The HeniM »nd TTie Lantgm

Page 38 The Past Lives On History will come alive, Colonial and Victorian heritage will take on real meaning this weekend when the Cape May County Art league opens up tl# ,12nd Annual Old House Tour. Since this year's excursion includes about a dozen “new" buildings among the almost SO open for visiting, there will be something of interest to even those who have hit the history trail before. The tour should be of even greater importance to participants this year — given the growing interest in energy conservation, preservation, and with the rising cost of living. There is no better way to provide a place'to live while at the same time practicing conservation and preservation than by restoring an old structure to contemporary use. THERE ARE STILL SOME old structures on the Jersey Cape in need of rehabilitation; the opportunity remains to renew ancient housing stock for today's use. What better way to see how this is accomplished than by visiting some of these old homes this Saturday and Sunday. The tour will also serve as a treat for anyone who appreciates beauty: the patina of a well trod wide floorboard, the gentle lines of a settled wooden dwelling, the subtlety of weathered brick, the mystique surrounding the coolness of am old farmhouse on a hot summer day, the wonderment of the joys and sorrows of past families who made their homes here. SEE THE JERSEY CAPE of yesterday this weekend. Marvel at the craftsmanship of bygone times. Appreciate time and effort. Touch the ancient timers. Listen for voices of the past. Grasp the meaning of heritage. Become determined to preserve it. Those Other Dog Days Avalon’s announced crackdown on dogs running loose in the community, especially on the beachfront, is a move that hopefully will be carried out expeditiously. It is also the type of local ordinance enforcement that should be carried out continuously by police departments in other municipalities. In rural areas, dogs running loose run the risk of becoming carriers of rabies because of the greater possibility of their coming into contact with wild rabid animals such as skunks and bats. IN OUR MORE URBAN CENTERS, there is a greater risk of dog bites because of the possibility of canines coming into contact with children whose exuberance may seem threatening to a dog. In all areas, what dogs leave behind them on public property (especially beaches and parks) and private property (usually a well tended neighbor's lawn) is unhealthy as well as unattractive and bothersome. TO PARAPHRASE AN OUTDATED exR ression, a dog’s place is in and around the omc — its masters not someone else's. . Like most laws and regulations, the local dog ordinance would require a great deal less enforcement, if people would only practice the golden rule — and a little common courtesy.

Mm H. Anarut M fdi'ot William J. xaaan Adverting Director OmmU Koaa PMHImc Maaa SH-Ulf ter Nam ar *4vartMa| laforaiatlaa

gspi* 729 r 2255 q. Could you suggest s place to go for boating

Instruct! oos?

A. Yes, Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla S3 They meet on the first and third Friday atl:M. CellaaMow for further Information. O.l am a single parent on a four day work schedule. I have two children, ages 10 and 13. Needless tossy our financial situation is extremely tight. I may quit my Job this summer if I can’t find a daily babysitter. Even If I do I will have a tough time being able to afford it. Is there any financial aid available for a babysitter

so I can work?

A. If you fall witNng a certain income range and you meet other eligibility

Hurricanes & the Coast

Wednesday, July », 1180 criteria it is poaible you may get summer day care for your children, thin

allowing you to work. To find out mere about

this program call the Cepe May County Welfare Board, at 71MM0 and ask for the Title XX Day Care

Program.

•FIRST CALL FOR HELP- Is interested hi getting yon the help yon need when yon have a social service problem which yen can not solve. This is NOT an emergency hotline tor Fire. Police, or Rescoe This service Is confidential and free . . V you have a question for the ’FIRST CALL FOR HELP’ column write to Onvld G. quhHao. First Call For Help. Social Services Rulldlng. Rio Grande. N.J. am» or call

72S-CALL.

History’s Teachings Have Been Ignored

By John Macy Jr. The greatest threat of a large number of deaths in the United States I believe to be, not an earthquake, not a swarm of tornadoes, or not even a nuclear plant accident but a hurricane. We have the potential for a hurricane claiming 10,000 deaths because few people think that hurricanes pose that kind of threat. That attitude of apathy greatly multiplies the dangers of a

hurricane.

THE WAIN KILLER will be the storm surges that accompany hurricanes. Storm surges are giant

is impossible for everyone to leave by car. Some of these people may be caught by a hurricane on low, coastal highways, sitting humper-to-bumper in traffic blocked by downed trees and flooded roads. IT HAS BEEN suggested that some large coastal cities should plan to evacuate people vertically into high-rise buildings. But there has been little local planning and preparation for such hurricane evacuations. Sooner or later, the United Stater will experience a horrible

caused over 100 deaths and billions of dollars of flood damage in 5,000 square miles of the interior of midAtlantic states in 1972. Whether coastal or inland, communities that have flood hazards and agree to attempt to manage or miltigate their hazards, are eligible to join the National Flood Insurance Program. Under the federal program, residents and businesses may purchase i flood insurance protection at affordable rates. IF YOU LIVE in a floodprone area, consult with

Federal Emergency Managment # Agency (FEMA). JUST AS A family should check each year on June 1, the family should also consider other protective steps. You need to re-think each year what steps you would take if an evacyation of your area is ordered because of an approaching hurricane. If your home la in a relatively safe area, a hurricane may require some precautionary steps: check your household supply of non-perishable fowl first aid kit fire ex-

Man has opted In favor of beauty and against prudent building and zonlrig codes that would recognize the danger of living directly on the ooean.

wind-driven waves that push ahead of a hurricane. The waves, which may be 20 feet or higher, plow inland until tamed by the contour of the land. More than 6,000 people died when storm tides swept over Galveston Island «n 1900. Storm surges caused 350 deaths near New Orleans in 1909; 240 deaths in Florida in 1928 ; 600 in Long Island and New England in 1938. Hundreds of people died when the storm surge in 1957 from Hurricane Audrey caused flooding in flat Louisiana coastal land as far as 25 miles inland. And theYecord goes on and on. INSTEAD OP mapecting the sea, people by the millions have moved like lemmings in recent years on to the spits of sand we call harrier islands. It is beautiful to live that near the ocean, but it is dangerous to consider your family and your dwelling safe from the wind and waves of a hurricane. Man has opted In favor of beauty and against prudent building and zoning codes that would recognize the danger of living directly on the ocean. THE POPULATIONS of some beach areas have increased so fast in the last few years that it is now mathematically im possible to evacuate everyone within a day or so on the few roads that lead inland. If people have only 12 hours to evacuate in the face of a hurricane in some large papulation centers, it

disaster from a hurricane. Thousands of people will die in their beach cottages, in high-rise comdominiums with pilings buried in sand, and in their cars on coastal roads. THE DENSENESS of the coastal populations, coupled with people's lack of respect for hurricanes, add up to tragedy. We have ighored the teachings of history. Historically, coastalsmashing hurricanes occur every m years in Florida; every 4 years in New England. North Carolina and Louisiana; every 5 years in Georgia and South Carolina; every 6 years in Alabama and Mississippi; every 11 years in New York ; and every 16 years in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey. The odds are against man. Coastal regions are not the only ones threatened. Don’t overlook Mother Nature’s wrath when it comes to hurricanes causing death and destruction far inland. Some of the nation’s greatest disasters were caused by hurricanes that weakened into tropical storms overland _ .. THE STORMS PICK up tons of water while they move over the warm oesan. When they hit the colder land, they dump their loads of water in the form of rain that is sometimes measured in tens of inches. Hurricanes produce record floods, far from the salt air. For example. Hurricane Agnes

your insurance agent or broker about purchasing flood insurance. You’ll find that your homeowners insurance policy doesn’t provide flood protection, but that you can purchase a separate policy for flood coverage on a building and its contents. Call your insurance agent or broker to find out the coverage you need. If you don’t have a flood insurance policy. You should hope that you’ll never need to collect on your flood insurance policy, but if you need it. It may save you from total financial disaster. TV program is administered by the Federal Insurance Administration within the

tinguisher, batterypowered radio, flashlights, and extra batteries. TIPS ON SAFETY precautions, details on the availablility of purchasing flood insurance, and other suggested hurricane preparations are listed in FEMA materials being distributed this summer as part of a hurricane awareness campaign. • While leaflets may help educate people to the threat of hurricanes, I pray that it will not take a disastrous hurricane to break people away from theirapathetic attitudes. -r 7ohrT~w!"Macy Jr. Is director of the federal emergency management agency.