Hurricane Sandy: Resources, Guides, and Information With #HurricaneSandy already flooding streets ...
Hurricane Sandy: Resources, Guides, and Information
With #HurricaneSandy already flooding streets [1] and causing damage [2] in #NYC due to the effects of the combined hurricane, western stormfront, and full-moon tides [3], I wanted to take just a quick moment to collect some resources related to the storm. I have quite a few friends directly in the path of the storm (ahem, +Sharon Strandskov!) and I want to urge everyone to stay safe. Make no illusion, this storm is serious business: take a look at the attached photo to see a comparison to Hurricane Irene.
As always, preparedness is key. If you're in the path of the storm and haven't yet found your battery-powered radio, it's strongly recommend that you do so now while you have the light, as both your Internet and cell signals are likely to be interrupted. If you haven't stocked up on water and [non-perishable] food, it's a bit late and you're going to have to hunker down and hope for the best.
Course of Action:
From the FEMA Guidelines [4]:
1) Listen to the radio or TV for information. [ed.: or FEMA's Twitter [5]]
2) Secure your home, close storm shutters, and secure outdoor objects or bring them indoors.
3) Turn off utilities if instructed to do so. Otherwise, turn the refrigerator thermostat to its coldest setting and keep its doors closed.
4) Turn off propane tanks.· Avoid using the phone, except for serious emergencies.
5) Moor your boat if time permits.
6) Ensure a supply of water for sanitary purposes such as cleaning and flushing toilets. Fill the bathtub and other large containers with water.
As an additional tip that I recently learned, you can fill plastic bags with water and put them in your freezer to prepare for extended power/water outages. These will stay cool longer than bottled water in your refrigerator.
If you're in one of the evacuation areas and haven't yet followed the instructions or aren't able to do so, make sure to seek shelter and follow the appropriate guidelines. [4]
Resources:
Google Crisis Map: http://google.org/crisismap/2012-sandy -- this is awesome, and a great central resource keeping up to date.
NOAA Station 44065: http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=44065 -- this is a buoy off the coast of New York tracking the wind speed and direction, if you want direct from-the-source reports.
GOES-14 Satellite Imagery: http://www.ssec.wisc.edu/data/1min/index.php -- Composite satellite imagery from the SSEC program at WISC, on a 1 minute loop.
Weather.gov: http://www.weather.gov/ -- useful for official advisories and up-to-date information, straight from the source.
Weather.com: http://www.weather.com/
Take a moment and look up your local news station's Facebook / Twitter and subscribe, optionally via SMS so that when the power goes out, you still have a method of receiving realtime updates (provided cell coverage doesn't go down / get inundated with emergency requests).
As a bonus, there's a pretty awesome #HTML5 canvas wind visualization demo that updates in realtime [6]. Some pretty slick techniques there, so view the source [Luke].
Feel free to add your own resources in the comments. I'll edit the post to add the most helpful resources.
[1]: http://observer.com/2012/10/gowanus-canal-flooding/
[2]: http://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2012/10/29/crane-dangles-from-nyc-high-rise-clearing-streets
[3]: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2012/10/26/hurricane-sandy-looms-over-the-us/
[4]: http://m.fema.gov/hu_during.htm
[5]: https://twitter.com/fema
[6]: http://hint.fm/wind/
With #HurricaneSandy already flooding streets [1] and causing damage [2] in #NYC due to the effects of the combined hurricane, western stormfront, and full-moon tides [3], I wanted to take just a quick moment to collect some resources related to the storm. I have quite a few friends directly in the path of the storm (ahem, +Sharon Strandskov!) and I want to urge everyone to stay safe. Make no illusion, this storm is serious business: take a look at the attached photo to see a comparison to Hurricane Irene.
As always, preparedness is key. If you're in the path of the storm and haven't yet found your battery-powered radio, it's strongly recommend that you do so now while you have the light, as both your Internet and cell signals are likely to be interrupted. If you haven't stocked up on water and [non-perishable] food, it's a bit late and you're going to have to hunker down and hope for the best.
Course of Action:
From the FEMA Guidelines [4]:
1) Listen to the radio or TV for information. [ed.: or FEMA's Twitter [5]]
2) Secure your home, close storm shutters, and secure outdoor objects or bring them indoors.
3) Turn off utilities if instructed to do so. Otherwise, turn the refrigerator thermostat to its coldest setting and keep its doors closed.
4) Turn off propane tanks.· Avoid using the phone, except for serious emergencies.
5) Moor your boat if time permits.
6) Ensure a supply of water for sanitary purposes such as cleaning and flushing toilets. Fill the bathtub and other large containers with water.
As an additional tip that I recently learned, you can fill plastic bags with water and put them in your freezer to prepare for extended power/water outages. These will stay cool longer than bottled water in your refrigerator.
If you're in one of the evacuation areas and haven't yet followed the instructions or aren't able to do so, make sure to seek shelter and follow the appropriate guidelines. [4]
Resources:
Google Crisis Map: http://google.org/crisismap/2012-sandy -- this is awesome, and a great central resource keeping up to date.
NOAA Station 44065: http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=44065 -- this is a buoy off the coast of New York tracking the wind speed and direction, if you want direct from-the-source reports.
GOES-14 Satellite Imagery: http://www.ssec.wisc.edu/data/1min/index.php -- Composite satellite imagery from the SSEC program at WISC, on a 1 minute loop.
Weather.gov: http://www.weather.gov/ -- useful for official advisories and up-to-date information, straight from the source.
Weather.com: http://www.weather.com/
Take a moment and look up your local news station's Facebook / Twitter and subscribe, optionally via SMS so that when the power goes out, you still have a method of receiving realtime updates (provided cell coverage doesn't go down / get inundated with emergency requests).
As a bonus, there's a pretty awesome #HTML5 canvas wind visualization demo that updates in realtime [6]. Some pretty slick techniques there, so view the source [Luke].
Feel free to add your own resources in the comments. I'll edit the post to add the most helpful resources.
[1]: http://observer.com/2012/10/gowanus-canal-flooding/
[2]: http://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2012/10/29/crane-dangles-from-nyc-high-rise-clearing-streets
[3]: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2012/10/26/hurricane-sandy-looms-over-the-us/
[4]: http://m.fema.gov/hu_during.htm
[5]: https://twitter.com/fema
[6]: http://hint.fm/wind/
Attachments
9 Replies
Replies are automatically detected from social media, including Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. To add a comment, include a direct link to this post in your message and it'll show up here within a few minutes.
There's been a lot of active discussion about the state of AOL's directory project,