Before & After
Dr. Jeff Masters has a couple of photos from the Bolivar Peninsula and a link to the source.
The USGS took coastal pictures on September 9 to be used for a comparison to determine the damage caused by the storm. The arrows on the pictures are used to show that, yes, the pictures really are the same location because the Peninsula has been scrubbed nearly clear by the storm surge.
On the coast it is the surge, not the wind speed, that determines the damage. A full-blown Catergory 5 wind can’t do what a wall of water can do. Consider the difference between a leaf blower and a fire hose – which is going to knock you down?
Dr. Masters also looks at the rest of the season and essentially says we are in a lull, but it isn’t over.
5 comments
that’s a comparison that probably ought to be used more widely — fire hose vs leaf blower.
Supposedly 20% of the people did not evacuate. There was roughly 3900 people on the peninsula before the hurricane came through, meaning 780 or so stayed behind. They’ve thus far rescued about 200 people who survived. You do the math :-(.
I’m trying to come up with something to explain the danger, Hipparchia, and that is something I’ve dealt with, and most people should be familiar with.
I know, Badtux. A lot of people were probably washed into the bay with their houses, and some into the Gulf when the surge withdrew.
Scrubbed really is the word for what happened.
Why aren’t THESE photos being shown on the Corporate Media?
Hell, the local media are using satellite shots, which makes me think they aren’t aware they exist, and given the attitude of officials about some areas, they could be taken down at any time.