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Forensic Weather Consultants President Howard Altschule on the ongoing impact of the storm.
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Let's go and have a how it all -- He is president of forensic whether consultants and how it.
Good morning to you thank you for joining us I guess from Irene the biggest damage was seeing perhaps.
Is from flooding -- the from the wind damage.
Yes towards you guys -- you can hit the nail on the head the worst damage by our was as a result of the rainfall.
And the flooding Natalie the flooding on the streets but you know an hour looking at the massive flooding of area rivers anywhere from -- the all the way up to Vermont.
And even the threat or any dam collapse in upstate New York.
So -- bad deal overall and the wind you know -- caused a lot of damage there's.
Widespread treated power line damage from Long Island managers even appear not Albany, New York where world -- headquarters this but I think the most significant threat is it is is the is the flooding.
I've never heard the New York State -- -- from Albany, New York awfully down to -- -- -- bridge like it was yesterday as the first summit ever heard of that happening.
Can you compare Howard this storm to others distant in terms of the potential.
Losses India it just make sure that.
Witty -- talking about insured losses are total damages overall.
-- I mean we're talking Immelt you know losses overall the billions.
-- and -- a lot of that is going to be.
Insurance losses I think.
Out -- the difference between this storm and hurricane Gloria is that this storm was further west people and all over the new Jersey Shore.
-- little egg inlet majors the just north of Atlantic City so that basically shifted all of the flooding and all of -- the worst winds and storm surge over the the most populated areas.
So I think we're all those folks are living you know over let's say you know Bergen county New Jersey Union County Jersey Westfield -- -- -- -- -- -- -- That is where most people are -- that's where the worst flooding is occurring.
That is going to cost the cost of this this this incidents this hurricanes really compound.
How well prepared do you think we were firing and how -- some people are critical saying it was over hyped but really you know it's -- to be over cautious when you say.
Well absolutely and I think.
You know I don't think they're being over cautious that they -- being cautious enough for what computer models forecasting and what we can expect.
Not a boy cries wolf scenario.
-- -- 100 mile per hour winds and 85 mile per hour sustained winds what it means.
You know its approach to the New York City area.
You know.
The computer models can only do so well.
-- -- hurricane forecasting especially as an inexact science we're getting better at it.
But it's not 100% so.
No one has intentionally over hyping the storm and I think the government the federal government National Hurricane Center.
Offices of a number emergency management is a fantastic job.
Prepare you everybody for -- comfortable while -- -- a lot of damage and and I just think if people didn't heed the warnings.
I'm sure those -- would be much higher.
Very good point -- what the lingering economic impact this is gonna sound self serving but.
The power outages in the northeast -- Connecticut light and power.
Had a record number of homes that had power out -- that lost power 620000.
Homes.
You have there -- you know.
A couple days ago we saw up here in Albany and I don't call comedy.
We -- Right off the Adirondack north -- 150.
National Grid utility trucks.
Prepositions respond to the accident -- was spin he's excited never seen before.
And -- you don't via the power outages are going to have huge implications on the F financial industry.
And and just -- overall monetary loss for businesses.
-- will be shut down for a couple of days if not for the whole week.
We're talking about the major airports were shut down for I believe to be used to and have to east.
That is an enormous amount of money.
That was not realized by of the air lots of -- the other businesses and New York -- such as the MTA and -- -- public rail Amtrak.
At that all up to your talk of multi billions of dollars.
And a close out from what I see we were talking a manic mark Mancuso of AccuWeather dot com says guess what there's another.
Tropical wave moving off the coast of Africa has every indication that it is going to form over the warm waters into another arcane.
-- here we go again possibly.
Yes tropical depressions twelve it was just -- about an hour and a half ago so now what's an official tropical depression.
-- and the computer models that we're looking here.
Except at friends of whether consultants are showing that is going to develop into a hurricane and head towards the United States but I think ultimately.
There's a good chance it also got the space that's a good thing.
But one thing that I was reading about -- -- out one potential dangerous yet this storm that targets the northeast.
And and it's -- following up on what actually was saying that we could be in line for a series of hurricanes that the -- -- essentially do.
For this weather pattern I have heard -- starting.
On from whether -- dot whether -- talk about it as well -- -- that's may be what we need to be prepared for.
I guess it -- -- to be prepared for you know more than once dormant in 2005 we have monster hurricanes go across the state of Florida.
Three in a row so what's the weather patterns sets -- to Bermuda high off the East Coast.
-- -- -- -- that's decent place that'll be the steering mechanism for these tropical systems so.
What to keep watchful I have a tropic see what develops but I wouldn't rule anything out still have until the end of November for the -- -- season two.
-- up -- -- a couple more conscious.
Just -- get back to the preparation a little bit about how it's so much has happened since Katrina do you think we really learned the lesson there.
I think we continue to -- -- different lessons -- absolutely I think we'll learn lessons from the storm and then really the colossal waste flow was probably a lot less than it probably could've been.
Because people heeded the warnings they saw what happened in Katrina and if so what happened it -- Floyd in the New York City area in the years ago and I think people learned their lessons some of the learned the hard way not to do it again He that the warnings were evacuated and you know for the most part people were a lot safer than than it could of turned out to be.
Howard thanks for joining us on the take care how -- -- -- Of friends that whether consultants be well.
Thank you very -- the pleasure.
