The photos are horrifying because they imply such enormous power. Piles of cars heaped in and amongst larger piles of wood, walls, etc.
I can’t even figure out how to start trying to do the math on how many tons of debris have been created. It is clear that the debris is mixed and presents some serious disposal issues. There is Haz-Mat stuff mixed in with automobiles ( which contain their own Haz-Mat, of course ).
Cleaning or filtering or separating seems to me to be impossible. So. Where will it all be dumped? When the heavy machinery comes in and starts making piles to clear out streets and roadways- and after the water is drained, of course- and house by house homes are demolished quickly and efficiently, where will it all be put? ( The issue of how to allow residents back into the mostly wrecked homes to try to retrieve belongings before demolition is a separate thread.)
Dumped out at sea? Has FEMA thought ahead to declaring Eminent Domain in upstate parishes in Lousiana and taking over enough land to create landfills that will make the Fresh Kills in Staten Island look like a kid’s sandbox? Because if nobody has ever thought ahead to this, in the next few weeks someone needs to start thinking.
Lucky for the gumming, the SCOTUS recently upheld the Eminent Domain laws and strengthened them. States may now seize property to use for commercial development. Surely the states involved will have to seize property to create landfills large enough to accomodate the volume of debris?
Cartooniverse