Neither Rain, Nor Snow, Nor Dark of Night... 278
Digital_Quartz writes "This week's I, Cringely discusses possible plans for ensuring your data survives Hurricane Frances. I've always though remote backups would be the best solution to a problem like this. Maybe even something as simple as hiding a DVD-R under your desk at work, with all your worldly data on it. How do you secure your precious data against earthquakes, hurricanes, and swarms of locusts?" Reader pillageplunder writes "CNN is reporting: 'Scientists say more storms like Frances -- both very intense and very large -- are likely.' They theorize that warming oceans natural cycles are setting the stage. Some interesting facts throughout the article... Forecasting has gotten better, with a 3 day forecast now having a margin of error or 'only' 200 miles." And an anonymous reader writes "For those peer-2-peer geeks stuck in hurricane Frances, you can now listen to Central Florida Indymedia's coverage of the hurricane. In addition to giving updates about the hurricane, they are playing music, interviews, and relaying other radio stations. Possibly more interesting than the content to Slashdot readers will be the fact that it is being done via peer-2-peer. The java program p2p-radio from p2p-radio.sourceforge.net is being used in conjunction with shoutcast to deliver the content. Details on how to connect are available here on Tampa Indymedia's Website."
Re:nuke it! (Score:5, Informative)
Apart from the fact that this might not even alter the storm, this approach neglects the problem that the released radioactive fallout would fairly quickly move with the tradewinds to affect land areas and cause devastating environmental problems. Needless to say, this is not a good idea.
I guess I shouldn't be laughing so hard that this answer is under the frequently asked questions section on the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory website, but I really can't help myself.
Forecasting... (Score:5, Informative)
Hurricanes tend to lose energy over land, but a few days of stormy weather had created a warm, wet carpet beneath its path. Long Island was temporarily cut in half (and a new inlet -- Shinnecock -- was created and exists to this day). Wind speeds exceeded 120 MPH. Fifty foot waves hit Gloucester, MA. The Connecticut River rose 35 feet above its banks. Falmouth, MA (on Cape Cod) was under 8 feet of water. According to historian William Manchester, people in Vermont, 300 miles inland, could smell the ocean.
When it was over, 700 people were dead, 63,000 homeless. Nine thousand buildings were destroyed, along with over 3,000 boats. Wreckage from this hurricane could be seen well into the 1970s. The cost of the damage was $6.2 million in 1938 (Depression) dollars, adjusted to over $15,000,000,000 today.
Two billion trees were blown to the ground. And this was "just" a Cat 3.
So, yeah, the OP bitches about 200 miles give-or-take. Hell, we can see these forming off the coast of West Africa now. When was the last hurricane that killed 700 people here in the US? (Yes, I know about cyclones killing thousands in Bangladesh, and evacuating everyone is nigh unto impossible.)
There's always going to be property damage. But property can be rebuilt. Even a +- 400 mile forecast saves hundreds, even thousands of lives.
Oh, and about that data thing? Just ftp your stuff somewhere and let everyone else mirror it. Worked for Linus, right?
k.
Have a nice trip? See you next fall. (Score:3, Informative)
Great, until you trip over something on the floor in the dark at the shelter because the power's out, trip, and fall flat on your face, with the disk in your jacket pocket.
DVD-R's and CD-Rs are remarkably fragile.
Re:While we're on the subject, (Score:2, Informative)
I know, doesn't make it sound as menacing as the way you put it, but exaggeration does that.
Personally, I'm rather surprised his prediction didn't work out. A prediction that there won't be any major quakes in a large section of California for the next 9 months, would be just as unlikely to come true.
That pretty much explains how he got the first two right... and I'm personally rather happy to see that he got this one wrong.
Re:ATTENTION FLORIDIANS (Score:2, Informative)
Really? I realize that the resultant liquid might not be good to drink, but won't it at least be sterile? I had the impression that bleach was pretty good at killing anything that got immersed in it, even after being diluted quite a bit.
Re:ATTENTION FLORIDIANS (Score:5, Informative)
Hurricane season can make a storm shudder [miami.com]
Re:ATTENTION FLORIDIANS (Score:2, Informative)
Re: Simply unplug those HDDs, and... (Score:3, Informative)
Also, If you had bolted the safe to a concrete slab (such as a foundation) why mount the drives to the safe? It's not like they're going to be blown around by the wind inside the closed safe.
And the inevitable reference to Global Warming... (Score:4, Informative)
Hurricanes are a natural part of the weather system, folks. The only unnatural thing about the path of Hurricane Frances is the large number of mobile homes, wooden framed building, expensive condos and idiots who refuse to evacuate from all of the above.
The number of Atlantic hurricanes has DECLINED over the last 50 years. Put that in your climate model and smoke it.
And for those fascinated by climate models, here's a kicker from the IPCC 2001:
"In sum, a strategy must recognize what is possible. In climate research and modeling, we should recognize that we are dealing with a coupled non-linear system, and therefore that the prediction of a specific future climate is not possible."
I shall use my patented slashdot idiot model to predict that the next few posters will claim that:
- the majority of scientists believe human induced global warming to be a fact (not true, and since when has science ever been decided by popular vote?)
- that "ScienceThinker" is not a scientist (guess what?)
- that there are "ominous signs" of climate change (when weren't there?)
- that the buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is unprecedented (no it isn't)
GO!
Re: Simply unplug those HDDs, and... (Score:4, Informative)
You'd be surprised what a hurricane can throw around. Or even just a tropical storm.
Look at a map of eastern Texas from a few years ago and you'll see Highway 87 running along the coast. Most of that highway doesn't exist anymore. Traveling north from Galveston for about 15 miles you run into a blockade in the middle of the road re-routing you to the north. If you park there and walk along the highway, it disappears after a few hundred yards. This is what Tropcial Storm Francis did in the late 90's. When I first went there, there were huge slabs of freeway sticking out of the beach at odd angles. You could look at the layers of asphalt and concrete that had been laid on it over the years. Some were sticking almost straight up like giant monoliths. THIS USED TO BE A FREEWAY, and you think your little safe isn't going to move? At some parts you could look out into the Gulf at low tide and see more chunks of highway. Even if your safe didn't move, if you lived near the coast it might get buried under 30 feet of sand. Good luck finding it.
To summarize:
Tropical storm Francis blew apart a freeway.
Hurricane Frances is much stronger.
You can't escape nature.
Oh, and that stretch of beach is now mercifully free of tourists, so it's great for shell collecting.
Re:nuke it! (Score:3, Informative)
This has got to be one of the stupidest ideas I've ever heard. I live in Orlando, and have known a lot of Sea World employees, and those who have worked the "Shark Encounter" exhibit tell me they have to replace the plexiglass every year because the sharks are relentless at gnawing through it.
What we really need is a shield made of transparent aluminum.
Re:nuke it! (Score:3, Informative)
Hurricanes are a force of nature with the fury of an angry god. There are only three things we humans can presently do about them:
1) Secure your stuff as best you can
2) Flee to shelter
3) Pray
"Our people.. stricken with disease.
You.. you played with the fires of the gods.
And you dare to come here and ask us for help!
You betrayed us! You expect us to trust you after what you have done?"
Infant Island Chief, "Godzilla vs. Mothra" (US Version), 1964
(For the 10th anniversary of Bravo.)