The Aftermath of Frankenstorm / Sandy

I woke up this morning feeling very fortunate. Fortunate that I slept safe and sound, while other New Yorkers and nearby New Jerseyans have been battling all day and night the fierce impact of Hurricane Sandy.  Those of us who grew up in this area are accustomed to Nor’Easters and bad storms, but this one was certainly unprecedented.  Not so much the rain, but the winds clocking in at well over 55-60mph and the tides and storm surges just brought in devastation that we in the Northeast have not experienced in our lifetimes.  With the major power outages and flooding throughout New York City and it’s outer boroughs, it’s definitely humbling and quite an eye opener to realize that a bad storm can really devastate and bring this bustling city to a standstill. All mass transit, subways, buses, commuter trains all cancelled.  Subway tunnels around the city flooded and Battery tunnel that connects Manhattan to Brooklyn, is completed flooded. Houses in Queens and Staten Island completed submerged by the flooding. This is definitely the worst storm I have ever seen.

This morning, I took my coffee and walked to the East River Promenade near my apartment. I haven’t spoken about this on my blog, but this past year, I have moved from my beloved house in Staten Island to Manhattan. I’ll have to write a follow up blog post to talk about the move and why, but for now, here are some photos from my new neighborhood. I took this photo as I approached the promenade and saw  lots of people out and about and looking at the East River and the FDR Drive.

10am this morning, and looking North on the East River. Dark clouds, wind and rain still rolling in, but it looks much calmer than it was yesterday.

Looking South down the East River, you can see the 59th Street bridge in the distance. All the bridges and tunnels are currently closed, and no one can come in and out of Manhattan. Even the Holland Tunnel has lots of flooding as well. Governor Cuomo said in a news conference that the Hudson River flooded into the Battery Tunnel completely immersing it!

A sight you never see.  A completely empty FDR Drive on a Tuesday morning which is closed because of flooding.

Dangling construction across from the promenade.

A view of FDR North. Empty!! A tree limb in the middle of the road. Usually at this time of day, it’s bumper to bumper traffic!

The best news of all …. Our beehost sent us a photo this morning of our rooftop hive. We were so worried about the hive on the roof and on Sunday we came and secured it down with a crank strap. The crank strap that we put on the hive on Sunday prevented it from flying off the roof! Bees are safe and sound. Hooray!

One of the most amazing sights was this oil tanker that washed ashore in Staten Island. Talk about wind blewn! A 20 foot storm surge pushed this giant oil tanker ashore onto a city street near the shore! INCREDIBLE.  See the article here.

As fortunate as I feel right now for surviving Hurricane Sandy unscathed, I feel heartbroken for all those affected by this storm.  The people who have lost their lives, I am thinking about them and their families. Watching the news is humbling.  Mother Nature is fierce and definitely a force to be reckoned with. It makes me realize what I take for granted. Seeing all the photos and video of the destruction all around the Tri-State area where I grew up,  places I know so well and love so much, it makes me so sad.  From the destruction down at the Jersey Coastline, to the flooding in New York, it’s just incredible to see how quickly a storm can cause so much devastation and destruction.  The first responders working through the night are amazing and just simply… heroic.  Rescuing people in flooded zones, putting out fires throughout the area, and putting themselves in danger to save others.

Despite the damages and destruction, I know that the people here will band together in the cleanup and rebuild better and stronger. Having experienced 9/11, I know that we are tough, and we are resilient.

To see some amazing photos taken by people throughout the Tri-State area, check out this slideshow.  It’s pretty shocking to see the pictures from the storm, truly incredible photos.