I Survived Sandy!

Tell YOUR Hurricane Sandy story.  Some prompts to get you thinking: Did something interesting, scary, or unusual happen to you during or after the storm?  What was it like to experience hurricane weather?  Did you have any challenges in the days right after the storm?  Were any places damaged that are important to you, and how is the recovery for them going now?  Please write two well-worded, proofread paragraphs.

My husband and I went outside during Sandy to save our tree.  It's only a few years old, and still relatively small without a fully developed root system; the winds pushed it over at a 45-degree angle, and we were only halfway through the storm at that point.  I begged him to help me, so we collected two pieces of rebar and some rope from the garage and went outside to tie it up.

We pulled the tree upright, and then I leaned into it with my shoulders - and all my weight - to hold it up while he stuck the rebar into the ground and wrapped the rope around the trunk and steel, back and forth and back and forth.  While I was holding up the tree, I looked up at the electrical lines, which were snapping wildly in the wind.  Bright blue electricity arced from them as they stretched away from their connections, and I remember hoping they wouldn't come loose.  I suppose it wasn't the smartest thing to do, but as a meteorologist and environmentalist, I definitely enjoyed both experiencing a hurricane and saving a tree.

Post-Disaster Challenges

Most people automatically think of having nowhere to live as the biggest, most immediate challenge a tornado survivor will face.  What are some of the unexpected challenges?  Think about things in your daily life on which you depend, or read some survivor stories to better understand what it means to survive the disaster AFTER the disaster.

Storm Chasing

Why are some people drawn to severe weather?  What do you find fascinating or interesting about thunderstorms?  What would get you to go outside and watch one?

Climate Change

Climate change is still a controversial issue.  Some people acknowledge that it is happening but don’t think that humans have a role in it.  Others feel that climate change is primarily anthropogenic (due to human activity).  What kind of information would you like to see in order to make that decision for yourself?

Enforcing Safety

Building codes are created to ensure the safety of citizens; they set out specific regulations that detail the minimum requirements for the design, building, and maintenances of structures.  California, containing the largest seismically-threatened US population, has the strictest of these codes.  Sounds like a recipe for success, right?  Why, then, has the establishment of strict building codes NOT ensured the complete safety of citizens in California?

Helping Disaster Victims

Sean brought up a great question when Mr. Navarro came to class to talk about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder last week - what do you do if someone you know is suffering but won't do anything about it?  There is often a stigma in society against seeking treatment for mental health issues.  How can we eliminate the stigma that might prevent disaster survivors from seeking help?  What might someone say to you, or do, that would convince you to get help if you needed it?

American Volcanoes

According to the Smithsonian Institute, about 160 volcanoes erupt each decade.  The United States isn't usually considered a volcanic country, but we have our share.  The following posts will provide some information about the volcanic landscape of America, highlighting some of our active, dormant, and extinct volcanoes.  You may be surprised to see where some of them are!
Students:  Please provide the name and location of your volcano, as well as its status and eruption history, in a few well-written and proofread sentences.  Feel free to add a picture as well.