Tuesday Chat with Sandy Storm Check-In

Awwww, Bugsy -- you do help lighten the mood this morning!  What a silly boy!

Karen, I'm so sorry to hear about your brother's house.  Was it lost to flooding or fire or fallen trees? 

Glad to hear that Deb, Kate, Annie and others directly in the affected areas are safe.  I've been watching lots of TV coverage and it gives me such a jittery feeling in my chest and my stomach to see the NJ/NYC/CT footage.  I can't imagine dealing with the devastation as a resident, nevermind as a first responder trying to maneuver around to help people.  How did they manage during the night in lower Manhattan in a black-out???

And how bizarre that the winds are affecting cities and lakes so far inland now.  Snow and ice, too?  It's unbelievable.

My Mom fared well -- she still has no phone service, but her power only went out intermittently.  She said the wind was horribly scary; she was afraid to go to sleep for fear that the windows or roof would blow in while she slept.  My sister in Boston, my cousins in RI, and our friends on the CT shoreline are all okay -- power outages, but no major damage.  Haven't been able to connect with our friend who lives in SoHo.  He's who I'm most worried about since he's likely to have had the worst experience of all of them.

Sending safe vibes to everyone dealing with any and all storm effects no matter where you live!

Thanks for all the updates, guys.  I can't even begin to wrap my head around this kind of devastation.

Callie, I've never felt like the media was trying to scare people so much as  just trying to make them understand how serious the situation is and that when they tell you you have to go, then just go already.

Karen, I love that pic of Bugs.  It's like he packed what's important to him and when he gets the "evacuate now" notice, he's ready to go.

Joyce

So glad you are OK Kate!

and also glad that goofball gave some a smile - he is carrying his rabbit from Aunt Deb and a destuffed pheasant :)

He's truly back which is great - he was running zoomies for ages this morning as I was doing some yardwork, then just a bit ago ran off "his" hawk from a front tree and then caught a mole in the back. He's been puppylike since I got back on Sunday - which of course means some good and some naughty!

My brother's house had been damaged by Hurricane Irene and was already under repair - he is way down by the sea and the whole area was under a tremendous amount of water. A guy on the local news said the water smelled of gas - and remember this is seawater :( - the guy on the news sounded like there was no way some neighborhoods would have any houses remaining - the ones nearest the sea (like my brother's) I am sure there is no way to go check it out yet - my mom's is about 25 miles away

Now even worse news is that my cousin's husband (this is the widower of my cousin who passed away) and their two sons have not been heard from since 10 last night.  Anxiety is building as this town (Long Beach) was hit very hard. So all prayers appreciated

Not good - prayers for your family, Karen.  So terrible to not hear from them.

We lost power around 5pm yesterday, luckily got it back this morning and feeling very fortunate that the fence line is intact, only damage was some flashing from the roof and a shutter lifted off, so nothing serious in the least.  

Parents lost power and cable and phone, none of it back yet.  Tree is still down across the road and hasn't been cleared b/c there are so many others on major routes that need to be cleared first.  Coworkers and friends are still without power and cable, some with phone.

My sister and her family had all the kids together in their house on the beach - I still haven't gotten a response from her, so I'm driving over after work.  I am sure they are physically ok, but I just need to know.  With 5 kids in the house (one is off at college) there's a lot of people to worry about under one roof.

Much of this summer the utility companies were out trimming trees around power lines.  I was thankful and appreciative then, and it's proven to be time and money well spent, I think.

VERY thankful to all the utility workers, linesmen, police and fire units (trees catching on fire from the downed lines) and all others helping out there.

I haven't seen the news yet.  I haven't seen just how bad it is in NY/NJ area.  My prayers are with everyone looking for loved ones first, then for those who have lost their homes and property.

kpwlee

Now even worse news is that my cousin's husband (this is the widower of my cousin who passed away) and their two sons have not been heard from since 10 last night.  Anxiety is building as this town (Long Beach) was hit very hard. So all prayers appreciated

Absolutely. I'm sorry to read this and I hope they made it to safety. (((Karen)))

miranadobe

VERY thankful to all the utility workers, linesmen, police and fire units (trees catching on fire from the downed lines) and all others helping out there.

I feel the same and I'm sure they are all exhausted with no end in sight.  Glad you're ok and hope all is well with your sis and family.

Karen, I hope you hear from your cousin's husband/family soon. 

Thanks for the Bugsy induced smile. :) 

Thinking good thoughts for your cousin's family, Karen.  Hopefully they haven't been heard from because of cell phone batteries being exhausted, regular phone lines down, or internet service being out.  Keep us posted!

Not being able to reach loved ones must be creating terrible worry for so many.  Like you said, Paige, even if you feel certain that someone isn't in any danger, you need to see them or hear their voices for yourself before you can really relax.

I meant to post earlier that the story of the ship and the lost crew is so sad.  The news article excerpt that you posted, Tina, made me think that the crew must've felt like they were living the lyrics of that old song "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald."  I know that was a true story -- and I think it's a haunting song.  I didn't know that they sometimes take ships way out to sea rather than leave them in a port, but it makes sense.  And like you said, the people who made the decision to do that with this ship will likely have that weight on their hearts forever.

kpwlee

Great news! Cousin's widower & the boys are OK - a harrowing 36 hrs but they are OK. Incredibly relieved

Fantastic!  So glad you finally got word they're ok. 

Good news -- I'm sure you're very relieved.  Sounds like they have quite a story to tell about the last couple days!

Edited to add:  Tina, DH is a former Marine, and he tells a story about a time in the 1980's when he was on a Navy ship for a training exercise during a huge storm (I think in the North Sea, but I can't remember for sure).  He said the ship took the maximum roll it could take without capsizing, and many of the guys were singing the "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald."  When he tells the story, he makes it sound like it was an awesome experience, but my guess is there was plenty of fear involved.  I'm a very poor swimmer, so it sounds terrifying to me (and is one reason why cruises don't appeal to me).

Karen - that is great news!!

I've probably done too much reading and looking at the pictures of the devastation. I can't get over the massive damage. You can tell that some of the properties were very pricey and now they look like ruins. I can't wrap my head around where you begin to clean-up first.

Great news!

My gosh, watching the news makes our little 4 hour power outage look like absolutely nothing.