New York, New York ...

[LiamKerrington]

I just saw the pictures and news about what's going on in this city after Sandy ... Glad to hear that besides all the damages done the number of fatalities is (still too big and yet) rather small.
It's kinda funny to learn that besides all the trouble with electricity, telephone-networks, hospitals in bad shape, plenty of streets, buildings and facilities heavily damaged or destroyed ... that besides all of that one of the first news is that the stock-market will be online tomorrow again ... Kind of lol ... But hell, I guess that's New York, New York ... And the spirit to go.

To all WA fans at the East Coast of the US so far: I hope you are doin' fine and that Sandy ignored you to some degree.

All the best!
Liam

[reaper239]

trust me, it's no where near as bad as i'm sure it looks. i don't think much was destroyed in the way of actual buildings, though there was substantial flooding. regarding the stock market, that's kind of the guiding force behind the economy, that's a major priority.

[nikvoodoo]

Trust me, its as bad if not worse than it looks.

But what do I know. I'm just sitting here without power like 93% of long island and don't have a straight path to get anywhere because of downed trees and power lines. There are beach side roadways that are gone. The jettys that were used to build long beach are exposed. 110 homes burned to the ground in one area near the Rockaways.

Lets not forget the crippled mass transit system in and out of new york. Do you know the subway system was flooded as far north as at least 86th street? Alphabet city is devastated. There are subway stations still underwater.


That's just in nyc/long island. I could mention nj too, but I'm having to listen to the radio for news and I can only get the long island local station simulcast on fm.

[reaper239]

Trust me, its as bad if not worse than it looks.

But what do I know. I'm just sitting here without power like 93% of long island and don't have a straight path to get anywhere because of downed trees and power lines. There are beach side roadways that are gone. The jettys that were used to build long beach are exposed. 110 homes burned to the ground in one area near the Rockaways.

Lets not forget the crippled mass transit system in and out of new york. Do you know the subway system was flooded as far north as at least 86th street? Alphabet city is devastated. There are subway stations still underwater.


That's just in nyc/long island. I could mention nj too, but I'm having to listen to the radio for news and I can only get the long island local station simulcast on fm.

then how are you posting? :squint:

on a serious note, do you remember when that guy shot a coworker in front of the empire state building? the caseing hadn't even left the gun when plastered on every tv was "MASSACRE AT THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING" never mind that he had a personal vendetta against a single coworker. how many blocks past your neighborhood have you been? the media is all hype and new yorks is some ofthe worst. downed powerlines and trees? please, if you aren't picking your walls up and nailing them back in place with reused nails, it wasn't that bad. now that's not to say some areas won't be bad off, but let's hold off on the hype until the dust settles.

[nikvoodoo]

I have cell service, and a smart phone.

So let me ask you: if you're not here, why should we trust your assessment of the situation?

You go ahead and think its hype all you want. Its not. next time some natural disaster sweeps through your area, I'm just going to sit up here and claim its all media hype and its not that bad.

Take the last word. I'm done using my cell phone juice on you.

[reaper239]

since you offered, i'll tell you exactly what my dad told me when a tornado took our house in texas: calm down, pick a piece of debris, sort it into trash or save, repeat. you're in new york, not fallujah, you went through a cat 1, not a war, it's really not that bad, trust me, you're still alive, you will recover.

[clem131]

If I may interject, obviously from Nik's perspective the situation is tough since it's just out of his window; plus what he (and a colleague there) describes figures with what I see on the news, so at least it sounds as bad as it looks to me, and I personally would cut him some slack since it happened, like, yesterday.
Obviously there's also hype and it could always be worse.


(you could be in Belgium, for example)

[LiamKerrington]

I wish everyone in NY and NJ and anywhere else where Scratch, er, SANDY wreaked havoc good luck and that life gets normal sooner then later. The media here in Germany is full of news especially about NY. And the pictures remind me halfway about what happened in Japan one and a half years back from now ... So, considering the odds the damage, especially to people, seems to be very small; and yet I wouldn't want to be at your place right now.

All the people working hard on re-establishing everything do a great job, I think. And I hope they earn themselves medals for this.

Bitchng around about who knows what and who experienced what* ... No idea if this helps a lot. I guess it is fair to assume that no one's wrong with how he or she sees or depicts the situation. And it is good to know that it could have been a lot worse - especially with the old-school nuclear power plants which had some trouble, too ... Not to mention all the other heavy industry no one is talking about right now ...

All the best!
Liam

edit:
P.S.: *Or do I misunderstand you guys???

[YetAnotherBloodyCheek]

At least none of the candidates tries to capitalize on Sandy's devastation.

http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/romney-donating-sandy-supplies-only-to-gop-swing-states-not-nj-or-ny/politics/2012/10/30/52648

I bet that Obama's actions follow the same approach.

Let's hope that everything will get back to normal sooner than later. Hopefully, there will not be more casualities. I keep my fingers crossed.

[Deacon_Tyler]

since you offered, i'll tell you exactly what my dad told me when a tornado took our house in texas: calm down, pick a piece of debris, sort it into trash or save, repeat. you're in new york, not fallujah, you went through a cat 1, not a war, it's really not that bad, trust me, you're still alive, you will recover.

The more 'built up' or industrial an area is, the more damage a natural disaster brings. New York is one of the most built up (and populated) cities in the world, which makes the damage from a disaster such as this even more devastating. Millions without a means of public transportation in a city that requires public transportation is a very bad thing.

Not being from New York, it's easy to present an argument from a Texas standpoint, but it is akin to making arguments about the economic and social woes of China without ever having been there. Different worlds my friend, different worlds.

Stay safe, Nikvoodoo.

[UndeadSweeper]

Trust me, its as bad if not worse than it looks.

But what do I know. I'm just sitting here without power like 93% of long island and don't have a straight path to get anywhere because of downed trees and power lines. There are beach side roadways that are gone. The jettys that were used to build long beach are exposed. 110 homes burned to the ground in one area near the Rockaways.

Lets not forget the crippled mass transit system in and out of new york. Do you know the subway system was flooded as far north as at least 86th street? Alphabet city is devastated. There are subway stations still underwater.


That's just in nyc/long island. I could mention nj too, but I'm having to listen to the radio for news and I can only get the long island local station simulcast on fm.

All the way to 86th? Wow, that is far. Nick I hope that you are fine. I been looking at all the pics and amazed by the damage. I can't believe that the subway is flood and the damage to NJ , it all so surreal.

[RamblinMike]

damn. Didn't know the flooding spread so far. Godspeed Nik and may they clean er up soon.

[nikvoodoo]

Power still out to a huge portion of long island. Gas is a hot commodity and price gouging galore is happening (my neighbor told me that the guy told him $20 a gallon. The man is lucky the neighbor's kids were in the car, or he might not have a jaw anymore). Trees are starting to get detangled from trees and power restored to some neighborhoods. Of course there are insane lines for things you'd expect: Ice, gas, water, milk, bread, generators etc.

Below 34th in Manhattan there is no trains, only bus service. There are shuttles across the bridges for commuters from Brooklyn as all the tunnels are still flooded. Commuter rail is slowly coming back online with the only two lines that don't ever come near the South or North Shores. Thankfully, I take one of those lines to work so I was able to get back to some semblance of normalcy today. I had coworkers who rented a hotel room this morning so they could shower. Hotels are keeping some rooms open to rotate them around every 3-4 hours or so to help those who need a shower can run up and take one.

Oh by the by: all people who might be necessary for clean up or other activities to benefit the city in recovering are going to be pulled for the New York City Mother Fucking Marathon on Sunday (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/02/sports/officials-defend-decision-to-run-new-york-city-marathon-in-storms-aftermath.html?_r=0). And I hope someone talks some sense into these people before it happens. Instead of having them run over the bridges, how about we make them run through the midtown tunnel which is still full of water. Maybe that will be a better story...

But overall, I'm fine. I'm cold and I'm really short on patience (more so than usual), but I'm fine. Thanks for the kind words, but they are better used for those that lost their homes, loved ones...like the woman who lost her 4 and 2 year old boys to storm surge waves as she was trying to escape Staten Island. (http://www.wpix.com/news/wpix-two-children-missing-in-staten-island,0,1526195.story)

I'm slightly inconvenienced because I can't shower....

....ok everyone is slightly inconvenienced because I can't shower, lets be honest...but it's nothing compared to that.

[Deacon_Tyler]

It really puts things into perspective, man. I was working with clients from NY just tonight and they were telling me how god awful it's been there. I guess the best news is that New York is such a strong city with forward thinking people that will rebuild from such a horrific event even better than before!

Stay safe, Nik!

[awkwardalex]

Power still out to a huge portion of long island. Gas is a hot commodity and price gouging galore is happening (my neighbor told me that the guy told him $20 a gallon. The man is lucky the neighbor's kids were in the car, or he might not have a jaw anymore). Trees are starting to get detangled from trees and power restored to some neighborhoods. Of course there are insane lines for things you'd expect: Ice, gas, water, milk, bread, generators etc.

Below 34th in Manhattan there is no trains, only bus service. There are shuttles across the bridges for commuters from Brooklyn as all the tunnels are still flooded. Commuter rail is slowly coming back online with the only two lines that don't ever come near the South or North Shores. Thankfully, I take one of those lines to work so I was able to get back to some semblance of normalcy today. I had coworkers who rented a hotel room this morning so they could shower. Hotels are keeping some rooms open to rotate them around every 3-4 hours or so to help those who need a shower can run up and take one.

Oh by the by: all people who might be necessary for clean up or other activities to benefit the city in recovering are going to be pulled for the New York City Mother Fucking Marathon on Sunday (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/02/sports/officials-defend-decision-to-run-new-york-city-marathon-in-storms-aftermath.html?_r=0). And I hope someone talks some sense into these people before it happens. Instead of having them run over the bridges, how about we make them run through the midtown tunnel which is still full of water. Maybe that will be a better story...

But overall, I'm fine. I'm cold and I'm really short on patience (more so than usual), but I'm fine. Thanks for the kind words, but they are better used for those that lost their homes, loved ones...like the woman who lost her 4 and 2 year old boys to storm surge waves as she was trying to escape Staten Island. (http://www.wpix.com/news/wpix-two-children-missing-in-staten-island,0,1526195.story)

I'm slightly inconvenienced because I can't shower....

....ok everyone is slightly inconvenienced because I can't shower, lets be honest...but it's nothing compared to that.

I'm just glad that you and your family are OK, everytime I turn on the news and see New York I worry about you and all our other east coast fans.

[werewolf]

I am right with Nikvoodoo this. I use to live in tornado alley along the Mississippi. hell if it wasn't flooding then you have to worry about tornadoes ripping your life apart along with your house. It is really weird to see a front loader being picked up and tossed like a toy. there have been plenty of times i have been woken out of bed from the tornado sirens going off, the power being off for days. the news can only show you a glimpse into was is really going on.
Nikvoodoo, I hope for you and your families safety take care.


i suppose the baby wipes are getting kind of old huh? (just referencing we're alive after war.)

[reaper239]

Power still out to a huge portion of long island. Gas is a hot commodity and price gouging galore is happening (my neighbor told me that the guy told him $20 a gallon. The man is lucky the neighbor's kids were in the car, or he might not have a jaw anymore). Trees are starting to get detangled from trees and power restored to some neighborhoods. Of course there are insane lines for things you'd expect: Ice, gas, water, milk, bread, generators etc.

Below 34th in Manhattan there is no trains, only bus service. There are shuttles across the bridges for commuters from Brooklyn as all the tunnels are still flooded. Commuter rail is slowly coming back online with the only two lines that don't ever come near the South or North Shores. Thankfully, I take one of those lines to work so I was able to get back to some semblance of normalcy today. I had coworkers who rented a hotel room this morning so they could shower. Hotels are keeping some rooms open to rotate them around every 3-4 hours or so to help those who need a shower can run up and take one.

Oh by the by: all people who might be necessary for clean up or other activities to benefit the city in recovering are going to be pulled for the New York City Mother Fucking Marathon on Sunday (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/02/sports/officials-defend-decision-to-run-new-york-city-marathon-in-storms-aftermath.html?_r=0). And I hope someone talks some sense into these people before it happens. Instead of having them run over the bridges, how about we make them run through the midtown tunnel which is still full of water. Maybe that will be a better story...

But overall, I'm fine. I'm cold and I'm really short on patience (more so than usual), but I'm fine. Thanks for the kind words, but they are better used for those that lost their homes, loved ones...like the woman who lost her 4 and 2 year old boys to storm surge waves as she was trying to escape Staten Island. (http://www.wpix.com/news/wpix-two-children-missing-in-staten-island,0,1526195.story)

I'm slightly inconvenienced because I can't shower....

....ok everyone is slightly inconvenienced because I can't shower, lets be honest...but it's nothing compared to that.

think i owe you a public apology, i was acting like a bit of an ass. i won't try and explain it, suffice to say family issues, but there was no need to take it out on you. i apologize.

[nikvoodoo]

I also didn't necessarily need to snap. like I said, I'm short on patience at the moment. So more things tick me off quicker than normal. Like birds. Those fuckers chirping woke me up this morning. Bastards.....

All good. :)

[LiamKerrington]

Hi.

@reaper239 and nikvoodoo:
I repped you both. It is kind of a virtue, if people stand up for their 'mistakes' or what they did. It's a pleasure to have people like you around.

All the best!
Liam

[yarri]

@ reaper and nikvoodoo

Thank you.

[Kc]

It's times like this that real-world disaster scenarios in condensed cities really come to light. Not to say that it's not horrible, but can you imagine it being worse for longer? I recommend anyone who is considering preparing for bad things to read this: http://www.amazon.com/Life-As-We-Knew-It/dp/0152058265 ---- Not perfect and I have things that I would have changed about it, but it's a great perspective piece.

[LiamKerrington]

It's times like this that real-world disaster scenarios in condensed cities really come to light. Not to say that it's not horrible, but can you imagine it being worse for longer? I recommend anyone who is considering preparing for bad things to read this: http://www.amazon.com/Life-As-We-Knew-It/dp/0152058265 ---- Not perfect and I have things that I would have changed about it, but it's a great perspective piece.

Have you read "The Dead and The Gone" and "The World We Live In" read, too? "Life As We Know It" is book one of the "The Last Survivors Series" by Susan Beth Pfeffer ...

All the best!
Liam

[reaper239]

It's times like this that real-world disaster scenarios in condensed cities really come to light. Not to say that it's not horrible, but can you imagine it being worse for longer? I recommend anyone who is considering preparing for bad things to read this: http://www.amazon.com/Life-As-We-Knew-It/dp/0152058265 ---- Not perfect and I have things that I would have changed about it, but it's a great perspective piece.


a lot of people hear "prepper" and think end of the world zombie apocalypse nuts, and while i think a good rousing zombie apocalypse would be fun, that's not what i'm prepared for (don't get me wrong, my preps would go a long way towards that). what i prepare for is the possibility of being without power, or water, or transport, dealing with looters, or a breakdown of social order. people like to think that "those things can't happen here" but when new orleans went through katrina, that's exactly what you saw: a breakdown of social order, people without neccesities (can't spell), etc. i encourage everyone to look at disasters in their area going back 100 years, and prepare for the most likely, and widen your preperations to include the less likely over time. but you shouldn't just look at natural disaster, you also have to look at personal disaster: loss of job, home fire, death in the family, your own unfortunate demise. how would those you love get by without you? how would you get by without them? taking a look at these questions doesn't make you a doonsday prepper, it makes you a realist, and an optimist, by saying considering how you would overcome these disasters.getting started is easy and can be down as simply as jotting down what food you go through in a week and picking up an extra can or two every time you go shopping, setting aside your daily coffe money into a piggy bank, then when the bank gets full dump it into an untouched savings account, brushing up on those old boyscout skills in case you ever find yourself having to do without. i just picked up a cast iron dutch oven for about sixty bucks, and it is quite possibly one of the most versatile pieces of cookware i've ever bought. you don't have to move into an underground bunker and by 10 AKs 10 ARs and 20,000 rounds of ammunition (though that may be cool) to be prepared, you just need to be aware.

[werewolf]

It's times like this that real-world disaster scenarios in condensed cities really come to light. Not to say that it's not horrible, but can you imagine it being worse for longer? I recommend anyone who is considering preparing for bad things to read this: http://www.amazon.com/Life-As-We-Knew-It/dp/0152058265 ---- Not perfect and I have things that I would have changed about it, but it's a great perspective piece.

i actually have the all 3 audiobooks to this series. i listen to them before i found we're alive. really sad in the end. i wont give away anything though.

[nikvoodoo]

Marathon canceled amid increasing outrage from runners, and nyers. There was a lovely snarky press release and a lot of pissed off runners and relatives.

[RamblinMike]

Marathon canceled amid increasing outrage from runners, and nyers. There was a lovely snarky press release and a lot of pissed off runners and relatives.

Thank God for that!

[yarri]

People need heat and lights before the the city needs a marathon.

[nikvoodoo]

I've yet to meet someone who lives in ny that looks forward to the marathon. It gets in our way, but hey...what's one day of inconvenience? Tolerable inconvenience every year.

Much different this year. I feel badly for the runners, I do. Many waited until the last moment to arrive, only to find out its canceled. That sucks. But I really feel like something awful may have happened if a bunch of runners jogged past destroyed homes on Staten Island, and poured drinkable water over their heads while the people there can't drink what their plumbing provides.

[YetAnotherBloodyCheek]

[...] I feel badly for the runners, I do. Many waited until the last moment to arrive, only to find out its canceled. [...]

It is somehow ironic that the term is hyperlinked to the article dealing with WA runners. Imagine how substancial the running time would decrease if WA were allowed to participate.

@Nikvoodoo: I hope that your situation will soon improve drastically.

[werewolf]

too bad that all this had happened. somebody could have filmed the marathon runners and use Photoshop and after effects to create a zombie runners.

[reaper239]

People need heat and lights before the the city needs a marathon.

though i can sort of understand what he was thinking, it was a big source of revenue for the city. i would have cancelled it as soon as sandy passed, but i can almost understand where he was coming from. btw, nik, stay safe up there, i hear bands of thugs are roving the streets, seeking whom they may devour.

[nikvoodoo]

It's true....there are bands and bands of folks devouring the innocent and forcing them to take fliers for their candidate. Then, as mindless civic drones, they walk into a polling place and pull levers, fill in scantrons..etc. Damn them. Damn them to hell! I <3 me some Governor Cuomo for allowing NY voters to vote anywhere they wish in any district today (displaced voters sign an affidavit and are only allowed to vote for National offices, not locals).

Things are good. The update is I got my power back, LIPA actually knocked out our neighborhood pretty quickly once they arrived. So I've been powered since Sunday around 7:30pm. I was too happy to post it here, and got way too swamped yesterday at work to really post. Then when I got home, I forgot I didn't update here.

Lipa is still getting crushed in the communities for lack of communication to its customers. NY subways still basically stop around 34th street on some lines, but others are back to fully operational (just not as frequent). Now that the city is coming back to life, transit is insane. Trains are over packed with commuters in all directions.

As for the marathon, I'm very grateful to the runners who helped the city recover. I'm also more than happy with the runners who ran their own marathons on their own. I most certainly cannot begrudge any reaction from any marathoner on Sunday. I don't even begrudge the slew of marathoners who nearly ran me over on Monday. They were robbed of their experience this year, and may never want to come back now despite the 2013 "freebie" into the marathon.

All that said, it was the right decision to me. The money may have been helpful to the city, but what I'm not sure of is how much of that $340 mill. comes from taxes on goods purchased etc. If that's the case.....how much was the city honestly affected by not running? I've been looking for an average money earned on a typical NY weekend to see how much different it might be vs. the NYC Marathon weekend. Haven't found anything solid yet.