46 dead in the U.S. and more losses to come

At least 46 people are dead, 23 of them in New York, 6 in New Jersey, 5 in Pennsylvania, 4 in Connecticut, 2 each in Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia and 1 each in North Carolina and Puerto Rico.  Before coming North to the East coast of the U.S., Hurricane Sandy was blamed for 68 death in the Caribbean.  At least four towns in New Jersey were submerged up to 6 feet of water due to a levee braking during the intense storm.  Evacuations plans are being put together in Hoboken, New Jersey for the estimated 20,000 people that still remain trapped in their homes; they are hoping for proper equipment by Wednesday morning.  In Queens, New York, a massive fire broke out and destroyed at least 110 homes and damaged 20 others, the severe weather made it difficult for firefighters to reach the blaze.  Hurricane Sandy was definitely an intense storm that continued to get worse as other factors contributed, such as the high tide and the cold front mixing with the storm.  This cold front may cause 6 to 12 inches of snow in some areas; more of the U.S. than just the East coast will be affected by this storm. 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49605748/ns/weather/#__utma=14933801.1944660864.1346965793.1350872834.1351655478.20&__utmb=14933801.1.10.1351655478&__utmc=14933801&__utmx=-&__utmz=14933801.1351655478.20.19.utmcsr=google|utmccn=%28organic%29|utmcmd=organic|utmctr=%28not%20provided%29&__utmv=14933801.|8=Earned%20By=msnbc|cover=1^12=Landing%20Content=Mixed=1^13=Landing%20Hostname=www.nbcnews.com=1^30=Visit%20Type%20to%20Content=Earned%20to%20Mixed=1&__utmk=143841845&__utma=14933801.1944660864.1346965793.1350872834.1351655478.20&__utmb=14933801.1.10.1351655478&__utmc=14933801&__utmx=-&__utmz=14933801.1351655478.20.19.utmcsr=google|utmccn=%28organic%29|utmcmd=organic|utmctr=%28not%20provided%29&__utmv=14933801.|8=Earned%20By=msnbc|cover=1^12=Landing%20Content=Mixed=1^13=Landing%20Hostname=www.nbcnews.com=1^30=Visit%20Type%20to%20Content=Earned%20to%20Mixed=1&__utmk=143841845

Hurricane Sandy Breaks Records

Hurricane Sandy will likely not set records for most costly or most deadly, but the mayor of New York stated that Sandy "maybe the worst NYC has ever experienced."  One record Sandy has broken is strength, 940 millibars was measured Monday afternoon, making it the lowest barometric reading ever recorded for and Atlantic storm to make landfall.  With a lower pressure, there is a stronger storm.  A record storm surge of water in New York City topped 13.88 feet at Battery Park and New York Harbor's surf also reached a record of a 32.5 foot wave on Monday.  Many forecasters pointed out that if Hurricane Sandy were a country, it would make it the 20th largest in the world, about twice the size of Texas.    7.5 million businesses and households are without electric power in 15 states making it this largest storm-related outage in history.  Hurricane Sandy will most likely not be the costliest storm to hit the U.S. East coast, but it definitely turned into a major storm that will affect the country. 

http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/30/us/sandy-records/index.html

Hurricane Sandy could be Devastating

Hurricane Sandy, a Category 1 storm, has already impacted those on the coasts of North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland with pelting rains, fierce winds, and mass evacuations.  By early Monday morning, Hurricane Sandy will an even more direct effect on millions of people.  It may likely collide with a cold front from the West causing a even bigger storm with more wind, flooding, power outages, and potential danger.

Hurricane Sandy has already taken lives before hitting the U.S. causing at least 67 deaths, with 51 in Haiti.  A unique characteristic of this storm is that its 75 mph winds extends 175 miles of from its eye, affecting hundreds of miles of territory. Many have been taking preventive steps like evacuating homes and businesses, shutting down schools, subways and other public transportation.  Some areas may see severe flooding due to the full moon which brings higher than normal tides.  FEMA estimates this this hurricane has the potential to cause $2.5 billion to $3 billion in wind damage alone, not taking into account other damage and potential flooding. This storm could be historic in nature, scope, and magnitude due to the expected power outages, flooding, and wind damage.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/28/us/tropical-weather-sandy/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

West Nile Outbreak Exceeds Second-highest Annual Total

The West Nile virus cases in the United States has already exceeded the second-highest annual total with more than 2 months left of the year.  As of Tuesday, there have been 4,531 cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this includes 183 deaths.  This year probably won't be the worst on record unless another 5,000 cases develop.  2003 was the worst year in number of cases; 9,862 illnesses and 264 deaths.  Cooler temperatures lower the risk of mosquito borne illnesses, but mosquito activity will still be high in some regions mainly the south, so it is still important for people to protect themselves.  Important steps to protect yourself from mosquitoes possibly carrying the disease is to avoid going out at dawn and dusk, use bug spray with DEET, wear long pants and sleeves when going outside, get rid of standing water because mosquitoes breed in water, and use screens on windows so mosquitoes cannot get inside.


http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2012/10/18/west-nile-outbreak-falls-short-of-2003-numbers/

Thousands Without Power due to Tornadoes

Wednesday night reports of at least 5 tornadoes swept through Arkansas and Mississippi.  Six people were injured and brought to the hospital after their mobile homes were completely destroyed near Anguilla, Mississippi.    A tornado blew down dozens of trees and powerlines while damaging several structures in Conehatta, Mississippi.  According to Entergy, a power company, 12,592 customers in Mississippi and 1,981 in Arkansas were competely without power.  In Tennessee, dozens of people were evacuated from their homes as storms swept through the area, six or seven homes reportedly were damaged.  If not for weather warnings, there could have been more people injured and thankfully only six people were reported injured.
 
The United States leads the world in tornado hazards, about 1000 are recorded on land every year.  Most occur in an area running from Texas through Kansas and Oklahoma called "Tornado Alley".  The most damage and injuries occur usually when people live in mobile homes.  It is important especially with people who live in mobile homes to seek tornado shelter. Taking an Engineering paradigm approach with forecasting and warning is extremely important during a storm hazard.  Most national weather services distribute their warnings through media, internet, and radio.  Forecasting warnings for tornadoes have a much smaller scale of time and distance, at most usually 2 to 3 hours.

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/18/14531330-ark-miss-tornadoes-leave-thousands-without-power?lite

Drought Taking a Toll on Farmers in America

Nearly two thirds of the U.S. is in moderate to exceptional drought and half of the nation's corn is poor to very poor.  This diminishing supply has raised the prices dramatically which affects the livestock farmers who need to buy the crops to feed the animals.  The agriculture industry appears healthy this year, except much of the impact the drought has had will be felt next year especially in farmer revenue.  Lawmakers are expected to pass a farm bill after the November election which may be too late for livestock producers because of the price to feed their animals.  Most farmers are calm about this drought because it is their way of life and a part of them, but it will affect their whole family.  Cancelled family vacations, delayed doctor visits, selling off land intended to be handed down through generations, and children having to forgo preferred colleges for cheaper ones closer to home are just some of the effects this drought has had on farmers this year.  Although they are not in danger of losing their homes or going hungry, this is threatening their way of life and there is no chance of knowing if conditions will get better.  A year of drought can be sustainable, but multiple years in a row could be devastating to these farmers and the U.S. as a whole. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/04/us/widespread-drought-threatens-way-of-life-for-farmers.html?pagewanted=all

Experts worry about Meningitis outbreak

 

A widening outbreak of fungal meningitis has infected 184 Americans and killed 14 immunocompetent people, this infection is typically seen in patients that are immunocompromised or people incapable of developing a normal immune response due to disease or malnutrion. Usually people develop fungal infections from breathing in fungal spores, but in this outbreak, the fungi were injected directly along the spines of patients who had received a steroid treatment for back pain.  Dr. William Schaffner, an expert in infectious diseases at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville was interviewed.  He states it is not certain how effective the treatment will be to the patients exposed to this drug.  Even when people are treated for the infection, it is almost certain that some will be left with a disability because the infections cause tissue damage.  It is estimated that for every hundred patients exposed to the steroid treatment, 5 percent or less are becoming infected, but many more have been exposed and may be infected.  This fungi that has been injected next to our spines just do what they normally would do in nature, multiple and eat the tissue they are around.  I would not place this Meningitis case under a natural disaster, but if left untreated could potentially affect many people in the U.S.

http://news.yahoo.com/q-experts-worry-meningitis-outbreak-224135564.html

Snowstorm in North Dakota and Minnesota!

A rare snowstorm occurred October 4 across parts of North Dakota and Minnesota which snapped tree lines and cut power to residents. Grand Forks, N.D. saw record amounts of snow for this early in the season at 3.5 inches.  Blizzard conditions were blamed for a head-on collision that killed a woman in Grand Forks.  The most snow was seen in Minnesota's Roseau County at 14 inches by Thursday afternoon.  Interestingly enough residents forced out of Karlstad, Minn. temporarily this week due to a wildfire, received 6 inches of snow.  Unexpected weather like this can be a hazard especially in driving conditions when people are not expecting the slippery roads.

This obviously isn't the worst snowstorm, but it is a rare one which makes people more prone to accidents.   It is important for a community to be prepared for snow storms.  Forecast and warning systems is an effective way in preparing the public for a snow storm and in doing so the community knows what to expect and will be more careful especially in driving conditions.  Snow storms cannot be prevented, but salting the roads for drivers, snow plowing, and forecasting warnings does better prepare the community that is affected.  In this case, only one person was killed, but many more people could have been injured because it was such an unexpected storm.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/05/14242237-snowstorm-hits-north-dakota-minnesota-dropping-up-to-14-inches-in-some-areas?lite#__utma=238145375.1944660864.1346965793.1349217583.1349457559.8&__utmb=238145375.2.10.1349457559&__utmc=238145375&__utmx=-&__utmz=238145375.1349457559.8.8.utmcsr=google|utmccn=%28organic%29|utmcmd=organic|utmctr=%28not%20provided%29&__utmv=238145375.|8=Earned%20By=msnbc|politics=1^12=Landing%20Content=Mixed=1^13=Landing%20Hostname=www.msnbc.msn.com=1^30=Visit%20Type%20to%20Content=Earned%20to%20Mixed=1&__utmk=102845891

World War II bombs in Gulf of Mexico

There are millions of pounds of unexploded munitions from World War II dumped in the Gulf of Mexico that pose a risk to offshore drilling and the environment.  Dumping of these munitions occurred from 1946 to 1970 in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Hawaii coasts, but now that they are more than 60 years old, they may be a threat researchers say.  Chemical agents could be leaking from some of them and many of them could be still capable of exploding which are two big problems.  Surveys that were taken showed that chemical weapon canisters appeared to be leaking materials such as mustard gas.  One reason to worry is that we do not know if there is an environmental risk and the Obama administration and energy companies want to pick up the pace of drilling.  Last year BP had to shut a major pipeline down for 5 days to remove a 13 foot unexploded German mine. Terrance Long, founder of the International Dialogue on Underwater Munitions, stated that you can find munitions in basically every ocean and major sea around the world which leads to a threat to human health and the environment.  This story made me think of how humans have such an impact on our world and the environment.  The things we do in the past obviously will affect our future, for example climate change, but we choose not to worry about it until it is an urgent matter.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/28/14141378-world-war-ii-bombs-mustard-gas-in-gulf-of-mexico-need-to-be-checked-experts-warn?lite