OT: Hurricane Sandy Open Thread

Submitted by orobs on

Atlantic City is flooded, Manhattan has closed its tunnels, and the front doesn't even hit the coast until 5 PM. 

LSAClassOf2000

October 29th, 2012 at 3:49 PM ^

If Con Edison is doing that, then it is the right move from a system standpoint. I can't even imagine the number of cable faults and amount of burned switchgear they would have otherwise if it was still energized and the flooding was as bad as forecasted. Repairing underground, especially in a dense area with a vault system like I think New York has (downtown Detroit does as well), is a complicated lengthy ordeal sometimes. Oddly enough, the system suffers less damage when it is cold.

NYC Blue

October 29th, 2012 at 5:58 PM ^

I am here in Manhattan and got the call- they warn that they MAY cut power if there is a danger of flooding at the sub-station.  As far as I know, they have not (yet) deliberately cut power.  However, there are power outages- I was on the phone with my cousin on Long Island when her power went out.

Was quiet here until about 4 PM, but things have picked up since then.

LSAClassOf2000

October 29th, 2012 at 9:51 PM ^

There are, however, some fairly unreal photos of the flooding in Lower Manhattan in conjunction with the power outages out there now. It is intriguing that, in some of the photos, they have not shut down Midtown, at least not as of the time these photos on MSNBC were taken. 

Just south of Detroit Metropolitan Airport where I am, the 40 MPH or so wind gusts are becoming eerily common, but again, I can't even imagine what the NYC area is seeing. Right now, the Weather Channel is saying that the storm surge has water about thigh-high near Battery Park. 

jerseyblue

October 29th, 2012 at 3:50 PM ^

I have my own problems here but i see on the news that there is a construction crane partially collapsed on top of a highrise on 57th street. Should it collapse it would plunge down into Carnegie Hall like a missle.

Giff4484

October 29th, 2012 at 3:58 PM ^

We had a 50 MPH wind gust and pretty good rains last Friday and it's still messing with our weather down here. These storms are no joke and the amount of people that are going to be without power in next few hours is going to blow people away.

Those people in NYC zone A that think it's going to be like last year are crazy...

 

Darth Wolverine

October 29th, 2012 at 4:44 PM ^

Is it even considered a hurricane anymore? I think it's just a big blob of rain now. I am in Cleveland and it has been raining non-stop since Saturday. It doesn't appear that it will stop for a couple more days.

 

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

October 29th, 2012 at 5:41 PM ^

Maybe this is simply an east-side-west-side thing, but earthquakes are WAY scarier than hurricanes, IMO.

  1. Earthquakes are almost totally unpredictable and give you zero time to prepare.
  2. Terra firma is called that for a reason.  It's not supposed to move.  Hurricanes, on the other hand, are just more of three perfectly normal weather phenomena: wind, rain, and tides/waves.
  3. Even when you do get unavoidably hit by a hurricane, you can pretty reliably predict how bad it will be based on where you are.
  4. Unless you're on the coast and directly in the path of a hurricane, they're all hype and more inconvenience than deadly fury.

Sandy in particular is only frightening for its sheer size, which has got to be some kind of record.  The number of people that will be affected is immense.  But badly affected?  Most will only feel the force of a tropical storm, which is worthy of preparation and attention but isn't too scary.  I've dealt with two hurricanes (never smack in the middle, but was still undeniably "hit) and a tropical storm in my life and they're more bark than bite.

Princetonwolverine

October 29th, 2012 at 4:54 PM ^

Here in Central NJ this is our 2nd major hurricane in a year. It's all Al Gore's fault. 

Thankfully, the storm has increased its speed so hopefully it will be over sooner.

Yinka Double Dare

October 29th, 2012 at 5:09 PM ^

The storm is so strong and messing with the weather patterns so much that we're even supposed to be getting 60+ mph gusts near the lake in Chicago tonight/tomorrow, bringing 20+ foot waves. 

gopoohgo

October 29th, 2012 at 6:06 PM ^

When we first moved to the East Coast, I kept badgering my wife that I wanted to live near the water in Annapolis, or I wanted to save to get a beach house in Delaware or Ocean City, NJ.

Now that City Dock in Annapolis is going to be flooded (again), and there are pictures of the AC, Rehoboth, and Ocean City boardwalks getting pounded, I again have to admit the wife was right and it isn't a good idea.

Stay safe for those on the coasts....

JayZ1817

October 29th, 2012 at 7:05 PM ^

I live here in Lancaster, PA (yes, home of the Amish) and we are supposed to get hit directly by the center of the storm around 8ish. However, we still have power. So what better way to spend these last few hours of power on Mgoblog, right? Hope everyone is doing well and please stay safe out there.

Feat of Clay

October 29th, 2012 at 8:05 PM ^

A friend in NJ is trapped in her basement riding out the storm with her family. Their house and two cars severely damaged from falling trees. She says she expects more may fall but they can't go anywhere now, obviously. Devastating.



Imagine knowing you've lost nearly everything and you have to stay there listening to the weather escalating with no relief in sight. I can't even wrap my mind around it.



Can't tear myself away from the weather channel.

kdhoffma

October 29th, 2012 at 8:47 PM ^

I was listening to NPR a couple of months ago and they were playing 911 calls from Hurricane Andrew since it was the 20th anniversary.  People who decided to stay and were calling in desperation for someone to come get them as their homes were being ripped apart around them... some of the most spine tingling calls.  All the operators could do is calming explain that there was no way anyone could come for hours until the storm had completly passed.

I live in a city right on Galveston Bay... house is probably a mile inland from the bay... but only 1/4 mile from a brackish lake that connects to the bay.  When Hurricane Ike came barreling towards us a few years ago, we were on mandatory evac... I didn't think twice.  Loaded my 8 month pregnant wife and the kids in the car, and high tailed it to Dallas.  By that I mean sit in bumper-bumper traffic for 10 hours.  It's hard to explain the worry... a house you just bought a couple months ago... leaving behind everything you own... worry for friends/neighbors that didn't evacuate.  I can't imagine riding a storm like that out... especially after seeing the damage to nearby subdivisions/businesses.  Luckily Ike hit a little north of the bay and our house was newer and built up high enough that the storm surge only made it to our front steps (no basements in Houston).  My recommendation if you live 10 miles or less from the coast, GTFO while you can.

Sopwith

October 29th, 2012 at 8:34 PM ^

to ride out the storm:  Inherit the Wind, on TCM tonight at 8.

Trivia: what connection does this classic movie have to the University of Michigan?

Michigasling

October 29th, 2012 at 9:26 PM ^

He didn't graduate.  Yet he was admitted to the Ohio bar.  Make of that what you will.

Bonus points: Jerome Lawrence, one of the writers of the play the film is based on, is an OSU grad.  He and his co-writer Robert E. Lee (NTREL) left their papers to that institution.  [I suppose I actually lose points for that.]

Michigasling

October 29th, 2012 at 8:50 PM ^

NYC: West 20's, in about 3 blocks from the river.  Not deep, but not where it belongs.  Flooding in lower Manhattan, and they said a "water breach" at 96th St. & 1st Avenue.  And this was before high tide.  Which should be coming about now, I think.  220,000 people without power in NYC, but obviously not in my neighb [yet], uptown and on a high floor on high ground, and almost 1,000,000 without  power in NJ.  A few areas shut down preventatively.  Oh, and the winds are picking up outside my window (which is covered by closed blinds, per safety instructions). 

The TV shows downtown without lights. 

Michigasling

October 29th, 2012 at 9:46 PM ^

The actual instruction was to keep your drapes closed. I figured blinds would be an acceptable alternative, since that's what I have.  So far I've heard loud wind gusts, but nothing hitting my windows, or anyone else's nearby.  In the old days, they'd tell us to tape X's across the panes (masking tape) to prevent the shattering.

goblueorbust

October 29th, 2012 at 9:12 PM ^

Lost power in western PA about 3 hours ago and it came back in the last 30 minutes. hopefully I can charge all my gadgets back to 100% before it goes out again. This wind is something wicked

VCavman24

October 29th, 2012 at 9:34 PM ^

Living in Grosse Pointe, I keep hearing about potential snow or power outages.  I really hope these come true.  I do not want to go to school tomorrow.

Michigasling

October 29th, 2012 at 9:40 PM ^

Some Con Ed Stations flooded.  Water also invaded the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel.  Fortunately it had been closed.  I believe the weatherman said when the center of the storm hit land it was the lowest pressure ever recorded.

m1jjb00

October 29th, 2012 at 9:56 PM ^

The storm is so big that despite the lowest pressure ever, the winds aren't horrible, I assume because the gradient in pressure isn't sharp.  Still, you have Maine getting pounded, blizards in West Virginia, and my stister in law said she lost power in Union Lake, MI.

Accepting mea culpas from those in previous posts who were wondering if it's just a media creation because New York is now underwater.  (NYSE floor is reportedly under 3 feet of water.)

You gotta admit that the forecasts 8 days out were really impressive.  It's gone pretty much as predicted

 

Michigasling

October 29th, 2012 at 11:03 PM ^

Watching WABC (NY channel 7).  One of the crew reported it and the anchorman reported from off-camera that they had information that the story was false, though spreading rapidly.  However, there's plenty of Manhattan that's flooded, including Ground Zero.  Just now reporting that NYU Medical Center being evacuated because back-up generator failed.  And that Battery Park had a record surge at high tide.

born1ntheArbor

October 29th, 2012 at 11:40 PM ^

Yeah, NYU Medical patients are being transferred to Sloan Kettering and Mt. Sinai hospitals.

US Nuclear commission declaring an "alert" at Oyster Creek plant (NJ) because water is exceeding intake structure.

If you live in NYC and it isn't a life or death emergency do NOT call 911.  311 would be a faster way to get information or to report non-emergencies (via Bloomberg).

Please stay safe people.