Hurricane!

How mobile are FEMA mobile homes in the next hurricane?

I thought that putting hurricane survivors into FEMA trailers to be a crazy idea. I mean when a hurricane hits mobile homes become just that “mobile”. If the winds of hurricanes blow down brick homes, break “hurricane proof” homes, then what will it do to FEMA trailers? Evidently there’s an alternative that cost less and is more sturdy and that’s prefab cottages. Read the article below to learn more about them. Of course the government is set to use the more expensive and less safe alternative, which makes me wonder “Who makes these decisions?”.

Hurricane cause tidal surges that have the potential to mix ocean water with fresh water supplies.

He further noted that some 60 percent of homeowners in New Providence have private wells and do not purchase water from the Corporation. These people have not experienced the problems incurred by the utility company over the past seven months after Hurricane Frances. "I am advised that this hurricane, without a direct hit on Andros, nevertheless, resulted in seawater inundating the well field as a result of a tidal surge. To date, although significantly quality improvements have been made through quick corrective measures taken by the Corporation, previous levels have not been fully re-established."

This blogger believes politics played a large role in the White House response to the 2004 hurricane season. Maybe it was a good thing all those hurricanes hit during a presidential election year in a state that was too close to call.

Remember that classic line from former Bush domestic policy advisor John DiIulio: "There is no precedent in any modern White House for what is going on in this one: a complete lack of a policy apparatus. What you've got is everything – and I mean everything – being run by the political arm." We just keep finding examples to bolster the statement, don't we?

Florida was a close race in a state with 27 electoral votes. What happens when there's a natural disaster? The powers that be immediately start wondering what they need to do to reap the biggest political rewards. Again, there is no tactic too cynical, no ploy too crass, no maneuver too callous for this gang. Everything is a political opportunity to be exploited. Everything.

What hit Pensacola more in the past year, hurricanes or presidents?

So this is the third time in 6 months that President Bush has been to Pensacola. The first time was to survey hurricane Ivan damage (I’ll never forget the beautiful sight of AF1 flying over, bringing me out of the state of shock I had been in the previous couple of days.) The next visit was a campaign stop. And now today. Next time many locals will probably start yawning.

Former Presidents Bush and Clinton played golf last week in an event that raised money for tsunami relief in southeast Asia.

U.S. citizens and corporations have donated more than $1.1 billion for tsunami relief, according to the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. The U.S. government has pledged about $950 million.

Clinton said the donations have earned the United States goodwill in Indonesia. He said a State Department survey he received Tuesday showed Osama bin Laden's popularity had fallen from 58 percent to 23 percent in the country since the tsunami.

"There is now a plurality in Indonesia that believes America should lead the war on terror, the first Muslim country to believe that," Clinton said. "When they were asked why, everyone cited because of the way America responded with tsunami relief. They know we had no ulterior motives. They know all these contributions came on a totally human level."

Gannett newspapers are trying to get information on how the government distributed money after the hurricane disasters of 2004.

The News-Press and two other Florida Gannett newspapers sued the federal government today to get information relating to the 2004 hurricanes that devastated the state.

The News-Press, Pensacola News-Journal and FLORIDA TODAY filed the lawsuit in federal court in Fort Myers against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and its component, the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The newspapers want a federal judge to enforce the Freedom of Information Act and make those agencies turn over public records concerning the distribution of federal emergency aid in the wake of the storms.

“We want to review how the federal government distributed millions of dollars of taxpayers' money. There is no legal justification for that information to be withheld,” said Kate Marymont, executive editor of The News-Press, who has led Gannett’s effort in Florida to obtain the public records. "Just as frustrating as the lack of information is the lack of explanation. FEMA is offering no justification for handing out millions of dollars without any oversight."

Recently published research shows that businesses still aren't implementing disaster recovery plans, even after one of the worst hurricane seasons ever.

Research by the Business Continuity Institute reveals that 20% of businesses still do not have disaster recovery plans, despite respondents believing that terrorism, fire and flood present significant threats to their business operations.

Andy Tomkinson of the BCI described the results of a new survey to be released to the public during the upcoming Business Continuity Awareness Week, saying, "The BCI awareness survey provides a timely reminder that more needs to be done to help business prepare for disruption. It is a wake up call for Government and business to come together and highlight what needs to be done, to prepare for better disaster recovery and business continuity planning."

This is a funny and practical guide to hurricane preparation. You should check your homeowners insurance to see what is covered.

HOMEOWNERS' INSURANCE: If you own a home, you must have hurricane insurance. Fortunately, this insurance is cheap and easy to get, as long as your home meets two basic requirements:

(1) It is reasonably well-built, and

(2) It is located in Wisconsin

Unfortunately, if your home is located in Florida, or any other area that might actually be hit by a hurricane, most insurance companies would prefer not to sell you hurricane insurance, because then they might be required to pay YOU money, and that is certainly not why they got into the insurance business in the first place. So you'll have to scrounge around for an insurance company, which will charge you an annual premium roughly equal to the replacement value of your house. At any moment, this company can drop you like used dental floss.

This book review is, in part, about a book called "What They Don't Tell You about Hurricanes."

The different styles of writing certainly make a difference in depicting the personalities in "Portrait of My Body" and "What They Don't Tell You about Hurricanes." The tone used in each is perhaps what sets the mood, intrigues the reader, and makes them worth-while reads. To compare, both Lopate and Gerard use tones that vent their frustration over things-that-be of which they have no control; Lopate's body is his, yet he can do little to change it while Gerard can do nothing to prevent the hurricane or the devastation that is certain to follow. Gerard and Lopate write to some degree to voice their protests, but more so to complain. They write out their frustrations.

The styles in which Lopate and Gerard write are very different however. Lopate writes about himself entirely. He describes his physical image and at the same time gives the reader a thorough description of his thoughts as well. Gerard's writings describes the oncoming hurricane and is not as straight-forward about himself. One can sense his dread about the hurricane, but he does not stress his concerns in the same way as Lopate. Lopate's "Portrait if My Body" was entertaining at first, but ended in a way that seemed tiresome and whiney. Gerard's description seemed depressed and sad, understandable regarding his situation.

Hurricane Charley hit Sanibel and Captiva Islands hard. Sanibel is open for business again. Captiva is not far behind.

Residents and visitors with their binoculars and cameras walk quietly through the refuge, seeking nothing more than awesome nature.

When they spot a particular sight, like a sleeping alligator, they share the discovery with you and whisper the directions for seeing it.

Unlike other areas of Florida, Sanibel is an ecological island, and the people who vacation on it are quietly respectful of natural treasures.

By the time you read this, nearly every resort and small inn on Sanibel will have returned to full operation, on grounds largely cleared of damage.

Not so on neighboring Captiva Island, which received the full brunt of Charley's 160-mph winds.

On Captiva, numerous lodgings remain closed, including the giant South Seas Resort, where construction crews are working toward a reopening date sometime in the spring.

Corporations can leverage their assets to help with recovery.

WESH Tv reports that Disney World is given free tickets to those who helped in the recovery. Tickets will be distributed by the companys involved.

After a hurricane or other natural disaster, you might want to see if your company can pitch in. Below is a great example of a company with data recovery skills helping after Hurricane Charley. In the long run, your company might pick up some customers, too!

In response to the devastation wrought last month by Hurricane Charley and again this weekend by Hurricane Frances, Gartner Inc. said today it will provide free advice and counsel to public and private organizations in Florida whose operations were disrupted by the storms. Gartner...will provide priority assistance to both clients and non-clients on a wide variety of issues including disaster recovery and the replacement of damaged IT operations. Free information and counsel will be available until November 25, 2004 for any organization that suffered business disruption within those counties designated as federal disaster areas by the Federal Emergency Management Agency...Help can be found on the Gartner web site at www.gartner.com

How much does it cost to recover from a hurricane? Marginal Revolution looks at the question.

Andrew of 1992 was by far the costliest hurricane in U.S. history, estimated at $26.5 billion in damages, here is a list of the top ten. If you want an older list of the top thirty, adjusted to 1996 dollars, click here.

The Center for Disease Control has vital information on what to do after the hurricane passes through. The CDC covers all the topics listed below. Visit the CDC site to learn about each topic.

NOTE: Hurricanes often cause power outages. Indoor use of portable generators, charcoal grills, or camp stoves can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning. Take steps to protect your family from carbon monoxide poisoning…

On this page:

•How to Store Food Safely
•How to Make Sure Your Water is Safe
•How to Clean Mold from Your House
•How to Prevent Injury after a Hurricane
•How to Cope with Stress after a Hurricane
•Dealing with Wild & Domestic Animals in a Disaster
•How to Wash Your Hands without Water
•Prevent West Nile Virus

Like the December 26th tsunami, hurricanes leave people asking what happened and what caused such a catastrophe. This blogger doesn't appear to agree with Jeb Bush.

Jeb Bush has been quoted as blaming god for the unpredictability of Hurricane Charley.

“God doesn’t follow the linear projections of computer models,” Bush said outside the emergency management center, whose roof caved in during the hurricane. “This is God’s way of telling us that he’s almighty and we’re mortal.”

I’m sure hurricane victims are glad to know that god is on their side. Couldn’t god show us that “he’s almighty and we’re mortal” through a less violent and destructive method?