Flooding in the UK

The River Exe flooded
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20488645

Storms causing heavy rainfall in England and Wales. Over 800 homes have flood damage and more flooding is expected. 260 flood warnings have been issued in England.  One women was killed when a tree fell on her. The government has made a lot of changes to there flood warning system and preparation for floods since the massive floods they had in 2007 and it's predicted that 20,000 houses were saved because of this. Some people think that the government still needs to do more and that the climate changes will increase the amount of flooding in the upcoming years. 

The warning systems and defenses that the government has put up is an example of mitigation and it has made a difference with the 20,000 homes that have been saved. The death toll for this event is low and while 800 homes were damaged, this event could have been worse if they hadn't been as well prepared. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20488645

Preparing For Another Storm Like Sandy

New York Harbor with barrier

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/25/new-york-harbor-barrier-storm-surge_n_2188684.html

City planners and builders want to put a large barrier in the New York Harbor to prevent a disaster like super storm sandy from happening again. Other storms such as Sandy are predicted to occur in the near future and putting a barrier in the harbor would help regulate the flooding. The barrier would be expensive but if it  prevents damage from other storms it will eventually save the city money. However, the barrier may not get put in because some people don't believe the risk of another storm and possible destruction will be worth the initial costs of the barrier. Other ideas for preparing the city for another storm is a rocky causeway and a better drainage system in Manhattan.

Putting in a barrier or a rocky causeway and drainage system is an example of mitigation. Determining whether or not to do this is determining the risk and probability of another storm hitting them again. I think that putting in a large barrier might be over kill but I think they should do something to prepare for other storms like Sandy.  

http://www.weather.com/news/nyc-superstorm-blocking-the-sea-20121125

Another Storm Hits after Sandy

Taken in New York City

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/11/04/looming-colder-weather-adds-urgency-to-recovery-efforts-in-areas-hit-hard-by/

The New York and New Jersey area are predicted to get hit by a Nor'easter storm this week. The storm won't be nearly as bad as super storm Sandy but there will be some heavy winds. The storm will delay the recovery and could make the damage worse. People who's homes have been badly damaged will have a hard time finding good shelter from the storm. There is also some cold weather coming that will make it difficult for the people who's houses still do not have power. 

This is another good example of the Swiss cheese model where certain events line up and make a natural disaster worse. The delay in recovery is going to make everything considerably worse. The longer people are without adequate shelter, the more issues there will be with people getting sick and even dying. 

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/11/04/looming-colder-weather-adds-urgency-to-recovery-efforts-in-areas-hit-hard-by/

Super Storm Sandy and Election Day

The damage from super storm Sandy may effect the election on Tuesday. People in areas that were severely damaged will have difficulty getting to the polls and it's expected that there will be a very low turn out in those areas. The election officials promise that they will be ready but there is still a lot of confusion. The City Board in New York City doesn't have a plan to ensure the people without transportation to the polls will be able to vote. Another issue is that 59 of the polling areas had to be moved to a different location some of which will be in tents.This will make it even harder for people to know where to vote and how to get there.

It will be interesting to see what happens on election day. It will be harder for lower income people to vote because there is less of a chance that they will be able to get to the polls which could affect which candidate gets the majority of the votes. If the race is even somewhat close then I won't be surprised if there is a recall. I think that with the large amount of confusion going on with the make shift polling buildings/tents that it would be very easy to make mistakes and for the ballots to be miscounted..

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/storm-forces-poll-site-143-000-city-residents-article-1.1196596

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/11/02/nyc-nj-ct-to-carry-on-with-election-day-despite-massive-storm-damage/

Super Storm Sandy

Taxis in Hoboken New Jersey
http://www.annarbor.com/news/superstorm-sandy-stories-photos-and-videos-from-the-devastation/

Hurricane Sandy hit the east coast hard Monday night causing major blackouts and flooding. Millions of people didn't have power and many still don't. It could take over a week before the power is restored. The power being out has also caused several car accidents.  The subways in New York City are extremely flooded. The subways are an important method of transportation in NYC, with about 5 million people using the subway each day and without them it is extremely difficult for people to get around. several houses were destroyed by flooding. There were also several fires that destroyed houses as well. The overall death toll from this storm right now is 74 people. 

This is just a quick overview of the initial damaged that was caused by hurricane sandy. Hurricane sandy had such a huge impact on the country because it hit the most populated area of the country. The storm became worse because of the lunar cycle and then the cold air came in and caused a snowstorm. All of this is an example of the Swiss cheese model and shows how one hurricane that wasn't overly powerful can cause massive destruction under the right conditions. One good thing for the people being hit by the storm is that because they are in an important part of the country and it's around election time, they will get lots of aid swiftly which probably wouldn't be the case if this storm hit a more remote area of the country. It also is getting a lot more media coverage because of it's location. Another thing we can look at with this storm is the difference between MDC's and LDC's. The storm is causing massive damage and is definitely going to effect our country monetarily but the death toll is still only at 74. If we lived in a LDC country, we wouldn't be as effected monetarily but the death toll would be much much larger. 

http://www.weather.com/news/weather-hurricanes/hurricane-sandy-winter-storm-20121025

Scientist In Italy Found Guilty 

The scientists in Italy that I posted about yesterday were found guilty and were sentenced to six years in jail.

I don't think that the scientists should have been held responsible for something that they couldn't have predicted. This makes me worry about what will  happen in the future and if more scientists will be prosecuted.

Using GIS For Making Handicap Accessible Areas 

San Francisco is using GIS mapping for installing handicap ramps on street corners. One third of the street corners in San Francisco do not have handicap ramps and several of the ramps that they do have are outdated. The city is working on installing new ramps and updating the old ones by using the Curb Ramp Information System (CRIS) which is a map of curb ramps that was made on ArcGIS. The map shows where there are curb ramps and each ramp is color coded based on the condition it is in. The map is posted on the cities website for the community to use. It also is being used to help monitor the project and to determine which streets they want to do construction on. 

http://www.pwmag.com/ada-compliance/using-gis-to-meet-accessibility-requirements.asp

I've been using ArcGIS in class a lot to look at natural hazards and different enviromental trends but I didn't think about the advantages it could have for something like this. It just shows how useful technology like ArcGIS can be.