Hurricane Sandy: Aftermath

[Nemisythe]

Folks just wanted to start a thread to allow 'orgers who live in the path of Hurricane Sandy to sound off and notify us of their status and situation since the hurricane hit. It seems we here in NY are in the clear as city responders are continuing rescue and damage assessments will begin for the next few days here in NYC.

With no way to get to work the next few days (although my job keeps telling me to report in as usual) I have been trying to help neighbors, friends and family in the immediate vicinity as well as reaching out over the social networks to make sure everyone is ok, or simply has someone to talk to to help them get through any damage or loss or simply trying to process all this. Not much was incurred in my area so thankfully I still have power and a means of communication.

So please, anyone in the areas affected and able to sound off, let us know if you're ok or you need some kind of assistance or help with information, getting in touch with friends or family. I know Kelly (Princess Adora NJ) has said she is ok and everything is well, but knowing a few people like Rob Base, BrianOzone (who has a wife expecting) BCRDuke, and many names I can't remember off hand right now who live in the area may have been affected somehow.

UPDATE: for anyone who needs living assistance you can text SHELTER and your zip code to 43362 (4FEMA) and they will direct you to the nearest location!!! So Sorry for the late response but I still hope that if family and friends haven't helped this will!

[Patreek]

astoria/woodside seems pretty untouched. My old hood Rego Park looks pretty bad though

[cringer75]

Hi everyone. I hope that you are all safe and out of harms way after this terrible situation.

I live in Bensonhurst in zone B right behind the Belt Parkway. We are usually safe in extreme weather but due to the storm surge at around 8 last night we had sewer and drain back ups. I live in a basement apartment in my parents house. Both the front and back drains had back ups not from the rain but from the high tide. The front of the house and the street looked like a river and the water was over waist deep. Now the drains are right in front of both our front and back doors. We had to rush in and get some clothes and belongings really quick before crawling out a window that faces the backyard. It was horrible. Thank goodness my parents were upstairs and that we had a safe place to stay.

This morning we saw what the actual damage was. The garage was flooded and affected out boiler. National Grid should be coming to fix it on 11/3. Fingers crossed. We have no hot water but at least we have electricity. The damage to the apartment was minimal. No flooding but water damage. We didn't lose a lot of stuff. We just need to clean and repair some things. Spent all morning cleaning the front of the house.

If anyone has any advice on how to get assistance from FEMA please share what info you have. I have never been in a situation like this and any help would be appreciated. My hands may be full at the moment but if you need any help please don't be afraid to ask. Send me a PM. I don't bite. Maybe after things get somewhat back to normal we can get together for a drink or a bite to eat and share stories. Thanks guys and stay safe.

[MOTU_Maniac]

I just got back from a cruise in the Caribbean and we were on the outer edges of Hurricane Sandy the entire time. We had to re-route several times and had an excursion cancelled, but all-in-all we were very lucky with only 50mph winds 3 days of our trip and 10 foot waves.

My thoughts and prayers are with all those effected

[Southzen]

As for FEMA, contact your home owners insurance; they will have all the information you will need. To probably speed things along, try contacting an agency outside your area for that information.

You may want to hit these links:
www.fema.gov
http://www.fema.gov/news-release/fed...ter-recovery-2
http://www.fema.gov/disaster/4086
http://www.disasterassistance.gov/
http://www.redcross.org/find-help/shelter

Being in Louisiana, storms are not unfamiliar. I hope all works out. A word of warning, storms bring help, but they also bring cons artist. Just be careful who you trust. Check with the National Guard, they may have MRE and Fresh Water drops. I would be careful about drinking tap water until there is an all clear given for your area.

[Shuanfu]

Glad you made it mostly unscathed Cringer; I know a few people that life on one of the Jersey islands and they've sent work they've most likely lost everything and they won't let them back to there house due to downed lines and other damage form the overwash between ocean and river....horrible to hear.

[Burtonnut]

I turned out fine. The only bad thing was when we lost power today...for 25 minutes.

[Divia]

I didnt even lose power. And the only issue was my roomie got scratched by a fallen tree limb which was no larger than a yard stick. All fine in Central New York. Though I gotta love how the local media played it up like crazy.

[MegaGearMax]

I lost power for 25 hours, but nothing was damaged or destroyed.

[Nemisythe]

Hi everyone. I hope that you are all safe and out of harms way after this terrible situation.

I live in Bensonhurst in zone B right behind the Belt Parkway. We are usually safe in extreme weather but due to the storm surge at around 8 last night we had sewer and drain back ups. I live in a basement apartment in my parents house. Both the front and back drains had back ups not from the rain but from the high tide. The front of the house and the street looked like a river and the water was over waist deep. Now the drains are right in front of both our front and back doors. We had to rush in and get some clothes and belongings really quick before crawling out a window that faces the backyard. It was horrible. Thank goodness my parents were upstairs and that we had a safe place to stay.

This morning we saw what the actual damage was. The garage was flooded and affected out boiler. National Grid should be coming to fix it on 11/3. Fingers crossed. We have no hot water but at least we have electricity. The damage to the apartment was minimal. No flooding but water damage. We didn't lose a lot of stuff. We just need to clean and repair some things. Spent all morning cleaning the front of the house.

If anyone has any advice on how to get assistance from FEMA please share what info you have. I have never been in a situation like this and any help would be appreciated. My hands may be full at the moment but if you need any help please don't be afraid to ask. Send me a PM. I don't bite. Maybe after things get somewhat back to normal we can get together for a drink or a bite to eat and share stories. Thanks guys and stay safe.

Sorry I'm just getting back to you now but you call text Shelter and your zip code to 43362 (4FEMA) and they will help. I hope someone got to you in time before this one.

Glad to hear everyone has their health and am terribly sorry for anyone who has lost.....

[diosoth]

Here in the Cincinnati region we got enough wind and rain to be of concern though the power didn't go out. Shows how far inland this thing reached though.

[Heeeere's Olesker!]

While I'm in no way even attempting to equate what we've gone through here on the northern Indiana shore of Lake Michigan to the devastation on the east coast, here we are seven hundred miles from New York City and New Jersey and we experienced twenty-five foot high waves on Lake Michigan brought to us courtesy of fifty mph winds. Trees are downed all over out little village and our home lost power for twenty-three hours. Fortunately we have fireplaces in our home so we kept them going, our family camping out in the living room.

Again, I want to make it clear I'm not complaining and that I have deep empathy and sympathy for all those who have suffered and continue to suffer on the east coast. I'm only posting this as an indication of the immense power of this storm. Events such as this serve, tragically, to indicate that Nature is the landlord and we are all only renters.

[Captain Wow]

We had some pretty strong winds here in NE Pennsylvania all day Monday. I'm surprised our power didn't go out until around 11:30pm Monday night. Usually if I sneeze in the wrong direction, our power goes out. It came back on yesterday a little after 6:30pm. Apparently we're some of the lucky ones in that respect. There are others around us whose power went out before ours and they're still out. It wouldn't be so bad but for the fact that our heat is electric and it was getting pretty cold in here. I realize people in NJ and NY had it a lot worse, as did people in southern PA. I know the Allentown area was particularly hard hit.

[Phil.Pastel]

I'm in the Allentown area. We lost power around 5 pm Monday. It isn't back yet. I'm not expecting power to return until this weekend. I'm hoping it doesn't take until next week.

All our frozen foods went bad. Both Gold's Gyms were closed when I tried to work out last night I'm at the public library right now.

I took a ride around the area yesterday that included Allentown, Bethlehem, Nazareth, and Easton. Trees were down all over the place, a few were draped across houses. Few stop lights were functioning.

It's pretty wild here. But I am signing out. I hope to be back soon.

[Shredder]

home untouched. ortley beach no so lucky...
just depressing... seems like i lost my wii and xbox down there too most likely . If I new it was going to be anywhere near this bad we would have prepared more..

no power still at home..only on generator at the office

[MOTU_Maniac]

I just got back from a cruise in the Caribbean and we were on the outer edges of Hurricane Sandy the entire time. We had to re-route several times and had an excursion cancelled, but all-in-all we were very lucky with only 50mph winds 3 days of our trip and 10 foot waves.

My thoughts and prayers are with all those effected

I forgot to mention that our cruise ship lost power for about 30-40 minutes while out in the ocean. It was a very scary situation, but luckily all was ok.

I continue to pray for all of those affected.

[Heeeere's Olesker!]

My entire family is saying prayers for all affected by this tragedy. At our evening meal tonight we will join together to add one for you in particular, Phil, and for all of those whom you hold near and dear.

Stay safe.

I'm in the Allentown area. We lost power around 5 pm Monday. It isn't back yet. I'm not expecting power to return until this weekend. I'm hoping it doesn't take until next week.

All our frozen foods went bad. Both Gold's Gyms were closed when I tried to work out last night I'm at the public library right now.

I took a ride around the area yesterday that included Allentown, Bethlehem, Nazareth, and Easton. Trees were down all over the place, a few were draped across houses. Few stop lights were functioning.

It's pretty wild here. But I am signing out. I hope to be back soon.

[Moominsthenmotu]

My heart goes out to all our US cousins affected by 'Sandy'. Here in Scotland we already have a food, toy and clothing drive to send to the worst hit areas - maybe save Christmas in some small way for a few folks. Anyone can donate and the charity ships out next week. If interested here's a link:

http://www.camglen.co.uk

[Heeeere's Olesker!]

God bless you and all of your countrymen (and countrywomen) for your compassion and generosity.

My heart goes out to all our US cousins affected by 'Sandy'. Here in Scotland we already have a food, toy and clothing drive to send to the worst hit areas - maybe save Christmas in some small way for a few folks. Anyone can donate and the charity ships out next week. If interested here's a link:

http://www.camglen.co.uk

[Divia]

My heart goes out to all our US cousins affected by 'Sandy'. Here in Scotland we already have a food, toy and clothing drive to send to the worst hit areas - maybe save Christmas in some small way for a few folks. Anyone can donate and the charity ships out next week. If interested here's a link:

http://www.camglen.co.uk

Thanks very kind! Thanks

[Ivan]

Astoria wasn't hit as bad as other parts of NYC. Monday night was scary, but if you stayed indoors you were pretty much fine. We had no outages of any kind so that was all good. I had to walk to work today - it was impossible to get a cab - but it was an hour and 15 min walk on a nice, sunny morning. I don't even want to complain considering what horrors people are going through.

Speaking of which - a friend of mine was in one of the hospitals that lost power in lower Manhattan. He went through hell yesterday. They were in darkness since Monday night, and then the National Guard took over and started evacuation. He had to WALK down 17 stories, with needles and equipment sticking out of his leg (he was admitted due to problem with his right leg, and could barely walk to the bathroom, let alone 17 stories). Then they put him on a cab and just sent home, and told him to come back when they get power back.

It's crazy that hospitals were so ill prepared for this, with all the warnings we had. And it's also sad to see those pictures of Goldman Sachs and other big banks lit up like Christmas trees while hospitals have no power.

[He-Mangar]

He went through hell yesterday. They were in darkness since Monday night, and then the National Guard took over and started evacuation. He had to WALK down 17 stories, with needles and equipment sticking out of his leg (he was admitted due to problem with his right leg, and could barely walk to the bathroom, let alone 17 stories). Then they put him on a cab and just sent home, and told him to come back when they get power back.

Wow, that's terrible. I heard yesterday it was due to the backup generator being in the basement, which of course got flooded.

I'm fine where I am on the upper west side of Manhattan, but my 86-year old dad and slightly younger mom live a block south of where power went out and live on the 15th floor of their apartment building. So after hearing power was going to be out until Saturday, they're staying with me in my little one bedroom apartment until the power comes on. Gonna be a fun couple of days...

Glad most folks on the org seem to be doing ok.

[Phil.Pastel]

Thanks, Jack.

Just to check in, things haven't changed here in the past 24 hours. Most traffic lights are still inoperable. More seem to be without power than with. Schools are closed & many businesses also. One of my local playgrounds has three sizable trees that were felled.

The winds from this thing were very strong, the house was vibrating and shaking like crazy. There was also a lot of lightning in the distance. The problem here is this area is full of huge trees (unlike many tropical locations). We have huge trees in front of our house, they weight 15-20 thousand pounds, seeing them rocking and shaking is disconcerting. Fortunately, none of them fell. We just had a monster fall last year in our back yard that barely missed our house.

There have been several deaths including an 8 year old who was hit by a falling branch, and a man whose house was fallen on by a tree.

The city of Allentown is largely dark right now. It's a bit like a third-world country. The few restauraunts that have power are being swarmed with hungry customers, and there has been a run on batteries at the stores. New Jersey last night had huge lines of cars waiting for gas reminscent of the OPAQ boycott in the 70s.

The biggest problem I'm having right now is boredom. The gym was closed again last night and there's no TV, phone, or Internet Reading is difficult without lights, of course. And it's a bit chilly around 50 degrees. You have to bundle up. Not expecting power to return in the next few days.

[Heeeere's Olesker!]

I'm sure I speak for all orgers -- and countless millions of people in the U.S. and worldwide -- when I say our thoughts and prayers are with you, Phil, and with all who have suffered and are enduring the formidable recovery.

I can only begin to empathize as -- while we did lose power for a long period and the winds were fierce here on the shores of Lake Michigan -- it did not even remotely approach what happened out east. Too, we've had very few post-event problems. As I said, our thoughts and prayers are with you.

As an aside, earlier this autumn we also had a tree -- a sixty-foot tall one -- fall in our backyard in a non-storm related event. It cracked at the base -- I believe from the weight of its outlying and overhanging branches -- and tumbled, blessedly, away from our home. When it landed it crushed some chairs and a volleball net in the backyard where our children (shudder!) often play. It's one of the unrealized dangers that comes with living in a village carved from a forest.

Stay safe, Phil, and keep us all in the loop. If you get on-line you can try jumping onto the he-man.org chat room to pass the time.

Best,

Jack

Thanks, Jack.

Just to check in, things haven't changed here in the past 24 hours. Most traffic lights are still inoperable. More seem to be without power than with. Schools are closed & many businesses also. One of my local playgrounds has three sizable trees that were felled.

The winds from this thing were very strong, the house was vibrating and shaking like crazy. There was also a lot of lightning in the distance. The problem here is this area is full of huge trees (unlike many tropical locations). We have huge trees in front of our house, they weight 15-20 thousand pounds, seeing them rocking and shaking is disconcerting. Fortunately, none of them fell. We just had a monster fall last year in our back yard that barely missed our house.

There have been several deaths including an 8 year old who was hit by a falling branch, and a man whose house was fallen on by a tree.

The city of Allentown is largely dark right now. It's a bit like a third-world country. The few restauraunts that have power are being swarmed with hungry customers, and there has been a run on batteries at the stores. New Jersey last night had huge lines of cars waiting for gas reminscent of the OPAQ boycott in the 70s.

The biggest problem I'm having right now is boredom. The gym was closed again last night and there's no TV, phone, or Internet Reading is difficult without lights, of course. And it's a bit chilly around 50 degrees. You have to bundle up. Not expecting power to return in the next few days.

[Princess Adora NJ]

Well, I'm not as lucky. I'm still with out power and was told up to 2 weeks with out it. Had minot damage to my home but was remove from my house due to power lines on the roof (and they are still there) but my animal and I are safe and I'm allow back into my home since the wires are totally dead and I have a small generator that I'm using only at night. Gas lines are long-- try up 4 hours long and they could be out of gas. I just can't wait for my normal live to return!