OBSERVATIONS: Hurricane fatigue has already set in
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David Smith is editor of the Mystic River Press.
Posted: Saturday, June 8, 2013 11:15 pm
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Hurricane season is upon us, evidenced by Tropical Storm Andrea’s
arrival on Friday. And so once again we get to stare at the tropics and
follow the projected paths of tropical storms and hurricanes as they
move across the Atlantic. The problem is that I don’t really want to
stare at swirling icons of circulating air. I don’t want to stockpile
batteries or bring my lawn furniture in before the end of the season.
I don’t want to be left picking up the pieces of splintered tree limbs or repairing possible damage from missing roof shingles or even stare at pictures of Misquamicut and try to orient my brain as to what section of Atlantic Avenue I am seeing.
Forecasters are predicting that it’s going to be a busy hurricane season, with more than a dozen named storms likely to take aim at the East Coast. If only “Star Trek” technology were real, someone could yell “red alert” and “raise shields” and we could go about our daily lives.
I don’t know about you, but I’m willing to take a pass this hurricane season. I think we’ve had enough storms. Last year we had Sandy, and this winter had to endure a blizzard. Heck, I still have vivid memories of the flood of 2011.
It seems that the weather is getting really freaky. And I just don’t mean the high winds that blew through our area last week.
I blame Al Gore and his news about climate change. We didn’t have to worry about such stuff until he came along. We were ready to drive our planet to the brink, all the while being oblivious. Now, stuff is happening that was never an issue in my youth.
And weather is certainly in the news. We hear about tornadoes like the ones that blasted through Oklahoma and droughts in other parts of the country. We read about it and see it in real time. It’s no longer an event that happened a few days ago. We can turn on the television or go online to see it happening. And since everyone has a video camera, we are seeing it from every angle.
I always know it is hurricane season by the emails I receive from various groups warning me to prepare. And now more than ever I’m likely to heed the advice. While I’m not ready to be called a “prepper,” there are certain aspects regarding the frequency of storms and resulting power outages that can’t be ignored.
One of the steps to preparedness is to have a plan to evacuate. That is one step that, thankfully, I don’t have to consider. My house is high enough to be out of the danger zone for flooding.
At least I don’t have any pets that require attention. Clean drinking water should not be a problem. Unless the town water supply is contaminated, I should have plenty. If the water is affected, I can either boil it or filter it.
I usually have enough of my medication on hand, but given the advance notice we get regarding hurricanes, it’s always easy enough to get a refill. I can’t ever remember being a week away from a re-supply.
One of the other suggestions is having a backup copy of medical records. I don’t even know what that means. That’s a lot of records to gather. They are spread out amongst my asthma doc, primary care physician and orthopedist. I think I will pass on that one.
One of the interesting aspects of weathering the aftermath of a storm is the loss of power. Last year when Sandy ripped apart the power grid, finding a way to recharge cellphones was a big issue. That’s why I have been considering ***JUMP***
buying a solar power charger for cellphones and our Kindles. (I know priorities! But if you are stuck without power, it’s nice to have something to read.)
I have also been looking at buying a generator for the house. Thankfully, I don’t need power for a well pump; I have town water. My furnace is a gas-fired steam boiler so the power needed for that is minimal. My power needs are a refrigerator, lights, possibly heat or an air conditioner, computer, and a television.
One important component of using a generator is to have a transfer switch installed so that the generator can be plugged into the electrical system safely and easily. I don’t want to have extension cords running through windows and down hallways. That just seems to be a recipe for another disaster.
The one drawback to buying a generator is that we will never again lose power. But on the other hand, if we do I can always let my neighbor run an extension cord off of it. It’s the least I could do to make the racket of the generator easier to take.
David Smith is the editor of The Sun’s weekly publications. This is his personal opinion. He can be reached at dsmith@thewesterlysun.com.
end quote from:
I think whether it is hurricanes or Tornadoes that we are in altogether new territory with Global Warming. And because of these changes expecting a slow increase in winds and rising oceans will protect everyone who looks at it this way and takes appropriate actions to protect themselves. More heat means more melting ice and snow worldwide and it also means higher winds, bigger tornadoes and stronger hurricanes some of the time and more ocean flooding from higher oceans. This isn't true all of the time but it is true some of the time. So the tendency is higher oceans, stronger winds in hurricanes and tornadoes. If one is prepared for these events wherever they choose to live likely they will live through these problems as they arise.
I don’t want to be left picking up the pieces of splintered tree limbs or repairing possible damage from missing roof shingles or even stare at pictures of Misquamicut and try to orient my brain as to what section of Atlantic Avenue I am seeing.
Forecasters are predicting that it’s going to be a busy hurricane season, with more than a dozen named storms likely to take aim at the East Coast. If only “Star Trek” technology were real, someone could yell “red alert” and “raise shields” and we could go about our daily lives.
I don’t know about you, but I’m willing to take a pass this hurricane season. I think we’ve had enough storms. Last year we had Sandy, and this winter had to endure a blizzard. Heck, I still have vivid memories of the flood of 2011.
It seems that the weather is getting really freaky. And I just don’t mean the high winds that blew through our area last week.
I blame Al Gore and his news about climate change. We didn’t have to worry about such stuff until he came along. We were ready to drive our planet to the brink, all the while being oblivious. Now, stuff is happening that was never an issue in my youth.
And weather is certainly in the news. We hear about tornadoes like the ones that blasted through Oklahoma and droughts in other parts of the country. We read about it and see it in real time. It’s no longer an event that happened a few days ago. We can turn on the television or go online to see it happening. And since everyone has a video camera, we are seeing it from every angle.
I always know it is hurricane season by the emails I receive from various groups warning me to prepare. And now more than ever I’m likely to heed the advice. While I’m not ready to be called a “prepper,” there are certain aspects regarding the frequency of storms and resulting power outages that can’t be ignored.
One of the steps to preparedness is to have a plan to evacuate. That is one step that, thankfully, I don’t have to consider. My house is high enough to be out of the danger zone for flooding.
At least I don’t have any pets that require attention. Clean drinking water should not be a problem. Unless the town water supply is contaminated, I should have plenty. If the water is affected, I can either boil it or filter it.
I usually have enough of my medication on hand, but given the advance notice we get regarding hurricanes, it’s always easy enough to get a refill. I can’t ever remember being a week away from a re-supply.
One of the other suggestions is having a backup copy of medical records. I don’t even know what that means. That’s a lot of records to gather. They are spread out amongst my asthma doc, primary care physician and orthopedist. I think I will pass on that one.
One of the interesting aspects of weathering the aftermath of a storm is the loss of power. Last year when Sandy ripped apart the power grid, finding a way to recharge cellphones was a big issue. That’s why I have been considering ***JUMP***
buying a solar power charger for cellphones and our Kindles. (I know priorities! But if you are stuck without power, it’s nice to have something to read.)
I have also been looking at buying a generator for the house. Thankfully, I don’t need power for a well pump; I have town water. My furnace is a gas-fired steam boiler so the power needed for that is minimal. My power needs are a refrigerator, lights, possibly heat or an air conditioner, computer, and a television.
One important component of using a generator is to have a transfer switch installed so that the generator can be plugged into the electrical system safely and easily. I don’t want to have extension cords running through windows and down hallways. That just seems to be a recipe for another disaster.
The one drawback to buying a generator is that we will never again lose power. But on the other hand, if we do I can always let my neighbor run an extension cord off of it. It’s the least I could do to make the racket of the generator easier to take.
David Smith is the editor of The Sun’s weekly publications. This is his personal opinion. He can be reached at dsmith@thewesterlysun.com.
end quote from:
| The Westerly Sun | - |
I
don't want to be left picking up the pieces of splintered tree limbs or
repairing possible damage from missing roof shingles or even stare at pictures of Misquamicut and try to orient my brain as to what section of Atlantic Avenue I am seeing ...
I think whether it is hurricanes or Tornadoes that we are in altogether new territory with Global Warming. And because of these changes expecting a slow increase in winds and rising oceans will protect everyone who looks at it this way and takes appropriate actions to protect themselves. More heat means more melting ice and snow worldwide and it also means higher winds, bigger tornadoes and stronger hurricanes some of the time and more ocean flooding from higher oceans. This isn't true all of the time but it is true some of the time. So the tendency is higher oceans, stronger winds in hurricanes and tornadoes. If one is prepared for these events wherever they choose to live likely they will live through these problems as they arise.
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