Back-to-back disasters show cell gaps

NF Reporter · 05-27-2007, 07:49 PM

AP - The response by emergency workers following a tornado that ripped through Greensburg recently shared at least one thing with the reaction to a massive ice storm in January that downed power lines for days in the same region.

Full Story...

waltky · 07-10-2008, 06:12 AM

Granny says, "Dat's right - rapture gonna come an' all dem lefty libs gonna get left behind...

Record natural disaster deaths
July 09, 2008 - NATURAL disasters killed at least 150,000 people in the first half of this year, more than in the whole of 2004 when south-east Asia was struck by a tsunami, a top insurer said today.

Quote:

The figures came from German re-insurance group Munich Re which warned that the pattern this year fitted a trend of worsening weather-driven catastrophes, and the company called for increased efforts to fight climate change. Specialists at the German group recorded about 400 natural catastrophes in the first half of 2008, with overall losses so far estimated at $US50 billion ($52.48 billion). In 2007, a total of 960 disasters caused about $US82 billion in damage, of which $US30 billion was covered by insurance.

In Burma, the cyclone Nargis killed 138,000 people in early May, and in mid-May an earthquake left 69,200 dead or missing in China, the company said in a statement. Munich Re board member Torsten Jeworrek said that "risk awareness and measures designed to afford protection against such catastrophes in highly exposed regions must be given high priority''. In China's Sichuan Province for example, that meant "adapting'' building regulations, he said.

The first half of this year has been marked by "a large number of weather-related natural catastrophes'', the statement said. "To this extent, the year is following the long-term trend towards more weather catastrophes, which is influenced by climate change,'' Mr Jeworrek said.

"In the US, there have never been so many tornadoes recorded in the first six months of a year'', the statement said. Billions of dollars in damage was also caused by "heavy rain and hail and subsequent flooding in Iowa and other Midwest states.'' For Peter Hoeppe, head of the insurer's Geo Risks Research unit said the battle against climate change called for ambitious measures.

Record natural disaster deaths | NEWS.com.au Business

waltky · 08-31-2008, 02:23 AM

How to keep in touch when disaster strikes...

Tips for staying connected in disasters
Fri., Aug. 29, 2008 - Preparation is key if you want keep stay in touch when the worst happens

Quote:

* Keep your cell phones charged. Buy extra batteries if you can, and remember to charge them.

* A car adapter will let you recharge from the car battery if power goes out.

* Keep phones and batteries dry in a waterproof plastic bag.

* Program numbers for relatives, friends, emergency responders and insurance companies into your phones.

* Landline phones may work even if the electricity goes out, since they're powered through the phone line itself. However, those lines are vulnerable to wind and water.

* If disaster strikes, both landline and wireless networks may be overloaded. The capacity for text messages is higher, so use those instead, and free up voice capacity for emergency calls. Sprint Nextel Corp. recommends customers who have push-to-talk phones to use that service.

* If you need to evacuate, forward your home phone calls to your cell phone.

Tips for staying connected in disasters - Wireless - MSNBC.com

See also:

Phone companies plan backups for Gustav
Fri., Aug. 29, 2008 - Carriers faced criticism and a regulatory push after Hurricane Katrina

Quote:

The tropical storm bearing down on the Gulf Coast could be a test for the country's wireless carriers, which faced criticism and a regulatory push after Hurricane Katrina took out networks. Verizon Wireless has spent $137 million in the past year on enhancing its network in the Gulf Coast area, including doubling its capacity at regional switching centers to handle a barrage of calls when disaster strikes.

"Certainly there were lessons to be learned from Katrina," Verizon Wireless spokeswoman Gretchen LeJeune said. "Preparation for bad weather has been at the top of mind and we prepare for it all year." AT&T Inc., the main landline phone company in the region and the country's largest wireless carrier, has also added capacity, among a raft of preparations and upgrades to its Gulf Coast infrastructure over several years. It has replaced some cables that are vulnerable to flooding with waterproof ones. Optical fiber has replaced copper wiring, which can short out when wet.

Tropical Storm Gustav was near Jamaica on Friday, and forecasters said it could hit the Louisiana coast at the beginning of next week as a major hurricane. If so, wireless networks would have two main vulnerabilities. The cell towers may be unhurt by the buffeting winds of a hurricane, but to keep working, each one needs electrical power and a connection to the larger network, usually via landline. After Katrina, the Federal Communications Commission seized on the power issue, and sought to mandate that almost all cell sites in the U.S. have at least eight hours of backup power in the event main power fails.

More Phone companies plan backups for Gustav - Wireless - MSNBC.com