Alaska braces for "epic" storm; evacuations begin

By Yereth Rosen

An "epic" storm was bearing down on western Alaska on Tuesday, the National Weather Service said, warning that it could be one of the worst on record for the state.

The storm, moving inland from the Aleutian Islands, was expected to bring hurricane-force winds with gusts up to 100 miles per hour, heavy snowfall, widespread coastal flooding and severe erosion to most of Alaska's west coast, the National Weather Service said.

"This will be an extremely dangerous and life threatening storm of an epic magnitude rarely experienced," the service said in a special warning message.

Nome and the rest of the Seward Peninsula, a section of land that juts out toward Siberia, were expected to be the hardest-hit areas, said Andy Brown, lead forecaster for the National Weather Service in Anchorage.

Powerful storms in the North Pacific and Bering Sea are common this time of year, but this event is unusual because of its trajectory, Brown said.

"It's going very far north," he said.

Officials in Nome issued an evacuation order late on Tuesday for people living along Front Street, a beachside avenue that serves as the finish line for the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, and for other low-lying areas in town.

Historic October Storm Slams Tri-State, Hundreds of Thousands Without Power

A freak October Nor'Easter thrashed the tri-state with heavy snow and wild wind gusts, stranding motorists, downing trees and causing outages for more than 1 million tri-state residents. Hundreds of thousands were still without power Sunday, and officials are warning it could be days before many see electricity restored.

Some schools are closed Monday.
West Milford, N.J. reported 19 inches of snow, New York's Orange County had 16 inches in Harriman and New York City had 6 inches in the Bronx and 2 in south Brooklyn, according to the National Weather Service. Armonk in Westchester had 12.5, while Milbrook in Dutchess County saw 21 inches. The storm began with a chilly rain in most places, but soon began switching to snow by late Saturday morning.

The snow caused delays and cancellations at area airports, and slick conditions on roads made driving dangerous. Several deaths across the Northeast are being attributed to the storm.

About 2.9 inches fell in Central Park, shattering previous October snow records, both for the entire month and daily snowfall. An inch has never been recorded in October; the last two times measurable snow fell there was 1952 with half an inch, and in 1925 with eight-tenths of an inch."I think Mother Nature played a trick on us," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said at a news conference Sunday afternoon, on the eve of Halloween.

Fallen trees, power outages and blocked roads were the main post-storm problems and points of focus for crews across the state, the governor said. Cuomo declared a state of emergency for 13 counties in New York, including Orange, Putnam, Sullivan, Ulster, Richmond, and Westchester counties. Staten Island (Richmond County) was the only borough in New York City to be declared in a state of emergency by Cuomo.

New York City parks were re-opened by noon Sunday, but officials advised New Yorkers to be cautious because heavy snow was still weighing down tree limbs. Crews are continuing to work citywide to address tree damage. Nearly 1,000 trees in Central Park were lost in the storm, according to the Central Park Conservancy.

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND 2011

We have a lot of Holidays during the year, but I think that there is no day, during the year, that should be given more thought and consideration, than this. They "Served The Country." I really don't think that we give enough respect for those who Served, and even more, those who died, while serving.

Think what it means, to leave your home and family,  learn a whole new way of life, a new routine, new friends, training, whose end result is self preservation, or killing an unknown enemy. A person who was brought up learning "not to kill," is now being trained on "how to kill."

Eventually, perhaps, to be put in a situation where those around you are being killed, you see comrades falling to the ground, you are placed in a "kill or be killed" situation. For your country, perhaps a country that has not been that beneficial to you, that has not produced the bounties that others had received. And, here you are, possibly dying  for that ideology. They say, dying so that those back home can live. Millions have died, millions more have served.

They fought and died for this "ship of state," but now, the "ship" is floundering, greatly in need of repair, slowly sinking, and it appears that the leaks cannot be fixed.

Just think, millions have died, millions left home, millions went to foreign lands, and nothing has been determine or decided yet. WWI, WWII, Korea, Viet Nam, Desert Storm, wars are still raging, people are still dying, men, boys and women are still leaving their homes, still dying.

So, this one day, take a five minute break from your routine, try to visualize, leaving home, leaving your family, undergoing a training that is completely opposite to the training you have had so far, visualize facing an enemy, being in a kill or be killed situation, all alone, in a  foreign land.

No one gives up more, than a Veteran.

Why was there a WWI, Why did the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor, Why did Germany want to "rule the world," what was the problem in Korea, Where was Desert Storm, What was gained in Viet Nam.

YOU will need more than a day to answer all these questions. Just say "Thanks," and take a moment on this day, to Remember.

I will, my Grandfather served in the Civil War, my Father was in WWI, my Brother was in WWII, I served in the Navy during the Korean War, my Son Dean, served during Viet Nam, and my Son Brad served during Desert Storm.

Thank a Veteran this Memorial Day, it is MORE than just a Holiday or a day off.

Veterans Day Reflections

My Grandfather, Caleb Dooley, served in the Civil War. Not too many people around who can say that.

My Father served in WWI. He was too young to enlist, but somehow was taken in to the Army. 42nd Rainbow Division from Indianapolis, Indiana.

My Brother was in WWII, Submarine Service, served on the S-11. He was a Lt.J.G in the US Navy. He went through a V-12 Program. I remember going to Great Lakes in Chicago to visit him during his training. Going to a Sunday Morning Church Service at that large Chapel they had, stands out in my mind. I have never forgotten the sermon the Chaplain gave that morning, it revolved around a poem about the Bridge Builder. It is worth repeating here.

THE BRIDGE BUILDER

An old man, going a lone highway,
Came at the evening cold and gray,
To a chasm, vast and deep and wide,
Through which was flowing a sullen tide.
The old man crossed in the twilight dim-
That sullen stream had no fears for him;
But he turned, when he reached the other side,
And built a bridge to span the tide.

"Old man," said a fellow pilgrim near,
"You are wasting strength in building here.
Your journey will end with the ending day;
You never again must pass this way.
You have crossed the chasm, deep and wide,
Why build you the bridge at the eventide?"

The builder lifted his old gray head.
"Good friend, in the path I have come," he said,
"There followeth after me today
A youth whose feet must pass this way.
This chasm that has been naught to me
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be.
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building the bridge for him."

I have never forgotten that Chapel Service, had a lasting impression on me.

I was in the Korean War, 1952 to 1956. Stationed at the Receiving Station in San Diego, California and also did a two year tour on the U.S.S. William T. Mitchell, TAP 114. She was a transport ship, home port, Seattle Washington, and we primarily took troops and passengers to Japan and Korea, and also brought them home on the return trip.

I had one son who served in the Navy during the Viet Nam conflict and another who served during Desert Storm.

It's rather sad that WAR and CONFLICT HAVE become such a big part of our lives. Peacetime has become short lived. I suppose there are some who don't know the meaning of that word, it has never been used during their lifetime.

Veterans Day, 2009.

I wonder why?

WWI, in all the flicks, those bowl shaped helmets, the troops always wore their chin straps.

WWII, Korea, Viet Nam, they didn't use their chin straps.

Now, they not only use the chin strap, there is a special chin strap to make sure it is held on tight.

Old Combat series, no chin straps.

Not sure about Desert Storm.

I wonder why the difference.

I was in the Navy.