e-Vents

[ Thursday ]

People, and the institutions operated by them, along the Gulf Coast have decades of dealing with tropical cyclones. There are procedures in place for dealing with evacuations, power outages, flooding, traffic control, healthcare, food and water distribution, property protection, post-storm cleanup, and a variety of other issues.

In the mid-Atlantic and tri-state area, some of these procedures are in place, but eleven years after 9/11, New York City and parts of New Jersey seemed to have few contingency plans for an event like Sandy.

News reports stated that approximately 25 percent of cell towers in the affected area were inoperative.
Officials stated that more than half of the gasoline stations in the New York City and New Jersey area were shut down due to lack of power for the pumps and/or the inability to get resupplied with gasoline. Generators sat idle without fuel.
Wall Street (NYSE, NASDAQ, etc.) closed for two days in an era where redundant systems, satellite locations, backup power, and contingency plans for workers such as telecommuting, are the norm.
In New York City, subways were flooded, rail lines obstructed by debris and pleasure boats, buildings with basement located generators were flooded, construction cranes were not properly secured, hospitals evacuated due to loss of power, etc.
Coastal communities on Long Island and along the Jersey shore were isolated, and police and fire services could not access some areas due to high water and debris.

One has to wonder why the system has failed us once again.

What will be the cost of the stock exchanges being closed, and the cost to the companies trading on them?
Why did the telecommunications companies fail once again to have systems in place (mobile towers, storm-proof systems, etc.)?
Why did major hospitals such as Bellevue have power losses and flooded fuel pumps?
Why aren't fuel distribution points established in advance of potential emergencies?
What is NYC's contingency transportation plan in the wake of 9/11, and why didn't it work during this crisis?

According to several reports, the expected cost of Sandy could be $50 Billion, including lost opportunities. While the concern expressed by the politicians and government officials appears genuine, we have to wonder how fleeting it will be when the cameras are turned off and the news media moves on to the next subject.

MM [09:05]