Sea Level Rise on US Coast

Scientists have noticed that the sea level around the eastern coast of the U.S. is rising much faster and higher than predicted. Higher and faster sea level rising means that populations in low lying areas must be ready for flood type conditions.  It has been a consensus that conditions are going to be much worst than predicted by the International Panel on Climate change(IPCC).  The IPCC predicted a rise of 2 mm per year.  Satellite research has found that sea levels are rising at 3.2 mm per year.  This may not seem like much but it actually 60% faster than predicted.  Further mitigation will have to be done in the coastal region to protect against floods.  The use of satellite research and predicting weather patterns makes this fall in to the engineering paradigm.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/nov/28/us-coastal-cities-sea-level-rise

Hurricane Sandy and the Swiss Cheese Model

Hurricane Sandy was not your typical hurricane.  There were many pieces that fell together just right that created this super storm.  This is called the Swiss Cheese Model.  As seen with Sandy, everything lines up perfect to create an unlikely outcome.  First of all, a low pressure system over Greenland altered the jet stream.  This allowed Sandy to move further west than most hurricanes because it was not pushed out by the jet stream, it was actually sucked in.  This along with the warm water temperature of the Gulf fueled Sandy and gave it its staying power to move onto land.  Once the storm made landfall, it combined with another system approaching from the west.  Add in the moon phase which made for high tides on the east coast and you have yourself a major storm on your hands.  With higher tides in the area, this will allow for a higher storm surge; pulling more water inland and causing more destruction.

http://www.ouramazingplanet.com/3692-perfect-storm-hurricane-sandy.html

Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Sandy hit the New Jersey coast Monday evening, bringing high winds and large amounts of water with it.  Residents of the area cannot believe what they were seeing.  There was standing water in places that they never thought could be flooded.  In an area not used to hurricane weather, many people were unprepared for this event.  The first confirmed death occurred when a falling tree landed on a man, crushing him.  It is estimated that Hurricane Sandy will cause $10 billion in damage.

The lower the pressure of a storm, the stronger it usually is.  Hurricane Sandy has a minimum pressure of 943 millibars, where as the "Long Island Express" Hurricane of 1938 had a low pressure reading of 946. The somewhat good news is that Sandy was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm.  This downgrade means less punishing winds.

Flood map of the New York City area from Hurricane Sandy

http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/29/us/tropical-weather-sandy/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Volcano Erupts in Northeast Indonesia

Last Sunday, Mount Lokon, near Manado, erupted and threw ash into the atmosphere.  The volcano became active the previous Friday but was declared idle until Sunday when the eruptions occurred   Besides the initial eruption, there were countless more that followed.  There was so much ash in the air from previous eruptions that following eruptions could not be monitored because the ash obstructed the view of the volcano.  Those living near the volcano were warned of the volcanic ash in the air and were advised to limit outdoor activity.  Mount Lokon is located on the Ring of Fire which surrounds the Pacific plate.  Residents in the area are aware of such hazards in their area.  For example, in July 2011, the surrounding area of 4,000 people was promptly evacuated.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/07/world/asia/indonesia-volcano/index.html?hpt=wo_bn4

Islamic Relief levies with UN

The latest aid group called Islamic Relief, is trying to convince the UN to create a disaster fund that will be used in natural disaster prevention.  Money used beforehand to prevent a natural disaster would save money in developing countries by not reducing the need to rebuild after a natural disaster.  The Islamic Relief group makes a good point by showing that $640 could be used to protect a house for five years by raising homes above the flood level. This $640 spend in prevention is currently being used to rebuild homes after a disaster hits, which supports the family of the household for only a month.  Currently, only a small percentage is being spent on disaster prevention, about 15%. Putting the time and money in now for disaster prevention is not only cost effective in the long run but also raises hazard awareness and improves moral within the country by not having the citizens lose everything and have to rebuild.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2012/oct/01/call-for-global-fund-disaster-prevention

This is a map of the historical earthquake data in the California area.  The size of the red circles represent the magnitude of the earthquake.  This could  be used to determine where the worst earthquakes are in the area. After knowing this, we can properly prepare for an earthquake disaster.

Earthquake leads to tsunami

A few weeks ago, there was an earthquake off the coast of El Salvador near the city of San Salvador.  The earthquake registered a 7.3 on the Richter scale.  This was followed about an hour later by a second 5.4 earthquake.  This caused a tsunami warning to be issued for Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Panama and Mexico that would be later canceled.  There was only a  10 centimeter tsunami.  This may sound like just minor tsunami but the important thing to realize is that we saw what could have become of the earthquake and were prepared for a devastating tsunami.  A warning was initially issued so that the citizens of those countries would have a head start knowing a natural hazard was heading their way.  Technology and preparedness could one day prevent an event like this from being a natural disaster.

Tectonic Plates near El Salvador

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/story/2012-08-27/strong-earthquake-el-salvador/57339556/1