elitedaily.com - by Christian La Du - October 28, 2013
One year ago, the east coast was ravaged by SuperStorm Sandy, a freak occurrence combining a hurricane, Nor’easter, high tide, and a full moon, which wrought particular destruction on the tri-state area.
Although the enduring legacy of Sandy is not measured in tallies of destruction, numbers like 8.6 million homes and businesses without power, gas and water, 650,000 destroyed houses, 200,000 damaged businesses, and 286 deaths afflicted over 13 states. Approximately 50 million people felt the effects of the storm over 800 mile stretch, and an estimated $65 billion in economic damages were incurred.
The real, lasting effect of Hurricane Sandy, however, is in the radical life shifts that people forcibly underwent.
A man walks through flooded streets in Hoboken, New Jersey, after Superstorm Sandy | Emile Wamsteker/Bloomberg via Getty Images
As subsidized rates of federal flood insurance rise, property owners along the coasts get angry. But we need insurance that reflects the risks of a changing planet
time.com - by Bryan Walsh - October 1, 2013
Thousands of homeowners in flood-prone parts of the country are going to be in for a rude awakening. On Oct. 1, new changes to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which offers government-subsidized policies for households and businesses threatened by floods, mean that businesses in flood zones and homes that have been severely or repeatedly flooded will start going up 25% a year until rates reach levels that would reflect the actual risk from flooding. (Higher rates for second or vacation homes went into effect at the start of 2013.) That means that property owners in flood-prone areas who might have once been paying around $500 a year—rates that were well below what the market would charge, given the threat from flooding—will go up by thousands of dollars over the next decade.
Light Our Way To Recovery is a candlelight commemorative gathering of the constituents of the Canarsie community, one of the many disaster impacted communities on the Eastern USA coastline. This event is given in remembrance of those persons who lost their lives as a result of Hurricane Sandy; to honor the people who volunteered and who continue to help; to highlight the need for support for Canarsie disaster victims who continue to struggle to rebuild, recover and survive the emotional maelstrom caused by the life changing events of October 29th 2012.
(Please see attachments below for printed materials)
Mold & Mildew
Cleaning Up Your Flood-Damaged Home
FEMA 606/July 2007
The Problem With Mold
Mildew and molds are fungi - simple microscopic organisms that thrive anywhere there is a moist environment. Molds are a necessary part of the environment; without them, leaves would not decay and aspects of soil enrichment could not take place. It is their ability to destroy organic materials that makes mold a problem for people.
Mildew (mold in its early stages) and molds grow on wood products, ceiling tiles, cardboard, wallpaper, carpets, drywall, fabric, plants, foods, insulation, decaying leaves and other organic materials. Mold colonies can start to grow on a damp surface within 24 to 48 hours. They reproduce via spores - tiny, lightweight ìseedsî- that travel through the air. Molds digest organic material, eventually destroying the material they grow on, and then spread to destroy adjacent organic material. In addition to the damage molds can cause in your home, they can also cause mild to severe health problems. See the Health Problems From Mold section to check for possible mold related health problems.
This e-mail may be more stream of consciousness than anything else but I'll do my best to organize my thoughts. I'll also include video links where I can.
Citizens did not follow the mandatory evacuation order because
When they evacuated for Irene, they found that the places to which they evacuated were hit hard whereas the homes they left behind were fine.
Many residents live in highrises and feel that as long as the water doesn't reach their apartment, they'll be safe. They stock up on batteries, food, water, and medication for a few days but not enough to sustain them for over a week without power.
Folks living in houses figured that if things got really bad, they could flee at the last minute. They did not expect the water to flow in in such a violent fashion nor did they expect the water levels to rise as quickly nor as high as they did. A friend of mine thought she was prepared because parked her car in her driveway facing outward. I haven't been able to speak with her since Monday morning, but my guess is that her car is totaled and possibly has floated away.
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