Ripple Effect

Hurricane Sandy moves over the East Coast, United States. Image Credit: NASA GOES Project

The threat of Hurricane Sandy making it's way to Vermont, especially in the wake of the devastation Hurricane Irene brought to the area last Fall, was a study in preparedness.

And justly so.

Preparing for disasters like this is key. Reacting to such disasters is when things get very messy. One look at what's going on in New York City and Atlantic City will show you why.

Looking at the news over the last few days, it looks like some folks planned to the best of their ability. Others simply went into denial about the coming storm. Some, the thrill seeking type, even went out for jogs, wake boarding, and went out to take pictures when the worst of the hurricane landed.

Some others simply couldn't do anything about it. When the devastation is that large and wide spread, sometimes... you simply endure. I've heard many people on the news over the last few days saying things like 'I just can't believe it was this bad.' It's a study of what went on here in Vermont last year.

Now that the Hurricane has moved on from this area in Southern Vermont, it's easy to say 'we over prepared.' If the storm turned east toward Vermont though... my guess is we'd be singing a different tune.

My hope after watching Katrina years back overwhelm the Gulf Coast, Irene's tromp through New England, and now Hurricane Sandy... is that we'll lend some serious thought to how, where, and why we build things in the future. And how we can orchestrate disaster plans most effectively. Error on caution... good idea.

This event once again led to some great discussions in class, and we're all watching in hopes that the places rocked by Hurricane Sandy can dig out.

With school canceled here Monday and a delayed opening Tuesday, we postponed our 'Student for a Day' project and rescheduled to next week. We'll have updates soon.

Resting up. Preparing. Moving forward.