Tag Archives: hurricane sandy

Post-Sandy Survey Shows a Polluted but Generally Intact Barrier System off Long Island

By Guest PostDecember 16, 2013Environmentadelphi university, american geophysical union, austin, barrier system, chirp, data, disaster, erosion, galveston, higher frequency, hurricane sandy, jamie austin, john goff, long island, metro area, new york, offshore barrier systems, post sandy survey, sea-level rise, seafloor mapping system, stony brook university, toxin, university of texas

AUSTIN, Texas — As coastal communities continue to rebuild in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, scientists at last week’s annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union offer some encouraging news: The storm did not seriously damage the offshore barrier system that controls erosion on Long Island. Long-term concerns remain about the effects on the region of sea-level rise, pollutants churned up by the storm within back-barrier estuaries, and the damage closer to shore, but in the near-term, Long Island residents can rebuild knowing that Hurricane Sandy did not significantly alter the offshore barrier systems that control coastal erosion on the island. (more…)

UA Sociologist Studies Resiliency in Communities Devastated by Hurricane Sandy

By Guest PostNovember 8, 2013Environmentalabama, bp, brian birke, brian mayer, chesapeake bay, climate change, crisfield, deepwater horizon, eastern shore, eastern shore area, flooding hurricane sandy, florida gulf coast, hurricane sandy, long term recovery, lynn grattan, maryland, oil spill, social network, technological disaster, ua sociologist, university of arizona, university of maryland, washington post

Sociology professor Brian Mayer’s research is part of an $8 million Health and Human Services project focused on long-term recovery.

The disastrous flooding Hurricane Sandy brought to Maryland’s coastal communities left a long road to recovery.

An expert in how communities rebound from large-scale disasters, University of Arizona sociology professor Brian Mayer is working to model the relationship between the resiliency of communities and individuals. (more…)

12 Milestone Microsoft Moments of 2012

By Guest PostDecember 13, 2012Technology2012, bing, digital crime unit, employee giving campaign, halo 4, halo universe, hurricane sandy, kinect for windows, london olympics, master chief, Microsoft, microsoft employees, microsoft office, new bing, principality of liechtenstein, return, social sidebar, sql server, surface pcs, tami reller, top search, windows 8, windows blog, windows phone 8, xbox live, xbox video service, yammer, youth spark, zeus cybercrime operation

As 2012 winds down, here’s a video and slideshow highlighting how Microsoft has built its devices and services foundation for the year ahead.

REDMOND, Wash. — Dec. 13, 2012 — If our online searches reveal anything about us, then Bing’s top searches of 2012 show it’s been a pretty epic year. Take a look at what made the list and you’ll be reminded what a momentous 12 months it has been. We’ve cast our ballots in the presidential election. We’ve rallied together against Hurricane Sandy. And we’ve shared two weeks of inspiration with the world during the London Olympics.

There’s no question that it’s been a momentous year at Microsoft. The company introduced the world to Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8, announced its family of Surface PCs, showcased a new version of Microsoft Office and released “Halo 4,” keeping up a steady rhythm of advancements across its most popular products for individuals and businesses throughout the year. (more…)

After the Storm, Haiti’s Food Situation Looks Bleak

By Guest PostDecember 11, 2012Economy, Environment, Politicsafter the storm, aftermath, agriculture, athena kolbe, bleak outlook, chronic underdevelopment, destruction, economic efforts, Economy, education, employment, farmers, financial assistance, food crisis, food insecurity, haiti leaders, households, hurricane sandy, marie puccio, michigan, natural disaster, natural disasters, political scienc, rain triggered mudslides, robert muggah, southern haiti, university, urban center, village market, violent crime

ANN ARBOR — The aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, which ripped through southern Haiti in October, will extend beyond destruction and injury. The current and future food security looks bleak barring significant intervention during the next year, according to a University of Michigan report.

Rain-triggered mudslides throughout the country from the hurricane has not only washed out homes, but also roadways and bridges—bringing transportation to a near standstill, says Athena Kolbe, the report’s lead author and a U-M doctoral candidate in social work and political science. The natural disaster compounded Haiti’s long struggles to transport enough produce from the countryside to village markets and major urban centers. (more…)

Sandy’s Underwater Sandscapes

By Guest PostNovember 18, 2012Environmentarthur trembanis, artificial reef, autonomous underwater vehicle, auv, broadkill beach, cape henlopen, carter duval, coast, currents, data, delaware, doug miller, ecosystem, fingerprint, floor, geological imprint, geological markings, gps, hard bottom, hugh r sharp, hurricane sandy, indian river inlet, justin walker, map, marine life, maryland, mid atlantic shores, natural environment, new jersey, ocean, post, pre, redbird reef, research vessel, sand formations, seafloor, sediment, sonar, storm, storm metrics, trevor metz, underwater, val schmidt, virginia, weapons

UD researchers studying ‘fingerprint’ left on seafloor by Hurricane Sandy

Beneath the 20-foot waves that crested off Delaware’s coast during Hurricane Sandy, thrashing waters reshaped the floor of the ocean, churning up fine sand and digging deep ripples into the seabed. Fish, crustaceans and other marine life were blasted with sand as the storm sculpted new surfaces underwater.

UD scientists cued up their instruments to document the offshore conditions before, during and after Sandy’s arrival to scrutinize the differences and better predict the environmental impact of future storms. (more…)

Q&A: Assoc. Prof. Christopher Berry discusses rise of women in Congress

By Guest PostNovember 17, 2012Politicscharisma, Chicago, christopher berry, congress, congresswomen, federal aid, federal projects, female, fiscal cliff, harris school, healthcare reform, house, hurricane sandy, job performance, legislation, male counterpart, nov election, number, partisan gaps, politicians, President Obama, public policy, representatives, university, us senate, us senators, women

One of the most notable outcomes of the Nov. 6 election was the record number of women voted into Congress, including 20 women who will occupy seats in the U.S. Senate.

Christopher Berry, associate professor at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, recently discussed the effects of the increase in female U.S. senators. Berry co-authored a 2011 study that found congresswomen consistently outperform their male counterparts on several measures of job performance.

What implications will the increase of female representation have for the U.S. Senate?

Potentially of great interest to the constituents of the new female senators is our finding that they consistently bring home more federal projects and federal aid than their male counterparts. When you think about disasters like Hurricane Sandy, the ability to bring home federal aid for rebuilding efforts is really important. It is going to be good for their constituents and the states they represent. (more…)

Saving Storm-Damaged Photos

By Guest PostNovember 10, 2012General, Science, Technologyart conservation, cellulose acetate, debra hess norris, film negative, heather brown, humidity condition, hurricane sandy, marsh grass, msnbc, news clip, photo album, photograph, photos, phyllis, save my photograph, saving, staten island, storm damaged, superstorm, von stein, wedding gown

UD conservators triage to provide advice, resources

In a news clip on MSNBC, Phyllis, a 62-year-old grandmother from Staten Island, clutches a black-and-white photograph of her mother in her wedding gown. She found the family treasure strewn among the muck and marsh grass where her shattered home ended up in Hurricane Sandy’s wake.

If you have recovered photographs or photo albums that were damaged by the superstorm, don’t throw them out. There is hope for saving storm-damaged photos, according to Debra Hess Norris, professor and chair of the Department of Art Conservation at the University of Delaware. (more…)

Long-Term Sea Level Rise Could Cost Washington, D.C. Billions

By Guest PostNovember 2, 2012Environment100 years, air force base, annual rate, bilal ayyub, bolling, capital, city, climate change, commercial property, damage, dc, extreme weather, federal bureau, geographic information system, gis, global warming, government infrastructure, hurricane sandy, intensity, internal revenue service, investigation, isabel, justice department, maryland, millennium, naeem qureshi, northern virginia, property, real estate, rise, risk analysis, sea level, storms, tool, tropical storm, university, Washington

College Park, MD – A University of Maryland study projects that Washington, D.C. city and federal property could suffer billions of dollars in damage if sea level rise from global warming increases over the next century. Potential for significant damage will be even greater in the event of extreme weather like Hurricane Sandy

The study by Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor Bilal Ayyub, Haralamb Braileanu and Naeem Qureshi, of the Clark School of Engineering’s Center for Technology and Systems Management, looks at possible long term effects of projected sea level rise on Washington, D.C. real-estate property and government infrastructure. They conclude that over the next 100 years, continuing sea level rise could cause damages of more than $24.6 billion to Washington’s commercial property, museums, and government agencies. (more…)