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Tag: Sandy

  • Where Hurricane Sandy still hurts

    Where Hurricane Sandy still hurts

    For all the efforts of federal, state and local officials to help people after Hurricane Sandy, unacceptable pockets of suffering remain. Ten days after the hurricane struck, thousands of people in New York City’s public housing are still without heat, water, electricity or food. Many people needed assistance after the storm, but the most vulnerable of the city’s inhabitants seem to be among the last in line to get it.

    Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration estimated that Sandy had initially left more than 800,000 city customers without power, including many people in public housing. Many have since had their power and heat restored. Yet Steven Banks of the Legal Aid Society estimated on Thursday that more than 15,000 units of public housing closest to the city’s shoreline — mostly in the Rockaways, Coney Island and Red Hook — were still without heat and hot water or electricity.

    “We’re into the second week of this,” he said, “and there is no real urgency to get it fixed. …No can-do New York attitude here.”

    More than 400 buildings run by the New York City Housing Authority were affected by the storm. Mr. Bloomberg said Thursday that 70 percent of these buildings now have heat and hot water and 82 percent have electricity. But that leaves 120 buildings and the people who live in them without heat or hot water and 72 buildings and their residents without electricity.

    Whatever the precise numbers, by any accounting, life for these people is grim. On Wednesday afternoon, in the Far Rockaways, hundreds lined up for as much as three hours in the cold to get hot food promised by a makeshift delegation of volunteers. The multiple government agencies promising help were nowhere to be seen.

    In a public housing building in Red Hook, residents received official notices warning that “Since Hurricane Sandy, the electricity and water will be out indefinitely.” Meanwhile, Mr. Bloomberg has been urging older residents and other vulnerable citizens to “go someplace warm,” like shelters.

    On Thursday, Mr. Bloomberg expressed the hope that private contractors would be able to restore electricity by the weekend and heat “sometime early next week” to affected buildings. This is hardly comforting news to people huddled in blankets as temperatures drop. There seems to be no clear answer for why it has taken so long to send out temporary generators and boilers to help these residents.

    City Hall leaders argue that restoring power is a process that is more complicated than simply bringing in generators, especially in buildings where electrical systems have been badly compromised. They promise to dispatch additional workers to public housing and a phased-in schedule to bring more power and heat each day to devastated areas like the Rockaways. To us, that sounds late and insufficient. Mr. Bloomberg needs to redouble his efforts to help those most in need.

    – New York Times

  • Obama, Romney, swing states and Sandy

    The last time it happened was in 2000 when Al Gore slugged it out with George Bush jnr. Al Gore won the popular votes with no less than half a million votes. But Bush won more of the Electoral College and so took the White House. This year, the possibility of history repeating itself is real. This has put both candidates under tremendous pressure in the last days of the campaigns.

    Though they are being slowed down by Hurricane Sandy, Obama and Romney’s strategists are working behind-the-scene to see that their candidates get the swing states.

    In United States presidential politics, a swing state is also known as battleground state or purple state.

    What this means is that a state designated as purple is not in the firm grip of a single candidate or party. No candidate has overwhelming support to secure the electoral college votes. As a result of this, these states are targeted by the two major political parties because winning these states is the best opportunity to gain electoral votes.

    On the other hand, non-swing states also known as safe states, are either Republican or Democratic. So, candidates concentrate less campaigns in these states. Many of the Southern states, such as Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and South Carolina are historically conservative and in the firm grip of the Republican. Wyoming, Utah, Idaho and Nebraska are also in this group.

    The Democrats usually have a safe passage in California, Vermont, Massachusetts, Oregon, Hawaii, Connecticut, Illinois, Rhode Island, and New York.

    Based on this knowledge, each candidate does less campaign in their stronghold and spend time, money, and energy in the swing states. University of Oregon political science Prof. Joel Bloom mentioned three factors in identifying a swing state. These are: “examining statewide opinion polls, political party registration numbers and the results of previous elections.”

    Ohio’s reputation as a swing state started in the 1980s and it has since titled towards Democrats.

    One state to watch closely is Maine. Reason: Democrats have won the last five presidential elections. Obama won by 17 percentage points in 2008. There are, however, concerns that Romney’s Northeastern roots could change the equation.

    Michigan, where Romney was born and raised, is also worth watching. His father was a popular governor of the state. But the competition with Obama will be rooted in the economy – not nostalgia. The Obama administration’s rescue of the auto industry, opposed by Romney, is key here.

    Minnesota‘ , where Democrats have won in the last nine presidential elections, also seems a safe ground for Obama. Despite the fact that Democrats seem to have an upper hand here, the Obama campaign is leaving nothing to chance.

    New Mexico promises some drama. It has an history of hard-fought presidential elections. But despite the fact that Republicans won the state in 2004, it is still viewed as Democratic-friendly.

    For Obama, Nevada‘ may not be easy to take given the fact that its economy has dimmed under his administration. It has the highest rates of home foreclosure and unemployment. Romney can capitalise on this. But Obama still has a strong appeal to Latino voters and this may prove decisive in who wins the state.

    Over the years, Pennsylvania has tilted more towards the Democrats in presidential races. A Quinnipiac University/New York Times/CBS News poll gives Obama an edge of 11 per cent points.

    The Rocky Mountain West state of Colorado‘ was a major victory point for Obama in 2008. Before then, the state was won by the Republicans in eight of the last nine presidential elections. Can Romney take it back for the Republicans?

    One state that not a few is looking out for in the presidential race is Florida‘ . This state won by Obama in 2008 was where Bush jnr got the edge in 2000 earning the reputation of the most famous battleground state in America. But what role will the fact that under Obama its economy has been sour play in who they cast their votes for?

    There is also Iowa‘ , where Romney has expended energy and resources in order for Obama not to repeat his 2008 record. The president’s poll ratings in this state is lower than other nearby states. Though it has six electoral votes, this may prove very important in a close race.

    New Hampshire‘ also appears slipping off Obama’s grip. Here Romney is seen as home boy. He has an holiday home there.

    For Romney, Ohio is critical to taking the White House. In the last presidential election, its choice has always emerged the president. Under Obama, the state’s economy has steadily improved. This could help Obama win the state again. But Romney is not giving up. So, the president cannot relax.

    Until recently, Virginia was not considered a purple state.

    Hitherto deeply conservative, it seems to be changing with the population shifts in its North. Obama won the state by seven per cent in 2008. But the two candidates have conceded that they have no clear hold on the people.

    What role will Romney’s choice of Representative Paul Ryan play in who wins Wisconsin? Ryan is from the state. Democrats narrowly won the state in the last six presidential contests. Ryan’s entry has made it a true battleground state and the candidates are not giving anything to chance here.

    Interesting days sure lie ahead.

     

    A storm in president

    Obama’s favour

     

    Though campaigns have been slowed down by the historic Hurricane Sandy, it has provided Obama with a commander-in-chief moment. Coming a week before Election Day, the president is getting praised where he used to get knocks.

    Democratic and Republican governors are commending the performance of the Obama administration. Romney is the loser for this, said some analysts.

    Obama’s trip to New Jersey yesterday during which he toured the damaged areas with Republican Governor Chris Christie, a regular critic, has furthered his re-election bid. Christie has heaped praises on him in the aftermath of the storm, saying that “the president has been all over this and he deserves great credit”.

    Obama’s handling of the disaster, said analysts, is a contrast from Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The then President, George W. Bush, and then Louisiana Governor, Kathleen Blanco, engaged in finger-pointing. Bush was a Republican president. Blanco was a Democratic governor. But Obama has looked beyond partisanship. For him, disaster has no party affiliation.

    Obama said: “The storm is not over yet. We’re going to continue to push as hard as we can to provide resources…no bureaucracy, no red tape.”

    An aide said he told an emergency meeting: “I want everyone leaning forward on this. I don’t want to hear that we didn’t do something because bureaucracy got in the way.”

    D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray said Obama told the governors and mayors of the thirteen affected states and the District of Columbia that they “can call the White House directly themselves” if they encounter any bureaucratic red tape.

    Several high-ranking Republicans have praised Obama. Chair of the Republican Governors Association and a leading Romney surrogate Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell said the Obama administration’s response was “incredibly fast and we’re very grateful.”

    He said Obama has been “direct and personal” in his approach to the disaster, saying that during natural disasters, “partisanship goes out the window.”

    He added: “The election’s going to come, but it says a lot about the president, and it makes me feel good to be an American that people have had the right focus.”

    The president has also downplayed campaign in order not to mismanage the situation. White House advisers, such as David Plouffe and Chief of Staff Jacob Lew, are working with him to ensure everything goes right.

    A top aide for Bush’s 2004 reelection effort Matthew Dowd said Obama has used the power of his incumbency and “done just exactly what he needs to do.”

    “The longer they can have him being the president and not a candidate, the better for them,” Dowd said.

    But Romney has not allowed himself to just lie low in this critical hour of need. He has found a role for himself by holding a relief event in Ohio to collect donations for storm victims. Reporters tried to complicate his situation when they asked him whether he was reconsidering his earlier position that disaster management should be the business of the states. He declined comment.

  • How Sandy will test Obama, Romney

    How Sandy will test Obama, Romney

    The hurricane that is blowing through the East Coast has threatened to create the kind of unpredictable havoc in this election that presidential candidates always fear. With all the scripted television spots and carefully choreographed live appearances, Hurricane Sandy is generating fear that might push the campaign in directions that nobody has expected.

    Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama, and their circles of advisers, are likely glued to the weather coverage, trying to figure out which way this hurricane will make the election winds blow.

    Social scientists have studied the impact of extreme weather on elections in American history, such as the ways in which Hurricane Andrew in Florida affected the 1992 contest between President George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton

    But the severity of the unfolding hurricane, which will stretch across several states if the worst predictions come true, might be more dramatic than anything we have seen in a long time. The hurricane will pose a huge test for Obama in the next few days, one that will make the debate in Denver look like child’s play.

    As voters, particularly those who are undecided, deliberate over whom they should support, they will watch Obama as he navigates through the storm and the post-storm clean-up. The crisis offers an opportunity for him to act presidential in a way for which some voters are thirsting and to demonstrate the kind of command that has often been lacking.

    He does not want to be an echo to President George W. Bush’s response to Hurricane Katrina, which became a symbol of incompetence.

    At the same time, there is little that Mitt Romney can do, other than watch to see what people think of Obama’s response, because any statement from him could easily become seen as political and offer little evidence of his own ability to lead.

    The storm has already forced the campaigns to alter their short-term strategies. Already, both campaigns have canceled events in key states such as Virginia that are in the eye of the storm.

    Romney will certainly have to pull some of the television spots that he has been getting ready to unleash in the final days of the campaign. Romney’s strategy has focused on saving for a last-minute advertising blitz for which he planned to unload his campaign’s coffers. Republicans didn’t count on a storm getting in the way.

    As Americans watch to see their fellow countrymen and women struggling through a crisis, they won’t want to be bombarded with 30-second attack ads.

    The Romney campaign will have to quickly think of ways to redesign their ads in certain states so that they fit the moment and provide voters with hope about new leadership rather than take the risk of generating criticism of the GOP being too petty and political, as occurred with Libya. Romney’s team will have to redirect some of their energy toward states not affected, leaving the airwaves silent in the other states, waiting to see whether Romney has the momentum that can carry him.

     

    •Zelizer, a professor of History and Public Affairs at Princeton University, wrote this piece for CNN.

  • US declares Sandy storm major disaster

    US declares Sandy storm major disaster

    •Death toll hits 39

    United States President Barack Obama yesterday declared a “major disaster” in New York state and freed up federal aid for those who lost homes or businesses, after “super storm” Sandy swept through the Eastern Seaboard.

    No fewer than 39 people were reported to have died in New York and other places, after one of the biggest storms to ever hit the country made landfall on Monday night in New Jersey.

    The storm, which dropped just below hurricane status before striking land, has left 33 people dead across several US states. It had already killed more than 60 people in the Caribbean.

    Heavy snows threatened mountainous regions inland, and huge population centres of Baltimore, Philadelphia and Washington have been affected.

    Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York City, said in a news conference yesterday that the upcoming challenges facing the city in the coming days “are enormous”.

    “The most recent report states three quarters of a million New Yorkers are without power,” he said.

    “You should expect, given the extent of damage, power will be out for two or three days, maybe even longer than that.”

    Bloomberg said public transport will remain closed until further notice, and schools and airports remain closed on Tuesday.

    “While the worst of the storm has passed, conditions are still dangerous, and I cannot stress this enough,” he said.

    Obama will travel to New Jersey today to view the destruction wrought by Sandy on the state.

    Speaking at the Red Cross headquarters in Washington yesterday, Obama said his thoughts and prayers were with those who lost loved ones in the devastating hurricane, which has claimed at least ten lives in New York City alone.

    “Obviously this is something that is heartbreaking for the entire nation,” he said, “And we certainly feel profoundly for all of the families whose lives have been upended, and are going to be going through some very tough times over the next several days, perhaps the next several weeks and months. The most important message that I have for them is that America is with you. We are standing behind you and we are going to do everything we can to help you get back on your feet.”

    Many streets in New York City are filled with floodwater, with some subway tunnels breached and flying debris littering deserted pavements.

    The city had closed down subway, bus and commuter train systems as of Sunday night.

    More than eight million US homes and businesses were without power after Sandy tore down power lines, flooded electrical networks and sparked an explosion at a Consolidated Edison substation on Manhattan’s East River.

    About a quarter of New York City’s homes and businesses were without power 15 hours after the storm roared ashore accompanied by a nearly 4.2-metre tidal surge that flooded empty subway and highway tunnels.

    More than one million people in a dozen states were under orders to evacuate as the massive system plowed westward.

    One disaster forecasting company predicted economic losses could ultimately reach $20bn, only half insured.

    Trees were downed across the region, falling debris closed a major bridge in Boston, and floodwater and gusts of wind buffeted coastal towns such as Fairfield, Connecticut, home to many commuters into New York City, where police cruisers blocked access to the beaches.

    Power and back-up generators failed at New York University hospital, and patients were being elsewhere for care.

    The storm’s wind field stretched from the Canadian border to South Carolina, and from West Virginia to an Atlantic Ocean point about halfway between the US and Bermuda, easily one of the largest ever seen.

    The National Hurricane Centre said Sandy came ashore as a “post-tropical cyclone”, meaning it still packed hurricane-force winds but lost the characteristics of a tropical storm. It had sustained winds of 129km per hour (kph), well above the threshold for hurricane intensity.

    NYSE Euronext remained closed on Tuesday, the first time it has shut as a result of weather for two consecutive days since 1888.

    The southern tip of Manhattan where Wall Street and the NYSE are located lost power on Monday after being buffetted by Sandy, the worst storm to hit New York since at least 1938.

    The federal government in Washington was also closed, and so too were schools up and down the East Coast.

    Con Edison, New York’s electric utility, said it expected “record-size outages”. The company said it would pre-emptively shut down transformers in some areas to prevent further damage.

    Early on Tuesday morning, US power company Excelon Corp declared an alert at the 615MW Oyster Creek nuclear power reactor in New Jersey due to rising ocean water from Sandy, a spokesman at the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) said.

    An alert is the second lowest of the NRC’s four emergency classifications.

    The NRC spokesman said if the flood waters continued to rise, it could affect the reactor’s service water pumps, which are used for shut-down cooling and to cool the spent-fuel pool.