Sandy's Aftermath

Well, the storm is over here in New York City, but the arduous cleanup process has only just begun. We feel lucky up here on the East side of Manhattan since we are one of the only enclaves on the island that still has power.

Images from Yorkville:

This has been called a historic storm and between the Con Edison explosion on 14th Street, the storm surges that left most of lower Manhattan flooded, the unprecedented three day school closures, and the fact that our subway system is so crippled they are saying it will take 4-5 days to have things up and running again, I would agree with that assessment. 

Here are some photos from around Manhattan captured on The New York Times website: 

While the storm has been devastating here and along much of the East Coast, something that has been really lovely to see is that, with the subway at a standstill, people are pretty much stuck in their neighborhoods and, moreover, since the larger chain stores are mostly staffed with people who come from outside the neighborhood, it is only the small, local places that are open. There is something nice about seeing all of the Starbucks closed and only the most local of the local places operating. Neighbors are checking on elderly neighbors. People are helping police and emergency workers clear debris. Coffee shops are filled with neighborhood folk catching up on local gossip and recounting "Sandy stories." I guess that the wonderful sense of community is the silver lining in all of the damages, outages, and closings.

Here's hoping everyone is staying safe, warm, and dry...