Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Our Hurricane Experience

The day after Sandy hit New York and New Jersey, it's business as usual in Midtown Manhattan. While nationally known stores like Starbucks and McDonald's are closed and the Disney store in Times Square is even boarded up, local businesses are open and packed to the gills with patrons. The small grocery stores and delis are running out of items to sell and the shelves are slowly emptying but they seem to be well stocked with toiletries and the places that makes fresh sandwiches to order seem to have a constant stream of customers.

Taxis have taken to the streets after a very short 12 hour hiatus and those streets are lined with tourists and New Yorkers alike. Rumor has it that bus service may start up again tomorrow but the subways and tunnels are closed indefinitely.

There are many areas in New York and New Jersey that aren't as lucky as Midtown Manhattan. Over the weekend, we visited the Empire State building, the site of the World Trade Center, and Battery Park, all of which are under water now. Almost one million people are without power and tonight, temperatures are predicted to drop down to the upper 40s and many are displaced and staying in shelters.

We are among the blessed. My sister Denise, my nephew Kirk and I are set up in a hotel with a giant king-sized bed and full-sized futon, full power, a microwave and a refrigerator. We are safe and sound and feeling guilty about how good we have it. Granted the road to get here was trying and difficult but we couldn't have asked for a better outcome.

The aftermath of the hurricane is similar to that of a war zone in many areas of New York but the reality is that there is a pocket that remains untouched by the storm. And we are in that pocket, shielded from the destruction.

2 comments:

Lindsay @ LindsayInNYC said...

We tweeted a little earlier (@LindsayInNYC) - Hope you were able to find a car and get to an airport and home!

Michele said...

Thanks Lindsay! We made it as far as Baltimore. We are still waiting to get a plane to St. Louis. We'll be home soon!