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So,... how are our East Coast GreaseSpotters doing?


dabobbada
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Thanks for the prayers. I am lucky! My TV and Internet service were restored last nite. I was without power for only 13 hours. My son in the lower Hudson valley in NY has no power, but he borrowed a small generator just for the refrigerator and 1 small heater....and a short time of TV at nite. Many many people probably won't have power back until the 11th at the earliest....that's a week from today!

NYC subways just restarted yesterday on a slow schedule, but they hope to have them up and running on a holiday schedule tomorrow. Most of the workforce could not get to work all last week. Schools were closed all week. Most will reopen tomorrow.

So far, most of the Jersey Shore is a memory, although that may change for next year if they get the funds to put the sand back on the beach. The Midtown Tunnel and the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel are still closed, due to flooding. This storm was not very bad on the strength scale.... but it was enormous so although the winds were "only" about 80 +/- a few mph they blew for more than 18 hours in some places. On Long Island almost 80% of the customers still have no power.

From what I've seen, lower Manhattan was really flooded but is coming back. The lights are on in most of the area south of 34th street now. Brooklyn was hurt badly. Coney Island and the surrounding beaches have been almost destroyed, and some comments on today's coverage suggests that the Red Cross wasn't there....except in the wealthy areas.

From what I've seen there are still about 3 million people without power. No power means, no refrigeration, no water (usually but not always) no clean clothes, no gasoline. Supermarkets may or may not be open, but few have been restocked. Trucks that cannot get through, or that cannot get gasoline can't arrive at any destinations.

This hurricane hit NYC right smack in the harbor and piled water 12 feet over the high tide at Battery Park. There was a high tide.....a full moon and still the storm surge was 12 feet above that.

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We had an earthquake this morning. 2.0. Too small to notice, but those kinds of earthquakes happen around 4 times a year here. We will have another storm Wed into Thurs this week. It will be a nor'easter with substantial winds and heavy rain. With the trees still down all over hindering power crews, I hate to think of what life will be like after Thurs.

Only about half the schools in northern NJ will open today. I believe things are much worse in the southern part of the state. Long Island seems to be more of a disaster every news report. About half the population on LI is still without power.

Temperatures are dropping, so, if you're of a mind to.....we could use every bit of prayer you can muster, please.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I dont come here much anymore but I did fine in Massachusetts. My house power went down for a few hours and my shop for 4 days but that was not a big deal.There was no flooding in my neck of the woods.

After a few weeks I have several (non GS) friends scattered in various places around NJ that are still without power.Despite that they seem to be doing better than I would expect, doing what they have to do to adapt and seem to be OK

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Three weeks out, and it does my heart good to see so many people, who, perhaps ordinarily wouldn't notice each other on the bus or subway, band together for a common cause. This group comes together at a date and time to clean up Washington Park, another group works on one of the small islands in the harbor. I know we're not alone in this, but it seems New Yorkers take care of each other this way and I think it's a great thing to see.

There are a fair share of shysters who will pick on any weak spot!

Parts of Nassau County are still in terrible shape and I personally (my own opinion) blame LIPA Long Island's own Tinker-Toy Power Company. After WWII certain parts of that area grew exponentionally and LIPA didn't plan it's growth (from an insider) so there is very little logic to which lines go where. I think a little less than half of Nassau county has power still...and it's 3 weeks out.

Nike sent an 18 wheeler full of sneakers to Staten Island. Another company who's name I don't remember sent the same size truck loaded with hard toe'd boots.

John Hess, owner of a well known oil company by the same name....donated all the gasoline for first responders (fire, police, and emergency vehicles including volunteer ambulance/EMT individuals, and all repair crew trucks....from day 1.

I know I'm missing some who've donated or worked just as hard.

Parts of the subway system will take a bit longer to get up to grade again. The tunnels also need attention as they were flooded.

Who has tons and tons of money, who wants to make a community grateful and make a fortune in the future? May I direct your attention to Long Island. Design a system of UNDERGROUND electrical delivery AND direct present and future repair crews to build toward that aim. When you're ready.....connect the wires!

Staten Island is also in pretty bad shape, but much of that is purely due to storm damage, and not somebody's greedy failure to plan or at least make notes.

This has been a monumental loss. Of course citizens and individual companies and corporations lost a fortune.....but how to you count 3+ weeks of kids with no education? And it's not as if they can study at home....no home...no books....and it's not as if they can do it on line....there are no lines to send internet activities to them!

As your heart directs you....send what you can...cash, things, and please hold them in prayer. I think they could use lots and lots of it.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks for your posts, Krys. Interesting. Very kind of everyone to donate needed items.

What weather hits the US usually arrives in Europe about 2 weeks later. Not usually the same strength, but generally much wetter after the long journey over the intervening ocean.

Hence this last week we have had torrential rain, violent battering winds and generally scary weather. Weather forecasts have been good at predicting when, where and what time; local officials have erred on the side of caution, but there have still been drownings (some, one might say, almost self-inflicted; only a total idiot would drive through a ford with a raging stream up several feet on normal). An elderly woman was found drowned in her house earlier today in St Asaph, Wales. Trees and boughs from trees have caused the usual damage, including landing on and killing people. Rivers have reached record levels and in some places preventive flood defences have been employed for the first time ever. Most unusually in my city, the sodden ground has caused a landslip which has threatened centuries old houses (so therefore you can see that such landslips are rare); the river, which regularly floods, has reached a record level since its flood defences were improved in the 1960s.

This violent weather is now passing over mainland Europe. We can expect reports of flooding and perhaps avalanches in mountainous areas.

(I'm not making light of the problems you have...but you're not the only ones to suffer.)

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I dont come here much anymore...

Me neither...what's up, mstar? :-)

but I did fine in Massachusetts. My house power went down for a few hours and my shop for 4 days but that was not a big deal

Maybe you already read this on Facebook: We lost power for 12 days, lost a bunch of trees, too. Too bad about the trees but I'm thankful they didn't hit the house.

Actually, I'm glad I still have a house. Thousands of people around here lost theirs.

The wind was the big problem for us. The storm surge affected those closer to the coast.

Noo Yawk ain't done never seen nuthin' like this before!

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  • 3 weeks later...

It depends on where you look if you say "everyone is ok"! The Federal Gov. has refused the funds that the 3 Governors (NY NJ and Conn) requested. So there are no funds expected at least at this time. Ellis Island and Liberty Island (where Lady Liberty stands) are still fairly intact, however it appears that they are not ready for visitors, or at least not properly so.

Many on Long Island who were promised temporary trailers have yet to see them, and are still housed in tents of a sort.

Much of Staten Island is a shambles. The only repair work being done presently, is that which individual's insurance provided, or direct loans from banks that some have resorted to. I know there is more going on than I know about, but it will be a long slow process to restore the region, and it's possible some of it cannot be restored.

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