Thanks to this huge storm, I was able to vote today! So there it is the only up side to this whole nightmare.....

My thoughts go out to everyone still effected by the power outages. As New England prepares to get hit again with another storm, which promises to set delays on the recovery efforts because of the expected snow and ice.

Stay safe

JUST got my power back after 6 days.
Our area was hit with a lot of wind damage, downed trees and power lines.
We drove around the day after and found that just about every block around us sustained some sort of damage. We were lucky. No flooding, no house damage - just lost our power.

We were fortunate than most - we had gas and hot water, and our gas lines are not as outrageous as it is up north. Anyone needing gas for their cars and generators should consider driving south if they can.

http://bit.ly/U1XsuO

The above link is for anyone needing to know PSE&G's work schedule for their town.

I hope everyone affected is okay and safe.

Also posted in Breaking News last night
 

Please, if you can, donate to the Red Cross to help the victims of the devastation of Hurricaine Sandy.

It is so simple: either Tweet #SandyHelp; text Redcross 90999; 800-435-7669 or go to www.RedCross.org.

Any amount, no matter how small, helps.

Your money provides water, hot meals and shelter for those that have lost everything.

My tweet to donate took less than one minute.

Food and fuel are scarce. I hope people are able to get what they need. I know others from around the country are still coming out to assist in what they can.

People needing assistance and those wanting to help should check out the FEMA website.

Sending light and hope to all those still affected and recoving.

http://www.yearsoftears.org/images/3...s_for_1985.jpg

Thanks to everyone who asked about us. I don't know why I avoided looking at this thread until now. Hurricane Sandy wasn't particularly kind to me, but she was far more destructive to some of my neighbours. I live in Red Hook, Brooklyn, which is very much in the A flood zone. I evacuated with my vehicles. My electricity was restored a few days ago, but some of the other houses on my block are still dark. My boiler, which is as old as I am, was fully submerged. I have a few electric radiators running in the house, but it will be quite awhile before I have proper heat again.

I feel quite fortunate. Having lost bikes and a car in a Noreaster that flooded my Manhattan neighbourhood in '92, I'm particularly sensitive about the possibility that any vehicle of mine might become submerged in salt water. I had the foresight to move three bikes to higher ground, (FZ1, R6 track bike, and EX500), but the rest of the disreputable bikes in my backyard which were in various stages of disrepair will never run again. They were submerged under 5-6 feet of salt water.

Goodbye to Gertie, the '82 650 Seca which I bought for more than she was worth from Byron and Alan before they succumbed to AIDS at a time when there was no treatment and no hope of long term survival.

Goodbye to the adorable little 250 Yamaha of unknown provenance which my late gf Caren bobbed. I thought it was the most ridiculous project she could have undertaken until I saw it. SO CUTE!

Goodbye to the engines on the FZ1 parts bikes that I thought would keep my current FZ1 running forever.

Goodbye to a large box of parts for the R6. Most are simply unsalvageable.

I'm feeling particularly lucky to not be saying goodbye to all the sculptures that were stored in a structure at the back of my property. A fast moving, 5 foot wall of water washed through that house, knocking the boxes full of my life's work over willy-nilly off the milk crates which I thought might keep them safe from a flood, onto their heads and fronts before they were completely submerged. I was sure they must be utterly destroyed, and I couldn't make myself open the crates until today. It seems to me that I really can save some of them.

New Yorkers are the most wonderful and amazing people on earth. I was surprised by volounteers who knocked on my door to offer their help today. They're just regular folks who mobilised to bring water and supplies to people who needed the help. They also were offering basement clearing help to people in my particularly hard-hit neighbourhood. I felt strange and guilty to be using the resource since I'm always the one who rescues other people. It took me a moment and some hard swallowing before I could say yes to the offer. My house took 8 inches of water and the crawlspace was pretty grisly, so the help was very welcome. And I would have had a lot of trouble making myself open those crates if my new friends hadn't been there to mobilise me. New Yorkers really do shine in a crisis.

I'm not complaining because I feel so lucky compared to some of my neighbours who lost everything. I'm glad everyone here seems to have weathered the storm safely.

https://www.facebook.com/sandynjrelief

The Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization chaired by First Lady Mary Pat Christie to help New Jersey communities rebuild and aide in the relief effort. Thank you for your support. We are strong and resilient. We are proud New Jerseyans.

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http://wac.450f.edgecastcdn.net/8045...sh-flickr.jpeg

http://www.google.com/url?source=img...KvIKm2qXbc2fOg
http://www.google.com/url?source=img...tNLgwTtKsOXwyw

Staten Island NY is devastated.

http://www.google.com/url?source=img...0XoDSIthjP5jrA

http://www.google.com/url?source=img...1TeSUPHJDjvfBw

Long Island, NY devastation

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http://www.google.com/url?source=img...7HT4PTWkyx3hDw

Fire Island.. Devastated. Rebuilding
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...levant_count=1

Polling relocates in NY
http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stori...o-sandy-damage

I've been out of power since the storm, so I am seeing the devastation for the first time. I am floored. In my area, we were spared considering the amount of damage elsewhere in the state and in New York. All of my family lives up north, and they are still out of power and struggle to get gas for their cars and generators. Some are having issues with water and general supplies. Some of Mare's family is still without power and something simple as food is hard to come by.

I bitched and moaned about not having power, which was a struggle in itself, but seeing the aftermath humbles me to no end. Now I see why utility resources were sent north at the onset of this storm. Hearing the news on a radio does not compare to actually seeing the images.

It is peaceful and quiet here. There is a constant sound of chain saws working around the clock - and obviously evidence of storm damage all around us, but we are not having the same issues as most. It's hard to come by certain supplies here, but for the most part, my area is up and running. There are no lines to get gas. Supermarkets, fast food chains and general stores are all open and operating. We have little or no flood damage in our area. Keeping all of that in mind, it's hard for me to imagine going through what a lot of people have experienced because of this storm, and for that, my heart cries for all those affected.

Earlier I posed a link that the Governor of this state created to help victims of the storm. Please repost wherever you can (Facebook pages, twitter, etc...) and please spread the word so that the little things - ice, dry ice, water, food, blankets, batteries, medical supplies - can be sent to those who need it most.

Now they are urging those without power to get out! There is a Noreaster coming in. There is still currently 900,000 people without power and it could be some time before it is restored and take more time with this storm coming in.

121 people dead from Sandy in 9 states. :(

Please everybody listen to the warnings and get out if need. Stay safe!