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Hurricane strength not up, but damage is

By Bill Scanlon, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published February 25, 2008 at 12:30 a.m.

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Hurricanes are causing more damage not because the storms are greater but because there are more people and houses in their paths, a study released Thursday says.

"There is nothing in the U.S. hurricane damage record that indicates global warming has caused a significant increase in destruction along our coasts," said Chris Landsea, one of the researchers who is with the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

The researchers used an inflation index to compare economic damages over time.

They found that that if the 1926 Great Miami Hurricane hit today, it would cause the largest losses - $140 billion to $157 billion, knocking Hurricane Katrina's $81 billion to second on the list.

"Unless action is taken to address the growing concentration of people and property in coastal hurricane areas, the damage will increase by a great deal as more people and infrastructure inhabit these coastal locations," said Landsea.

Roger Pielke of the University of Colorado is a co-author of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration study.

Comments

  • February 25, 2008

    12:47 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Ozonator writes:

    why a repeat of the same biased information?

  • February 25, 2008

    2:34 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Quagmate writes:

    Biased? It's a simple fact. More stuff to destroy equals more damadge. Seriously, it took a study to figure this out?

  • February 25, 2008

    8:29 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Ozonator writes:

    With apologies and condolences to Madagascar -

    Error, Landsea, and Pielke have yet again shown no ability to do basic economics, predict past or current hurricanes and solar activities, and seem to have missed a giant cyclone (hurricane ecosystem) currently killing and destroying in Madagascar while they went on a field trip in a chemical time machine to the Palm Beach of real estate speculators.

    However, does Killer Bob Murray have to pay Error, Landsea, and Pielke an extra check for the same “study”?

    “Study refutes bigger hurricanes hypothesis
    More coastal building, not more powerful storms, causing greater damage bills
    The Rocky
    Originally published 03:32 p.m., February 21, 2008
    Updated 03:32 p.m., February 21, 2008”
    http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news...

    “The chairman of Murray Energy Corp., the Ohio-based company that owns the Utah coal mine where six workers are trapped, is a strong Republican backer ... and an outspoken critic of concerns about global warming. Robert E. Murray insists his mines are safe ... according to federal Mine Safety and Health Administration online records ... 116 were what the government considered "significant and substantial," meaning they are likely to cause injury ... The Murray Energy Corp. Political Action Committee has given more than $155,000 to Republican candidates...” (“Mine Collapse: Spotlight On Murray Energy”; AP; cbsnews.com, 8/8/07).

    Since the global warming of Error, Landsea, and Pielke is environmentally racist, the priceless lives of the good people of Madagascar becomes mulch for their dreams of taking NOAA back to the 18th century.

    “The death toll has risen to 44 and the number of homeless is up to 145,000 more than a week after a cyclone tore through this island in the Indian Ocean, Madagascar's government ... cut off by flood waters ... bridges have been destroyed ... Cyclone Ivan lashed Madagascar on Feb. 17 with torrential rain and winds of up to 140 miles per hour ... faces food shortages after 37,000 acres of rice fields were flooded ... nearly a third of the island's staple food ... The U.S. has donated $100,000 ... Last season was the worst on record — six cyclones killed about 150 people” (“Cyclone toll in Madagascar rises to 44”; By JONNY HOGG, Associated Press Writer; news.yahoo.com, 2/26/08).

  • February 26, 2008

    2:03 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Ozonator writes:

    By the standards of NOAA’s top holocaust denial scientists - Error, Landsea, and Pielke - catastrophic weather events that increase the value of property must be global cooling.

    “Four years ago, NASA successfully landed two unmanned rovers on Mars. Named Spirit and Opportunity, the twin robotic rovers ... mission, which had cost just $825 million, was expected to last just a few months before the rovers ran out of steam ... Spirit and Opportunity keep on chugging away on Mars” (“Not rocket science to look at NASA”; masslive.com, 2/6/08).

    “Spring cleaning continued on NASA's Spirit rover, as atmospheric turbulence on Mars cleared away more dust from the solar panels on the rover's 1,233rd sol, or Martian day, of exploration (June 22, 2007). As a result of this most recent dust-clearing event, Spirit out-produced the electrical energy of Spirit's twin, the Opportunity rover on the opposite side of Mars, by about 50 watt-hours ... In addition to daily observations of atmospheric dust levels using the panoramic camera” (“NASA Mars Exploration Rover Status: Spirit's Solar Power Levels Continue to Rise”; Jet Propulsion Laboratory, STATUS REPORT; spaceref.com, 7/5/07).

  • February 26, 2008

    8:55 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Ozonator writes:

    Heck of a job US Department of Commerce’s NOAA exporting our hurricane ecosystems and environmental racism (holocausts) -

    “International media show lack of interest ... Western media appear unmoved by the ever-stronger hurricanes striking Africa’s largest Island” (“Ivan, the forgotten hurricane”; By Thomas Hubert / FRANCE 24; france24.com, 2/26/08).

  • February 28, 2008

    1:47 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Ozonator writes:

    Who would have thought this Ozonator blog mentioning time machines, global warming, and global cooling would become time fillers for drive by media outlets of Fox News and the Mother of Corporate whores?

    Contrary to popular perceptions, it turns out that Bill O’Reilly actually was fair and balanced. Mr. O’Reilly appear to be a Nobel Prize winning scholar compared to the standards of Esso-NOAA’s top holocaust denial scientists - Error, Landsea, Pielke, and Inhofe - and outright lies, plagiarism, and virgin sacrifices of LABI Limbaugh.

    “This is a rush transcript from "The O'Reilly Factor," February 26, 2008 ... BILL O'REILLY, HOST: In the "Factor Follow-up" segment tonight: Did global warming wipe out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago? ... global warming is cyclical ... that Raquel Welch was not chased around by a dinosaur? ... If we, through some time machine time travel thing, which may happen, who knows, go back to the dinosaur era, human beings, would the dinosaurs stalk us? Would these carnivores, would they chase us and try to get us?” (“Did Global Warming Wipe Out Dinosaurs?”; BILL O'REILLY; foxnews.com, 2/27/08).

    ”RUSH: Big, big, big news on the global warming front ... manmade global warming is a total hoax.  It has no basis in fact ... they gotta do things to absolve themselves of their sin ... lightbulbs ... cars ... toilet paper in the bathroom ... Gore's movie. ... Obama has a bunch of faithful, and so does the manmade global warming hoax ...   We could be sliding into a new ice age ... global temperatures have dropped big-time ... has wiped out one century of warming ... anecdotal evidence has been matched up with true scientific evidence, the faithful who buy into this hoax will not be separated from their faithful belief ... Mr. New Castrati ... Your scrotum is gone” (”The Manmade Global Warming Hoax Thrives on Faith, Not Facts”; Mr. Rush “LABI” Limbaugh of Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity extremist Republican and Christian corporate whore downer cow media outlets for plagiarism and Standard Oil$ outlet; rushlimbaugh.com, 2/27/08).

  • March 1, 2008

    2:15 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Ozonator writes:

    Proving extremist Republicans and Christians the party of ideas as long as the laundered plagiarism doesn’t take any effort for the most money and victims.

    ”One of our singular achievements here is that we have made the word 'liberal' a dirty word ... True conservatism cannot tolerate dangerously stupid ideas, whereas liberalism seems to be able to tolerate everything -- from terrorism to pushing environmental wacko propaganda on our kids" (”Thursday Quotes: Stemming the Tide of Liberalism”; Mr. Rush “LABI” Limbaugh of Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity extremist Republican and Christian corporate whore downer cow media outlets for plagiarism, Standard Oil$’ looting and whine seller outlet; rushlimbaugh.com, 2/28/08).

    For example -

    Topics are limited to mostly Democratic presidential families and loose ends with Republicans escapees with more looting from this blog concerning racism, whining, SNL, global warming, global cooling, and more body parts.

    “February 29, 2008 ... The Real Fear Bomb Is the Word "Liberal" and We Will Keep Using It ... Michelle Kicks Hillary in the Uterus ... The Clintons Made Kenya Hate Us ... Obama Crowds Cheer Anything ... Basic child-rearing advice gets a standing ovation ... Hillary Makes a Play for Women ... More whines, but a promise of utopia to come. ... What Happened to Sir Charles? .... Rush Blamed for McCain's Lib Slip ... Rush's Advice to Clinton, Obama ... Liberals Wring Their Hands Over White Comedian as Obama on SNL ... A Huckster Finally Sees the Light ... Stack of Stuff Quick Hits Page ... » Global Warming: Child Faints at Arnold Speech » Energy Saving Day Confounded by Frigid Cold » Leap Day: Babes Can Ask Men to Marry ... Buck Up Out There, Conservatives ... We must never give up in the fight against liberalism. ... Angelina Jolie Makes More Sense Than the Democrats on Iraq” (mother of all corporate whore’s home page; Mr. Rush “Chemical LABI” Limbaugh of Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity extremist Republican and Christian corporate whore downer cow media outlets for plagiarism, Standard Oil$’ looting and whine seller outlet; rushlimbaugh.com, 2/28/08).