# 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:** 25
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766/481 "2012-10-31T03:15:41Z")
Geez. Seventy percent of my county is in the dark. > **[Some power restored in Essex, 70 percent of county in the dark](https://www.nj.com/news/2012/10/some_power_restored_in_essex_4.html)** > > Power was restored to large parts of Newark this afternoon, including the county and federal courthouses They’re reporting three to four days “best case scenario” before NYC subway service is restored. Ugh. No traffic lights on in wide swaths of Manhattan. Lower Manhattan looks like utter hell with no lights and huge puddles of water everywhere. A large oil barge crashed into the north shore of Staten Island. All local airports are closed but it looks like they might open finally tomorrow. We’re going to get out tomorrow in the car and have a good look around the community. I called the supermarket we usually use and they’re currently closed and unsure if they’re going to open any time soon. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766/482 "2012-10-31T03:27:23Z")
> [@MacTech](#): > > Around 4 pm, we lose power, 15 seconds later, our backup generator kicks on and chugs away, supplying our whole house with all the power we need, draw the curtains and practice light discipline to conserve fuel, as we have no idea how long the outage will be > > And horrors of horrors, I discover my first “First World Problem”, the battery in my computer’s UPS battery backup unit has died, so I have to plug the computer directly into the…wall… Via a power strip! The. Horror, the HORROR! I had the same thing happen. The UPS battery backup didn’t die, really. It just doesn’t like the generator-supplied current because its frequency is not stable enough. Once the regular power comes back, plug it back in and it will chug along fine. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766/483 "2012-10-31T03:41:16Z")
> [@LavenderBlue](#): > > Geez. Seventy percent of my county is in the dark. A brightside (heh) note. While all you folks up there in dense suburbia/the big city are without power, grab a coat or blanket, some lawn chairs, some snacks and drinks, get out in the yard/on the roof and enjoy some relatively dark skies. ---
**Author:** ![Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e47c2d/32.png) [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hershele_Ostropoler)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766/484 "2012-10-31T03:47:34Z")
My parents were fine throughout the storm but lost power this evening. In lighter news, I had a job interview scheduled for 11/1. It’s in the Financial District, but if they’ll be there, I’ll be there. ---
**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 31, 2012, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766/485 "2012-10-31T03:48:27Z")
> [@lisacurl](#): > > He updated on Facebook this morning (about 11am his time) that he and his family were well with minimum damage to their home, but “the neighborhood is a wreck.” That’s great. I have another friend in the same town. She came out alright too. The east side of town was fucked the rest not as bad. I didn’t know what part he lived in. ---
**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 31, 2012, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766/486 "2012-10-31T03:50:44Z")
“Not as bad” being realtive as in not having houses swept into the bay. ---
**Author:** ![Arabella\_Flynn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8491ac/32.png) [@Arabella\_Flynn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arabella_Flynn)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766/487 "2012-10-31T05:45:04Z")
Nothing continues to happen up here near Tufts. It’s very rainy, thundering at times, and we have urban flood warnings of the “try not to park too close to the river” variety, but the worst thing that affects me personally is that, because there are downed trees and power problems on some of the western and southern outskirts of the city where the “subway” lines are really streetcar and el service, the T schedule is kind of FUBAR. If anyone in the Greater Boston Area is still without electricity, and is in desperate need of a hot shower or some phone charge time, you can PM me, email me at miss.arabella.flynn at [gmail.com](http://gmail.com), or tweet me at @ArabellaFlynn, and I’ll do what I can. Medford/Somerville still has full power and comms, as far as I know. Davis is kind of a ways out, but it’s better than nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766/488 "2012-10-31T10:25:13Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > A brightside (heh) note. > > While all you folks up there in dense suburbia/the big city are without power, grab a coat or blanket, some lawn chairs, some snacks and drinks, get out in the yard/on the roof and enjoy some relatively dark skies. While I appreciate the sentiment, that’s a lot less fun to do when it’s cold and damp and you can’t go warm up inside with hot cocoa afterwards. Besides, I think it’s still cloudy and/or raining for most of the affected area. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766/489 "2012-10-31T12:05:57Z")
> [@lisacurl](#): > > He updated on Facebook this morning (about 11am his time) that he and his family were well with minimum damage to their home, but “the neighborhood is a wreck.” Oh thanks for the update. Good to know he’s okay. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766/490 "2012-10-31T12:31:06Z")
> [@Arabella\_Flynn](#): > > Nothing continues to happen up here near Tufts. It’s very rainy, thundering at times, and we have urban flood warnings of the “try not to park too close to the river” variety, but the worst thing that affects me personally is that, because there are downed trees and power problems on some of the western and southern outskirts of the city where the “subway” lines are really streetcar and el service, the T schedule is kind of FUBAR. The T has a schedule? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766/491 "2012-10-31T13:14:45Z")
If you’ve never experienced an 80 foot pine tree uprooted and falling in the intrersection on YOUR power lines, be very grateful. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766/492 "2012-10-31T13:31:34Z")
BTW, what do you call the eye of hurricane Sandy? Duncan. ---
**Author:** ![Animastryfe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Animastryfe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Animastryfe)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766/493 "2012-10-31T13:39:53Z")
Metro North is still not operational, and Greyhound Bus is currently not going to the NYC area. Does anyone have any ideas how someone can get from New Haven to Manhattan tomorrow? ---
**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 31, 2012, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766/494 "2012-10-31T13:51:22Z")
> [@Animastryfe](#): > > Metro North is still not operational, and Greyhound Bus is currently not going to the NYC area. Does anyone have any ideas how someone can get from New Haven to Manhattan tomorrow? My son is _still_ trying to make his way home to Long Island from Florida. He started Sunday, was grounded in Charlotte, flew to Pittsburgh and was, last he texted, on his way to a Greyhound that was supposedly stopping in Hempstead at 7 this morning. But it’s almost 10 and we haven’t heard from him. Not too worried that we haven’t heard from him because all of our phones are not working. This is a new development. We also are now on water rations. You’d think things would start getting better once the storm moved on. ---
**Author:** ![AmericanMaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@AmericanMaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AmericanMaid)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766/495 "2012-10-31T14:07:57Z")
Checking in from south of Boston. Power was out Monday and we got it back yesterday afternoon (bravo National Grid!) Lots of wind damage and Quincy Shore Drive was submerged for a bit. The clock radio that I thought had battery backup did not work and my cell phone died Monday evening so catching up on the devastation has been surreal. We got a sudden and violent storm last night with torrential rains, thunder and lightening which was frightening. On the up side, my anxiety issues really helped me weather the storm! I had been tracking Sandy news since last week with a low level hum of anxiety that built into a pre-storm flurry of storm prep over the weekend. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766/496 "2012-10-31T14:46:43Z")
Anyone care to place bets on when LaGuardia Airport and the NY subway will reopen? I’m supposed to fly in the evening of the 9th, and hope we don’t have to cancel the trip. ---
**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 31, 2012, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766/497 "2012-10-31T14:49:00Z")
> [@Eva\_Luna](#): > > Anyone care to place bets on when LaGuardia Airport and the NY subway will reopen? I’m supposed to fly in the evening of the 9th, and hope we don’t have to cancel the trip. Does the runway still look like a lake? I know JFK and Newark are open again. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766/498 "2012-10-31T14:54:47Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Does the runway still look like a lake? I know JFK and Newark are open again. [Photos yesterday indicated severe flooding](http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151149077531843&set=pb.105014211842.-2207520000.1351680505&type=3&theater). [The NY Times says no reopening estimate yet.](http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/10/28/nyregion/hurricane-sandy.html) ---
**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 31, 2012, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766/499 "2012-10-31T14:54:55Z")
The subways are well and seriously borked. South Ferry station was filled to the brim with sea water. All of the lower Manhattan tracks and tunnels had water in them. They are also running into the problem of where to pump all this water. They cannot pump it into the streets because the sewer system is already compromised. [This is a more recent shot of the South Ferry station.](http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Flooded-Subways-NYC-Brooklyn-Battery-Queens-Midtown-Tunnel-MTA-Hurricane-Sandy-176359011.html) There was a much more dramatic one that I now cannot find from the street showing the water filling the stairwell and lapping onto the street. ---
**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 31, 2012, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766/500 "2012-10-31T14:59:45Z")
I have to admit, I was one of those people kvetching when the Mayor shut down mass transit-- when was that? It seems like ages ago-- because, well, we can’t live without it, really. Man, do I feel stupid about that now. Imagine if the subways had been filled with people during this shit! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766.md?page=24) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-sandy-potential-catastrophic-noreaster-brewing-in-the-carribean-edited-title/638766.md?page=26)