Sandy.

She's so uncivilized! We've all been preparing for or in the midst of dealing with 'Superstorm Sandy' for the last few days. I actually went food shopping on Saturday morning to avoid the crowds so I could get on with my weekend. The storm was suppose to arrive on Sunday evening. It didn't. Monday morning came. It was quiet. Everyone was saying it was a bust. Many people didn't evacuate even though Zone 1 had a mandatory evacuation order. Irene hadn't hit hard (in NYC at least) so, maybe Sandy wouldn't either? Irene's doppler is pictured below on the left, Sandy's on the right. The rain finally came but, it was intermittent. The wind was substantial and didn't stop throughout the evening. Once the storm got going, it moved faster towards land and caught many off guard who were expecting it much later in the evening. At around 9pm last night things got progressively worse, quickly. The wind and rain were at their worst, the storm surge was already way beyond Irene levels (by feet) and it was a full moon which caused tides to rise about 20% higher than they normally would. NYC had weather all day yesterday but, no one expected the flooding that inundated Chelsea, Lower East Side, East Village, Financial District, Red Hook, Williamsburg, Gowanus and other low lying areas in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens in a matter of minutes. Water was pouring into Manhattan's subways and tunnels in a way it never has before (so I hear). All had been closed down earlier in the day. Pictures emerged of the East Village with 5-6 feet of water rushing into the city streets-people tried to evacuate but, it was too dangerous. Con Edison, NYC biggest provider of electricity, experienced an explosion at their plant in Manhattan that caused the power to go out everywhere south of 39th Street in Manhattan. Area hospitals were evacuating hundreds in the dark at 1:00am. The power  in that area is still out and won't likely be back up for 4-5 days. This happens in Manhattan!?! I'm so lucky. I have power. I never lost it. As I was falling asleep last night I saw at least 4 bright green flashes--presumably transmitters blowing. Bizarre. 

Today we saw what the storm left behind. The Jersey Shore was hit hardest for sure. Many people were killed by falling trees and some just trapped in the rising water. On the other side of Prospect Park a couple was found dead, pinned by a fallen tree. 

I took a walk today to see Park Slope. There were many trees down like the ones in the picture below but, overall things looked just fine. I've been working from home the last few days since our office was in the flood zone, a 1/2 block from the Hudson River. We're not allowed back in yet. Even if we were, I don't know how I'd get there. The subway is shut down for the next 4-5 days for repair. LGA and JFK are closed. LGA indefinitely. Their runway is a lake. Battery Tunnel is full of water with maybe a foot of clearance between the water and the top of the tunnel. 

So, where to next? Romney can keep holding babies and Obama can do a great job reacting to the storms as they come but, somebody has to DO something to address climate change. These storms are going to keep coming if we don't change our behavior. No one has the money to continue subsidizing the clean up and rebuilding costs. 

Through all of this nonsense, I'm reminded of what a wonderful community I have around me. Thanks for reaching out. It was great to hear from you. A word of advice...stay out of the big puddles. You don't know how deep they go!