So, here it is. Sunday, October 28, 2012. Later tonight, the rain is supposed to start, and not end for a number of days.
The rain will be a problem, when all is said and done, because it is supposed to simply keep accumulating, and at a very fast rate, at times.
That is supposed to be the beginning of this epic storm that is scheduled to hit this area just after the conclusion of this weekend. Hurricane Sandy is just about here now, and there is no stopping her. I heard a weatherman recently respond "zero percent chance" when asked if there was any chance that the storm is going to somehow avoid us. It's not often that you see a weatherman so absolutely certain about an impending weather event like that.
But it's the winds from the hurricane that are really supposed to be the killer, of course. The winds, combined with the heavy rains, could make it a nightmare, with severe flooding (especially along coastal regions), downed trees causing thousands (and potentially even more) people to go without power for simply unknown periods of time, and perhaps considerably more damage as well. Road closures are already expected, and some communities in the area have already been evacuated. I heard that some schools have already closed for Monday, and if it isn't one of them, my son's school will likely be closed, for sure. In new York City, the subway system could potentially close. New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut all have declared a State of Emergency.
As of yesterday, this hurricane has been the cause of 57 deaths (the link will be posted below, at the end of this blog). So it's no joke, to be sure.
Everyone is gearing up for the worst case scenario and, it seems at least possible right now that this storm could actually provide it.
Yup, this storm is supposed to be a doozy! It has been called "Frankenstorm" (remember that this time of the year is Halloween, after all) and has been described as "the perfect storm", the first one since the now legendary storm back in 1991, which even had a movie made about it and named "The Perfect Storm".
All this, and it's barely been a year since Hurricane Irene ravaged the area! One might start to get the impression that there's something wrong with the weather, or something! But to anyone still skeptical about the Global Warming Theory, don't worry too much. people tend to have amnesia, especially when those people have the American nationality. Just wait a year or so, if even that, and they will forget. Look how quickly they forgot about Hurricane Katrina right here in the United States, let alone the two tsunamis in Asia (in 2004, and last year in Japan).
There are grumblings from a lot of people that I know, who remember only too well the power failures and shortages that became frequent events in recent years due to severe storms and floods, particularly last summer, during Hurricane Irene. Some people were without power for weeks! Nobody wants to think about that possibility this time, yet it's hard not to think about it, as well.
One thing that you notice whenever something like this happens is just how much hype it gets. The weather people on all channels go nuts. Their faces light up! This is their moment to shine! Sure, many of their projections prove wrong, ultimately. But when they get a storm like this, they keep pounding the point home. We get interruption of regularly scheduled program in order to get a storm update that is still two or three days away. We get obscure information about past storms and the damage caused by them, and thus are given fodder to ponder over regarding the approaching storm. Yup, these are the times when the weather experts can shine, and get their fifteen minutes. It's Christmastime, and behind all those solemn looks and tones, it seems that they really are enjoying their moment. Their pupils dilate, they speak very quickly and excitedly, reciting the facts. It's all part of the package, after all. It's the news. And this news, much like just about all news, gets very hyped up and, too often, overblown. These days, it needs to be understood that much of the news is all about scare tactics, and the weather is hardly an exception to this.
They are not likely wrong about their projections. This storm is indeed likely to be huge. But I guess it just gets annoying just how often they repeat themselves, over and over and over and over again, getting the same story from numerous other reporters "on the scene" in various local communities, talking about this or that townships preparations, or perhaps watching the weather conditions set in, reporting on the extent of the storms, etc.. In this day and age, everything is so hyped up, that it becomes either something that does not live up to it's billing or, in those rare instances when it actually does (and again perhaps Hurricane Sandy will indeed live up to it's billing), then it is reported on so relentlessly, that all you need from it is a break. As it is, this storm provided a bit of a break from the Presidential race, which is now nearing the finish line, and when we are graced with up to the minute reports on every move that either of the candidates have made, every word uttered. Yet, it takes an epic storm. I heard one weather person suggest that this storm might be unlike anything that we (in this area, at least) have seen before.
So, time will tell. We shall see, ultimately, just how powerful this storm is, and just how much damage it will do.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/27/hurricane-sandy-2012-hait_n_2029719.html
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