Tuesday, November 13, 2012

The Destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy-2

Town after town on the Jersey shore has been destroyed. Even the famous Atlantic City boardwalk was destroyed. Towns near the Hudson River like Hoboken, Jersey City and even downtown Manhattan was inhabitable for a few days (Hoboken is a different story since it will take a long time to recuperate). Transportation system was disrupted (more on that in my other post) and people were unable to go to work or get heat for quite a number of days. Although utility crews from other stays have come to help the East Coast and the Federal government has aggressively stepped in to provide relief, aid and loans to the affected people and businesses but after all is said and done, what about the future strategy in regard to these kinds of disasters. I fear that nothing will be done, judging by the statements the politicians have been saying. They are vowing to build the towns as they were before but at what cost? I can understand the sentimentality of the towns but what would happen the next time the disaster strikes. We can build again but to have it away from the beach which seems impossible since the people love their beaches and oceans. I love it too but as they say once bitten, twice shy, why take the risk. As for the towns which can be rebuilt faster, there seems to an urgent need to protect it from the rivers that may breach their banks by erecting huge levees. I know it will cost money but if not done the next it will cost twice as much to recover from the loss. But as another saying goes, time is the biggest healer and memories will fade till the next time the nature strikes again.

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