It's tempting to interpret this as a proxy for over-all damage but it's perhaps a bit unwise to do so. Alternative possibilities are that internet related infra (power lines, cell towers, roof-mounted dishes, etc.) was disproportionally damaged or that cities in the projected path saw a lot of evacuations. Of course all of these things could be true at the same time. It's an interesting way to try to assess damage in any case because it's automagically collected; you don't need to wait for people on the ground to report damage. So here's hoping that a) those affected can get back on their feet quickly and b) there's some follow-up to see how useful this data was as a proxy for assitance needs.
Almost on topic: I have this vague memory of some very interesting blog posts of a datacenter sysadmin who bravely dealt with hurricane Katrina and the aftermath, in 2005.<p>Anyone know what I'm talking about?
There are several DCs in the Tampa area. How are they?
<a href="https://www.datacentermap.com/usa/florida/tampa/" rel="nofollow">https://www.datacentermap.com/usa/florida/tampa/</a>
I spent at least an hour in the eye of Milton. At one point, you could hear a leaf drop and the sky was strangely bright in all directions, though power was long gone.<p>This was a 1:1000 miracle and could have annihilated the entire area. Had it not effectively shat itself before climbing on land, I suspect I'd be toast. Still a lot of tree and tree induced damage, but minimal major structural damages. We're forecast to be without power until the 17th and fuel lines exceed a mile, guarded by police.<p>Not great, but beats the hell out of what was mysteriously avoided - the bastard was over 180mph at its prime and spawned more tornadoes than ever in history.<p>Such 'luck' cannot persevere indefinitely.<p>If interested, please see my Ask HN post regarding Google's behavior during this ordeal:
<a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41818861#41819099">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41818861#41819099</a><p>Edit: Verizon cellular carried us through most of the storm, becoming inaccessible for most of the proceeding day. It has since resumed with respectable consistency.
<a href="https://nitter.poast.org/CloudflareRadar/status/1844444286911381980" rel="nofollow">https://nitter.poast.org/CloudflareRadar/status/184444428691...</a> (not X-walled link to thread)
Starlink has been providing emergency internet service in the affected areas: <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41803857">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41803857</a>
An update with today's numbers and Starlink growth in Florida as well:
<a href="https://x.com/CloudflareRadar/status/1844764342668976159" rel="nofollow">https://x.com/CloudflareRadar/status/1844764342668976159</a>