Frankenstorm Sandy

[ruffryder]

Originally Posted by maryoosa

City was handing out emergency food stamps today.

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.

[CherylNYC]

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.

[Tommi]

Thanks for posting the positive side of New Yorkers pitching in.
Unreal, some of it must be surreal, and so very real . Best wishes on a speedy disaster recovery

[NJFemmie]

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.

[NJFemmie]

Staten Island NY is devastated.

[NJFemmie]

Long Island, NY devastation

[MsMerrick]

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

[NJFemmie]

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.

[ruffryder]

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!

[Heavenleahangel]

I just heard about the storm heading our way this Thursday. I am upstate, just north of Albany. Being inland I am a little more shielded from the storms that come in from the east. I offer my home and any other help I can be to my fellow Planet peeps. I hope everyone is warm, fed and safe...