Peter

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 13:52:00 -0500

I've been going through training for Suffolk County's Citizens Emergency Response Team, which is basically a group of trained volunteers who would assist emergency services in the case of a mass disaster or other major crisis. One of the things we've learned in that the most serious type of natural disaster that can hit this part of the country is a major ice storm. A hurricane can cause localized destruction but would not compare to a big ice storm when it comes to the sheer number of people whose lives are disrupted and the overall economic damage. There was a huge ice storm in parts of Canada in the late 1990's, in fact it may have affected some of upstate New York, and for all intents and purposes it shut down modern civilized life for a couple of weeks. Roads were impassable and there was no electricity and telephone service in the affected areas. People basically were on their own to survive any way they could.

Gothamist: Deception in the Forecast

Peter