Hurricane Sandy

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81

[quote]harrypotter wrote:

[quote]farmerson12 wrote:

I do not live in the NE so just correct me if Im missing something but I have a couple of issues here. First off, wasnt there an evacuation warning 2-3 days before? Why wouldnt you take warning and head inland? Whether you stay with family/friends house or hotel, I would think that the majority would have had that ability.

And if you truly wanted to stay, wouldnt it be in your hands to be prepared? I know that systems this disatrous and strong do not occur often in that part of the U.S but commonsense would tell me to either have supplies stocked before hand or head out as quick as possible once a warning is given.

Being a former firefighter/medic, I really hate seeing the devastation and I feel for the hardships people are experiencing but a part of me feels that a percentage of the population could have had a better outcome if they would have been more reponsible.[/quote]

Not to hate on your parade but being experienced in the emergency services, wouldn’t you have seen that type of ‘stand your ground’ mentality before? Or perhaps the ill-prepared masses getting surprised and in need of help?

I too would have stayed put, it would be a different matter with children but I cant help but think that there are people who do not want to be told to move and hunkering down is a better option for them.
[/quote]

If you’re hell bent on staying put; understand the possible consequences and prepare accordingly. Or be an American and blame someone else, and then have a sense of entitlement. It was a hurricane, wtf did these ppl think was going to happen?

82

[quote]harrypotter wrote:

[quote]farmerson12 wrote:

I do not live in the NE so just correct me if Im missing something but I have a couple of issues here. First off, wasnt there an evacuation warning 2-3 days before? Why wouldnt you take warning and head inland? Whether you stay with family/friends house or hotel, I would think that the majority would have had that ability.

And if you truly wanted to stay, wouldnt it be in your hands to be prepared? I know that systems this disatrous and strong do not occur often in that part of the U.S but commonsense would tell me to either have supplies stocked before hand or head out as quick as possible once a warning is given.

Being a former firefighter/medic, I really hate seeing the devastation and I feel for the hardships people are experiencing but a part of me feels that a percentage of the population could have had a better outcome if they would have been more reponsible.[/quote]

Not to hate on your parade but being experienced in the emergency services, wouldn’t you have seen that type of ‘stand your ground’ mentality before? Or perhaps the ill-prepared masses getting surprised and in need of help?

I too would have stayed put, it would be a different matter with children but I cant help but think that there are people who do not want to be told to move and hunkering down is a better option for them.
[/quote]

Ive witnessed 1 national disaster and 1 state level and yes I have seen those that were…well Ill just be nice and say they didnt make the right decision. But judging from the stories Ive heard from reporters and a couple of friends in the NE that are firefighters as well there were quite a bit of civilians who stayed behind. Although i have witnessed that mentaility, it still boggles my mind. Luckily the impact of Sandy was not as severe as Katrina bc Im sure we would have seen similar devastation in the NE.

83

I just got done putting in about 75 hours working from Island Beach State park to Mnntoloking(NJ). This island area was declared uninhabitable and is now a mandatory evacuation. There are upwards of 30,000 people who will have no where to live for upwards of a year. National Guard as well as State Police have been working with us local guys. It is absolute devastation. The ocean took out a bridge and created a new inlet while swallowing 6 or so houses in the processes. A whole subdivision burned to the ground. This rivals several combat zones I have been in.

84

[quote]snipeout wrote:
I just got done putting in about 75 hours working from Island Beach State park to Mnntoloking(NJ). This island area was declared uninhabitable and is now a mandatory evacuation. There are upwards of 30,000 people who will have no where to live for upwards of a year. National Guard as well as State Police have been working with us local guys. It is absolute devastation. The ocean took out a bridge and created a new inlet while swallowing 6 or so houses in the processes. A whole subdivision burned to the ground. This rivals several combat zones I have been in.[/quote]

Holy shit, we are not getting this kind of news up in Canada. At least not that I’ve seen.

My thoughts and best wishes are with all of those affected by this

85

We sent up 800 rental cars from my place here up to New York LaGuardia Airport.

86

My personal experience has been with tornadoes, high winds, long-term wintertime power outages, and major ice storms; I know how to deal with all of those. I’ve not been around hurricanes.

Short of evacuation, what can you do as far as preparedness?

The way you deal with flooding, winds/tornadoes, and fire are so different from one another, I’m not sure what you could do other than run.

87

I’m on Long Island and we basically got fkucin’ blasted. I got power, a messy yard but I was ready for it. Go a mile south of me and they got 6’ of water in their houses. Scores of people with no power and in some areas, they’ll be lucky to be hangin’ Xmas lights.

The gas situation is bad, I’m okay through Wednesday. Just got in from food shopping… lots of empty spots on the shelves.

Rob

88

I gotta say, if you live in a mandatory evac zone, and don’t evac—then screw yourself. This is coming from someone with experience in disaster relief. That dumbassery puts first responders at risk and the resultant rescue concerns tie up resources that could be better spent aiding recovery and rebuilding. And then to blame the government for wanting to make sure it’s semi-safe for the rescue guys before starting is fucking insane.

If you live nearby but not in an evac zone; just stock up on 5-6 days food and water. Ignore the low carb thing–dried foods and canned foods are your best bet. I advise people to get a grill if they can; if power is out for a long while, having a propane or charcoal grill you can cook with does wanders (beats eating cold/room temp food for a week). Keep 3-4 of those big 5 gallon containers of water like you take camping and fill 'em up before the storm hits.

There’s definitely some areas that are going to take a while; sewers flooding, whole blocks burning down, the damage to the subways might be awful. Thank god the death toll hasn’t been bad though.

snipeout, take care of yourself as best you can. I’ve been through this before and feel relieved and guilty to not have to be involved in this storm. I’m kind of looking forward to talking to guys from there at our annual international conference though to see how they handled it and what lessons we can learn in Texas. We’ve done this rodeo before but you can always learn something new.

89

[quote]paulwhite959 wrote:
I gotta say, if you live in a mandatory evac zone, and don’t evac—then screw yourself. This is coming from someone with experience in disaster relief. That dumbassery puts first responders at risk and the resultant rescue concerns tie up resources that could be better spent aiding recovery and rebuilding. And then to blame the government for wanting to make sure it’s semi-safe for the rescue guys before starting is fucking insane.

If you live nearby but not in an evac zone; just stock up on 5-6 days food and water. Ignore the low carb thing–dried foods and canned foods are your best bet. I advise people to get a grill if they can; if power is out for a long while, having a propane or charcoal grill you can cook with does wanders (beats eating cold/room temp food for a week). Keep 3-4 of those big 5 gallon containers of water like you take camping and fill 'em up before the storm hits.

There’s definitely some areas that are going to take a while; sewers flooding, whole blocks burning down, the damage to the subways might be awful. Thank god the death toll hasn’t been bad though.

snipeout, take care of yourself as best you can. I’ve been through this before and feel relieved and guilty to not have to be involved in this storm. I’m kind of looking forward to talking to guys from there at our annual international conference though to see how they handled it and what lessons we can learn in Texas. We’ve done this rodeo before but you can always learn something new.[/quote]

Good advice here. Anyone who is told to get out and stays puts more people in danger, this is what many miss. I did my food shopping on Saturday before the storm, mostly non-perishables, powdered milk, simple food that can be cooked on my gas grill or gas stove. I had a couple of bags of ice, which I gave away since my power came back fast. I had 6 gallons of water, filled up every Tupperware pitcher I have as well. Food in a refrigerator or freezer will keep for up to 36 hours, depending how often the door is opened. So early on, get the cooler going for items that are used a lot. Got a big piece of meat in the freezer? Those hold the cold for a long time, keep an eye on it as it defrosts and cook it up!

Rob

90

It’s cool, guys. I made it through okay. Stop worrying. :wink:

Power went out here shortly after I posted on Page 1 of this thread, around 6:00 Monday night, actually right in the middle of my birthday dinner. Not totally unexpected, but still a bummer. Electric stayed off until around 7:00pm Friday. Cable, phone, and Internet were still down until Saturday afternoon.

We stayed a few nights at my Mom’s place about 10 minutes away, as she never lost power. She actually had three trees come down on her small property (standard suburban Levitt house), but we were absurdly lucky that they caused almost zero damage, even though one landed, ever so gently, on a neighbor’s roof. I have pictures, but cell service is still spotty so I can’t get them off my phone.

There are still gas shortages, but it’s getting better by the day and it’s now “only” about 20+ minutes wait at most stations around here. On Saturday, we stood on line for just over an hour to fill up two containers. Would’ve been faster, but a douchebag contractor decided to have his guys repeatedly cut the line in order to fill up several 55-gallon drums, 5 gallons at a time. The scene was getting pretty sketchy and I’m sure a fight was inevitable if the police and fire marshal hadn’t shown up to check people’s containers. Some folks were going to try putting gas into gallon milk jugs or 5-gallon paint buckets.

All in all, we (as in, my immediate family) were incredibly lucky to only have had to deal with the power issue. No damage or loss other than a few hundred bucks of food. My gal’s 80 yr old aunt and uncle are in Babylon with a canal in their backyard. They did evacuate, but their house is damaged beyond repair. No idea what they’re going to do.

All the best to my NY/NJ bros and sisters. I’m up and running here, so If you need anything, let me know.

Fun Fact: My gal’s name is Sandy. The running jokes of “Sandy gets more dangerous by the day” and “Our news teams will be tracking Sandy’s movements” got old by day three. Ha.

91

[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:
It’s cool, guys. I made it through okay. Stop worrying. :wink:

Power went out here shortly after I posted on Page 1 of this thread, around 6:00 Monday night, actually right in the middle of my birthday dinner. Not totally unexpected, but still a bummer. Electric stayed off until around 7:00pm Friday. Cable, phone, and Internet were still down until Saturday afternoon.

We stayed a few nights at my Mom’s place about 10 minutes away, as she never lost power. She actually had three trees come down on her small property (standard suburban Levitt house), but we were absurdly lucky that they caused almost zero damage, even though one landed, ever so gently, on a neighbor’s roof. I have pictures, but cell service is still spotty so I can’t get them off my phone.

There are still gas shortages, but it’s getting better by the day and it’s now “only” about 20+ minutes wait at most stations around here. On Saturday, we stood on line for just over an hour to fill up two containers. Would’ve been faster, but a douchebag contractor decided to have his guys repeatedly cut the line in order to fill up several 55-gallon drums, 5 gallons at a time. The scene was getting pretty sketchy and I’m sure a fight was inevitable if the police and fire marshal hadn’t shown up to check people’s containers. Some folks were going to try putting gas into gallon milk jugs or 5-gallon paint buckets.

All in all, we (as in, my immediate family) were incredibly lucky to only have had to deal with the power issue. No damage or loss other than a few hundred bucks of food. My gal’s 80 yr old aunt and uncle are in Babylon with a canal in their backyard. They did evacuate, but their house is damaged beyond repair. No idea what they’re going to do.

All the best to my NY/NJ bros and sisters. I’m up and running here, so If you need anything, let me know.

Fun Fact: My gal’s name is Sandy. The running jokes of “Sandy gets more dangerous by the day” and “Our news teams will be tracking Sandy’s movements” got old by day three. Ha.[/quote]

There’s an endless number o stories of survival and coping, glad you’re doing well. I finally got gas yesterday, I’m in SW Suffolk county. Waited 45 minutes and the lines are getting shorter. Still tons of folks relying on gas generators for heat and electric. I did see someone on line with a spackle bucket to fill… scary.

I was talking to someone yesterday, at one station where the line was absurd, some guy posing as a gas station employee was selling $10 tickets in advance, so all you had to do was give them in at the pump and go. The tickets looked legit, so people fell for it. He managed to split before the 1st person with the bogus tix got to the pump.

I have people that stop over to do wash or catch a hot meal, stash stuff in my garage, park a car out front. I may be having my wife’s brother and his wife stay with us for a while… no heat and 24 degrees out isn’t good.

Rob

92

Going on Day 8 without power. Totally sucks, but glad there were no real casualties. About 12 tall pine trees came down. Amazingly, only one nicked the corner of the house and brought the rain gutter down about a foot. Been holed up in the basement spare bedroom because its the warmest place in the house. IT’S LIKE LIVING IN A CAVE!!! AARRGG!! (no offense to those who may live in the basement – it’s cool, really).

The office had no power all last week. Local landscaper that cut access through 4 trees (2 across the driveway, one across the front walk, and one right up to the front door) said $9,000 to clear the rest (non-emergency).

Guess I’ll be forking over the dough for a real emergency generator and transfer switch set-up, a big chain saw and a protective hockey mask 'cuz I ain’t going through THIS again!!!

93

These things happen in the gulf coast like multiple times per year.

Next time you see relief efforts advertised think twice before writing them off.

And imagine being stranded with no electricity or water in sub-tropical heat. ( They typically occur through the summer months, 95-100 degrees real temp, easily 105+ heat index)

I’m happy to see the positive stories though, considering what could’ve been. And the death count was pretty low really, which is great. You were fortunate that Sandy was more of a purricane than a hurricane when she landed. Remember that if a genuinly ferocious storm heads your way in the future and get out of dodge if you didn’t this time.

The recovery is the biggest bitch. Infrastructure is always up and running fairly quickley but good luck with insurance on your private property. They are having to pay billions of dollars in claims simultaneously and will fight many of you tooth and nail on yours.

If there is any light at the end of that tunnel, it’s that you will know what to look for in a homeowners policy next time you renew.

94

[quote]DropKickNoxious wrote:
These things happen in the gulf coast like multiple times per year.

Next time you see relief efforts advertised think twice before writing them off.

And imagine being stranded with no electricity or water in sub-tropical heat. ( They typically occur through the summer months, 95-100 degrees real temp, easily 105+ heat index)

I’m happy to see the positive stories though, considering what could’ve been. And the death count was pretty low really, which is great. You were fortunate that Sandy was more of a purricane than a hurricane when she landed. Remember that if a genuinly ferocious storm heads your way in the future and get out of dodge if you didn’t this time.

The recovery is the biggest bitch. Infrastructure is always up and running fairly quickley but good luck with insurance on your private property. They are having to pay billions of dollars in claims simultaneously and will fight many of you tooth and nail on yours.

If there is any light at the end of that tunnel, it’s that you will know what to look for in a homeowners policy next time you renew.[/quote]

Thanks?

95

[quote]imhungry wrote:

[quote]DropKickNoxious wrote:
These things happen in the gulf coast like multiple times per year.

Next time you see relief efforts advertised think twice before writing them off.

And imagine being stranded with no electricity or water in sub-tropical heat. ( They typically occur through the summer months, 95-100 degrees real temp, easily 105+ heat index)

I’m happy to see the positive stories though, considering what could’ve been. And the death count was pretty low really, which is great. You were fortunate that Sandy was more of a purricane than a hurricane when she landed. Remember that if a genuinly ferocious storm heads your way in the future and get out of dodge if you didn’t this time.

The recovery is the biggest bitch. Infrastructure is always up and running fairly quickley but good luck with insurance on your private property. They are having to pay billions of dollars in claims simultaneously and will fight many of you tooth and nail on yours.

If there is any light at the end of that tunnel, it’s that you will know what to look for in a homeowners policy next time you renew.[/quote]

Thanks?[/quote]
Yeah, you’re welcome. Know it could’ve been much worse, find a lawyer and suck it up.

96

OK OK we get it, people should of left when told to leave… absolutely. On the other hand if it is sort of the Boy who cried wolf syndrome, year after year nothing of this magnitude ever hit us so its human nature to ignore the warnings.

But the cavalier attitude I am inferring from your post is not necessary. I by no means am the expert you are but I find it hard to believe a “purricance” can demolish whole islands, and cause some of devastation that occurred. While it must suck to endure a hurricane in extremely hot weather it Will reach freezing levels here in Staten Island tonight, many people are w/o power and heat and oh yeah we are expecting a Nor’easter tomorrow that can cause more flooding. This is not going to be easy.

All of us out here are sucking it up going back to work, helping each other out and making the best of an unfortunate situation…The mothers that lost their young children, and the young children that lost their parents will disagree with you whole heartedly. Most people did evacuate and lost everything.

On behalf of them and myself…

Suck my Dick

97

[quote]DropKickNoxious wrote:

[quote]imhungry wrote:

[quote]DropKickNoxious wrote:
These things happen in the gulf coast like multiple times per year.

Next time you see relief efforts advertised think twice before writing them off.

And imagine being stranded with no electricity or water in sub-tropical heat. ( They typically occur through the summer months, 95-100 degrees real temp, easily 105+ heat index)

I’m happy to see the positive stories though, considering what could’ve been. And the death count was pretty low really, which is great. You were fortunate that Sandy was more of a purricane than a hurricane when she landed. Remember that if a genuinly ferocious storm heads your way in the future and get out of dodge if you didn’t this time.

The recovery is the biggest bitch. Infrastructure is always up and running fairly quickley but good luck with insurance on your private property. They are having to pay billions of dollars in claims simultaneously and will fight many of you tooth and nail on yours.

If there is any light at the end of that tunnel, it’s that you will know what to look for in a homeowners policy next time you renew.[/quote]

Thanks?[/quote]
Yeah, you’re welcome. Know it could’ve been much worse, find a lawyer and suck it up. [/quote]

Lol!!

Pa. got nothing compared to NY and Jersey.

98

[quote]MattyXL wrote:
OK OK we get it, people should of left when told to leave… absolutely. On the other hand if it is sort of the Boy who cried wolf syndrome, year after year nothing of this magnitude ever hit us so its human nature to ignore the warnings.

But the cavalier attitude I am inferring from your post is not necessary. I by no means am the expert you are but I find it hard to believe a “purricance” can demolish whole islands, and cause some of devastation that occurred. While it must suck to endure a hurricane in extremely hot weather it Will reach freezing levels here in Staten Island tonight, many people are w/o power and heat and oh yeah we are expecting a Nor’easter tomorrow that can cause more flooding. This is not going to be easy.

All of us out here are sucking it up going back to work, helping each other out and making the best of an unfortunate situation…The mothers that lost their young children, and the young children that lost their parents will disagree with you whole heartedly. Most people did evacuate and lost everything.

On behalf of them and myself…

Suck my Dick[/quote]

Great post.

99

[quote]imhungry wrote:

[quote]DropKickNoxious wrote:

[quote]imhungry wrote:

[quote]DropKickNoxious wrote:
These things happen in the gulf coast like multiple times per year.

Next time you see relief efforts advertised think twice before writing them off.

And imagine being stranded with no electricity or water in sub-tropical heat. ( They typically occur through the summer months, 95-100 degrees real temp, easily 105+ heat index)

I’m happy to see the positive stories though, considering what could’ve been. And the death count was pretty low really, which is great. You were fortunate that Sandy was more of a purricane than a hurricane when she landed. Remember that if a genuinly ferocious storm heads your way in the future and get out of dodge if you didn’t this time.

The recovery is the biggest bitch. Infrastructure is always up and running fairly quickley but good luck with insurance on your private property. They are having to pay billions of dollars in claims simultaneously and will fight many of you tooth and nail on yours.

If there is any light at the end of that tunnel, it’s that you will know what to look for in a homeowners policy next time you renew.[/quote]

Thanks?[/quote]
Yeah, you’re welcome. Know it could’ve been much worse, find a lawyer and suck it up. [/quote]

Lol!!

Pa. got nothing compared to NY and Jersey.
[/quote]
Well you are quite the lucky duck then!!!

I believe it was Beavis and Butthead who said," You can’t have cool shit if you don’t, like, have shit that sucks".

Words to view the world by.

It could’ve been much, much worse.

100

[quote]Iron Dwarf wrote:

[quote]MattyXL wrote:
OK OK we get it, people should of left when told to leave… absolutely. On the other hand if it is sort of the Boy who cried wolf syndrome, year after year nothing of this magnitude ever hit us so its human nature to ignore the warnings.

But the cavalier attitude I am inferring from your post is not necessary. I by no means am the expert you are but I find it hard to believe a “purricance” can demolish whole islands, and cause some of devastation that occurred. While it must suck to endure a hurricane in extremely hot weather it Will reach freezing levels here in Staten Island tonight, many people are w/o power and heat and oh yeah we are expecting a Nor’easter tomorrow that can cause more flooding. This is not going to be easy.

All of us out here are sucking it up going back to work, helping each other out and making the best of an unfortunate situation…The mothers that lost their young children, and the young children that lost their parents will disagree with you whole heartedly. Most people did evacuate and lost everything.

On behalf of them and myself…

Suck my Dick[/quote]

Great post.[/quote]

Agree