Hurricane Sandy

Its a simular weather circumstance to that which caused last years week long flooding of Brisbane River, the city and surrounding areas in SE Qld flood.

Unusally high tide levels combined with very heavy tropical rain storm and dams at highest levels for years.

To much water falling on the land caused flash floods that down stream were being pushed back by river tides

 

Currently about 300,000 are without power and some flooding has occurred. After a relatively slow hurricane season, they jumped all over the worst case possibilities and made a mountain out of a mole hill. I've already seen pictures of large craft on highways from this storm. You can bet they were previously berthed.

Look any experienced seaman will head to sea, just to gain maneuvering room, if nothing else. Even in a sailing beast like this, they'd could turn 250 mile days in fairly easily. Assuming she motored at 10 MPH for 4 days, she'd have had plenty of room to "round the top of Sandy and head south once she ripped herself apart on the eastern shore, which is what she's doing right now. No hurricane strength winds in a few hours now and by tomorrow morning, a half a gale will be all that's left, which most any reasonably handled vessel can easily shoulder through. She'd be a few days behind schedule, but she could have picked up a beam reach on her way down and made a reasonably comfortable ride out of it.

I've tried it both ways and I'll take sea room most every time, particularly with modern tracking systems available. You don't need the 1, 2, 3 rule, just a sat link and a phone. Bounty was way too big to look for a honey hole to hunker down in. She drew too much to consider it, not to mention these places are littered with pesky bridges, she couldn't get under.

NY has been lucky for decades with it's drainage issues. Time finally caught up with them. Tomorrow morning's high tide should be bad in the mid Atlantic and further north, but not nearly the Frankinstorm they predicted. It was just barely a hurricane force system, when it came ashore and lost all it's wind punch, within a couple of hours. Wossiestorm if you ask me. Now the flooding is going to be extensive, but not as bad as predicted either and most everyone will have enough electricity to vote for the lesser of two evils on Tuesday.

 

That puts "Sandy" into perspective.
I wonder what design wind loads are used in that region of the USA?
300 kph would have ripped some cranes from buildings rather than just buckling them.

 

The east coast is rather low, flood prone and densely populated. The lesson from Hurricane Katrina was for politicians and safety officials to cover their ***, overreact and clear everyone out of harms way. Better to be safe then sorry.

Also consider how many Lawyers operate in the wake of an American hurricane .


I watched the wind and wave height recordings from offshore buoys as the hurricane ran up the coast. It was a powerful storm but nothing legendary.

http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/

 

As far as the seamanship call by the captain of the Bounty. Ive sailed that region many times. Being sandwiched between the Gulf Stream and the Carolina Coast in a heavy gale is foolhardy. He held course rather than put into Delaware or Chesapeake bay.

The Gulf Stream is a wicked place. Better to drive your boat into any port...evacuate the crew...then hope the best for the boat

 

It is a mess but maybe it will help reduce the rat problem in the New York City area.
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/eek_subway_rat_attacks_woman_on_5AUj3bSeUBr6fob6v0EyEP
http://news.yahoo.com/hurricane-isaac-sweeps-tons-dead-rats-onto-mississippi-020038256.html

I am glad I am out of the area with all those rats trying to reach high ground.

 

Rats !!

In my location we are prone to Meteotsunamis. Locally known as "RISSAGA", they are caused by atmospheric pressure oscillations that generate long oceanic surface waves . Perhaps 20 minutes from crest to crest. Naturally when the waves hit shore the sealevel in the port rises and falls dramatically forcing the harbour rats to hightailed it from their breakwater nests.

 

CBC reports that one of the missing crew members have been found dead.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2012/10/29/ns-hms-bounty-hurricane-sandy.html

 

Spooky coincidence! Hurricane 'Sandy' Drill From 1997: http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread894111/pg1

"We named the simulated hurricane after Sandy, who incidentally was nine years old during the real Hurricane of 1938."

 

tyfoon sandi

My sincere condolences to the families of lost people

 

Thanks
σας ευχαριστώ για τις ευγενικές παρατηρήσεις σας

 

That was a strange and selective storm! On this morning's TV news I saw severe flooding in parts of NY city, power outages and debris in Toronto, but here - only an hour north of Toronto - it seemed merely a damp and breezy day. I noticed nothing unusual overnight. The water level in the pool doesn't seem much higher this morning, and I would notice an inch. It is reported as heading for Quebec, but I doubt it will match the Winter storms that we can expect here in a couple of months. Many people who were lucky like us are going to have difficulty believing the reports of a superstorm, and many will downplay the severity and scoff at the predictions and precautions.

Thanks, Stephen, for the eye witness report. Although there were high winds, the rain and storm surge was the worst part, and it seems the energy of the storm was spread over such a wide area, that once it began to lose its connection with the warm surface of the ocean it quickly lost its fury. Nonetheless, several millions lost power see http://www.voxxi.com/hurricane-sandy-power-outages-million-without/ and some deaths.

The US was worst hit, but will be expected to put an aid package together for the poorer nations south, while God-fearing people elsewhere - free of distraction from Nature's rage - can celebrate their fortune by continuing to kill and bomb each other.

 

I concur about the comments on the HMS Bounty. What a sad turn of events. The boat was designed for a crew of 44, but the skipper put her out with only 17 people into a very large hurricane. Such a small crew could not rotate shifts without tiring out. They might pull off a smaller storm, but a hurricane 1000 miles wide...forget it. Pumping bilges & manning the deck/sails would have been a full time effort for such a small crew. Hats off to the Coast Guard for rescuing as many as they did.

Word has it the boat lost power so they had electric bilges. After that it was only a matter of time.

 

In addition to the other strange events on her sinking(don't know if anyone posted this prev) but CBC news also reported in addition to the missing Captain, a decendant of Fletcher Christian, who was a member of the crew, body was found by coastguard. Sorry i didn't get her name. I might add here comparing all the top news stations CBC has done a bang up job on the Bounty event, including a good bit on her history.

 

If we really want to get rid of the rats we'll need more big snakes.