I've seen in several places snarky comments about the after-effects of Sandy; it being a "measly Category 1", New York not knowing how to handle it, suck it up and move on, etc.
You know something? Fuck you.
No, seriously, FUCK YOU.
You're right, people weren't as prepared as they could or should have been. Neither was New Orleans.
You're right, the death toll thus far hasn't been extreme - but then again, one is too many, regardless of where the storm is.
Our buildings aren't built to hurricane codes. Roofs come off, basements and cellars (those are rooms under the house, where you southerners normally have skirting around the frame) flood, foundations crumble, and things come apart. Will people rebuild to hurricane code? Probably not. It's a lot of extra cost for a hundred-year storm.
NYC is shut down while mass transit comes back online. Ten MILLION people live and work there. I just googled "New Orleans subway". It gave the address of several places I can get a healthy sandwich.
Next month, let's dump a foot of snow on Alabama and see what happens. It's only a measly foot of snow. I thought you Southerners were tough.
ETA: Andie has this to say in comments, and she's bang-on:
Regardless of the NATURE of the disaster, the lack of adequate PREPARATION on the parts of those hit, the DAMAGE has been done, and now it is (IMHO) about getting the areas hit back into some semblance of order for daily living. It isn't about being snarky, pointing fingers, or political haymaking.
7 comments:
Zer, the point is, everybody in the NE pointed and laughed at how 'stupid' the South was... Now that the shoe is on the other foot, it's pinching a bit. And no question ONE death is too many, but by the same token, in the middle of the storm is NOT the time to decide to run with your kids just because the power went out... At that point IT'S TOO LATE. And very few decided to prepare, because they 'assumed' the gubbermint would fix everything the next morning. THAT is not our fault, that is the local's fault...
I don't remember hearing any laughing when Katrina hit. And you and I know that during the storm is way too late to prepare... but laughing about it ain't right either.
(And now NJ is reportedly not allowing in lineworkers because they're not union... way to go, guys.)
I was leaving Vegas when Katrina was heading to NO, and watched, horrified, when three men were told by ticket agents they could not go home to help their families evacuate because there were no flights into the area (closest they could get was Dallas and all tickets were booked). I listened to tons of folks up here in ME say this would be "all sound and fury signifying nothing" for us. And yet, I worried for all those I knew in all of the projected hit paths...NJ, NC, ME, MA, etc.
I hear both of your points on this, but here is what really gets me in all of this. Regardless of the NATURE of the disaster, the lack of adequate PREPARATION on the parts of those hit, the DAMAGE has been done, and now it is (IMHO) about getting the areas hit back into some semblance of order for daily living. It isn't about being snarky, pointing fingers, or political haymaking.
I know, I know, it is the nature of the societal beast, but I would like think that after all of the pounding the USA has taken in the past two decades, natural or human, we would get a bit beyond the posturing. I admit, I am a dreamer, but hey, sometimes it feels like that's all there is.
'Cause we all know the wheels of the gov't grind however it best pleases them running it--and that ain't us.
Well, on the other side of the Storm, I went w/o power for 60 hours, because we sent our Ohio Lineman to the East Coast. And yes, I was preppared, and so were most of my Neighbors. Amazing what those who have to face Snow Belt Blizzards every year have ready to go, as you well know. Yet some of our neighborhoods here in Greater Cleveland will still be down until next week, and we are more than happy to use Non-Union Thugs from Duke Energy from the Carolinas to bring back the Juice.
And one of my Wife's Cousins Beach House on the Jersey Shore no longer exists, because the whole Frackin' Town is Gone. Good thing is they were 30 miles inland when the Storm hit.
And let's not forget the Storm could have hit ANYWHERE from Va. Beach to Boston. So how well do you think things would be if that Bitch Sandy came right up the Potomac and hit D.C. instead of Jersey? Lord, the MSM would be whinging 24/7!
So for me, my Heart goes out to the ordinary people caught up in the Mess, and my Wrath is going to Mickey Bloomberg for NOT keeping the City Shut Down until Everyone was out of Harm's Way, the Subways were Totally Repaired, Electricity was Restored, and Food and Gasoline was Topped Off. But to run the Frackin' NYC Marathon? While Rescue crews are still Evacuating Old People from High Rises?
Fuck Bloomberg.
Oh, guess what Obama is doing? He's going to be at Lakeland Community College, about 8 miles from my House for a "Campaign Rally" on Saturday.
And they said Bush didn't give a damn.
If you say "it cant happen here" then you are going to be part of the problem when it does.
If you think it can happen here, and put forth even a half assed prep effort, you'll be fine.
Temps in the 50s and no juice from ConEd isn't exactly a crisis... Not saying I'd expect every apartment dweller to have a gen, but having batteries charged and groceries and water stock isn't challenging.
I was too close to Katrina recovery, some of that still rattles around my brain, but I am keeping a comparative eye on this.
And if you aren't letting in non-union line crews, you clearly can afford the luxury to DIAF.
I have some sympathy for Mayor Bloomberg's feeling that New York "needed" the Marathon as a morale booster, but I think when he initially made that decision he was gravely underestimating the amount of time the recovery would take. He was then just a little too stubborn about it for a little too long, but he eventually made the right decision.
New Orleans very much needed Jazz Fest to boost morale after Katrina, but that was something like seven months later, not five days.
I was taken aback the other day by a friend from Metairie (outside NOLA) opining that this was a shame, but nothing like what the Gulf Coast has faced over and over, and she wishes her area got this kind of sympathy. I pretty much just stopped talking.
Best thing I've seen in the last several days? Governor Christie and President Obama working together, effectively, damn the party divide. I wish our government officials could do more of that.
Yeah, I have heard from other friends that live in Jersey it is pretty bad.
Sorry some people have been jerks!
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