-
photoFeb 05, 2013 5:38 pm
How Disaster Aid Recipients Voted on Sandy Relief
Late Tuesday evening, President Obama signed the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013, which allocates $50.7 billion for Hurricane Sandy aid. Though the measure passed both the Senate and the House, many members of Congress voted no despite their own states receiving millions of dollars in federal disaster assistance in 2012. Click the buttons below to see how members voted on the Sandy bill and how much FEMA money has been allocated to their state. Search by address or ZIP code to see how a member of the House voted and how much disaster assistance was allocated in their district.
-
linkJan 17, 2013 11:16 am
-
photosetJan 09, 2013 4:22 pm
Jon Stewart grills House Republicans for stalling on the recovery effort for Hurricane Sandy victims.
-
photoDec 28, 2012 7:20 pm
-
photoNov 05, 2012 9:40 pm
Your help will ensure that children in need will have new books — stories at bedtime, the chance to be transported to another world, and the opportunity to return to normalcy.
Every $2.50 you contribute will provide a new book to a child affected by the storm.Your impact will also be DOUBLED as each gift of $2.50 will be matched by an additional book from First Book’s publishing partners.
-
photosetOct 29, 2012 5:00 pm
A Personal Lens. Floods of Hurricane Sandy as seen through the eyes of Instagram and Twitter.
Stay safe, everyone!
-
photosetOct 29, 2012 2:40 pm
What is a storm surge, and why does it matter? NOAA has a handy guide:
STORM SURGE OVERVIEW
Contents
- Introduction
- Storm Surge vs. Storm Tide
- Factors Impacting Surge
- Notable Surge Events
- Surge Vulnerability Facts
Introduction
Along the coast, storm surge is often the greatest threat to life and property from a hurricane. In the past, large death tolls have resulted from the rise of the ocean associated with many of the major hurricanes that have made landfall. Hurricane Katrina (2005) is a prime example of the damage and devastation that can be caused by surge. At least 1500 persons lost their lives during Katrina and many of those deaths occurred directly, or indirectly, as a result of storm surge.
Storm Surge vs. Storm Tide
Storm surge is an abnormal rise of water generated by a storm, over and above the predicted astronomical tides. Storm surge should not be confused with storm tide, which is defined as the water level rise due to the combination of storm surge and the astronomical tide. This rise in water level can cause extreme flooding in coastal areas particularly when storm surge coincides with normal high tide, resulting in storm tides reaching up to 20 feet or more in some cases.
Surge Vulnerability Facts
- From 1990-2008, population density increased by 32% in Gulf coastal counties, 17% in Atlantic coastal counties, and 16% in Hawaii
- Much of the United States’ densely populated Atlantic and Gulf Coast coastlines lie less than 10 feet above mean sea level
- Over half of the Nation’s economic productivity is located within coastal zones
- 72% of ports, 27% of major roads, and 9% of rail lines within the Gulf Coast region are at or below 4 ft elevation
- A storm surge of 23 ft has the ability to inundate 67% of interstates, 57% of arterials, almost half of rail miles, 29 airports, and virtually all ports in the Gulf Coast area
-
photoOct 29, 2012 2:32 pm
Please stay safe, folks. If you’re told to evacuate, do. If you’re not, we’re right there with you; a bunch of us are hunkered down, too — remember, you are never too old for blanket forts, but try not to light anything on fire.
If you need shelter, the Red Cross can help with that.
