The East Coast could not wait to say, “Goodnight Irene,” and
what a storm it was. Damage estimates are still escalating
and expected to perhaps top any natural disaster in the past.
I watched as the storm terrorized the East Coast. So many of
the areas in its path were familiar to me from my travels in
the various areas, and we had family members threatened.
The first day, the Weather Channel devoted 10 minutes each
hour, and soon most of the major news channels began to join
in. By the second day, it was confirmed the storm would impact
the East Coast. It had hit Puerto Rico, leaving a large amount
of damage as it headed toward our mainland.
As
the storm came ashore on day three, weather and news reporters
began discussing how bad its impact would be. Past storms
recalled included the 1938 one, the most devastating on
record along
the East Coast. The many nor’easters were also recounted.
On the fourth day, the second-guessing was over as damage
reports from North Carolina and Virginia were described.
TV
coverage showed areas like Atlantic City’s boardwalk
that had never before totally shut down and boarded up. The
storm was leaving a trail of damage as tornados were spun off
of it. Speculation ran high about what would happen when it
arrived in New York City. That city’s mayor took extraordinary
measures to ensure his citizens’ safety by ordering
hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers from low-lying areas
to evacuate.
As the storm continued, rain became the worst danger as it
swelled every waterway the storm visited. New York had little
damage, but when the storm hit Connecticut flooding became
a serious issue, with every river and creek overflowing its
banks into crowded neighborhoods. The storm kept heading north
into the state of Vermont, with its hills and mountains. By
this time, runoffs were beyond control, bridges and roads were
swept away, leaving entire towns stranded without power or
communications.
While
I continue to watch the aftermath coverage of the storm,
the damage and death counts continue to
rise.
Bloomberg’s
online Businessweek quoted New Jersey’s Gov. Chris Christie
as he bluntly ordered: “Get the hell off the
beach.”
They
noted his remarks after the storm passed. “I want
to make one thing really clear for the folks who will now say, ‘Well,
there wasn’t abject destruction up and down the coastline,
and therefore we shouldn’t have left.’ Let me tell
you, those types of second-guessers won’t
be tolerated. We saved lives.”
I sure wish he was running the country instead of New Jersey.
Coverage
has now turned to finding funding to restore the massive
areas of damaged infrastructure which
can only mean JOBS – WORK.
They may not be cushy jobs behind a desk, but there will be
plenty of them. Those on government funding should be required
to sign up for the work needed to be done if they are physically
fit. It should not matter what their rank or degree held is.
If they don’t apply they should lose
their federal assistance for good. They need
to get
off the couch,
turn off the electronic
toys and go to work. As bad as this natural
disaster was, it can provide a benefit if it
puts people
to work who
are draining
our resources.
As
I see it, many of us who helplessly watched as Irene threatened,
then struck, with such
deadly force
were
grateful our family
and friends in its path were spared. It’s
hard to believe the hurricane season has
yet to reach
its peak,
which is
mid-September.