Ratickle
12-31-2012, 01:57 PM
Super Storm Sandy Caused Historic Record Boat Losses
While super storm Hurricane Sandy dealt North Carolina's barrier islands a glancing blow during late October, flooding and eroded beaches at the Tar Heel state's coastline were minor compared to what happened to the New Jersey, New York and Connecticut coasts.
While most of N.C.'s boat owners wisely made preparations to move their watercrafts out of harm's way -- the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center moved its entire offshore sportsfishermen fleet to protected anchorages at Wanchese on Roanoke Island - northeastern coast boat owners either didn't have such places to go or didn't believe Sandy would hit them directly because no previous Atlantic cyclone of such force had slammed ashore that far north.
As a result Sandy wreaked more havoc on boats along the northeastern coast than any hurricane in U.S. history.
The Boat Owner's Association of the United States estimated more than 65,000 recreational boats were lost or damaged by the storm with a dollar total of $650 million. The massive destruction meant Hurricane Sandy caused the single-largest industry loss since BoatUS began keeping records of storm damages in 1966.
"We're all reeling from the huge impact this storm had on communities and people's lives," said Scott Croft of BoatUS in a news release. "We've never seen anything like it. The scope of the damage to boats was unprecedented, affecting large areas from the Atlantic seaboard as far inland as the Great Lakes, with the majority of damage in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut."
News reports showed the combination of boats stored ashore at low elevations and record-high storm-surge levels and tides caused hundreds, if not thousands, of boats to float away into neighborhoods, parks and marshes. The topography of the tri-state coastline left no place for the surge to go but up.
While some boats moored at slips survived, other boats tied to floating docks lifted off short pilings and floated away still tied to docks. Other vessels sank at their slips and now rest on the bottom.
However, a BoatUS Catastrophe Response Team said the marine community rallied to gain the upper hand on the recovery process. After the storm, the boating industry came together to offer help and get boats back in their places, even though some New Jersey barrier islands restricted access that delayed recovery efforts.
But many marinas, boat clubs and yards recovered customers' boats and put them back on blocks to undergo damage assessments. However, BoatUS reported some boating facilities at New Jersey's coast, Staten Island and western Long Island sustained significant damage to infrastructure (docks, workshops, clubhouses and equipment) that likely will have an impact on the 2013 boating season.
The association estimated more than 32,000 boats damaged in New York, 25,000 in New Jersey, 2500 in Connecticut and 6,000 boats in other states. Dollar damage to recreational boats in New York was estimated at $324 million, followed by $242 million in New Jersey and $23 million in Connecticut.
During the 2005 storm season, Hurricanes Wilma and Katrina created combined boat damages of $700 million.
BoatUS is investigating hurricane damage prevention steps taken by boaters and possible new solutions. One early indication is boats tied to protected floating docks with tall pilings had the best chance of survival with Sandy.
However, BoatUS believes it's risky to base hurricane preparation plans after one storm. While storm surge was Sandy's major factor, wind and rain may be major factors during other storms.
Some concern also exists that storm-damaged vessels may not be winterized in time before the onset of cold weather.
Article Source: Craig Holt - EzineArticles.com Expert Author (http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Craig_Holt)
While super storm Hurricane Sandy dealt North Carolina's barrier islands a glancing blow during late October, flooding and eroded beaches at the Tar Heel state's coastline were minor compared to what happened to the New Jersey, New York and Connecticut coasts.
While most of N.C.'s boat owners wisely made preparations to move their watercrafts out of harm's way -- the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center moved its entire offshore sportsfishermen fleet to protected anchorages at Wanchese on Roanoke Island - northeastern coast boat owners either didn't have such places to go or didn't believe Sandy would hit them directly because no previous Atlantic cyclone of such force had slammed ashore that far north.
As a result Sandy wreaked more havoc on boats along the northeastern coast than any hurricane in U.S. history.
The Boat Owner's Association of the United States estimated more than 65,000 recreational boats were lost or damaged by the storm with a dollar total of $650 million. The massive destruction meant Hurricane Sandy caused the single-largest industry loss since BoatUS began keeping records of storm damages in 1966.
"We're all reeling from the huge impact this storm had on communities and people's lives," said Scott Croft of BoatUS in a news release. "We've never seen anything like it. The scope of the damage to boats was unprecedented, affecting large areas from the Atlantic seaboard as far inland as the Great Lakes, with the majority of damage in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut."
News reports showed the combination of boats stored ashore at low elevations and record-high storm-surge levels and tides caused hundreds, if not thousands, of boats to float away into neighborhoods, parks and marshes. The topography of the tri-state coastline left no place for the surge to go but up.
While some boats moored at slips survived, other boats tied to floating docks lifted off short pilings and floated away still tied to docks. Other vessels sank at their slips and now rest on the bottom.
However, a BoatUS Catastrophe Response Team said the marine community rallied to gain the upper hand on the recovery process. After the storm, the boating industry came together to offer help and get boats back in their places, even though some New Jersey barrier islands restricted access that delayed recovery efforts.
But many marinas, boat clubs and yards recovered customers' boats and put them back on blocks to undergo damage assessments. However, BoatUS reported some boating facilities at New Jersey's coast, Staten Island and western Long Island sustained significant damage to infrastructure (docks, workshops, clubhouses and equipment) that likely will have an impact on the 2013 boating season.
The association estimated more than 32,000 boats damaged in New York, 25,000 in New Jersey, 2500 in Connecticut and 6,000 boats in other states. Dollar damage to recreational boats in New York was estimated at $324 million, followed by $242 million in New Jersey and $23 million in Connecticut.
During the 2005 storm season, Hurricanes Wilma and Katrina created combined boat damages of $700 million.
BoatUS is investigating hurricane damage prevention steps taken by boaters and possible new solutions. One early indication is boats tied to protected floating docks with tall pilings had the best chance of survival with Sandy.
However, BoatUS believes it's risky to base hurricane preparation plans after one storm. While storm surge was Sandy's major factor, wind and rain may be major factors during other storms.
Some concern also exists that storm-damaged vessels may not be winterized in time before the onset of cold weather.
Article Source: Craig Holt - EzineArticles.com Expert Author (http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Craig_Holt)