Surviving Sandy: The Superstorm That Reshaped Our Lives

"Surviving Sandy: The Superstorm That Reshaped Our Lives" is a book with many facets. Hurricanes are certainly not new to North America. We have agencies that model the seasonal expectations before the first tropical systems show up on the radar. There are satellites announcing the formation of each one, and tracking their courses from the coast of Africa to the islands of the Caribbean, and on to the coasts of the U.S. and Mexico. Our government has a fleet of aircraft designed to travel above and into these systems to provide the most accurate readings of what each storm is 'planning' to do. We have a host of computers - both at the NOAA's National Hurricane Center and elsewhere - measuring, tracking, modeling and forecasting: the best of man's capabilities doing the most possible to advise and protect. Why, then, such widespread devastation, over and over and over again? The fact is, every storm - like every snowflake - has a distinct design and pattern of its own: Sandy stands as perfect proof of this fact. As the book will tell you, there are five categories of hurricanes in the system developed in the 1970's - the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale - to measure the types of damage likely, based on the intensity of a storm (its barometric pressure, anticipated wind speeds, and potential storm surges along the coastlines). Categories 3 to 5 on the scale are considered "major" storms, with sustained winds over 110 miles per hour. But, Sandy defied the best predictions. While only a Category 1 hurricane - the lowest category to be considered a hurricane - it came with a mind of its own. Most storms traversing the east coast move in a northeasterly direction and finally wear themselves out over the North Atlantic. Not Sandy, - Sandy followed the northeasterly pattern until it passed the Carolinas, then turned northwest until it made landfall with a broadside to Atlantic City around 8pm on October 29, 2012. From there it meandered across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Western New York State, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, and finally wore itself out, north of Toronto, in northern Ontario, - scattering wind, rain and snow (yes, - snow: up to three feet in some parts of West Virginia, on October 31, 2012, - just another unplanned side effect of Sandy). What "Surviving Sandy" will give the reader is incredible coverage - both in pictures and real life stories - of the breadth of unexpected factors that can arise, even in the face of the best laid plans. It describes, in depth, the awesome, grueling efforts of our first responders and our emergency management personnel, - using every available resource under their hands. But, it also includes many heart-warming stories of people helping people, - ordinary citizens putting their lives and their resources on the line: why? because of the innate feeling of compassion that springs up where helpless victims are crying for assistance. And, "Surviving Sandy" gives the reader more than that...Consider this: when you read the stories of survivors, put yourself in their shoes: if you and your town were confronted with what upended their lives, what should you think about now - beforehand - that might save lives and lessen losses? "Surviving Sandy" is a useful 'handbook' of experience for anyone - mayor, hospital administrator, EMS responder, firefighter, policeman, dad or mom, or anyone else - what plans should you make, now? We'll never stop hurricanes from coming, - or other disasters, either - but we can keep working together to develop and share tools, like "Surviving Sandy" to aid in disaster preparedness.