Economic Impact Of Hurricanes

[Randolph Kinney]

In the Virgin Islands, Irma rolls out while Jose nears

From his home on the east end of St. Thomas near Red Hook, Klein described seeing entire tops of some homes torn off, roofs and solar panels lying everywhere, and trees, debris and power poles blocking roads.

http://wtop.com/world/2017/09/virgin-islands-dire-conditions-uncertainty-irma-jose-nears/slide/12/

Whoops! Solar panels and roofs go together.

 

[Randolph Kinney]

How homeowners should prepare for Hurricane Irma

If you have installed solar panels to save on electricity, bear in mind they could turn into sails.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hurricane-irma-how-homeowners-should-prepare/

So, don't put solar panels on roofs.

 

[Meandering]

They claim no damage with hurricanes and hail stones.

http://news.energysage.com/solar-panels-hail-hurricanes/

From the link:

How well do solar panels withstand hail and hurricanes?

As a whole, solar panels are durable and hold up very well in inclement weather. A report from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) on 50,000 solar energy systems installed between 2009 and 2013 indicates that only 0.1% of all PV systems have been reported as affected by damaged or underperforming modules each year. We’ll briefly examine two types of weather that have the potential to damage solar systems – hail and hurricanes.

Solar panels and hurricanes

With high wind speeds and heavy rain, solar panels may be at risk of being dislodged from their spot or damaged by high volumes of water. However, similar to hail, solar panels are typically tested by manufacturers to ensure that they can survive hurricanes. Most solar panels are certified to withstand winds of up to 2,400 pascals, equivalent to approximately 140 mile-per-hour winds.

During Hurricane Sandy, New Jersey was hit especially hard. New Jersey also has one of the highest solar power capacities in the United States. In the second quarter of 2012, just before the hurricane hit, the state had installed 103 megawatts of PV capacity. Analysis after Sandy hit revealed little to no damage to PV systems from the storm. According to a spokesperson for a solar system installer servicing over 200 customers in the regions of New Jersey hit hardest by the storm, a few metal casings covering wires from the panels were damaged by flooding, and one very large system had just two panels come loose.

The Stats Are In: Superstorm Sandy Totals
By By Grace Muller, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer
March 19, 2013, 4:07:43 PM EDT

Remember we're talking about NJ

HIGHEST RAINFALL TOTALS BY STATE:
Wildwood Crest, N.J.: 11.67"

HIGHEST WIND GUSTS BY STATE (>74 mph):
Montclair, N.J.: 88 mph

TOP WAVES:
39.67 feet 500 miles southeast of Atlantic City, N.J.

RECORD LOWEST PRESSURE (ON LAND):
Atlantic City, N.J.: 948.3 mb (28.00" Hg)
Trenton, N.J.: 958mb (28.31" Hg)




Hard to do a Hurricane study when there's only one fall nor'easter in years.

 

[Terrel L. Shields]

Construction cranes engineered and rated for 140 mph.Many have collapsed anyway.

 

[Randolph Kinney]

Hard to do a Hurricane study when there's only one fall nor'easter in years.

Yeah, and it doesn't say anything about rooftop solar which is the most prone to damage in high wind like tornados and hurricanes.

 

[Randolph Kinney]

Hard to do a Hurricane study when there's only one fall nor'easter in years.

Hurricane Sandy’s impact on a rooftop solar array in Gloucester City, N.J., demonstrates the downside of solar’s exposure to nature’s elements. The 1.1 million square foot photovoltaic installation was damaged when Sandy bore down on what the owners say is North America’s largest rooftop solar array.

A photo taken Nov. 2 from an airplane by Alexis Kwasinski, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, shows portions of the array missing or damaged.

https://www.csmonitor.com/Environme...s-stormproof-Hurricane-Sandy-tests-solar-wind.

 

[Meandering]

Four people killed - including a sheriff's deputy and corrections officer - as deadly eye of Irma makes second landfall in Florida leaving TWO MILLION people without power and those on the west coast facing imminent 10-15 FOOT storm surges

Construction cranes engineered and rated for 140 mph.Many have collapsed anyway.

I think this morning, NBC news said the arm of a roof top crane in Miami already broke, and was dangling straignt down toward the roof of the building. It didn't look good, but I was running through the room when I saw it.

 

[Meandering]

Yup,

There it is.

TWO cranes on top of downtown Miami high rises collapse in hurricane winds, damaging buildings and sparking fears that the rest of the city's two dozen cranes could topple and cause carnage.

Uglier photos than what I saw on the news this morning.

 

[Tim The Enchanter]

I heard Steve Forbes on the radio this AM. Says "the economic impact will be short term, we are a very wealthy country."

I just fly to one of my other homes in private jet. So, for you wealthy types, you'll be fine.
If you're non wealthy and got no insurance and little cash, the impact could last your lifetime.
And that may not be as long as you think.

 

[Terrel L. Shields]

And that may not be as long as you think

Poverty has its advantages..