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Hurricane Sandy Could Cost US Taxpayers $1 Billion

By Brian Hews

Hurricane Sandy Could Cost US Taxpayers $1 Billion Dollars in Damages

Hurricane Sandy Could Cost US Taxpayers $1 Billion Dollars in Damages

It is being called “Frankenstorm 2012.”

Hurricane Sandy is on track to hit the Eastern Seaboard of the United States next week and it could cause taxpayers more than $1 Billion in damages.

Utilities and governments along the East Coast are working to head off long-term power failures as forecasters predict Hurricane Sandy to pound much of the East coast during the Halloween season.

CBS News is reporting that power companies from the Southeast to New England are telling independent contractors to “be ready to help fix storm damage quickly and are asking employees to cancel vacations and work longer hours.”

“Although we are not certain the storm will impact the state, we need to be prepared,” Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said Thursday. “That means everyone, especially the state’s utility companies.”

Noted Science Writer Andrew Freedman wrote on the website ClimateCentral.org on Thursday: “After Sandy moves away from the Bahamas, the are two main scenarios that meteorologists are wrestling with, and forecasters’ dilemmas illustrate the difficulties involved in interpreting computer projections. This is especially the case right now, since one of the most reliable medium-range forecasting models has repeatedly predicted a worst-case scenario for New England, with a storm of hurricane intensity — although with a structure more like a conventional nor’easter — bearing down on Long Island. With a full moon coming up to raise tides, it won’t take much onshore wind to cause significant coastal flooding, and the storm could also bring a large blast of damaging wind inland, along with very heavy rainfall.”

QUESTION to LCCN READERS:
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