# Hurricane Sandy: Potential Catastrophic NorEaster Brewing in the Carribean \[edited title\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 24, 2012, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766 "2012-10-24T22:11:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 22
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766/421 "2012-10-30T17:20:47Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > I need to take a walk and hit the ATM, I have to get money into an account to cover some upcoming automatic payments and I’m sure that money will be debited as scheduled, storm or not. It also gives me an excuse to scope the neighborhood, I’ll let you know if I see anything interesting. > > Did not hear about the blown transformers in Astoria but I’m not suprised, I never lost power but it got really glitchy…to the point that I cut of the computer and TV because I was getting tired of restting the cable box and internet connection every five minutes Where are you at in Astoria? We live right off the 30th ave station…most of Astoria looks totally fine but on the Coned site we are like the one street surrounded by all the outages. We reported some downed lines last night ourselves. I think it’s from all the trees around here. As an aside, I absolutely adore Astoria. I moved here in July from Manhattan (alphabet city) to be with my now-husband. I was not very keen on the idea of moving to NYC but wouldn’t you know it, Dopers pointed out in my lower east side thread that I might meet someone, fall in love with him, the city or whatever and that’s exactly what happened. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766/422 "2012-10-30T17:24:46Z")
I’m about 50 miles inland in Swedesboro, NJ and dying to get to my property at 9th and the beach in North Wildwood, in Cape May County, NJ. I’ve seen dozens of pictures and got first-hand reports. I can tell you that the millions of dollars spent on dunes and beach replenishments on all the barrier islands has certainly saved billions. Without the dunes and maintained beaches, it would have been really bad. Most homes are damaged, but ok. Life goes on. It’s not so altered that the towns will never be the same. They took a hit, but grit and determination will see all back to normal soon. Also, the interpreter for NYC Mayor: I came here to post the same thoughts! . ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766/423 "2012-10-30T17:34:03Z")
> [@Atomic\_Mama](#): > > I’m sorry she lost her life. I never met anyone who met this kind of fate before: “Lost At Sea.” How very bleak. ☹ I think her body was found, but the captain of the Bounty is lost at sea at the moment. > [@](#): > > I must down to the seas again, > > to the lonely sea and the sky > > and all I ask is a tall ship, > > and a star to steer her by; > [@](#): > > And all I ask is a merry yarn > > From a laughing fellow rover, > > and quiet sleep and a sweet dream > > when ere the long trip’s over ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766/424 "2012-10-30T17:42:58Z")
New aerial footage of Atlantic City. Totally under water. Blocks upon blocks of inundated houses and piles of debris that used to be houses. ---
**Author:** ![CatherineZeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@CatherineZeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatherineZeta)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766/425 "2012-10-30T17:56:24Z")
I live in Upper Manhattan- nothing too much happened up here aside from a lot of wind and some flickering lights. I have to come into work tonight though 😮 Three other co-workers and I are biking in. The boss who wants us to come in lives in Philly- he wants us to come in since he “heard bus service is being restored.” Which it is sort of, there’ll be free, limited service beginning at 5, but I’m not sure if it’s going to only in Manhattan, between different boroughs, or what. And a lot of my co-workers live in areas that flooded- one guy lost everything and is on leave for at least the rest of the week. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766/426 "2012-10-30T17:59:42Z")
Wow. My college is closed at least through Friday. ---
**Author:** ![orderfire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orderfire/32/10908_2.png) [@orderfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orderfire)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766/427 "2012-10-30T18:23:20Z")
Took a drive across town to see if the Tree of Death had had its way with my little house…surprise! Nothing fell in my neighborhood. In fact, when I went into my house, I discovered I’d never lost power, hooray! Moving back tonight. Saw a few large trees down coming through town - one in a driveway, one on a house, one on a Mercedes. Hope you all are faring well. So sad about the Bounty. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766/428 "2012-10-30T18:30:43Z")
[A south-central Pennsylvania woman faces charges that include risking a catastrophe after she jumped into a raging creek to “save” a couple dozen wild ducks.](http://www.whptv.com/news/local/story/Cops-Drunken-woman-tried-to-save-ducks-in-storm/SuIYU_D1E0KMeu76SuYtZA.cspx) Yes, alcohol was involved. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766/429 "2012-10-30T18:35:20Z")
My dad an sister in Buffalo reported lots of wind and rain, a brief power outage, but this morning the lights are on an no damage. The niece in Boston texted her power is out, lots of wind and rain, but she’s safe and doing well. Haven’t heard from the nephew in NYC but I’ll just keep telling myself he’s a very sensible young man, and he’s probably viewing the whole thing as an adventure. Not sure if he was in a badly affected area or not. I thought he was in Manhattan but apparently he’s based in Queens. Of course, the news is showing the worst, plenty spots in Queens still intact, but his power is probably out and it wouldn’t surprise me if phone service is either jammed or spotty. ---
**Author:** ![Musky\_Moon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90db22/32.png) [@Musky\_Moon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musky_Moon)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766/430 "2012-10-30T18:47:34Z")
Checking in from King of Prussia, PA. Lost power around midnight. Luckily we had firewood, so I made a fire and we did some indoor camping. The wind was so loud it was impossible to relax enough to sleep. We lost one huge ancient oak tree, which is kind of sad, but otherwise we came out unscathed. I quick look around my area showed a metric assload of trees down, so we’ll be hanging around the house until things get cleaned up. Hope everyone is well and safe. My heart goes out to those who got it worse than we did. ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766/431 "2012-10-30T19:06:29Z")
No word from my dad’s cousin on Long Beach Island, but that doesn’t really indicate anything one way or the other; I saw a report that even cell phones are out over there. I found on Facebook someone who stayed had posted photos (don’t know how they did that) from just a few blocks away that show a gigantic mess, but houses are all still standing, and the water has largely drained away. They’re…probably all right, but it’ll be nice to hear from them. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766/432 "2012-10-30T19:19:41Z")
This storm has renewed my faith in Verizon. All the troops here with AT&T or Sprint have no service. Verizon is perfect. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766/433 "2012-10-30T19:23:26Z")
Drive around Elmont (when we shopped before the storm everybody was already out of bread and toilet paper. And since we were out, we got beer. Coulda used the beer last night) showed plenty of minor damage. Trees down all over, fences down, porch railings missing, awnings awry. . . and lights out from across the street from me down. I am super, duper lucky. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766/434 "2012-10-30T20:05:07Z")
They are now saying this is the 2nd costliest hurricane to ever hit the US, with estimated damages of over $50 billion. Only Katrina ranks higher. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766/435 "2012-10-30T20:44:36Z")
Settled in with my in-laws now, with their laptop and a hot cup of tea. My place in Columbia came through okay, but the power went out around 6pm last night and is likely to stay off for several days because we’re such a tiny neighborhood. The garage flooded a little because of the heavy rain and bad drainage, but we’d moved all the important stuff up onto shelves so we don’t think there will be much damage. They’re saying we got 8 to 10 inches of rain so far, and I believe it. The back yard is a swamp. It’s cold and damp at home, so we left the kitties with some food and blankets to burrow under, and we’ll check on them morning and evening while we stay at my in-laws’ place. If it gets much colder, we’ll pack them up and move them here too. There isn’t much tree damage in the area, but there are twigs and leaves in the roads and I witnessed a horrendous spin-out on MD-175 this morning as a guy hit his brakes too hard on a bed of wet leaves. We stopped to check on him and call 911, and luckily he was all right and didn’t take anyone else out with him. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766/436 "2012-10-30T20:50:08Z")
No trick or treating for the kids for the second year in a row. Snow last year and hurricane this one. We hit trunk or treat on Saturday. My youngest _girl_ won third place for best _boy’s_ costume. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766/437 "2012-10-30T20:55:17Z")
Checking in from NYC here. We are just fine. Our apartment is on high ground and our building is designed in such a way that we really didn’t even hear much of the wind or anything else. At about 11 last night we could hear some idiots screaming outside about being the king of the world or some shit but mostly it was an uneventful hurricane for us. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766/438 "2012-10-30T21:14:09Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > So can someone explain to me the Empire State Building being the only one with power in that famed photo of the NYC skyline? The Empire State Building was not and never was the only building with power. Only downtown lights were off, I think below around 30th Street? (ESB is on 34th). The photo is just taken at an arty angle. Where the Empire State Building is located, most of the buildings are relatively short, so it’s easy to make the ESB look “all alone” in a picture. In this [non-arty picture](http://cdn.ph.upi.com/collection/pv/upi/7202/ebfc2a1dd8e5662f995906b014e8dd21/Hurricane-Sandy-lashes-Middle-Atlantic-states_1_1.jpg), you can see plenty of buildings near the ESB and north of it had power. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766/439 "2012-10-30T21:32:23Z")
CBS News is reporting that a Staten Island woman lost her two kids and nearly herself while trying to drive to safety. She had the good sense to turn around rather than drive across a flooded road but then stopped too close to the water. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766/440 "2012-10-30T21:34:35Z")
Lots of rain and some gusts yesterday, here in Virginia. Today mostly calm and steady drizzle. We had water start to come into the condo building’s basement laundry room window well in sufficient quantity to start trickling down the wall and into the basement level, but an impromptu sortie out into the wind and rain to cover the well with plastic panels and weigh them down worked; basement was dry this morning. Otherwise damage here very much less than the “July 2012 Derecho” event. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766.md?page=21) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766.md?page=23)