Hurricane Sandy

All the news outlets called Hurricane Sandy a once-in-a-generation hurricane.  We'll see about that.

About a week and a half ago, Hurricane Sandy was becoming a big threat.  It started in the Caribbean, destroyed homes, took lives, and she was moving towards the Northeast.  I am a huge skeptic when it comes to weather forecasts and I hate weather dictating what I can and cannot do.  I never let thunderstorms, snow, or other "severe" weather impact my plans.  While folks in the tri-state area began their storm prep, I remained aloof and went about my days.  I was having work friends over on Sunday, October 28th and I was too busy preparing for that.  I also had Lauren's first solo ice skating performance on my mind.

The girls playing in the puddles before Sandy's arrival.

We ended up doing just two things as Sandy drew near.  Tae secured the deck furniture and he went on the roof and shut the oven hood ventilation flap.  (Water came through this flap during Hurricane Irene last year.)  Sandy was dubbed Frankenstorm because there were three key factors molding this hurricane into a never-seen-before storm.  First, there was the hurricane itself.  Second, there was another storm system coming from the west that would essentially collide with the hurricane in the tri-state area.  Finally, on the day these two systems were set to collide, a full moon was in effect, bringing high tides.

Sandy landed in our region at approximately 6 PM on Monday, October 29th.  I never experienced such high winds before in my life.  The house shook. The windows rattled.  The girls were scared but miraculously, I convinced them to go to bed per usual by reassuring them that the wind and rain couldn't possibly get inside the house.  I was right about that.  But wrong about everything else.  This was a serious storm.  People lost their lives and their homes.  Losing power, phones, and internet were nothing compared to the amount of devastation experienced by so many people.  All subways, railroads, bridges and tunnels were shut down.  The NYSE had an unplanned closure for the first time since 9/11.  Almost everyone south of 42nd Street lost power.  Today, on Day 4 since the hurricane, there are close to 8 million homes/apts without power.  And it's starting to get very cold.

Grocery store shelves are barren.  There is a 2-3 hour wait at gas stations.  Many gas stations simply don't have the power to pump gas while others are unable to replenish their supply as trucks are unable to get to them.  There are countless numbers of downed trees.  Huge trees.  Wires are all over the place.  Streets are closed and many traffic signals are off.  

I am just incredibly grateful that my loved ones got through this with minor (though today it may feel major!) inconveniences.  It's now time to give back in anyway I can.