Those places aren't completely absent electricity for the next six months to a year. Compared to PR, the damage in the USVI is minimal - they still have basic services in place and operating.
OT: Maria devastates Puerto Rico, but is unlikely to make US east coast landfall
- Thread starter RU848789
- Start date
Those places aren't completely absent electricity for the next six months to a year. Compared to PR, the damage in the USVI is minimal - they still have basic services in place and operating.
They have been activated and are on there way right now if they haven't already landed, like today. PR has their own branch National Guard as well. FEMA went there ahead of time.
Fortunately, there's near total consensus now that Maria will weaken considerably and remain well off the US east coast in the next 5-7 days and then be gone. The chances of an east coast landfall or even a very close approach (<100 miles) are probably <5% (or even <1%) at this point - and even if there were a close approach (NC being the most likely closest approach point), Maria is likely to be down to 70-80 mph in 5-6 days, due to shear and colder waters.
Still need to watch Maria, just in case something very unusual happens, like the trough expected to reach the east coast mid-next week, kicking Maria well out to sea, slowing down very unexpectedly - this would allow Maria to come closer to the coast. But for now, the only likely impacts for NC to NJ to Cape Cod to the Canadian Maritimes are heavy seas/surf and riptides starting this weekend and lasting through mid-week.
Also, there are no obvious next tropical systems, so hopefully we can get a break, but we are still in the height of the tropical season, through at least mid-October (the season officially ends at the end of Nov).
Still need to watch Maria, just in case something very unusual happens, like the trough expected to reach the east coast mid-next week, kicking Maria well out to sea, slowing down very unexpectedly - this would allow Maria to come closer to the coast. But for now, the only likely impacts for NC to NJ to Cape Cod to the Canadian Maritimes are heavy seas/surf and riptides starting this weekend and lasting through mid-week.
Also, there are no obvious next tropical systems, so hopefully we can get a break, but we are still in the height of the tropical season, through at least mid-October (the season officially ends at the end of Nov).
Puerto Rico Faces Mountain of Obstacles on the Road to Recovery
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/21/us/hurricane-maria-puerto-rico-recovery.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/21/us/hurricane-maria-puerto-rico-recovery.html
Thanks to you and RU4Real. The linked story suggests that even a foot of additional storm surge can be very damaging in low-lying areas. Comments about that or the piece in general?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...term=.27e671840ee3&wpisrc=nl_energy202&wpmm=1
If a foot of additional storm surge is very damaging in low-lying areas, then so is a) any nor'easter, currently, b) astronomical high tide.
Sea Bright is a good example. Sea Bright floods when some random dolphin sneezes off the coast of Sandy Hook. It's a nice little town, and all, but... it probably shouldn't be there.
Here's the way I look at it. If you would get a foot of flooding vs. no flooding at all, well then, yeah, that extra foot really makes a big difference, whereas if it's 8' vs. 9' of flooding, does it really matter? Either one is catastrophic. And as 4Real and I have been saying, the bigger issue probably is the fact that we've allowed so many people to build in areas prone to tidal and/or river flooding (or build poorly, i.e., without raising the house).
Personally, I'd have policies that, at most, allow a one time insurance payment/bailout for catastrophic flooding, but would not allow rebuilding in the same place (or at least not without serious mitigation in any rebuild, which seems to be what NJ has done post-Sandy on the flooded barrier islands/near shores). Repeatedly bailing people out is a sign that housing shouldn't be there in the first place.
The article suggests that the extra foot can at times make a big difference; that the flooding of lower Manhattan from Sandy would not have occurred at 1912 ocean levels around New York.
Much of lower Manhattan is comprised of fill. The flooding from Sandy also probably would not have occurred if Manhattan, today, was topologically the same is it was when we bought it from the Dutch.
Well, tonight's models made a pretty big move west, with the UK even making an Outer Banks landfall as a tropical storm, I think, while the Euro and GFS both bring Maria within 50-100 miles of the OBX as probably a minimal hurricane, before making a sharp, fast ENE turn out to sea. Not worried for our area, but now the OBX has to sweat this one out a bit. Let's see what the NHC says at 5 am and what the models say tomorrow, before getting too worked up.
I have a real stupid, geography question that is related to this. I'm used to US rivers flowing south (Hudson, Delaware, Mississippi, etc.) because thats where the ocean/gulf is. The dam that broke up is a 22 minute drive from my parents house in Quebradillas in NW PR and I never really played attention what flowed where down there. It is a mountainous area so obviously water will flow towards valleys. But does the water from the dam going to flow north towards the Caribbean?
Sorry for the stupid question but I haven't heard squat from down there since Tuesday and nobody heard/seen anything.
Thanks.
North towards the Atlantic not the Caribbean . The river flows from the mountains inland towards the sea . The dam is on the north side of the lake that would indicated the river flow is south to north
Got my geography mixed up with the Caribbean and the Atlantic, my fault. With all else that going on down there, I was afraid the dam will flow northward towards my folks.
Thanks.
There is a river in the continental U.S. that flows north: it is the St. John's River in Florida. Florida boosters call it "the Nile of America." So there is no rule that rivers emptying into the Atlantic must flow south.
If you can't read spanish use the translate plugin: https://www.elnuevodia.com/noticias...onitoreandolarepresadellagoguajataca-2359847/
The dam did not break yet.
In a manner of speaking. There are TS warnings up for the NC cape region. Maria should pass well offshore of that area tomorrow night as it weakens to a tropical storm. It's doubtful the winds will be much of a factor in the area of Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds, which corresponds to the warning area. As was the case with Jose, heavy surf, beach erosion and potential flooding at high tide will be the greatest impacts.
By Saturday Maria is forecast to have turned sharply ENE and be well out into the Atlantic.
Your town now has power from what I understand, have you been able to contact your family?
Do you know if rip currents will be an issue, and when the current rip currents should subside? Water rescue teams, fire dept/EMS were quite busy this past weekend- over 30 rescues in Monmouth County.
Yeah, I was following the action over the weekend.
Rip currents are an issue whenever there's increased onshore water flow, so yes, they will continue to be a problem. Probably right up through the weekend, albeit subsiding a bit in the Friday / Saturday range.
Mother Nature is cruel. Brutally hot weekend, beaches were packed, water is warm, but you can't swim. I ventured in at dead low tide yesterday late afternoon with a boogie board, but would not go in past 3 feet deep. The pull of the rip tide was strong.
Coast Guard out of Pt Pleasant also seemed really busy Sat and Sun. Came flying out the inlet heading north both days.
I heard from relatives this morning that my parents and two uncles are fine at their house. Apparently their house withstood the storm but there's no electricity, water, power and the roads are F'ed in biblical proportions.
Forgive me for not being happy since I still have to make sure they're ok by hearing their voices asap. Esp with all the stuff going on down there.
Tico, we're all glad your family members survived the storm. And no one doubts that the road ahead is going to be terribly hard.
Thank you. My sister and i been trying for years to get them to move up to Philly with her. Knowing them, they're still would be too stubborn to come back up north.
I understand; it's good for elderly parents to have children nearby. But every family is different.
I haven't heard directly from my parents or family yet.
I have heard indirectly that they are fine and they actually have running water. No electricity, no phones and no cell phone towers yet. Roads pretty bad but it is worse in other places.
My parents will never leave. Being from Puerto Rico is like having state pride on steroids. They want to live there for the rest of their days. I am hoping to at least get them to stay here until everything is back up and running. But I am going to have to be able to speak with them 1st and the airlines have to actually start running again.
I have heard indirectly that they are fine and they actually have running water. No electricity, no phones and no cell phone towers yet. Roads pretty bad but it is worse in other places.
My parents will never leave. Being from Puerto Rico is like having state pride on steroids. They want to live there for the rest of their days. I am hoping to at least get them to stay here until everything is back up and running. But I am going to have to be able to speak with them 1st and the airlines have to actually start running again.
Yeah. something you don't think about. I heard there is a maximum of 4 flights per hour because of security concerns and many air traffic controllers were evacuated to the mainland prior to Maria hitting the island.
Very limited flights in and out of the international airports in San Juan and Aguadilla. More flights may be added on Monday.
We have a factory in Puerto Rico in Las Piedras about 5-10 miles NNW of where Maria made landfall, in Yabucoa. I have a few friends who I worked with a bunch over the years, who are at that facility and I haven't heard from them yet, due to all the power/communications issues. I've heard they got hit pretty bad, though, as one would expect in the northern eyewall of the storm, before it got too far inland and weakened.
Best of luck to all of you who are either there (and probably not able to read this) or have relatives there.
Best of luck to all of you who are either there (and probably not able to read this) or have relatives there.
Cavalry is on the way...
What the FDNY IMT is/does
What NY State Task Force One is/does
FDNY Facebook pics
Both Units have already been to Houston, Florida and now Puerto Rico. Regular firemen will be heading down soon to Puerto Rico to do whatever else is needed.
What the FDNY IMT is/does
What NY State Task Force One is/does
FDNY Facebook pics
Both Units have already been to Houston, Florida and now Puerto Rico. Regular firemen will be heading down soon to Puerto Rico to do whatever else is needed.
Last edited:
Have not heard anything from or about my folks since the other day. The only consistent news I have been following is through various Hurricane Maria/Puerto Rico FB and CBS News Reporter David Begnaud, who has been doing Yeomen work with his reporting. The videos he has put up on his FB and IG pages makes you say WTF??? Is going on down there.
All I'm going to say is that Puerto Rican Gov Russello has not looked good during the crisis while San Juan Mayor Cruz has been trying her damdest to get things done. But both has had their hands tied behind their backs because of red tape.
All I'm going to say is that Puerto Rican Gov Russello has not looked good during the crisis while San Juan Mayor Cruz has been trying her damdest to get things done. But both has had their hands tied behind their backs because of red tape.
