₦airaland Forum

webprince:
New York gets off lightly but Hurricane Irene leave U.S. facing a £27bn repair bill

Route 12 on Hatteras Island, North Carolina yesterday after Irene swept through the area, cutting the roadway in five locations

- 21 killed by hurricane in U.S. and 370,000 New Yorkers ordered to leave their homes
- 11-year-old boy among dead as tree split in half and fell on roof of his house
- Sea surge of 8ft had been expected in New York, but just 1ft of water lapped over the banks
- Winds of 90mph and up to 12INCHES of rain in some parts of U.S.
- Road in North Carolina broken in five places as floodwater spreads


Hurricane Irene killed 21 people and left a £27billion trail of destruction in it's wake - but there was relief in New York as the city escaped the worst of the storm. Parts of downtown Manhattan were flooded, including several apartment blocks, but the damage was nowhere near as widespread as had been feared. A flood surge of up to 8ft had been predicted, but in the end just 1ft washed over the banks of the surrounding rivers and onto the streets.
more pictures as you read on


Within an hour of Irene passing, the sun had come out and New York began to resume normal life - with joggers taking to the streets which minutes before were underwater.
Weathermen also downgraded Irene to a Tropical Storm just as she passed above the city.
But outside of New York the damage had earlier been far more severe and the hurricane was blamed for at least 21 deaths - including two children - as she rampaged up the East coast of the U.S.

Streets of Asbury Park, New Jersey, are flooded after Hurricane Irene moved through the area on Sunday

An 11-year-old boy in Virginia was killed when a tree split in half and fell through the roof of his house. Neighbours who rushed to help forced their way in and found the dead child’s mother leaning over his body screaming: ‘My baby! My baby!’ Another child died in a car crash at an intersection in North Carolina where traffic lights were out, while a firefighter lost his life whilst attempting a rescue in Princeton, New Jersey.



Up to 12 inches of rain fell in the worst affected areas with winds gusting up to 90mph, uprooting buildings and leaving around four million people without power. Thousands of British holidaymakers stranded on the East Coast may have to wait several days as airlines clear the backlog that built up as several major airports were closed. New York had issued an unprecedented evacuation notice ordering 370,000 residents in at risk areas to leave their homes. The city was put into lock down as the entire transit system was closed, the National Guard patrolled the streets and shoppers cleared supermarkets of food and emergency supplies.

A man kayaks down West Broadway in Manhattan as flood waters ripple through Manhattan's trendy SoHo neighbourhood

Initially the disaster everyone had feared seemed to be unfolding - roads turned into rivers as storm drains were unable to cope with the all-night torrential downpour. Times Square, known as the Crossroads of the World, was emptied out and large parts of the city looked like a ghost town. But as the high tide and flood surge did not materialise as predicted, leaving Wall St and most of Manhattan intact. In parts of the other four boroughs the floods briefly got up to thigh level and residents used kayaks to get around, although the waters receded as the surge waned.A few dozen people had to be rescued from their homes but there were no reports of deaths.


A Fairfield Beach Road home is submerged in Pine Creek in Fairfield, Connecticut as treacherous weather caused by Tropical Storm Irene came through the area on Sunday
As Irene worked up the East coast it was downgraded to a Tropical Storm, which meant it had winds between 39 and 73 miles per hour. A hurricane has winds of at least 74 miles per hour. Battling to maintain their credibility amid inevitable recriminations, weather forecasters and officials insisted the drastic precautions had been justified due to the hurricane’s unpredictability. In Florida, a surfer and another beachgoer were killed by heavy waves.


Homeland Security secretary Janet Napolitano said that President Barack Obama had been briefed on the progress of the storm throughout the weekend. She added that the operation to deal with it was now in the ‘response’ phase, which would soon be followed by the ‘recovery’ phase where assessments would be made about the damage.
‘We are not out of the woods yet,’ she said.

‘Irene remains a large and potentially dangerous storm. Hazards still persist in communities where the storm has passed. ‘Unfortunately we have seen some loss of life but by and large with evacuations and other precautions we have dramatically decreased the risk to life over the course of the storm. ‘We have a way to go but it’s safe to say the worst of the storm, at least up to an including New York and New Jersey, has passed.’

webprince:
New York gets off lightly but Hurricane Irene leave U.S. facing a £27bn repair bill

Route 12 on Hatteras Island, North Carolina yesterday after Irene swept through the area, cutting the roadway in five locations

- 21 killed by hurricane in U.S. and 370,000 New Yorkers ordered to leave their homes
- 11-year-old boy among dead as tree split in half and fell on roof of his house
- Sea surge of 8ft had been expected in New York, but just 1ft of water lapped over the banks
- Winds of 90mph and up to 12INCHES of rain in some parts of U.S.
- Road in North Carolina broken in five places as floodwater spreads


Hurricane Irene killed 21 people and left a £27billion trail of destruction in it's wake - but there was relief in New York as the city escaped the worst of the storm. Parts of downtown Manhattan were flooded, including several apartment blocks, but the damage was nowhere near as widespread as had been feared. A flood surge of up to 8ft had been predicted, but in the end just 1ft washed over the banks of the surrounding rivers and onto the streets.

more pictures as you read on


Within an hour of Irene passing, the sun had come out and New York began to resume normal life - with joggers taking to the streets which minutes before were underwater.
Weathermen also downgraded Irene to a Tropical Storm just as she passed above the city.
But outside of New York the damage had earlier been far more severe and the hurricane was blamed for at least 21 deaths - including two children - as she rampaged up the East coast of the U.S.

Streets of Asbury Park, New Jersey, are flooded after Hurricane Irene moved through the area on Sunday

An 11-year-old boy in Virginia was killed when a tree split in half and fell through the roof of his house. Neighbours who rushed to help forced their way in and found the dead child’s mother leaning over his body screaming: ‘My baby! My baby!’ Another child died in a car crash at an intersection in North Carolina where traffic lights were out, while a firefighter lost his life whilst attempting a rescue in Princeton, New Jersey.



Up to 12 inches of rain fell in the worst affected areas with winds gusting up to 90mph, uprooting buildings and leaving around four million people without power. Thousands of British holidaymakers stranded on the East Coast may have to wait several days as airlines clear the backlog that built up as several major airports were closed. New York had issued an unprecedented evacuation notice ordering 370,000 residents in at risk areas to leave their homes. The city was put into lock down as the entire transit system was closed, the National Guard patrolled the streets and shoppers cleared supermarkets of food and emergency supplies.

A man kayaks down West Broadway in Manhattan as flood waters ripple through Manhattan's trendy SoHo neighbourhood

Initially the disaster everyone had feared seemed to be unfolding - roads turned into rivers as storm drains were unable to cope with the all-night torrential downpour. Times Square, known as the Crossroads of the World, was emptied out and large parts of the city looked like a ghost town. But as the high tide and flood surge did not materialise as predicted, leaving Wall St and most of Manhattan intact. In parts of the other four boroughs the floods briefly got up to thigh level and residents used kayaks to get around, although the waters receded as the surge waned.A few dozen people had to be rescued from their homes but there were no reports of deaths.


A Fairfield Beach Road home is submerged in Pine Creek in Fairfield, Connecticut as treacherous weather caused by Tropical Storm Irene came through the area on Sunday
As Irene worked up the East coast it was downgraded to a Tropical Storm, which meant it had winds between 39 and 73 miles per hour. A hurricane has winds of at least 74 miles per hour. Battling to maintain their credibility amid inevitable recriminations, weather forecasters and officials insisted the drastic precautions had been justified due to the hurricane’s unpredictability. In Florida, a surfer and another beachgoer were killed by heavy waves.


Homeland Security secretary Janet Napolitano said that President Barack Obama had been briefed on the progress of the storm throughout the weekend. She added that the operation to deal with it was now in the ‘response’ phase, which would soon be followed by the ‘recovery’ phase where assessments would be made about the damage.
‘We are not out of the woods yet,’ she said.

‘Irene remains a large and potentially dangerous storm. Hazards still persist in communities where the storm has passed. ‘Unfortunately we have seen some loss of life but by and large with evacuations and other precautions we have dramatically decreased the risk to life over the course of the storm. ‘We have a way to go but it’s safe to say the worst of the storm, at least up to an including New York and New Jersey, has passed.’

webprince:
Federal Government Sets Up Institute to Boost Cement Production

The Ministry of Trade and Investment has set up an institute called the Cement Technology Institute (CTI) to boost cement production in the country.

The Minister, Trade and Investment, Dr. Olusegun Aganga, explained that the Institute was being set up to assist the nation to optimise its cement production capacity and capability, through acquisition and development of appropriate technology that would make cement product adequately available as a low cost basic building material for the average Nigerian. This was disclosed by the Minister while inaugurating the Board of Trustee (BOT) and the Project Implementation Team (PIT) for the Cement Institute (CTI) in Abuja .

The Board is chaired by the Group President, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, while the Chairman, Project Implementation Team is Alhaji Lateef G. Salami, Director, Industrial Development department in the Ministry. Inaugurating the Board, the Minister pointed out that the Institute would also be the fulcrum for the positioning of Nigeria as a net exporter of cement with the capacity of meeting the needs of the ECOWAS sub-region.


The Institute is mandated to carry out research and development, technology adaptation and human capacity building in cement sub-sector of the economy. He said the objectives of the institute were to train and enhance manpower in cement technology and related fields especially at the middle management level; to undertake research and development in the areas of suitable alternative technologies in cement manufacturing; and utilisation of local raw materials for cement manufacturing.

Others include development of various types of cement high alumina cement; low-heat cement; capacity to use mineral admixtures that will prolong life span of the raw materials; cleaner and environment friendly production processes and waste management in the cement industry; energy conservation; developing and establishing prototype mini-cement plant; and utilisation of locally manufactured components and parts for the cement industry.

He also said that other objectives are to maintain data bank for cement and cement related industries, liaise with other research Institutes with a view to tapping their full potentials for enhancing cement technology development. Part of the objectives include harmonising the programmes of these Institutes in areas of common national interest, train manpower for the cement industry, just like the Petroleum Institute, Warri is doing for oil industry.

Aganga said the CTI would be run and managed as a Non-governmental Organisation with the Board of Trustee members drawn from government and major stakeholders in the cement industry will principally manage the CTI fund, while the Project Implementation Team would undertake and execute the process of the implementation of the establishment of the CTI.

webprince:
Federal Government to Install Four New Turbines in Kainji

The Federal Government has unveiled plans to install four additional hydro-electric turbines in the remaining units 1, 2, 3 and 4 open pits of Kainji Hydro-Electric Plant which have remained open since the completion of the plant in 1968.

Minister of Power, Prof. Barth Nnaji, who disclosed this at the weekend in Kainji, said the Federal Government would complete the installation of the remaining four hydro turbines in the power station during his inspection of the plant as part of his official assessment of power facilities in the country. Nnaji told reporters: “What we will like is to be able, in one go, to repair all these units to see the full realisation of the capacity originally installed here, that will really do a lot for power in this country so that the entire 760 megawatts can become available all at once and we would be able to modernise the plant and even more so, the open pit will have turbines installed in them, thereby increasing the capacity of this plant. This will be wonderful for this nation.


"What we do not want is to have investments lying fallow. The open pit has remained open since the time of the construction of this plant and it is just not good to think about because when we are talking about a country lacking power, unless we have a recovery and installation of this nature, then we are not going to go far.” Although the minister did not disclose details of the planned installation such as the cost and timeframe for its commencement and completion, he however directed the Chief Executive Officer of the plant, Mr. Reuben Akinwunmi, to liaise with relevant offices in the Ministry of Power as well as Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to draw up a cost implication for the installation of the new turbines.

“It will take approximately four years to complete the installation of the turbines, but the sooner we start, the better for us because some work has already been done, just to get the equipment and install them. So I will like the CEO to work with us at the ministry and the Power Holding Company of Nigeria to come up with a proposal that will indicate the cost implication of the installation of the turbines in the open pit,” he said. According to him, “It will be good for us to know what it will cost to embark on an entire rehabilitation of the plant and of course, you have indicated that we will need a 330KV transformer to export the power if we do the installation.”

Akinwunmi had earlier told Nnaji that the power plant was in a dire strait with current generation dropping to 210 megawatts owing to incessant breakdown of the serviceable generating units. He linked the breakdown to lack of statutory overhaul. “Kainji Station is in a dire strait and requires urgent and coordinated attention, apart from the unreliability of generating units, threats of flood linked to leakages have become great challenges to us and out of the eight generating units, only unit 1G11 was completely overhauled in 2002 and this same unit is due for another overhaul,” he explained.

The units have remained open pits that have been awaiting installation of additional four turbine machines that could contribute about 200 megawatts of electricity to beef up power generation in the plant with an originally designed generation capacity of 960 megawatts. Kainji plant is Nigeria’s oldest hydro-electric power station, and the eventual installation of the four turbine machines by the Federal Government will bring to conclusion the design of the power station to effectively add in stabilizing power supply in Nigeria.

Four sets of Kaplan turbines - units 1G7, 1G8, 1G9 and 1G10 of 80 megawatts each - were installed in the plant in 1969 while a second set of generating units 1G11 and 1G12, of 100 megawatts each, and 1G5 and 1G6, of 120 megawatts each, were installed between 1976 and 1978 to bring its total generating capacity to 760 megawatts, but only two of these generating units are currently serviceable.

Meanwhile, Nnaji also took time to explain reasons behind the recent drop in power distribution which had reportedly affected Lagos, Abeokuta and some few cities across the country. The minister attributed the drop to system collapse which had occurred in one of the major power stations in the country.

He said: “What happened is what I will explain to you. Usually, if at a particular gas-fired power station, you lose pressure and the power station goes out, it carries with it a lot of power and pulls down the entire network, resulting in system collapse, and unless you have frequency control reserve power, it will affect power distribution. System collapse could also occur from pure vegetation. “And what we are trying to do is to see how we can increase the amount of power that is in reserve in multiple stations and locations. Right now, we have in Egbin but we need to have in Ughelli and Jebba. If we do succeed in installing the turbines in the open pits, we can have improved capacity for a frequency mechanism here in Kainji, but this is why a national network is useful to control the networks and ensure that systems do not go down.”

He also said that the 5,000 megawatts target of the government by December was in line. “Our job now is to try to improve the amount of power for reserve so that we do not have this kind of situation. So, we are dealing with all these minimal issues that we need to address to ensure that we do not have system collapse and attain our target,” he added.