Monthly Archives: November 2009

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Storm Summary 14

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Welcome to the fourteenth “Storm Summary” post of the hurricane season.

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Most Fridays from now until the official end of the season (November 30) I will post an update on past and present hurricanes in the Atlantic and Pacific, like the following:

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Last week, I tracked Ida’s route through the western Caribbean with its landfall in and around El Salvador. Ida, along with a more destructive weather pattern that followed, are being blamed for leaving 200 dead and more than 15,000 homeless in the country. El Salvador’s government is currently using a portion of the country’s emergency budget to build 1,500 temporary houses for the victims.

The U.S. was affected less seriously. The remnants of Hurricane Ida created flooding along the East Coast of the United States and recently drenched the Northeastern states where, among other things, the storm destroyed bulkheads along the shorelines of Long Island, NY. Eastern Massachusetts experienced up to two inches of rain and 35 mph wind gusts earlier this week as a stubborn Ida refused to dissipate quietly.

Though the Atlantic has only seen three official hurricanes, the waters of the Pacific are seeing constant activity, due, in part, to El Niño, which is “the periodic warming of central and eastern tropical Pacific waters [that] occurs on average every two to five years and typically lasts about 12 months.” Although most people think of this phenomenon in negative terms for the damage it can spur on the West Coast, it is actually beneficial to the East Coast/Gulf Coast in the sense that warmer waters in the Pacific usually create conditions that suppress Atlantic hurricanes. Why exactly this occurs is not something I’m qualified to explain but, as I recall, it has something to do with warm and cool air mixing in a different way and creating a “wind shear” that helps prevent storms from developing.

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The International Research Institute for Climate and Society can probably explain it better. For hard proof of El Niño, consider the fact that the Pacific has seen 23 named storms, mostly tropical storms and hurricanes, while the Atlantic waters have seen only 11.

For constant, up-to-date storm information, visit NOAA. And for breaking information on the insured losses the storms create, check out the Insurance Information Institute and the Insurance Services Office.

Most importantly, don’t forget to check back next Friday for our fifteenth “Storm Summary” installment.

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Maersk Alabama Fends Off Second Pirate Attack

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Somali pirates don’t give up — as we see today with the news that the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama was almost hijacked for a second time. Just seven months ago, the ship was attacked and its captain, Richard Phillips, was taken hostage on a lifeboat for five days. The standoff ended with Navy SEAL sharpshooters killing three pirates and rescuing Phillips.

In this most recent attack, a number of pirates fired automatic weapons at the Maersk Alabama, but this time, the ship fired back. On board was a vessel protection detachment (VPD), or a crew of armed guards assigned to the ship, who successfully thwarted the attack by firing their weapons and repelling the pirates.

In our January/February issue, I wrote a piece on the the escalating number of pirate attacks occurring off the coast of Somalia and the effect these attacks have on shipping insurance rates, stating that:

Shipping insurance rates have skyrocketed in the past year. BGN Risk, a corporate and specialty risk consulting firm, was recently reported as saying that piracy in the Gulf of Aden could increase insurance and transport costs by $400 million. The firm also stated that the “special risks” insurance levy for crossing the gulf has now skyrocketed to $20,000, up from $500 per voyage in 2007.

And that number continues to rise as pirates continue their attacks. These brazen ship-stealers try for just about any boat that sails towards their path. Almost three weeks ago, a British couple was taken hostage by Somali pirates as they sailed on their yacht in the Indian Ocean. Though they have spoken to the media through pirate-monitored conversations, stating they are being fed and taken care of, their whereabouts are unknown.

The following video shows how U.S. predator drones attempt to monitor Somali pirates — a feat that proves challenging.

Breakfast in Crisis

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The massive flooding that hit the Atlanta area last September has led to an unexpected consequence for breakfast lovers everywhere — a shortage of Eggo waffles. According to the Kellogg Co., the flooding forced the closing of their Atlanta waffle factory and coupled with equipment problems in their largest waffle factory in Rossville, Tennessee, this means that there will be few Eggos to leggo until sometime next year.

According to an Eggo FAQ on Kellogg’s website:

Eggo is working around the clock to bring everyone’s favorite waffles back to store shelves as quickly as possible. We hope to regain full distribution of Eggo products by the middle of 2010. This is a top priority for Kellogg Company.

This is not the first time this year that a factory disaster was thought to be responsible for a shortage of tasty treats. Back in June, the New York Post reported that an explosion at ConAgra Foods plant in North Carolina would lead to a scarcity of Slim Jims. Panic was averted, however, when the reports proved to be unfounded and the company was able to keep Slim Jims on store shelves.

Satellite Tracking Intensifies

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Back in May, I wrote a piece for the magazine about the risk of satellite collisions in space. The article told of how satellite collisions create a massive amount of debris, which creates an even greater opportunity for more collision and therefore, higher rates of insurance. Much attention was brought to this topic after the Feb. 10 collision of a defunct Russian satellite and a commercial U.S. satellite.

Since this event, the U.S. Air Force has increased its ability to predict possible collisions in space. As a recent Washington Post article stated:

Gen. Kevin Chilton, commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, called the collision the “seminal event” in the satellite industry during the past year and said it destroyed any sense that space was so vast that collisions were highly improbable. He said military officials had wanted to do more thorough analysis of possible collisions in space but had lacked the resources.

Apparently, the resources are now available. The U.S. military is currently tracking 800 satellites on a daily basis and expects to add 500 more by year’s end. This is good news, however there is an estimated 20,000 satellites, spent rocket stages and other debris floating through space at high rates of speed, most of which are not tracked.

The U.S. Air Force has come a long way since the Feb. 10 collision, but much more is needed to guarantee a safe space.

The following is an amazing video from the History Channel showing the Earth’s overly polluted orbit, from the first rocket launched to now, and the satellite tracking process. It even includes actual footage of space debris. I could watch this over and over if it was possible to do so here at work.

Before the collision, he told a space conference in Omaha, the U.S. military was tracking fewer than 100 satellites a day. “It’s amazing what one collision will do to the resource spigot,” he said.Gen. Kevin Chilton, commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, called the collision the “seminal event” in the satellite industry during the past year and said it destroyed any sense that space was so vast that collisions were highly improbable. He said military officials had wanted to do more thorough analysis of possible collisions in space but had lacked the resources.
Before the collision, he told a space conference in Omaha, the U.S. military was tracking fewer than 100 satellites a day. “It’s amazing what one collision will do to the resource spigot,” he said.Gen. Kevin Chilton, commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, called the collision the “seminal event” in the satellite industry during the past year and said it destroyed any sense that space was so vast that collisions were highly improbable. He said military officials had wanted to do more thorough analysis of possible collisions in space but had lacked the resources.
Before the collision, he told a space conference in Omaha, the U.S. military was tracking fewer than 100 satellites a day. “It’s amazing what one collision will do to the resource spigot,” he said.