Superstorm Sandy

[tomustang]

I'm glad to see that the runners are doing something more than complaining about the marathon not being canceled earlier. Our local TV station interviewed on runner from here and she was complaining that it cost her $1,000 to travel and not be able to run. She said she was going anyway and that she would just go shopping instead. I guess it's good that she intends to help the economy, but it would be better if she just decided to help, period.

Terrible result from both sides, the marathon should have never stated they will resume.


I've also read several articles about the Alabama electricians, turns out it was their fault and other Alabama utilities lied about the same thing and recanted the info

[ezdays]

I did assume the authorities would intervene more powerful. e.g. technicians from the army could join cicil engineering to get power lines repaired. They could also supply fuel for that very reason. The national guard could help removing trees etc. I am astound how little government forces are on the streets or they are not visible to me.

When I read the article saying that power line workers were turned away because they didn't belong to the union, or others that were working on power lines were pelted with eggs, then nothing would surprise me. After all, the Corp of Engineers aren't union...

[e-paw]

I Finally got juice

[faraway]

We are glad to read that

[tomustang]

I Finally got juice

So it stayed on this time?

[ezdays]

I Finally got juice

That's good news, let's hope that the good news spreads. I was watching a newscast and they said there were some 6,000 line workers from around the country that are now there to help restore power.

[Green_Elite_Cab]

I was up in Staten Island, NY Saturday clearing debris and about 4 very old, very thick trees from the shop I work at. I didn't really see any of the major damage, but I had no reason to be in those areas.

What WAS interesting, was seeing just how high the water got. Our shop is high up, and was never in danger of being flooded. However, we have an access road to get to the beach along the Arthur Kill (this is an area immeadiately north of the Outerbridge Crossing, on the western shore of the island for those familiar with the region).

When the Access road was built in 1957, my Great grandpa and grandpa decided to make the "landing" several feet higher than the highest water in the previous 100 years (back to 1857). It had never flooded since it was built, that is until monday. You could see where the high water was. The ground was completely free of leaves and other small debris, and standing at the base of the access road, the water would have been over my head.

even weirder, prior to the storm, I put some stones and boat parts on a timber from an old barge just for fun. They were still there! I'm guessing that the water didn't so much crash in, as it just slowly rised.



What has been really upsetting me is all the stuff I used to know that is gone. When I was young, I used to go to Seaside Heights all the time. Until very recently, I only ever went to the Casino Pier and the Funtime pier. Now, almost ALL of that board walk is gone, and the big roller coasters I used to enjoy have slipped into the sea, along with a few other rides i have fond memmories of. There are a few resturaunts, game stands and other places that I wonder about now, since I can't seem to get a good view of them in photos.

Of course, this pales in comparison to all the other things people lost, but it just seems surreal.

[tomustang]

Don't worry Chris, I'm sure they'll rebuilt the boardwalk since seaside is a popular destination and hold sentimental value to many people from the surrounding area

[Mike Kieran]

GEC,

Is Killmeyer's still there. The best German Restaurant in the 5 boroughs.

[Mr Fixit]

Natural disasters bring out all the best and worst of people unforunately. We experienced many of these things just a few years ago during the Black Saturday Bushfires 7 February 2009 which killed 173 people and injured 414.

Trying to sign up non union electrical workers from out of state who have come to help reinstate power after a disaster is just plain wrong. Those union officials should hang their heads in shame, as should that mayor who accused power workers of looking after rich suburbs first. The people who pelted line workers with rotten food following the mayors comments should know better, but I suspect it is partly a wounded animal type reaction in a time of extreme stress.
I am surprised that the National Guard has not been called in to assist with law and order as well as to provide food, shelter and fuel.

One thing that struck me was reading yesterday how USS Enterprise is being de-commissioned down in Norfolk, surely it wouldnt be too hard to sail her up and use that Nuclear power plant to provide power, fresh water as well as feeding 5000 people per meal time, hospital facilities and so on. No doubt there are also other warships that could provide facilities as well but Enterprise would be eye catching to say the least and a great finale to its career

Mark

[Mike Kieran]

If it was decommissioned, is the nuclear power plant still operational?

I'm a die hard union supporter, but there comes a time when non-union temps are needed for a better good. I wasn't there and I don't know what the full story is, but there's a mess here that may take months before we have a true assessment of the damage and the death toll. I've already heard some heart wrenching stories from survivors. All we can do is pray.

We're expecting a Nor'Easter on Wednesday which can add to the problems of rescue and recovery. Yes there are still people being rescued.

On top of which, people are running out of gas. The gas lines have gotten violent. It's like a Mad Max movie.

[torikoos]

That storm was a terrible thing, and I hope that recovery and rebuilding will be as smooth and speedy as humanly possible.
On the union thing, I have mixed feelings about unions, from my (european?) perspective: unions are good in regards to protecting the interest of the workforce, but they often overstep their mark, protecting those same workers so fiercely, that it leads to the demise of a company who otherwise could have kept a fair ammount of those same workers employed, perhaps re-hiring others when business is improving.
It also causes other problems: In the past I was a seafarer on cruiseships, and docking in for example new-york harbour would not happen until after 7Am, and be sure we'd be out of there (or at least cast of our lines) before 5PM, because the charges for the long shoremen services before and after those times were plain ridiculous (running in the tens of thousands....) . This meant that 1000's of tourists had to be back on board before sailing time earlier, who otherwise would have spent the money in NY perhaps having dinner or have more time to shop, boosting the local economy. Obviously we weren't allowed to ask for other help for docking / undocking, as the area was union controlled and no other was allowed to do this work. While protecting the interests of those longshoremen, and other harbour workers, it went just a step to far.
So there's two sides to the story , and probably also in this case.

Once again, I hope for a speedy recovery and rebuilding for everyone affected by Sandy, both material and personal.

[Mike Kieran]

Torikoos,

I understand you're viewpoint. There are some union rules that are puzzling. However, in the case of the longshoremen, It's also up to the cruise lines/docking companies to put workers on the dock for a second or overlapping shift. The work of dockworkers could be downright back breaking, so working more than 8 hours is expecting a lot.

[teejay]

I noticed in our news that a couple of Ontario based Hydro crews went to the storm ravaged area to help with power lines ( HYDRO is the Canadian term for " electric company ) ....I guess every little bit helps .

T

[ezdays]

I noticed in our news that a couple of Ontario based Hydro crews went to the storm ravaged area to help with power lines ( HYDRO is the Canadian term for " electric company ) ....I guess every little bit helps .

T

There are thousands of electrical workers there from all over the country, and now we see, from Canada too. It's hard to believe that there are still areas there without power, and most of all, without help or support from our own FEMA.

We thank all those that came to the aid of those affected by Sandy.