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Sandy: As bad as Katria's aftermath?

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Thu, Nov 1, 2012 - 8:33pm

#1

Wendy S. Delmater

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Joined: Dec 13 2009

Posts: 1171

Sandy: As bad as Katria's aftermath?

I just read a disturbing report from GLenn Beck's relief organization (yes he has one). Mercury One sent in Hurricane Sandy relief supplies via truck and via existing relief organizations to some of the victims of Sandy in Coney Island. Distrubution channels were to be through local churches. Here's part of what they reported.

So how did Mercury One President Joe Kerry’s recent efforts in Coney Island go? Well, according to Kerry, it was frightening, but there was also hope. The storm had managed to transform the area into what looked like a war zone. Everything was pitch black, no lights around, no people around — like a scene from “I am Legend,” as Kerry put ii.

When Kerry met with the religious (leaders on) that night, he was shocked. They told him about things we aren’t seeing on TV (i.e. lots of looting and crime). A local supermarket had been looted, a local pharmacy had been ransacked, and then there were the gangs.

“They said they have received several calls from members of the church who had boarded themselves in their own apartments and are afraid to come out because of these roving gangs of kids, which are now already being named ‘wolf packs,’” Glenn Beck explained on his show this morning. “They’re terrorizing the neighborhood.”

“It’s collapsing into chaos,” they told Kerry.

The power is due to be off for another week or two and these people are trapped and, unlike us, to a large extent unprepared. It's anyone's guess how bad things will get, but at least these volunteer drivers and doanted supplies are lighting a candle in the darkness.

Informed, eyewitness or credible stories of heroism or lawlessness to confirm or deny my fears about a collapse situation for Sandy's victims would be appreciated.

Thu, Nov 1, 2012 - 8:46pm

#2

Wendy S. Delmater

Status: Diamond Member (Offline)

Joined: Dec 13 2009

Posts: 1171

Here are some boots on the

Here are some boots on the ground reports from Staten Island.

...I walked on the rooftop of a house yesterday, I stepped on it because the debris that surrounded it was level with the rooftop. That’s what happened here on Staten Island.”

Congressman Michael Grimm concurred.

“I think this is an example of what infuriates people here on Staten Island,” he said. “Like Senator Lanza just said, we have people, people still in water. Families displaced, families wondering where their grandparents are. Are they at a shelter? Are they at a hospital? Or are they gone? That’s what we should be focusing on. I think it would be very misguided to have this marathon. I think that the people of Staten Island will see this, unfortunately…as another shot against them, that the City Hall is more worried about getting everything running again for Manhattan and making everything look like it’s back to normal. We’re not back to normal and we’re not going to be back to normal for a long time.”

read the rest here:

http://politicker.com/2012/11/staten-island-borough-president-dont-give-money-to-the-red-cross/

Thu, Nov 1, 2012 - 8:52pm

#3

Wendy S. Delmater

Status: Diamond Member (Offline)

Joined: Dec 13 2009

Posts: 1171

sorry - one more

sorry - one more

"It's getting dark, and it's real dangerous out here -- that's why there's a cop on every block," one NYPD officer told HuffPost Crime. "You could get your stuff stolen."

Nearby, at a city housing project called Ocean Towers, a fight broke out in front of reporters and cops. Two women threw haymakers at one another as residents -- all still without power -- stared and yelled from their windows. Other people threw unidentified objects from their windows at officers, who swarmed in to break up the fistfight.

Dena Wells, 39, a resident of Ocean Towers, had had enough after watching the melee. "People are turning on each other -- they're attacking each other," she said, shaking her head. "Even when there's no disaster, this building is disastrous. But after the hurricane, it just got crazy.

"We have to get out of here."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/31/hurricane-sandy-looting-brooklyn-coney-island_n_2047183.html

Fri, Nov 2, 2012 - 1:05am

#4

Travlin

Status: Diamond Member (Offline)

Joined: Apr 15 2010

Posts: 1320

Gas shortage

New York Times wrote:

UNION, N.J. — Widespread gas shortages stirred fears among residents and disrupted some rescue and emergency services on Thursday as the New York region struggled to return to a semblance of normalcy after being ravaged by Hurricane Sandy.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/02/nyregion/gasoline-shortages-disrupting...

The article notes people in line with 3/4 of a tank of gas, afraid it won't be available later, and the extra demand to fuel generators. Police are at stations to keep order because some people are panicky and fights are breaking out. Shortages are expected for several days.

Travlin

Sun, Nov 4, 2012 - 12:26am

#5

dshields

Status: Platinum Member (Offline)

Joined: Oct 24 2009

Posts: 598

Sussex - NJ

I have been off the air for a few days as the electric, phone, and net were out. As people who have been prepping on and off for years, we were as prepared as one might be for the storm. When the power went out we started up the generator. We keep a week's worth of fuel on hand. The power came on four days later - before the fuel ran out. We had a bunch of food and all the stuff we need. We did the same during Irene last year. Each time we do one of these we learn stuff. Last time it was water. This time we had the generator hooked up to the well pump so we had as much water as we usually have. Having sufficient clean water is critical. This time we had worries about what if the generator breaks or runs out of fuel - two different issues. So, we decided to attack the not enough fuel problem first and we are going to get the ability to store a months worth of fuel. The what if the generator breaks problem can be handled by having a second generator. The one we have now seems quite reliable. Being prepared makes a HUGE difference. We try to treat these run of the mill disasters as practice runs and learning experiences for when we are confronted by a major disaster of some kind. Generators are quite common here. When the power is out you can go driving around and see lots of houses with their lghts on and you can hear the generators running. Our car dealership has a big generator. The Quick Check in town has a generator. There are lots of generators.

I have been hearing about the gangs and looting. It does not surprise me at all. It is to be expected during disasters in highly populated areas. Fortunately, we live in the woods and there have been no reported cases of such activity here as far as I know. I see all these people on TV pleading for the government to come save them. I wonder what would happen if the government response was half what it is now, or a quarter. What if the government can't save you ? I see the people on TV and they are totally unprepared. I know people who are totally unprepared. They don't have generators, or food stored up, or auxiliary heat capability, or basically any kind of preparations. There are people right around where I live that are freezing in the dark tonight that don't have to be if they had prepared better.

I hope people take Sandy as a wake up call and do better at preparing themselves for disasters. There are going to be disasters of various kinds across time. The ones that really scare me are financial disasters and disease disasters. There have been disease disasters in the past and we are due for one. We do not have a good way to stop viruses. A financial disaster could be very serious depending on the size and scope of it. It might last a long time - years. Preparing is key.

Sun, Nov 4, 2012 - 8:40am

(Reply to #5) #6

Lnorris

Status: Bronze Member (Offline)

Joined: Mar 28 2011

Posts: 83

Morris-NJ

Our power went out Monday night between 9 and 10. We powered our generator up on Tuesday and ran it off and on through Wednesday evening. Our town has been amazing in getting people their electric back up. We lost 100 utility poles around town and the downed trees have been nothing snort of breath yanking in their size and scope of damage to people's houses. The YMCA opened up Friday so people could take hot showers and the library opened as well as a place to go.

Our biggest challenge was the inability to communicate. The cell phones did not work except for text messages and IMF you had a land line they did not work as well. How would someone have called 911 if they needed to? The cell phones are still spotty as of Sunday. I had hand held walkies supposedly with a range of 5 miles. I learned I need to research repeater stations because they were a joke. Unless you were with in line of sight and less than 100 yards they did not work.

Our neighbors 70' oak had a large part of it's canopy break. Part of it is overhanging the chicken coop so we gave them temporary shelter in out garage while we build a new temporary shelter in the garden.

It doesn't surprise me to see people scavenging for food on tv. It's sad how many people have lost the skill of preparing and cooking their own food. I heard the woman on yelling how it had been 3 days and no one had arrived to help and I thought that's the minimum you should be able to handle.

We have had several trial runs over the past two years. Each time I learn more about what our weaknesses are and we act on it. I wonder how many others will give their current hardships any thought 3, 6 and 12 months out?

Good luck and stay safe.

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