While Montgomery College Professor Emeritus Paul McDermott was scheduled for a talk and slide show about the geography of the State of Maryland, his computer crash the previous evening prevented this presentation. Instead, he gave a very timely talk about catastrophic hurricanes—specifically the USA’s very recent presentation from SANDY.

Mr. McDermott pointed out that while modern technology is sufficient to warn of the severity of hurricanes headed towards the East Coast (usually emanating from the Coast of Africa), few USA coastal inhabitants are able to comprehend a truly dire report. The last hurricane comparable to SANDY was in 1938.

People cannot fight nature-they always lose. Our biggest concern should be allowing people to build on beaches. Berms with trees along the East Coast should be the buffer for hurricanes-with buildings behind. Creating such building codes in various states can be unending and arduous with the involvement of the government and many environmental organizations witness the “Save the Chesapeake Bay” project in Maryland.

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