"Sandy".

[NW-Bound]

I think I'd like 80s and dry desert warmth.

By the time you exclude all the items above there is no place in the US that meets the criteria cited.

In the Phoenix metropolitan, there is really no danger of any of the natural disasters that I listed. Not too many critters either. It's just hot! From Oct to May, it is nice.

The plan was for us to escape the heat by spending the summer up in our "mountain home" which is at 7,000ft , and also by RV'ing up north. However my wife still has familial duty in town, so I am still stuck here in the summer and still get to complain about the heat.

 

[Chuckanut]

Listening to the radio there was talk about the storm surge being made worse due to rising sea levels due to global warming. This was passed along as though it is a fact. Has anybody bothered to fact check this statement?

 

[haha]

I don't blame people for living where there's danger of hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, winter storms, earthquakes, tsunamis, forest fires, brush fires, etc...

After all, not everyone is tough enough to deal with scorpions, rattlesnakes, fire ants, ticks, chiggers, tarantulas, brown recluse spiders, copperheads, cottonmouths, rabid skunks, wild hogs, etc...

And even when you think you have put up a good defense perimeter against these murderous critters, comes one sizzling summer of 120F temperature with the electric grid blacked out from overload, and people will be dropping like flies from the heat.

If it's not one thing, it's 'nother. There is no place to hide, I'll tell ya.

Well, people could live on the flat. Rich people in the east Bay could live in Piedmont or Alameda, but very many of them choose the hills, and they do get burned out.

Ha

 

[pb4uski]

Listening to the radio there was talk about the storm surge being made worse due to rising sea levels due to global warming. This was passed along as though it is a fact. Has anybody bothered to fact check this statement?

While there has been global warming and sea levels are higher, the rise in sea level is only a couple millimeters a year, so I'm skeptical.

 

[SteveNU]

Finally getting a break in the action here and reading the forum. I work here in Connecticut operating the transmission grid, 69kv up to 345kv. Drove to work Monday evening just as Sandy was really winding up here. Took over the shift about 5pm and spent the rest of the night watching things fall apart. The transmission grid was hardest hit in southwestern Connecticut area and the coastline. Finally got the last line back in service tonight. The damage to the transmission grid from this storm was only about 25% of what we saw last October. Thank goodness I won't be here next October! (class of 2013

 

[Brat]

Steve, thank you so much for hanging in there. Power line electricians and grid managers/administrators don't get the kudos they deserve. Few know that power line electricians have a very dangerous job and they spend a lot of time away from their families.

 

[meierlde]

Listening to the radio there was talk about the storm surge being made worse due to rising sea levels due to global warming. This was passed along as though it is a fact. Has anybody bothered to fact check this statement?

In new york sea level rise has been 1.7 mm per year over the last 100 years, which is around 1/2 a foot over century. Studies (worth what you pay for them) claim 2 to 3 times this for the 21st century.

 

[MichaelB]

I don't blame people for living where there's danger of hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, winter storms, earthquakes, tsunamis, forest fires, brush fires, etc...

After all, not everyone is tough enough to deal with scorpions, rattlesnakes, fire ants, ticks, chiggers, tarantulas, brown recluse spiders, copperheads, cottonmouths, rabid skunks, wild hogs, etc...

And even when you think you have put up a good defense perimeter against these murderous critters, comes one sizzling summer of 120F temperature with the electric grid blacked out from overload, and people will be dropping like flies from the heat.

If it's not one thing, it's 'nother. There is no place to hide, I'll tell ya.

+1
And with all that, people still inflict more harm and damage than nature to the health and property of others.

 

[NW-Bound]

We heard from my nephew who moved to his new job in Manhattan just a couple of months ago. His area suffers no flood, no black out, and he only has to walk a few blocks to go to work. He has been working long hours (he's a pharmacist) to cover for people who live further away and cannot get in. He moved to NYC to get some exciting city life, but I am sure this was not what he had in mind.

Out of curiosity, I look up the area around the UN, where he says he is, and see that it is indeed at a higher elevation, compared to the area around Wall St.

 

[Walt34]

If it's not one thing, it's 'nother. There is no place to hide, I'll tell ya.

You left out snow. I hate snow.

 

[EllisWyatt]

Goelogist in me had to comment-
Barrier Islands are -geologically speaking - one of the least stable places on the earth. As are fault zones, deltas, flood plains cliffs, etc., etc - all places we build, raise families and hope to heavens that nothing happens during our stay. Add in Tornado alley (most of the Mid-west). the western chapparral ecotome, Upper Midwest (I can't forget my three years on So.Dak. when I experienced my first -38 degree day), tsumanis in Hawaii just for giggles, and, for one reason or another, by some expert's estimation there is nowhere safe to live.

What is my conclusion? Figure out the risks you can accept, plan for the inevitable, and don't count on someone else to come in a bail you out when it hits the fan. They may, but you'd better not depend on it.(spoken as a Katrina survivor).

 

[NW-Bound]

I have been to Manhattan a couple of times, but have not visited Long Island. I still like to see where the rich people live. And, I also like to see the duck farm(s?) there. And talk of those ducks, I wonder if they have not been blown away.

 

[TrvlBug]

Well......there certainly aren't a whole lot of rich people in the Rockaways. Looks like there's no insurance as much of the area is not considered in a 'flood plain,' so we won't have to worry about those parasites getting money from 'subsidized' insurance premiums. But, he may lose his job (yes, it's personal) ... he'll know in a week or so whether they will close up, so those parasites will have no choice but to go on the dole as it's tough to raise a family of 3 young children on wife's blue collar job alone especially when you need to make payments on a mortgage where the house is no more. Heaven forbid, they may have to walk away from it rather than do their patriot duty and pay up. Fortunately they have a wonderful close knit circle of family and friends and have a place to stay, unlike many displaced in both this and other natural disasters. I couldn't believe it, when talking to sis in law how they felt so fortunate given that they have lost everything, when so many others are in a much worse place then they are. Me, I'd be whining, whining, whining about my misfortune.

Mind you, I don't have a lot of sympathy for those who can afford a second beachside home and have lost it...although they're the ones that are probably insured by subsidized insurance premiums. Many, if not most of the folks are not rich and are just getting by; they will now have to start over.

Rant over...gotta get back the see how I can maximize my SS payout and have others subsidize . I would hate to live in a world where we are all out for ourselves. I would much rather subsidize someone else's risks and have them subsidize mine rather than each to his own, but that's just my view.

Have a nice day. The weather is beautiful here in sunny earthquake country and I'm just thankful that my life has been blessed so far and that I'm in a position to help others. My brother's misfortune will be my blessing (wrong word, but I can't think of another one to fit better) to me; I'm hoping they'll send the kids to sunny California for a stay while the parents rebuild their lives.

 

[meierlde]

An interesting news report from the future. With the flood plain rules typically if a property is more than 50% destroyed it has to be rebuilt to todays building codes. In the case of the barrier islands almost all of the land is in a special flood area. If rebuilding occurs the first floor of the property will have to be built no lower than the 100 year flood level and possibly a bit higher, just as happened in New Orleans. This will of course change the appearance of the community as the houses will now be on stilts. Expect to hear complaints about this when in a few months rebuilding starts.

 

[NW-Bound]

I just searched the Web for Rockaways and Sandy, and it looked pretty bad from the storm damage. There's a report that the police is nowhere to be seen, nor utility people to restore power.

About rebuilding to a new standard, a few years ago, when driving down Key West we stayed in a motel that was rebuilt after a hurricane. It was built on concrete stilts, and mostly with masonry to withstand water damage. It probably cost quite a bit more than the usual construction. The owner said the new code required it.

 

[brewer12345]

I just searched the Web for Rockaways and Sandy, and it looked pretty bad from the storm damage. There's a report that the police is nowhere to be seen, nor utility people to restore power.

This sort of thing makes me want to have an ample food and water stockpile, lots of ammo and a generator handy.

 

[NW-Bound]

Even better yet, all of the above loaded in an RV, all gassed up to hightail outta there before the wind even kicks up and the first raindrop falls.

Many people of course cannot afford that.

PS. People are reportedly waiting in line for 6 hours to get gasoline. Some in lower Manhattan have food, but have to trek uptown to get Sterno to heat their canned goods.

 

[HFWR]

This sort of thing makes me want to have an ample food and water stockpile, lots of ammo and a generator handy.

I've been working on this. Not prepping for the apocalypse, just a week or two of "disruption"...

 

[TrvlBug]

Yep, the Rockaways, Staten Island and other blue collar communities are seemingly left to fend for themselves. Bloomberg is more concerned and seems to think Manhattan represents NYC. Brother is in Rockaway trying to mitigate damage as well as protect from looters which are rampant. Police presence is lacking. Basements are flooded and, apparently, power cannot be restored until basements are pumped and each home is inspected. Brother's home actually caught on (electrical) fire but they were able to douse it. If power is turned back on, oops, there goes another neighborhood.

These are not the neighborhoods of the wealthy. These are regular blue collar workers...they can't afford to live elsewhere in the area! I suspect the developers will buy property for pennies on the dollar and this will morph into an area for the wealthy. It's really beautiful there. I was actually considering buying an oceanfront apt.within the next few years to be closer to my brother and his family and I do love the ocean, but looks like it's not in the stars.

The only reason they stayed put rather than evacuate was that sis in laws father, non-ambulatory, refused to evacuate and they wouldn't do so in the event he needed assistance, which of course, he did. My father was the same...damn the needs of the rest of the family, it's only my needs that count. I really hope I don't morphe into that kind of phart when I get to that age .

 

[brewer12345]

Already have the trailer, so that's always plan b. If we had still lived in NJ when Sandy was on its was, I would have packed DW, kids and dogs into the camper and sent them southwest while I stuck around to ride out the mess as best I could.

Will likely be generator shopping after the retailers restock from all the current demand. Strongly considering a Honda EU2000, unless there is something as good for less money.

 

[NW-Bound]

As discussed in an earlier thread, Costco has a 2kW generator/inverter for $500 or half-price of the Honda. Certainly not as good, but reviews said it was not junk either.

PS. Two of these can be paralleled, same as the Honda, and may provide enough power to run a typical camper A/C of 13,000 BTU/hr. Very nice capability to have.

 

[brewer12345]

As discussed in an earlier thread, Costco has a 2kW generator/inverter for $500 or half-price of the Honda. Certainly not as good, but reviews said it was not junk either.

PS. Two of these can be paralleled, same as the Honda, and may provide enough power to run a typical camper A/C of 13,000 BTU/hr. Very nice capability to have.

I don't see anything like that when I search Costco's site. Peraps they are out of stock.

Yes, I am aware of the parallel genny running the AC thing. Most of the time when we are off the grid camping we are at such an altitude that running the heat is more of an issue than the AC.

 

[NW-Bound]

Costco often does not list on its Web site what it carries in its store. It looks like this, except that Costco's version is red in color. Two can be stacked up, then paralleled with a kit that costs something like $70 extra.

 

[NW-Bound]

Now, they say some people may have to be without power for up to 2 weeks. Flashlights are sold for $10.

Here's an old-fashioned way to generate power to charge cell phones: a bike-driven dynamo. Look at the tandem bike! Humans do not generate that much power for very long at all. While we are power hogs in terms of consumption, either by internal consumption or by operating appliances, we are puny animals when it comes to muscles for power generation (except for guys in Tour de France of course).

PS. Photo linked from Bloomberg. See: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-...-builds-as-sandy-slow-recovery-drags-out.html

 

[brewer12345]

Costco often does not list on its Web site what it carries in its store. It looks like this, except that Costco's version is red in color. Two can be stacked up, then paralleled with a kit that costs something like $70 extra.

Thanks. Any idea how noisy and heavy they are? Small size and quiet operation are a pretty big selling point for the Honda.