Posted on 05/10/2006 10:51:34 AM PDT by Blogger
New York warned to prepare for hurricanes
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A hurricane with only moderate intensity could wreak havoc in New York City because it has been years since the nation's financial center faced severe weather, government forecasters warned on Tuesday.
"The first time we get hit here with a Category 2, it's going to be disastrous," said meteorologist Michael Wyllie of the National Weather Service, referring to the scale used to rate hurricane strength.
Wyllie said powerful storms have missed New York in recent years, unlike parts of the Gulf Coast, where periodic storms "thin out the trees and the buildings."
Gloria, the last big storm to hit the New York area, caused about $900 million in economic losses along the East Coast in 1985, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
"It's not like we can all run down to Home Depot and pick up these two-by-fours to board up windows," said John Koch, lead forecaster at the NWS forecast office in New York. "What we want people to do is know what they are going to do with their family and their pets."
Koch urged residents to familiarize themselves with the location of evacuation zones and make plans to have extra dry clothes, medicines, batteries, water and copies of valuable documents.
Although evacuation orders might be limited to low-lying areas, Koch said high winds could put tall buildings throughout the city at risk.
"Winds increase with height, so you're going to see much stronger wind on the 30th floor or the 50th floor of a building than you do at the surface," Koch said.
Wyllie said he expects the hurricane season, which starts June 1 and lasts until November 30, to be similar to last year, which saw an unprecedented 28 storms including Katrina.
"If there are more storms out there, odds are you have a higher chance of being hit," Koch said. "It could be this year, it could be five years from now, it could be 10 years from now."
The liberals will say Bush's fault...or for something 50 years ago...Eisenhower's fault?
I think Rove has some new coordinates this years... so they better heed the warning :)
probably that filthy bumbergs way of getting fema money
Don't forget the 1938 Hurricane.
I'm not worried. We will all be dead from Bird Flu long before a hurricane gets a change to hit New York.
|
We certainly felt the effects of Hurricane Isabelle in the DC area, a few years ago. And the Hurricane of 1938 is still remembered vividly by those who were in New England then.
Yup, me too, on the shore of CT. It wasn't that big of a deal....... a bit of flooding and some downed trees. I watched the eyewall pass right over head....clear blue skies for about 20 minutes or so....then it started up again.
I work on the top floor of my building in Manhattan and when there is a storm with a lot of wind you can hear the howling and sometimes the building sways. A very wierd feeling!
One of them was probably Hurricane Edna, which struck New England on September 11, 1954. In his essay "The Eye of Edna," noted writer E. B. White described riding out this storm on the coast of Maine.
The jet stream and the prevailing winds push most storms out into the Atlantic before they get that far north. Halifax gets hit more often than NY because it is further to the east, but a couple of years ago Toronto got hit by one after it was downgraded to a tropical storm.
We got hit by the remnants of a hurricane back in '04- it passed somewhere between here and London IIRC.
I used to visit the NY office of our company several years ago; it was on a high floor of the Citibank building, and it would creak and sway like a tall ship under sail.
My mother was in a panic during that storm worrying about my Dad and seeing him pull in was a moment of great relief and happiness for both of us.
They had a hurricane in 2000. It's name was Hillary.
If I remember correctly, it is Cape Hatteras where hurricanes hit when they wind up in NYC. I vividly remember Gloria back in '85 (I was 16). The eye went right over my house. I remember being outside in the middle of it, cleaning up a bit...seeing everyone else peek out...and then running back inside when it started again.
We were without power for 11 days. I really remember saying "I will never take electricity for granted again" when it came back on.Of course, I was taking it for granted less than two months later :)
That was just an old f@rt
I believe that hurricane hit CT on Sept. 27, 1985. It was called Gloria. It knocked out the power in Trumbull where I was getting married. I should have taken that as a sign.
This Koch has never heard of the venturi effect,eh?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.