Hurricane Sandy: A Documentary

Nearly one month after Hurricane Sandy hit the Jersey Shore and the Northeast, I discovered the following documentary that was compiled by Charlotte Nagy, a 16 year old Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School student, who is a Rumson resident and has, her whole life, spent summers at Sea Bright.

First Carter-Era Policy Coming to an End

Some good news to come out of New Jersey: gas rationing will be over, as of 6AM, Tuesday morning!

Hurricane Katrina Sandy Strikes the Northeast

This is the first time I have been able to get online for a significant amount of time since Hurricane Katrina Sandy struck the northeast last Monday, and I would like to thank my readers for sticking by me and following along on Twitter in my blogging absence.

Storm Front Coming: Sandy Bears Down on the Northeast

We've been hearing about it the past week, but it looks like Hurricane Sandy will hit land on the Jersey Shore sometime this evening, somewhere between Atlantic City and Asbury Park. The storm surge is already being felt in New Jersey and all the way up toward New York City!

The Show Must Go On

Earlier this week, the media had quite the flipout (I can think of another word beginning with o, but this is a family blog) and with the possibility of Hurricane Issac affecting the Republican National Convention in Tampa, they had another, but it has been determined the show will go on!

Irene on Her Way to the Northeast

What a week for the Northeast! After a freak and surprising earthquake, we have a second natural disaster.

Earlier in the week, it looked like Florida was going to take a direct hit, but now, this storm has now made a turn to the North, and after grazing the Outer Banks, Hurricane Irene is heading right to the Northeast, with New Jersey and New York City in her sights. This means, for people in coastal areas, extreme storm surges, flooding, property damage. For others, heavy rains, wind, downed trees and downed power lines are also a possibility. Governor Christie sums it up best:

"Get the Hell off the beach!"

As usual, Christie said what needed to be said and is showing strong leadership by getting ahead of events and being proactive, as opposed to reactive. Towns like Sea Bright, Monmouth Beach and Long Branch, while beautiful summer retreats, are dangerous places in weather like this. They are located on very narrow barrier islands and peninsulas, with the ocean on one side and the river or bay on the other. Having driven along Ocean Avenue in Sea Bright, prior to the beach replenishment of the late 1990s, it is a very scary site seeing the seawater splash on to the road, over the seawall.

Heed the warning and evacuate! New Jersey is expediting this with highway closings, traffic changes and the suspension of tolls. "The 'Right' Solutions" wishes everyone stays safe and hopes for minimal damage to the surrounding areas.

Tokyo Disneyland Resort: The Japan Earthquake

In surfing YouTube this week, I came across someone's footage of last week's 9.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Japan. This person was at the Tokyo Disney Resort's Tokyo DisneySea at the time of the first earthquake, its aftermath and subsequent aftershocks. Note: Strong language in the video



While the tsunami did not hit Tokyo Disneyland, (the resort is located on the northwestern shore of Tokyo Bay on reclaimed land) there was some damage; cracked sidewalks and liquefaction of the soil, which caused a flood in the parking area. The resort has been closed since the earthquake and will likely be closed up to 10 days after.

In the embedded video there are some screams heard and the cameraman seemed pretty scared, but the "guests," overall, were pretty calm and followed the directions of the Cast Members, who, with no surprise, acted professionally, as Disney trains them in this fashion, whether in Japan, France, Hong Kong, Florida or California. And having visited Japan in the past and observing the mannerisms and interactions of the Japanese, I am not one bit surprised by the reserved and patient reactions of not only those at Disney, but throughout the country. The Japanese are a very kind people and in times of tragedy, they are showing the world who they are.

"The 'Right' Solutions" continues to offer its prayers and well-wishes to those in Japan.

Praying for Japan

Today, our prayers are with the country of Japan. At 1:15AM, Eastern Time, an 8.9 magnitude earthquake occurred off the coast of Japan. The quake was so strong it was felt in Tokyo and produced a devastating tsunami, destroying everything in its path in northeastern Japan, and even continuing to Hawaii and North America. Currently, there is the fear of a nuclear emergency in Japan, as a result of this earthquake, two reactors have lost cooling ability. The death toll is expected to be high and many are still missing.

Even for a country that is susceptible to earthquakes that is well prepared for these emergencies, the strength of this disaster overcame even the best preparations. To put it in perspective, this earthquake was 8.9 magnitude, compared to Loma Prieta 1989 at 6.9 magnitude and Northridge 1994 at 6.7 magnitude. Having been to Japan and interacted with the Japanese people, I have a great respect for their strength and kindness, and it is those positive qualities that will give the Japanese people the strength to endure and rebuild.

"The 'Right' Solutions" offers its prayers to the Japanese people and the recovery of this beautiful country. We also hope some in the American government do not invoke the "Theory of Rahm," and instead, work in a bipartisan manner, in the interest of helping their allies, and back up all promises they eventually make.