Have I mentioned yet how much I love storm watching? Probably a result of growing up in Oklahoma, dodging tornadoes. There’s just something about swirling clouds that fascinates me. The more I learn about storms, the more they fascinate me. Fronts, pressure, water in all it’s forms, clouds with names I can barely pronounce. They simultaneously exemplify the progress made with science and instruments of measurement, while maintaining the massive superiority of chaos, chance and Mother Nature.
So, of course, I’ve been very interested in Sandy. Thanks Jarhead for all the updates! A hurricane, melding with a winter storm front, full moon, high tide and all smashing into the most populated corridor of our country. Yea, I’m hooked. Beyond the cool new weather jargon, “Post-tropical,” “Hybrid vortex,” it’s interesting to catch glimpses of the different human responses. Stoic – I’ve been through worse, I’ll stay on my barrier island. Clueless – I’ve got tape on my windows and I’ve pulled the candles out, what more do I need? To the ever popular, newsperson on the beach, shouting over the wind and rain, which has even crossed into the radio-sphere; as that is how I get most of my current event updates.
The prepper in me is hoping for something interesting to happen, whether it’s a prolonged power outage or infrastructure failure. I say that, not because I’m hoping for someone else’s misery, but because I’m interested to see what the response is. Will barrier island refugees give a bad name to the shelter in place types? Will we see anything like we saw in Katrina? With complacent New Yorkers (or Manhattanites) discovering their sense of security is false as a 10 foot high surge crashes into their borough? Is there enough food in New York to hold everyone over until electricity comes back on? What about water, it’s not like there are any hand pumps in Times Square.
There’s a bit of disconnect though, for me. Iowa won’t get a drop of rain from this event. As I sit here in the peace and calm (well as calm as it ever gets with a toddler and a baby) I know there are 50 million people who are going to have a VERY long, VERY hard night. On the other hand, I know I will feel some effects , with 2 refineries shutdown now, as well as ports closed and planes grounded, I’m likely to see prices increase on some things until the East coast is up and running again.
Hurricane Sandy is beginning to have a noticeable economic impact on the U.S., forcing major oil producers to cease operations in their refineries in the North East. With Sandy expected to traverse a path that hosts 6.5% of the nation’s total refining capacity, and tight supplies due to regulation, prices for refined products could surge to new highs. Amid thin trading and illiquid markets, prices for gasoline and heating oil are already on the rise and are expected to move higher. Forbes
Not great news as we move into winter.
Some closing thoughts on this slightly meandering post. Do you have any weather forecasting equipment? Do you know how to use it? You can tell a lot from simple barometric pressure and wind speed. It could save you some heartache later.
Stay safe out there y’all.
- Calamity Jane
Having been raised in Florida, to me a hurricane is just another storm, only longer duration. Sandy went right overhead, and to me, was no big deal. I know enough not to live on a flood plain, and have all my preps in place.
To those who have not had the pleasure, as a child, I got to experience a well defined “eye”. After the front passed, we walked out into this well of calm and watched as the back wall approached, then went back inside until the rest passed.
This does not mean take risks, use sense and stay safe.
Ah the “storm watchers”, here on the coast of MS. we get some awesome storm’s, to watch the darkness overshadow in the day, the sights, the sound’s, watching others in panic mode, ahem ! We have amazing electrical storms out in the gulf in the summers that are beautiful and can only be experienced live. A great time for those indoor catch up chores, planning for planting season, twekking weaponry, and the gentler art of reading, Finished the Founder by JWR, dun know what he was thinking when he wrote that but I donated to his cause on that one,,,, one of late that I bought, a recommendation from this site, Beyond Collaspe, it’s been three dayz since the last page and I am still looking to find my sock’s that got blown off, there are thoughts in that book that never would have entered into my mind, some repulsive, some so obvious I kick myself for missing them, others, well the others I hope one never has to deal with it all, but what a total package in one book, the author has a free ebook, look on past posts here at SHTF for the link, I did download it but bought the book for reference, highlighting and copying lists, easier to find things for me from a book then scrolling about to get back to a thought or list or….. I see where if I had not been prepared and already thinking as a prepper I’d of lost more then my sock’s getting blown away by the topic’s, no way to thank yall for this recommendation on this book, well there is ways and I shall but you know it is beyond an awesome read, these thoughts, ideas, will be life savers…. “C”
One of the most useful pieces of equipment is my smart phone. I use the weather radar to keep an eye on things when I’m working outside. If I’m on the road when there is a snow storm on the way it also gives me an idea when I should head home. I know that’s not what you meant. I use a home barometer for giggles. As the bard once said “you don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.”. I’m also interested in how the ‘old timers’ tell the weather coming, or indigenous people and the farmers almanac. One of the guys I hay with says when there is no dew in the morning it will rain that day. Anybody heard stuff like that?
Our share of Sandy hit last night in northwestern Ohio with a scream like a banshee. We ended with about four inches of snow, several downed trees and no power, restored now, obviously. Much better off than the people on the coast, but I was surprised it was able to sustain that much power crossing the Appalachians. We’re from Kansas, originally, and are also fascinated with cloud watching. The storm was equal to a moderal winter storm, and we were adequately prepared with enough split wood for the stove and sufficient food for two weeks, and if you don’t mind boring repetition, enough for a month. We always have this, and more, on hand, but I did buy three gallons of milk and an extra dozen eggs in case the girls were disturbed. This will make it more difficult for the farmers to plant wheat and harvest what little corn and soys are left out there, so watch for higher prices next year. Three bad years in a row mean much higher commodity costs. Also watch for the government to deny this is some fashion.
Well done Calamity Jane:
My high hope is that some of the 200+ million Americans not caught in the path of hurricane Sandy will get the message and begin to prepare for a natural or terrorist-caused disaster.
Right on Jarhead0 WRITE ON!
“Yoda’s Little Knopwn Tactics To Avoid Being A Target.”
http://www.magnifiedview.com
Criminy sakes Yoda, give it a rest with the lame comments, constant & obvious attempts to cannibalize readers for your sensationalist type blog. All you do is exacerbate the worry & fear mindset & that is a sign of someone who is out of control in my opinion.
If they are “Yoda’s little known tactics” why on earth would I want to learn something that you know so little about??!
Think about it ….
Right on Jason. Write on!
That made me laugh out loud!
Yoda:
glad to see you’re learning to tell the difference between Jarhead and Calamity Jane. Hope you have a thick skin also, because interweb commenters can be brutal sometimes.
I’m just happy its not us, I get all the storm watching I want every tornado season.
“The prepper in me is hoping for something interesting to happen, whether it’s a prolonged power outage or infrastructure failure.”
You are an idiot.
Hmmm.. “hoping” was the wrong verb to use there.
I don’t think I’m an idiot for being interested in how things fail. Stop back by tomorrow, I’ll expound on that point and see if I can redeem myself.
tom,
Reading comprehension 101 -
“The prepper in me is hoping for something interesting to happen, whether it’s a prolonged power outage or infrastructure failure.”
Then the next sentence followed with:
”I say that, not because I’m hoping for someone else’s misery, but because I’m interested to see what the response is.”
Then followed with several qualifying questions to justify statement #1.
Curiosity isn’t a bad thing.
Maybe you were a bit quick to attach the idiot label or maybe it backfired.
The upper-air steering pattern that is part of the puzzle is not all that unheard of. It happens when the atmosphere gets blocked over the Atlantic and the flow over the U.S. doubles back on itself. Sometimes big winter storms are involved.
any big storm is thrill to watch, until it gets too close. YMMV.
I didn’t wish for anyone to be hurt. I’m sure you never have either.
this time I got a chance to use some of my preps. it didn’t go as smoothly as I would have hoped, but we got by. lots of people have it much worse, tonight.
There is nothing wrong with being able to recognize the beauty, in a storm.