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EXTREME WEATHER
SUPERSTORM SANDY
A coastline destroyed: Terrifying picture taken from space shows the devastation wreaked on New Jersey's shores by Sandy
SUPERSTORM SANDY
A coastline destroyed: Terrifying picture taken from space shows the devastation wreaked on New Jersey's shores by Sandy
Set beside a 'before' picture from Google Earth, the aerial photo captured by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) reveals the shocking transformation of the country's coastline.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2226762/Hurricane-Sandy-Terrifying-picture-taken-space-shows-devastation-wreaked-New-Jerseys-shores.html
Peter Burgess COMMENTARY ... added September 2022
It is almost a decade since Superstorm Sandy which caused massive destruction along the shores of the North East of the United States. Since then most of the physical damage has been repaired and/or replaced. There was loss of life, and those families will not forget as quickly as the rest of us.
The financial and economic impact of a storm like Sandy was huge. Sandy was not a hurricane, but nevertheless very damaging because most of the buildings and other facilities were not built to withstand even Sandy level winds and water.
Sandy was part of a trend that has been in play for several decades ... extreme weather events becoming more intense and more frequent. Scientists have been in agreement about this for a long time but in spite of this there is a vocal ... and perhaps influential ... community of climate change deniers. These deniers are either people who do not pay attention or people who are paid in some way for their opinion in support of climate denial. This is a bigger group than is healthy for society, but understandable because there are a lot of people including academic scientists who need money, and writing in support of climate denial paid for by fossil fuel energy companies and others is one way to be remunerated. Sadly, their voice is often amplified by the media, which is also influenced by its own financial pressures.
Almost a decade after Sandy, the question of the cost of damage caused by climate change should be a high priority for policy makers, and especially the issue of who should be bearing the cost of (1) repairing any damage caused by extreme weather; (2) paying for the physical and structural changes needed better to prepare for climate change; and, (3) compensating people for their injuries and loss of life caused by extreme weather.
To some extent this is a responsibility of the insurance industry ... but I do not get the impression that they are prepared to handle what is coming in anything like a sufficient manner. Rather, my impression is that they are preparing themselves by using the 'law' to limit their liability and avoid what ought to be their responsibility.
To some extent this is the responsibility of the 'government' ... but this is complicated and quickly gets to be political. In the end the government gets to use 'our money' to do what needs to be done. Unfortunately, the government is constrained in all sorts of ways from doing what would probably be the best for the country as a whole. This seems to apply everywhere in the world ... it is not just a US problem.
My own crrent thinking about a possible solution to this problem is to introduce some sort of a tax that is paid by those with very high incomes and very high wealth into a fund for climate change risk mitigation. This fund would be used to support climate risk mitigation investment around the world, as well as in the United States. Similar programs should be implemented in other high income economies. This fund should be managed by a new agency with the merged competences of the United Nations, the World Bank and the IMF as well as experts from the business sector and the scientific community. This agency should not be a clone of these old institutions that were birthed in the 1940s, but something that builds on 80+ years of lessons learned and reflects all the new global realities and technological possibilities and risks.
Peter Burgess
By Daily Mail Reporter
PUBLISHED: 05:30 EDT, 2 November 2012 | UPDATED: 06:37 EDT, 2 November 2012
Amusement rides were torn from the pier in popular resort Seaside Heights. The town made famous by reality TV show Jersey Shore is now a ghost of its former self. Image shows golden beaches wiped out, buildings flattened and street covered with mud and debris. Death toll after superstorm stands at 90 and rising, with the U.S. still reeling from its impactThe dramatic shot (above) taken from space lays bare the devastating impact of the superstorm, which hit the town at full force, reducing its once beautiful golden beaches to a thin strip of mud, flattening buildings and tearing its attractions from their foundations.
These incredible pictures show the popular coastal resort of Seaside Heights, made famous the world over by MTV's Jersey Shore, now almost totally wiped out by Sandy.
Devastation: The holiday town where families and friends shared memorable summers is now a ghost of what it once was
Crushed: Just down the coast, Lavallette, New Jersey has been laid waste by the violent winds and severe flooding
Changed forever: Scenes of destruction continue in Mantoloking, N.J., after Sandy tore through the laidback seaside towns and ripped lives apart
Long road ahead: The eye-opening aerial photographs reveal the true extent of the damage to the North East of the U.S.
Last breaths: This NOAA satellite image shows the remnants of Sandy today as it swirls over the northeast of the U.S. and eastern Canada, bringing rain and snow showers with it
Where once families enjoyed waterfront rides on Casino Pier and the reality show cast took trips to Lucky Arcade, buildings lie on their sides and leaves and debris choke the roads.
The rides and the arcade are gone. A rollercoaster bobs lazily in the waves. Roofs have been ripped off houses, and utility poles snapped in two, with their power lines tangled like shoelaces.
The beaches where legions of holidaymakers from the tri-state area and beyond made summer memories are the scene of chaos, after Superstorm Sandy's surge took the area in its arms.
Besides ravaging beaches, the behemoth of a storm swept entire neighborhoods away, wrecked boardwalks and knocked amusement park rides from piers, including the famous Seaside Heights rollercoaster on the pier which is now a twisted mass of metal in the ocean. A 100-year-old merry-go round was also destroyed.
Wasteland: A smashed van and pieces of people's homes are just part of the wreckage lying around Seaside Heights after Sandy's attack
Disaster: The damage caused to the pier can clearly be seen in this aerial image, with the roller coaster lying in the sea
Under water: This picture provided by the U.S. Air Force shows an aerial view of the roller coaster from the Seaside Heights amusement park submerged in strong waves
Mess: The famous Seaside Heights roller coaster on the fun time pier is now a twisted mass of metal in the ocean. A 100-year-old merry-go round was also destroyed
Tragic: At least 90 people were killed by Sandy, with New Jersey towns including Seaside Heights bearing the brunt of it, suffering massive damage and power outages
Chaotic: Amusement rides lie mangled after the Fun Town pier they sat on was destroyed by Superstorm Sandy
Devastation: The well-known town and historic boardwalk of Seaside Heights, New Jersey, made famous the world over by MTV's Jersey Shore, has been almost totally wiped out by Hurricane Sandy
Ruined: The waterfront rides on Casino Pier are gone. A roller coaster bobs lazily in the waves. Sand, leaves and debris choke roads previously lined with houses that now rest on their sides
Before: The Jersey Shore was previously a summertime haven
Sadness: The cast of Jersey Shore took to Twitter to express their thoughts and sympathies for the area
The house where the Jersey Shore cast lived appeared to avoid any damage, but other landmarks from the show weren't so lucky. Cast member JWoww tweeted: 'Bubbas and Lucky Arcade are no more but the Shore Store is standing but major damage,' she said, referring to locations which featured prominently on the reality show.
'This is the street Jersey Shore Rivolis and Sniptease is on,' she tweeted with a picture. 'Now boats are on it.'
'Sandy destroyed Seaside — our second home,' said Jersey Shore cast member Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi in a statement to MTV News. 'It's devastating to see our boardwalk and favorite spots ruined.
My prayers go out to everyone affected by the storm.'
On other places on the island, boats had been tossed like toys and were now resting on top of houses and cars.
About 300 people have been taken off the island since the storm passed, public safety officials said. The 70 who remain will be ordered to leave and not allowed to return to the island until at least the weekend.
Sad: Homes and communities where legions of vacationers from the tri-state area and beyond made summer memories is a scene of devastation days after Superstorm Sandy's surge enveloped it
Destroyed: Besides ravaging beaches, the behemoth of a storm swept entire neighborhoods away, wrecked boardwalks and knocked amusement park rides from piers, including the famous Seaside Heights roller coaster
'We have to get everyone off the island because there is total devastation,' said Seaside Heights Police Chief Thomas Boyd at a news conference on Wednesday.
In Ortley Beach, a section of the community of Toms River, sinkholes swallowed roads, roofs caved in and homes lay on their sides, separated from passable roads by pools of water.
One sinkhole had swallowed a red truck whose bed stuck up at a 45-degree angle, two tires resting on the road. A house was washed into the middle of Route 35, the main road through the island.
Mr Messner and his daughter rode out the storm at their home in Ortley Beach. They and their dog walked over a bridge on Wednesday, carrying a few bags. A friend greeted them on the other side.
They had planned to evacuate, but it took longer than they expected to board up their house, and they thought the bridge was closed.
'It was like being at ground zero — the wind, the rain,' said Mr Messner. 'At one point a patrolman told us the dunes breached, and within minutes we had ten feet of water in front of our house.'
Awful: Waves break in front of the destroyed amusement park
In Brick Township, on the northern edge of the island, fire or water destroyed more than 50 homes, officials said. As many as 27 natural gas fires burned there Wednesday afternoon, Police Chief Neils R. Bergquist said.
There has not been looting in Seaside Heights, but a group of people who stayed on the island during the storm broke into a deli because they had no other food, said Boyd.
Messner said a telephone pole and tree nearly landed on his house. He and his daughter rode out the storm on the second floor and, somehow, their house sustained little water damage.
He was shocked by what he saw walking to the bridge and over.
'You can't even imagine,' he said.
Stars: Michael 'The Situation' Sorrentino with Snooki and Deena star in 'Jersey Shore' which is filmed in Seaside Heights
Stunned residents came out to see what the storm had left behind. It was worse than they imagined.
'It’s just not real,' Lisa Polo, a Seaside Heights resident told NJ.com. 'Seeing is not always believing.'
Ken Diner, who works as a chef at Petey's on the Park in Seaside Park, said he tried to escape from chest high waters near the bay side of the island Monday night but found himself nearly washed away.
'I got out of my truck, because the water started going over the hood,' he said. 'Then the water went over my head, and I went right back in my truck.'
Mayor of Seaside Heights Bill Akers said: 'It's hard... you don't want to be emotional but… we're going to be okay.'
Twisted: The house where the Jersey Shore cast lived appeared to avoid any damage. But other iconic landmarks from the show weren't so lucky
Resilient: Mayor of Seaside Heights Bill Akers said its hard for the local residents but added they would be okay
The cast of Jersey Shore took to Twitter to express their thoughts and sympathies for the area.
'Seeing seaside and what has happened in my hometown is beyond devastating,' wrote Sammi. 'I have no words. So many families and homes were destroyed and my heart and prayers go out to everyone affected by this storm.'
Vinny tweeted: 'Over the last few years, it feels like Seaside Heights has become my second home. My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone who was affected by this disaster in Seaside and all across the Northeast. I'm here to support in any way I can.
'Just saw our Police Chief Boyd of Seaside on the news risking his life to save people,' including the hashtag #HERO.
'This is crazy living there for four summers & seeing in such disaster!' wrote Ronnie Magro. 'What do you mean no more boardwalk?'
Mangled: The roller coaster lies ruined on the beach after the pier it rested on was destroyed by the storm
Concerns: The cast of Jersey Shore took to Twitter to express their thoughts and sympathies for the area
'My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by Hurricane Sandy, especially our friends and family in Seaside Heights,' Paul 'Pauly D' DelVecchio added. 'A huge thank you to all the men and women who have been working around the clock to protect and help everyone, true heroes!'
JWoww, real name Jenni Farley, 26, appeared on the Jay Leno show last night and told the host that her fiancé Roger has been patrolling the devastated neighborhood to look for those stranded by
Superstorm Sandy. She was working in LA at the time and was unable to get back to her hometown until today after flights to the East Coast were canceled.
But she tweeted throughout, talking of her despair over the loss of the beloved town which came to prominence on her hit reality show and set the stage for the antics of her and the gang.
'Crying over the damage the jersey shore and my town received. Legit boats are on the roads I used to drive. I cannot believe this,' she tweeted.
'Holding back my tears to finish out my day here in LA but my thoughts are with my shore family and everyone there helping.'
Horrific: The beach is now covered in mangled metal from the amusement park's rides
Mess: A man walked past the rollercoaster which used to lie on the Funtown Pier
Seaside Heights: The view of storm damage over the Atlantic Coast in Seaside Heights
Houses destroyed: This aerial photo shows destruction in the wake of superstorm Sandy on Wednesday
Storm surges: Sandy has left many suffering after the loss of homes, loved ones and beloved holiday destinations
On patrol: A police officer patrols the beach where amusement rides lie mangled after the Fun Town pier they sat on was destroyed by Superstorm Sandy
Rescue effort: Rescue workers stand around a home wrecked by Superstorm Sandy in Seaside Heights
Homes devastated: Homes wrecked by Superstorm Sandy sit amongst sand washed ashore in Seaside Heights
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