Ramblings of a 70-year old: florida

Showing posts with label florida. Show all posts

Sunday, November 13, 2022

Sea level rise from Hurricane Nicole washes away many beachfront homes in Florida

Those who reside in beachfront homes in Florida witnessed the damages caused by Hurricane Nicole. The dangerous storm surge and powerful winds damaged or destroyed many of the homes in the neighborhood of Wilbur-By-The-Sea. The authorities deemed “unsafe” at least 49 beachfront properties in Volusia County. These included hotels and condos. Nicole was a Category 1 hurricane and videos showed homes that had crumbled and reduced to wreckage. These are the results of sea level rise due to global warming. Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reveals that sea level in this part of Florida has risen more than a foot in the past 100 years. The worst part is that most of that rise has occurred in the past three decades. ‘We didn’t think it would be this bad’: Beachfront homes in small Florida community washed away by Hurricane Nicole. Scientists and researchers have been warning about the effects of sea level rise associated with erosion and high tide flooding. Florida is witnessing the results.

There are sea walls erected to protect coastal communities from high waves and water levels. Nicole destroyed many of these. In fact, one seawall put up recently, crumbled into the ocean. People evacuated with their essential belongings. They have to rebuild their lives. Just six weeks ago, it was hurricane Ian. It eroded parts of Florida’s eastern coast. This back-to-back nature of storms is making seawalls more vulnerable. As an expert explains - “it doesn’t really take a strong storm – you just need high tides or storm-agitated tides to wash away or put extra stress on the walls. Having these two storms six weeks apart, if you don’t give places any time to repair or replenish, each storm definitely leaves its mark.”

Thursday, November 10, 2022

Hurricane Nicole batters Florida with strong winds and heavy rain, mass evacuation ordered

Nicole, the rare November hurricane, forced the closure of theme parks, airports and Mar-a-Lago club of Donald Trump. There are doubts on the opening of Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort. International Airports at Palm Beach and Daytona Beach also confirmed suspension of flights due to the storm. These cancellations came after the National Hurricane Center said the hurricane could bring sustained winds of 75mph and heavy rain to the area. This fresh surge of storm could worsen the erosion of many beach earlier hit by Hurricane Ian in September. Nicole will head into Georgia and the Carolinas and unload heavy rain across the region. The large swells of Nicole will affect the northwestern Bahamas, the east coast of Florida, and much of the southeastern United States coast over the next few days. Hurricane Nicole could weaken as it moves across Florida and the southeastern United States. Hurricane Nicole batters Florida with 75mph gales after mass evacuation order.

Mar-a-Lago was in one of those evacuation zones, built about a quarter-mile inland from the ocean. However, its owner Donald Trump refused to leave his property despite a mandatory evacuation order. The main buildings is located about 15 feet above sea level and the property has survived numerous stronger hurricanes since it came up. There is no penalty for ignoring an evacuation order. However, rescue crews will not respond if it puts their members at risk. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis mentioned that winds were the biggest concern along with significant power cuts. Necessary arrangements were available to restore power as necessary apart from search and rescue teams. Many school districts were closing schools for the storm and a number of shelters had opened along Florida's east coast. Moreover, forty-five of Florida's 67 counties were under a state of emergency declaration. President Joe Biden declared an emergency in Florida and ordered federal assistance in response to the approaching storm. The Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA confirmed they are still responding to those in need from Hurricane Ian. It had left over 120 people dead in late September.

Sunday, October 16, 2022

SpaceX Crew-4 astronauts of NASA and ESA returned to Earth in a parachute-assisted splashdown

It was a memorable moment for NSSA and SpaceX when the Crew-4 astronauts splashed down in the coast of Jacksonville, Florida. They were Bob Hines, Kjell Lindgren, and Jessica Watkins of NASA and Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency ESA. They had spent 170 days in orbit aboard the Dragon spacecraft. That way they completed the agency’s fourth commercial crew mission to the International Space Station ISS. The SpaceX recovery vessels retrieved the spacecraft and astronauts. All the astronauts will fly to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston while Cristoforetti will board a plane to Europe. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson welcomed them back. This international crew spent nearly six months on the ISS. They conducted science experiments for the benefit of all and their work will help prepare future explorers for subsequent space missions. Bill Nelson went on to add - “Working and living on the space station is the opportunity of a lifetime, but it also requires these explorers to make sacrifices, especially time away from loved ones.” NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 astronauts safely splash down in Atlantic after spending 170 days in orbit. The Crew-4 astronauts contributed to a host of science and maintenance activities and technology demonstrations. Cristoforetti completed two spacewalks with Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev to perform station maintenance and upgrades.

The four astronauts travelled 72,168,935 miles during their mission, spent 170 days aboard the space station, and completed 2,720 orbits around the Earth. Cristoforetti has logged 369 days in space on her two flights. This makes her second on the all-time list for most days in space by a woman. The spacecraft, named Freedom by Crew-4, will now come back to Florida. Once there, it will undergo inspection and processing at SpaceX’s Dragon Lair. Here, specialist teams will examine the data and performance of the spacecraft throughout the flight. The aim of the Commercial Crew Program of NASA is to ensure safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station and help NASA prepare for human exploration of the Moon and Mars.

Monday, August 29, 2022

NASA enters second phase of going to the Moon after 50 years

The world is waiting for NASA to enter the second phase of exploring the Moon. Its Space Launch System SLS is set to lift-off to set the foundation for the Artemis project. This is being developed to put humans back on the lunar surface after half a century. The mission will also pave the way for flights to Mars in the 2040s. At present, the rocket will conduct test on a capsule far from Earth. This capsule is called Orion, the program calls for the spacecraft to loop around the Moon on a big arc. It will later return to Earth and splash down in the Pacific Ocean in six weeks' time. Orion is unmanned for this demonstration. However, in case everything goes as per plans, astronauts will be on board for missions that are more complex. These could begin in 2024. Artemis: Nasa ready to launch new era of Moon exploration. NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik explains the objective. He says - "Everything we're doing with this Artemis I flight, we're looking at through the lens of what can we prove out and what can we demonstrate that will buy down risk for the Artemis II crewed mission."

The American space agency has multiple opportunities to fly SLS-Orion. However, its intention would be to seize the first available opportunity. Right now, the weather in Florida is very dynamic. There are possibilities of electrical storms passing over the spaceport. In fact, the lightning towers have already been struck recently a number of times. Therefore, NASA has to weigh all the options available and select the most appropriate time slot. Incidentally, the rocket is not supposed to lift off in the rain.