 9000 views thanks dont forget to watch my other videos
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Video taken during Katrina from the Beau Rivage Casino on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. I didn’t take it. It was one of many circulalted thru my familys inboxes.
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I’m planning a trip to NOLA next week, and of course, there’s a chance of a hurricane. If Gustav does make landfall this weekend, how long will it be before residents are back in New Orleans?
We are supposed to arrive on Wednesday. Will it be safe or even habitable by then? Living in the Midwest, I have no idea how long or how damaging a hurricane can be, except for the catastrophic.
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It’s hurricane season again in 2008. Is your home and family fully prepared for hurricane season 2008?
Fortunately there has been a guardian angel working full-time behind-the-scenes for the past three years. This guardian angel has found a way to reduce hurricane strength using only the powers of his mind. Holy cow. The more stunning than that fact ñ That person is real and alive today. This person happens to be me.
Yes I know… Holy -
Being a holistic health researcher for a past 32 years I studied the connection between the body and mind and spirit. Time after time I found myself fascinated by the extraordinary relationships between the three. Research taught me that the body could influence the mind and vice versa. And in fact the spirit could influence the other two as well.
I also extensively studied a principle called mind over matter. Mind over matter takes place when the mind takes a personís normal ability to a clearly new level. In some cases such as in martial arts traditions, mind over matter practices have taken place for centuries.
As a 15-year-old I witnessed my neighbor, a 2nd degree black belt do a cinderblock breaking with his bare hand. I was absolutely stunned and amazed. I enrolled in a martial arts class within weeks. My four sisters and 3 1/2 year old kid brother joined full time two weeks latter. I discovered true feats of the extraordinary for the next three years. Then Madison Square Garden held an international martial arts exhibition in 1976. I was stunned at an entirely different level forever.
Over the years I gravitated towards manís quest to heal ourselves naturally. My mind over matter research led me to the sacred practice of energy healing. This still leading edge practice extends as far back as 25,000 years ago. Our earliest energy healers were known as the Atlantean race. Their culture was known to have many energy healing based centers for health.
The energy healing session can be enhanced with other mutually beneficial practices. One example is the use of quartz crystals are known to enhance the intentions of an energy healer. These crystals work on enhancing the vibrational levels of the body.
The finest healing crystals are ideally tuned to the same frequency as water. Theories being because the human body is comprised primarily of water, it could be influenced at that frequency.
Energy healing has been known to reverse or assist in the healing of virtually all known sickness disease and injury.
What is even more fascinating was recently discovered by Glen B. Stewart. The Stewart principal has rewritten how mankind will heal ourselves and everything around us in the future. The principal is to combine multiple energy healers worldwide manifesting towards a single cause. This Stewart principle points out that healing energies and divine intentions towards a single cause was proven successful.
ìImagine if mankind were to get together and manifest a single focused positive energy healing intention - a global harmonic synergy would be createdÖî ñ Glen B. Stewart
This harmonic synergy would provide the multiple benefits of all practitioners that took place in the focused energy healing. As in all other forms of of holistic health, and natural balance of different healing practices has provided a fuller spectrum of benefit than any singular holistic healing practice.
The ancient art of Energy Healing spans seven continents and every ancient culture. In ancient times they were known as Seers, Medicine Men, Energy Healers, and Shape Shifters. In the 1800ís a form of energy healing known as Reiki practitioners evolved out of Japan.
These Stewart principal is based on the concept of discovering all possibilities - than merely discarding what does not work. 100% Free of preconceived thoughts or favoritism. That is the future of healing any body mind spiritual and now forces of nature. Today is a very special day indeed.
From those who know the value of preparing for a potentially deadly hurricane ahead of time be sure to click on the links in my resource box below for more hurricane survival training. Glen B. Stewart
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(c) 2008 Mervyn Rees
Most Hurricanes caused by Global Warming?
Because of the recent events and devastation caused Hurricane Katrina, many notable Scholars, Politicians and Scientists are blaming global warming for the increased activity and strength of hurricanes.
In fact, 2005 has set a record for number of developed hurricanes in the US and the season doesn’t end for another 9 weeks. In fact, at this very moment, another extremely destructive hurricane, “Rita”, is churning its way towards Texas and/or Louisiana.
If you do a little research, you will find that from 1961 through 1999 the USA was experiencing a “lull” in hurricane activity, averaging about 13 storms each decade. From 1871 through 1960, the average number of storms per decade was right at 20. So far, the current decade has yielded 9 hurricanes; at that rate we should end up with 22 or 23 hurricanes by the end of 2010. Seems high? Guess what, from 1941 - 1950, the USA recorded 24 hurricanes.
So does this historical data fall in line with the thinking of the “eager to jump on the global warming bandwagon”? No, because the US population has almost doubled since 1950 and therefore the level of “greenhouse gases” being emitted should have doubled as well. And yet the number of hurricanes has remained the same or lessened from 1961 - 2000.
So what does all this mean? Well, on the one hand you could say that the increase from 2001 - 2004 is significant and could be cause for alarm. And yet you could also make a case that the data does not support any conclusion at all.
The one thing you need to think about is that any data can be manipulated to show what the particular analyzer wants you to believe. You must be objective - gone are the days of being a “Straight Ticket Democrat or Republican” - and you have to seek out both sides of an issue in order to determine the real truth. And also remember that every story or report has some amount of truth in it as well as exaggeration - it is up to you to figure out how much of each.
When Ice Melts, Do The Oceans Rise?
Nearly every day the news has some report or blurb about how the Glaciers at the North Pole are melting. Huge floating Icebergs are being released into the ocean; often times the reports speculate on the causal effect of rising sea levels and changing ocean temperatures.
Of course this accompanied by a resounding chorus of “it’s because of Greenhouse Gases from Global Warming” and we need to change our ways before we destroy the world. I may sound rude but it gets very tiring to hear that almost everything I do during my waking hours is probably destroying the Earth.
Now, on the surface these claims appear to be telling of a legitimate danger and a possible effect of our tendencies of non-restraint towards the Earth and its’ environment. But let’s take a moment to think about this and really understand these statements of doom and gloom.
First, let’s consider the greenhouse gases causing Global Warming - sounds plausible, but take a step back and look at history just to make sure. Didn’t the Earth suffer through an Ice Age several hundreds of thousands of years ago? What made that end? There were no factories, no automobiles and no humans - at least not like modern man. So what ended the Ice Age?
According to scholars, the Earth has been through many Ice Ages over the course of the last 4 million years, with the last one ending about 10,000 years ago. Although many scientists will dispute and say the Earth is still in an Ice Age due to accumulation of glacial ice in the Arctic and Antarctic regions.
There are three main factors which cause the beginning or ending of each ice age - atmospheric content (especially CO2 and Methane), Milankovitch Cycles (changes in the Earth’s orbit around the sun), and the arrangement of the continental shelves. To what extent or amount each of these three factors actually contributes is the great debate among scientists and scholars?
So it is apparent that prior to man existing, ice ages came and went. Since man wasn’t around then, we certainly could not be blamed for the on-set or off-set of any particular ice age.
Now, on to the melting and oceans rising - The Arctic does not have a land mass under the glaciers. Arctic glaciers are actually an ice shelf extending from Canada, Alaska, and Russia. If the weight of the ‘Ice’ is borne by the oceans water and there is ‘Displacement’ i.e. the glacier is on top of the water, the melting of it will not raise the ocean level. Think of a glass of ice water - does the glass overflow when the ice melts? Then - No, the Ice is displacing the water volume.
However, the land masses in the Arctic region do have mountains of snow & ice that can be added to our oceans from adjoining lands. Check out the map at; http://maps.grida.no/go/graphic/arctic_conservation_area_caff_topographic_map
Moreover, the Antarctic does have its own land mass where the snow and ice is also over 2 miles thick; therefore using the same logic, the sea water would certainly rise if that should also melt.
Certainly, we need to do whatever we can to protect the Earth’s environment because we will be protecting ourselves, our children and their children; however that doesn’t mean we should throw out all sense of logic and reason too. You just have to look at everything, and remember that global temperatures are causing very unusual weather all around our planet Earth.
New Ideas
Many environmental problems are blamed on global warming, and with the devastating effects of recent hurricanes, which seem to be growing in number and intensity, environmentalists are hypothesizing there is a connection between global warming and hurricanes.
Win Wenger, director of a think tank called Project Renaissance, believes he has developed a method to reduce hurricanes.
His suggestion is to do exactly the opposite of what global warming is doing right now. He suggests that ocean-based storms, which turn into hurricanes, are fuelled by warm surface waters. If that is true, global warming would have a distinct impact on the increase in number and intensity of hurricanes!
His suggestion is to mix cold water into the warmer surface waters. He suggests this by doing a couple of things. First, one could pump air into the colder layers of ocean water and let it bubble up to the surface, carrying some of the cooler waters with it. Or, using tubes, one could pump cooler water through a tube into the warmer areas.
He goes on to suggest that any pumps necessary could be run by natural gas, which is already present in the hurricane-stricken areas. In fact, he says that oil rigs could take this on as a pilot project.
The benefits, if successful, would have dramatically positive impacts along any coastal region experiencing hurricane weather now. In fact, insurance claims would go down, insurance rates could diminish, the costs of damage and government subsidy would drop, as well as lost wages from missed work and evacuation, and tourist dollars would not be reduced either.
They say that the estimate cost of damages by Hurricane Katrina was over $200 billion. Do you think that it would cost that much to pump cold water into warm water in strategic areas in the ocean?
Well it makes you wonder!
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