评论者：Helene Lavoix

Helene Lavoix — Wed, 20 Sep 2017 09:31:46 +0000

Thank you Gene! First of all, we at RTAS are glad you are safe and have suffered only mild damages.
Thanks again for sharing your first hand experience of Irma, with such a keen eye on consequences and lessons learned.
It is also very interesting – and it seems to me an asset of the U.S. – to see that the lessons of Katrina (among others?) have been understood and transformed into actions. Not sure that many states and countries would have the willingness to do so.

评论者：Gene V

Gene V — Wed, 20 Sep 2017 03:22:11 +0000

A Report from Ground Zero – As always, Dr. Valantin’s articles are on point. This one comes particularly close to home for me, as a retired US Coast Guard officer, I have responded, lived through, cleaned up after and prepared for hurricanes from Andrew to unnamed white gales … We are fine here in central Florida, with my family suffering only minor damage (~$20-30k) from Irma. So, I was an eyewitness to and just took part of the 2nd largest mass evacuation of modern times – about 6.3 million or more Floridians left in a matter of days – I went to Jackson, Mississippi as my nephew, whose house was destroyed by Harvey, was still at my sister’s house in North Houston. The rest of my family also scattered at my urging – some went to visit family in Tennessee, one went to Alaska on a cruise, and one to Hawaii… my son in Orlando was the only one that stayed – in a concrete block house with a steel roof – no damage, but no power for a week. BTW, by my research, the only larger evacuation was the Yangtze River floods in China at about 15M.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-hurricane-irma-numbers-20170912-htmlstory.html
So how did this disaster look from Ground Zero? This was an expected direct hit by a Category 4/5 hurricane to likely the most prepared location in the world for this kind of disaster. The forecasts led many to think it would go to the Florida East Coast, then the predictions slipped to the West Coast, and finally it actually went right up the middle. So, first lesson is – leave room for movement – predictions are just that, and they may get better, or worse – for you! Second, hurricanes are big! Irma was literally the size of France – and Florida is only a third of that size.
The state did an incredible job managing traffic, sheltering people with more than 585 shelters open throughout Florida safely holding a total population of more than 200,000 individuals. More than 90 special needs shelters were open with a total population of more than 17,000 individuals, and hundreds of nursing homes, hospitals, and gas stations with emergency generators required after 2004 kept people safe and moving. The Highway Patrol and police were everywhere, maintaining order and movement. The ultimate capability for mass evacuation of “counter-flow” – making major highways one way out – was not used, allowing power, utility, emergency medical, national guard and first responder vehicles could continue to flow into the areas for pre-positioning.
The state, federal and commercial response was amazing… but it also highlights how complex a system we live in. On my return, the food stores were virtually empty. Signs on the highway told returning evacuees where to find gas, and police monitored the queues. At home, the Home Depot store was open, but tarps, concrete screws, plywood, generators were virtually impossible to find. I took a picture of the Home Depot – the sign damaged, the tatters of the US Flag flying above, with only the field of stars intact, flying like the jack on the bow of a ship underway from a tough mission. Ten days later, power, water, hygiene, food, and construction supplies are streaming in and rebuilding is underway, as the damage is assessed and plans made. Where else in the world could this be done? Still, the enormity of the task, and the realization that we all walk such a fine line of disaster, should bring us all pause, and help us to focus on the future we all will face. The lessons learned here must be shared, so that globally people can be safer and better prepared for the challenges that will come, and the disasters that will be in tomorrow’s news, be it mudslides in Puerto Rico, floods in the South China Sea region, or earthquakes in Mexico. Semper Paratus!

"气候变化：漫长的行星轰炸》的评论

评论者：Helene Lavoix

评论者：Gene V