At FEMA, disaster is child's play

At FEMA, disaster is child's play

Friday, September 09, 2005
Tom Feran
Plain Dealer Columnist

Put your thinking cap on. Got a few questions for you.

First, let's say there's a hurricane storm surge. In the town of Palm Nut Beach, homes along the water are built on stilts that are 8½ feet high. If the storm surge is 6¾ feet high, how much space is there between the homes and the water?

Next, pretend that the storm surge is 10½ feet. How much of the house would be under water?

Finally, suppose that three towns have to evacuate because of the hurricane: Palm Nut Beach (population 3,451), Femaville (population 1,256) and Sandgate (population 7,436). What is the total number of people who have to evacuate from these three towns? (You can use a calculator.)

Got it? If you answered 2¾ feet, 2 feet and 12,143 people, congratulations! You know your "hurricane disaster math," and you can give yourself a gold star -- from the Department of Homeland Security.

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