Sandy

Monday

Sandy left her mark on Long Island, New York City and New Jersey.  It appears that the storm of the century was just that.  Yes I have egg on my face.  But in my defense the weather forecasters always say that the current storm is the storm of the century yet nothing ever happens.

We heard the distinct sounds of transformers exploding when the storm was nearing full force.  Then at 4PM on Monday a tree came down on a high tension line and there was the sound of the explosion from the wires separating.  The sky lit up with the blue green flash.  Then our power went out.

All through the night we heard explosions from the transformers popping.  The sky lit up with the blue green flashes with each explosion.

Fortunately we had flash lights and candles which prevented us from breaking our necks in the dark.  To keep abreast with the news we have a small radio that you need to crank to charge.

Listening to the news, NYC was getting slammed with the storm surge as sections of lower Manhattan was going under water.  Then the worst fear was realized, water started to pour into the tunnels and fill them with salt water.  There were reports of massive explosions from transformers shorting out.

We heard that Con-Ed killed power to areas to protect their equipment and to prevent additional explosions.  Smart move.  But damage has been done.

Saltwater is highly corrosive and can conduct electricity very well.  So they shut down the subways just in case which was a good thing since the tubes were getting flooded.

So NYC was without mass transit and the lower part of Manhattan is in the dark.

NJ was hit the hardest from we hear on the radio.  I just wish I could see it on TV.   We are not even getting the newspapers at this time.

So Monday was spent in the dark using candles and flash lights to see by.  A few bags of chips and a bottle of wine.

All through the night as the storm howled we heard fire trucks all over responding to downed wires.  One truck of was brought back to the fire house by a wrecker in the middle of the storm.

Tuesday

Tuesday the storm died and we went out at 6AM to buy ice to preserve our food.  We were lucky and found a supermarket that was open and bought several bags.  Looking around town there were trees and wires down all over. One house was hit by a tree from what we saw.  We didn't do much driving so to conserve on gasoline.  Even though I topped off the tank before the storm hit gas stations were closed and I had no idea when they would open again to fill up.

Listening to the radio back at the house, sections of NJ was demolished and most of the state is in black out.  I am not a big fan of the governor there but what he did impressed me a lot.  Because of the damage and possible dangers he ordered that Halloween be moved to Saturday.  He wants the kids to go out, have fun and most of all he did not want any of them hurt.

Governor Cuomo did not follow suit.  Halloween is to go on as normal even though roads may be impassible and wires still down on the ground.  Even both of the county executives are allowing the holiday to go on as normal instead of moving it a few days for the safety of the children.

We heard that the NJ Turnpike was closed from exits 10 to 14 due to trains were washed onto the roadway.  Even a tanker was washed ashore in NYC onto a street.  I was able to grab a glimpse at a Newsday and saw it with the bow on shore and the stern still in the water.  I think it is possible that it could be towed off the shore.

I saw how bad that the south shore of Long Island was hit and it took my breath away.  Houses underwater, streets that are now lakes, some in Montauk were under minded by the sea.  It is a disaster for certain.   I even heard of boats being washed ashore as well.   One photo was of a parking lot, let me re-phrase that a lake with yellow islands of the roofs hundreds of taxi cabs.

The radio said that crewmen are coming into the area to help with repairs.  That needs to be seen.  In the last storm which was a baby compared to Sandy and people were without power for over a week.  Trucks were seen idle for hours at diners instead of working.  My daughter passed by a long line of them into work and they were still there a few hours later without moving.  LIPA's batting average is poor at best.  Welcome to Long Island.

Long Beach was hit so bad that the National Guard is working along with police on patrol in case of looters.  Something you would never expect on LI at all.

The sewer in Bayport plant failed on Tuesday which means the residents of that area will have to conserve water usage.  Not a good sign.

Later on in the day on Tuesday we went back to another supermarket for more ice.  There was none to be had.   The shelves were pretty empty and people were milling about in a daze.  It was scarey.

So Tuesday was another night in the dark with candles and flashlights.

We saw fire trucks cruising the streets on patrol most of the night.  I guess they were on looking for problems or potential problems.  I know that sirens could be heard most of the day for one call after another.  They got a workout for sure.

Wednesday

Wednesday I went out early to try and get ice.  Like the afternoon before there was none.  The stores were stripped to the bone and people had the look of panic on their faces.  A friend of ours went to one and she said that people looked like zombies from fear and the loss of power.

The air was filled with the sounds of generators from the two supermarkets, a few factories and a couple of homes.  The noise gets to you after a while.  Not that it is loud it is just that constant dull engine sound.  But better that than being in the dark.

Home Depot and Lowes has a run on them.  People are lined up to get the few that remain on the shelves.  I am certain that there will be a massive order to restock.  When this is over I think we are going to have to get one for ourselves but take advantage of the over stock sales.

Driving in town there was only one deli open and they had a bang-up business going.  In another part of town a bagel store had a line half a mile long of people waiting to buy something.

Only one gas station was open.  It is owned by a landscaping/construction company.  Their trucks were all filling up.  I saw one person with a car pull up to buy gas and they sent them on their way without the fuel.  I learned that a few other people pulled in to get gas but they refused to sell it to them and a fight broke out.

I heard the county executive on the radio say that the county would crack down hard and fast on crooked gas stations due to the storm.  I'd like to see that happen.  My dealings with the county in the past was useless.  I feel that the county is as crooked as boss hog from Dukes of Hazard.  So even if there is a gas station ripping off people or screwing people why bother reporting them?

We also heard that 25% of the cell phone towers were down as well which is why I cannot get a good cell signal.

Again the radio says that LIPA is accessing the problem.  How long dose it take for them to get their butts into high gear and start to restore power?  No one in town has seen any sign of a LIPA truck at all.  The last we  heard is that is could be from 5 days to two weeks before power is restored.  Then later on they say it will take several weeks.  I am not a happy camper right now.

After Irene passed last year LIPA trucks were seen sitting at a diner for hours on end and the workers having a great time not working and keeping warm while people did without power.  A neighbor of ours went out and saw LIPA trucks sitting idle on both sides of the road and were in the same exact locations a few hours later.

But I bet that when this is over our electric rates are going to sky rocket.  We already pay some of the highest electric rates in the country and now it will only be even worse.

To keep warm we have a pot of water simmering on the stove.  Not the wisest thing to do but it works.

We are looking over the fridge and we have to determine what to keep and what to throw out.  Cooking up what we can to get a few more days is in order at this time so we need to do some planning.  Thursday it is supposed to be in the 40's so in a way we can use the outside as one big fridge for some items.  But we are going to have to purge the fridge of food anyway.

But for the inside we are not to happy at the prospect of freezing.

We could go to one of the shelters.  There is one in Garden City at Nassau Community College but those would be noisy, no privacy and very uncomfortable.   Right now there is over 850 people there.  Plus we too would have to worry about looters since there is no power.  Since we are home should a looter break in, they will get a very nasty reception.  Let's let it go at that.

So for Wednesday we are getting more blankets and sweaters out and prepare for another cold night.

Thursday

I was able to get internet access by going with a friend into their job.  I tried to get access to Newsday but they are still restricting access to their site, even in this state of an emergency.  So I was able to look at the NY Times and my heart stopped from what I saw.  The photos looked like we were in a war zone.

How I miss the TV and newspaper.

There were only a few traffic lights working but we had to be very careful driving.  We saw one idiot racing along bouncing from lane to lane cutting people off.  We caught up with the jerk at a traffic light that was working.

We saw some very large trees down, one house had a section missing from a tree falling on it.  A gas station had a long line of customers looking for gas which I will need to do myself soon.

Other than that it was a smooth ride all the way in.  But we are going to need to find ice and gas today.  Lots of phone calls are planned.

I did hear that they are setting up food distribution centers in certain areas of Nassau where you can pick up a few meals for your family.  We are not at that point yet.  Even if we toss everything from the fridge we have canned food and can make pancakes.

It is going to be a rough one that is for sure.   Finally looking at the photos today makes me thankful that all East Egg got was downed trees and wires.  No one in our family was hurt at all so we have to count our blessings.  The south shore of LI is in shambles, Lower NYC is at a standstill and NJ is beyond hurting.  I just wish LIPA would get a move on and restore power.

That is it for this segment.  I know it was not posted as I normally would do but I am prepping it as if it was and the next entry might follow as a separate post or a continuation of this.

'till next time.