DTN News - SPECIAL REPORT HURRICANE SANDY: Hurricane Sandy Hammers The Northeast USA

DTN News - SPECIAL REPORT HURRICANE SANDY: Hurricane Sandy Hammers The Northeast USA
* A region-by-region look at the destruction so far and what to expect

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources National Post
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - October 29, 2012: Hurricane Sandy is churning off the East Coast and is expected to join up with two other weather systems to create a huge and problematic storm affecting 50 million people. Here’s a snapshot of what is happening or expected, region by region.

ONTARIO

Ontario residents are urged to make preparations ahead of the heavy rainfall and high winds from Hurricane Sandy. Southern and eastern Ontario are expected to be hit by the super storm, with heavy rainfall and potentially damaging winds up to 100 kilometres per hour. “The Canadian Red Cross encourages all Canadians to take some steps to ensure their safety. Be prepared to take care of yourself and your family for at least 72 hours in an emergency,” Denis Dion, national director of disaster management for the Canadian Red Cross, said in a statement. “By taking some time now to store emergency food, water and other supplies, you can provide for your entire family during a power outage or evacuation.”

Read more…

QUEBEC

Along with Ontario, Quebec will likely see the strongest winds, with gusts up to 100 kilometres per hour and between 20 to 40 millimetres of rain, although higher amounts are possible in some areas. That will make for a soggy day, but that level isn’t enough to trigger a rainfall warning.

MARITIMES

Starting Tuesday morning, the Maritime provinces will see a lot more rain — up to 100 millimetres — and weaker winds than Ontario, though still strong at an expected 70 kilometres per hour.

CAROLINAS

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued 14 members of a crew forced to abandon a Canadian-built tall ship about 144 off the North Carolina coast and continued to search for two other crew members. The storm lashed barrier islands and rendered several homes and businesses nearly inaccessible.

CONNECTICUT

The University of Connecticut is closing Tuesday, joining a hundreds of other schools and school systems across the state. The closure includes UConn’s law school and the UConn Health Center, though the John Dempsey Hospital will remain open during the storm. Power outages: 55,000.

DELAWARE

Dover Air Force Base has relocated some aircraft in anticipation of the storm, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency has requested that the base be used as a staging area for support and supplies. Some residents of low-lying areas of the base have been ordered to evacuate.

KENTUCKY

Sandy is expected to bring snow to far southeastern Kentucky. A winter storm warning is in effect in Harlan, Letcher and Pike counties through Wednesday morning. Forecasters say snow could accumulate from 4 to 10 inches in high elevations and 1 to 3 inches in lower elevations.

MAINE

Virtually all Maine public schools opened Monday but some were closing early before the heaviest rain and wind from Hurricane Sandy. State officials say the biggest concern is wind, which is expected to cause widespread power outages. The state’s utilities say they have crews poised to deal with expected power outages, including some from Canada. Power outages: 5,700.

MARYLAND

Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley has closed the Bay Bridge because of the storm. The bridge spans the Chesapeake Bay, connecting the state’s eastern and western shores. Hurricane Sandy already has caused heavy damage to a large, iconic ocean pier in the Maryland beach resort of Ocean City.

MASSACHUSETTS

Voluntary evacuation recommendations have been issued in Scituate, Lynn, New Bedford and Plum Island. The recommendations are for just certain sections of the communities that could be affected by flooding as a result of Hurricane Sandy. A Red Cross spokeswoman said just a few people stayed at its shelters Sunday night, but she expects more people Monday night and into Tuesday. Power outages: 56,000.

REUTERS/Gary HershornA workman cuts a tree in pieces after it fell on top of a car in Hoboken, New Jersey, October 29, 2012. Hurricane Sandy, one of the biggest storms ever to hit the United States, battered the densely populated East Coast, shutting down transportation, forcing evacuations in flood-prone areas and interrupting the presidential election campaign.

MICHIGAN

Michigan utilities say high winds could cause power outages in the state and they’re keeping an eye on the weather to respond to power problems. DTE Energy Co. said gusts of 50 mph Monday evening and Tuesday could affect some it its 2.1 million customers.

NEW HAMPSHIRE
Gov. John Lynch has urged all drivers to be off the roads by 3 p.m. as Hurricane Sandy approaches. Lynch declared a state of emergency and directed that non-essential state workers be released from work Monday afternoon. He urged employers to consider releasing workers early. The governor has put 100 New Hampshire Guard soldiers on active duty. Power outages: 47,400.

Kevin Lamargue / ReutersA wall of water batters what remains of the fishing pier in Ocean City, Maryland as Hurricane Sandy intensifies October 29, 2012. About 50 million people from the Mid-Atlantic to Canada were in the path of the nearly 1,600-km-wide storm, which forecasters said could be the largest to hit the mainland in U.S. history.

NEW JERSEY

All roads into and out of Ocean City are closed due to flooding that has cut off the popular Jersey shore resort community. Hurricane Sandy already had flooded most of Atlantic City, sweeping away an old section of the city’s famed boardwalk. Power outages: 95,000.

NEW YORK

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the city’s public schools will remain closed on Tuesday after being shut down Monday. Earlier, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel and Holland Tunnel would close at 2 p.m. Monday. Airports in the metropolitan New York City area are open, but air carriers are not operating. Power outages: 263,000.

OHIO

Residents of low-lying areas and along Lake Erie were told to watch for flooding; utilities are anticipating high winds that could blow down trees and poles. Snow is forecast in some areas.

PENNSYLVANIA

Officials from the state transit agency and the Pennsylvania Turnpike have instituted speed restrictions over concerns about high winds and ordered certain vehicles, including empty trucks and motorcycles, off some highways. The National Weather Service says southeastern Pennsylvania could get winds reaching 75 mph and rainfall up to 10 inches. Power outages: 25,000.

RHODE ISLAND

Officials are concerned about wind driving water north up Narragansett Bay, which could create flooding in low-lying areas of the upper bay, including Providence, Warwick and Cranston. About 2,600 National Grid customers were without power, mostly in Barrington and other parts of Bristol County. Power outages: 12,000.

TENNESSEE

Snow is expected in higher elevations, where a freeze warning has been issued. High winds are expected in many areas.

VERMONT

Gov. Peter Shumlin declared a state of emergency to provide access to National Guard troops in a state still recovering from the devastating effects of the remnants of Hurricane Irene. Culverts and storm drainage basins in some spots have been cleared of debris. Power outages: 4,000.

VIRGINIA

A curfew is in place on Virginia’s swamped Chincoteague Island. Officials say the entire 37-square-mile island is underwater, and there is no way off the island because a causeway to the mainland has been closed. The 3,500 islanders who decided to tough out Hurricane Sandy have been told to keep off the streets. Power outages: 9,500.

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Taxis that originate in Washington are authorized to add an emergency flat rate of $15 per trip because of Hurricane Sandy, starting Monday. The price is supposed to expire at noon Tuesday, but can be extended if considered necessary. The capital area’s transit system shut down rail service for the first time since 2003. Power outages: 2,300.

WEST VIRGINIA

Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin declared a state of emergency Monday for West Virginia, where Sandy is expected to bring high winds and heavy rains and leave behind flooded towns and as much as 3 feet of snow on the state’s highest ridge tops. Eastern parts of the state can expect to get up to 6 inches of rain. Fourteen counties are under blizzard warnings.

WISCONSIN

With waves expected to reach as high as 33 feet Tuesday on Lake Michigan, the Port of Milwaukee is taking steps to protect its docks and boats. The superstorm bearing down on the East Coast Is expected to create dangerous conditions on the Great Lakes. The National Weather Service issued gale and storm warnings for the lakes through Wednesday.

Related

• Hurricane Sandy nears land, lashing U.S. East Coast; nearly a million without power
• Hurricane Sandy’s wind gusts are biggest threat to Toronto overnight: officials
• Two missing, 14 rescued after Canadian-built tall ship HMS Bounty sunk by Hurricane Sandy
• Crane partially collapses atop New York’s tallest residential building as Hurricane Sandy approaches

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources National Post
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
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DTN News - CANADA DEFENSE NEWS: Damage To Submarines Much Worse Than Navy Let On Last Year

DTN News - CANADA DEFENSE NEWS: Damage To Submarines Much Worse Than Navy Let On Last Year
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Katie DeRosa, timescolonist.com
 (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 14, 2012: Leaked photos of the Victoria-class submarine that struck bottom in Nootka Sound last year show a gaping hole in the boat's nose - damage much more severe than the Royal Canadian Navy initially let on.

The nighttime photos of HMCS Corner Brook, obtained by CBC, show a large gash shaped like an inverted triangle that pierces the rusty vessel.

The submarine ran aground on June 4, 2011, while conducting underwater manoeuvres 45 metres below the surface during advanced officer training. A navy board of inquiry found the crash was "avoidable" and that an inexperienced commanding officer, Lt. Cmdr. Paul Sutherland, had the sub more than 450 metres from its intended position.

But the navy report played down the damage, saying the boat "incurred damage to her bow and experienced minor leakage in a forward ballast tank."

Liberal Senator Colin Kenny, former head of the Senate defence committee, said he was taken aback at the level of damage.

"It was an incredible hole in the front of the boat and I was shocked at that," Kenny said in an interview Monday. "It looked about 10 or 15 feet high and maybe 10 feet wide."

The navy moved the ship from the waters of Esquimalt Harbour to the dry dock at night, and base policy prohibited CFB Esquimalt employees from taking photos of it. Media photos like the one accompanying this story captured the boat submerged in the harbour.

Kenny said naval officers have told him the hole is in the outer fibreglass shell, and does not affect the structural integrity of the submarine's crucial pressure hull.

Retired rear admiral Roger Girouard said "they are pretty ugly looking pictures, I'll grant you that." He added the torn fibreglass is similar to the plastic parts of a car that do not affect how the car runs.

HMCS Corner Brook is at the Esquimalt graving dock, awaiting repair by Victoria Shipyards.

Two submariners suffered minor bruises from the impact of the grounding, but Kenny said he's worried about the psychological repercussions for the 60 crew members after what must have been a traumatic experience.

The navy also played down the disruption in HMCS Corner Brook's training schedule. At the time of the crash, it said the boat was just three weeks away from extended maintenance period that would have it ashore until 2016.

Kenny said photos of the hole will add to the crisis in confidence Canadians feel over the submarine program, which has cost taxpayers about $900 million since the government bought four used Victoria-class vessels from Britain in 1998 for $750 million.

Not one of the four submarines is fully operational.

HMCS Windsor and HMCS Victoria are set to be certified and equipped with weapons by 2013. HMCS Chicoutimi, damaged by a fire in 2004 that killed one officer, is to be in extended maintenance until 2013 and certified a year later.

Girouard said that while it's important for Canada to have strong submarine capabilities, he can understand frustration at the growing price tag for ships sitting idle.

"For folks who aren't savvy about all the maritime issues at play right now, who already are in a place where they're not sure about the value of boats, I guess it does add to that," Girouard said.

Kenny said Canada's navy needs to ditch the battered subs and invest in new ones. Because the four boats are constantly undergoing repairs, there isn't a lot of opportunity for submariner training, Kenny said, which could lead to more serious accidents.

"Having two submarines on each coast goes a long way toward providing security for Canada. If these boats keep on having problems, we should get out of them and we should move onto something that works."

kderosa@timescolonist.com

© Copyright (c) The Victoria Times Colonist


*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Katie DeRosa, timescolonist.com
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
©COPYRIGHT (C) DTN NEWS DEFENSE-TECHNOLOGY NEWS