The FDNY rescued over 60 Staten Islanders after Hurricane Irene hit and flooded their homes, but now those same people are complaining. The Daily News reports they're fuming because they weren't warned that nearby Willowbrook Lake could flood, and when the storm hit, branches and debris clogged a drain that normally keeps the lake from overflowing.
"Somebody dropped the ball," said George Zaki, a 26-year-old resident. Zaki's basement and car were flooded during the storm, and he's now upset that no one told him this could happen. "[The water] was 5 feet right there. And this was the safe zone," he added. Susan DeRoss-Cush, whose home was also flooded, lamented, "We've been here 30 years, and nothing like this has ever happened." Which is pretty much the point—it's becoming increasingly clear (to rational observers, at least) that due to climate change, we're dealing with a whole new set of weather patterns. Much of Vermont, for instance, is in ruins from a tropical storm. Something weird is going on, and this is only the beginning.
And besides, predicting the impact of severe weather isn't like predicting that Lindsay Lohan and Chris Brown will produce at least one catastrophic album and 37 sad/scary/unfortunate quotes from each. Maybe people should be happy that they were rescued?
