ArtK78 Posted October 29, 2012 Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 I am sitting at home watching local and national weather reports about Hurricane Sandy. Current predictions state that we are about 2-3 hours from landfall which is now predicted to occur somewhere between Atlantic City and Ocean City, NJ. I live about 8 miles NW of Atlantic City near milepost 42 of the Garden State Parkway (which, by the way, is closed). The rain is coming down hard, and the wind is whipping, but all reports are that it will get much worse in the next few hours. So far, we have not lost power, which is definitely a good thing. Just got notified a short time ago that my office is going to be closed again tomorrow. Since my office is in Atlantic City, and the city is under mandatory evacuation, this did not come as a shock. Recently, a local news broadcast showed videos of a section of the Atlantic City Boardwalk that had been picked up and thrown away by the surf. The news reporter said that the northern end of Atlantic Avenue was littered with lumber - what used to be the northern section of the boardwalk. It had been thrown by the surf up to 3 blocks away. All in all, we are having a fine time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwar0123 Posted October 29, 2012 Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 Here is hoping it is a lot of hoopla over nothing, but take care and be safe just incase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luke warm Posted October 29, 2012 Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 those on the east (or north, depending on your orientation) side of the storm will be getting the worse of the surge, as usual... if it goes in below you, you'll get more water than if it came in above you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
y66 Posted October 29, 2012 Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 Reporting from Arlington, Virginia about 2 miles east of DC. Got this email alert from the county at 1:55 PM: Hurricane Sandy is about to get worse. Think of the derecho storm with high winds in June that lasted 24 minutes. The winds we’re about to experience beginning this afternoon are like the derecho, but they will last for 24 hours.+1 to the county for clear communication. I was on the road when that derecho hit and it scared the hell out of me. I thought every tree I passed was going to topple over. So far, this doesn't feel quite so scary. Definitely spooky though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winstonm Posted October 29, 2012 Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 My brother is in Sunderland, MD and have half interest in a condo in Ocean City, MD, which just lost a fishing pier to the waves. The boardwalk there looks swamped, as well. Good luck to those involved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wyman Posted October 29, 2012 Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 No power other than generator/emergency in my building in New Brunswick NJ. No water since that gets sent to our 14th floor apartment via an electric pump, and unlike the elevator, that pump is not deemed essential enough to warrant generator usage. There are common restrooms with running water on a lower floor, and we filtered a few gallons yesterday for drinking, so we are fine. We are hopeful that power will return soon, as we are on the same grid as a hospital and the train station. We made a bunch of food on Saturday, and we have beer and playing cards, so all in all we're in good shape now. We can see the Raritan River flooding from the window though, and there are mandatory evacuations in lower-lying parts of town. We are already harboring one refugee. Hope everyone else is doing as well or better and continues to do so thru the week. Stay safe and dry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtK78 Posted October 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 Just lost power. Hurricane is about to make landfall, if it did not already happen. Have to turn off laptop to conserve battery. Winds are high, rain seems to have let up a bit, but that changes from time to time. Good luck, all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenberg Posted October 29, 2012 Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 So far so good here in Maryland a little West of Baltimore. Around here, the highest winds are predicted for tonight. As I understand it, there is some emergency decree that forbids us to drive tonight. I think I could figure that one out for myself actually. I imagine the power will go, sooner or later. Our plan, such as it is, is to wait until the power comes back on. I did make one serious error. I am low on coffee. But then if the power goes, that won't matter. Wife just asked if I would like some wine. Sounds right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hrothgar Posted October 29, 2012 Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 Weathering the storm pretty well here in Natick, MA. Akamai was nice enough to encourage everyone to work from home so I didn't need to do battle with the MBTA. No lose of power so far, which is greatly appreciated. The only real excitement is an infestation of woodpeckers which took refuge on my balcony and promptly took up residence on the window screens. The woodpeckers don't seem to believe that my glass windows don't contain something good to eat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjbrr Posted October 30, 2012 Report Share Posted October 30, 2012 gl all and stay safe. i'm a little surprised at the number of people reporting they haven't lost power, so I'm remaining optimistic but understand there are plenty of real dangers ahead. hoping for the best for everyone here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjbrr Posted October 30, 2012 Report Share Posted October 30, 2012 maybe spoke too soon? reports NYC lost power http://instagram.com/p/RYv4ssQ0oZ/ and the village http://instagram.com/p/RYue5_koDz/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hrothgar Posted October 30, 2012 Report Share Posted October 30, 2012 (edited) XXXXXX damn TV stations are preempting my shows...Looked to be a really good Castle this evening Edited October 30, 2012 by inquiry remove profanity that bothers some Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wyman Posted October 30, 2012 Report Share Posted October 30, 2012 We watched transformers blow for about 3 hours. We have a very distant view of NYC and saw Freedom Tower go dark. As far as we can see, everything is pitch black. Reports from NYC are massive blackouts and flooding. Reports from the shore are far worse. This looks like it's going to be really ugly when it's all over, and I don't think it's going to be quick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtK78 Posted October 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2012 Thought I would check in. Sandy made landfall at Jerome Avenue in Margate (about 4 miles south of Atlantic City) at about 6pm. Our power is out, and we are told that we may be without power for 7 to 10 days (which I find hard to believe). There are some trees down on the road just outside of our complex, and there were 5 emergency vehicles in the parking lot for about 40 minutes, but they left. Have no idea why they were here. Everything was pretty calm for a while while the eye passed through, but now the winds have picked up again and it is raining again. All is well, but we are not done. I hear reports of tremendous flooding in Manhattan. Many of the barrier islands in South Jersey were hit hard, with the ocean meeting the inland bay in some instances. We are stuck here for at least another day, as there is a complete ban on nonessential driving. I will check in later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wyman Posted October 30, 2012 Report Share Posted October 30, 2012 GL art Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjbrr Posted October 30, 2012 Report Share Posted October 30, 2012 cant substantiate any of this, but it's very scary Anonymous @YourAnonNewsVerified, & worst news I've heard so far: NYU hospital generator failed. Personnel manually evacuating PICU & NICU down 9 flights of stairs. if true, likely many lives will be lost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inquiry Posted October 30, 2012 Report Share Posted October 30, 2012 XXXXXX damn TV stations are preempting my shows...Looked to be a really good Castle this evening try hulu or www.abc.com in a few days. If you have directv you can watch castle on demand. Seems very insensitive to damn the TV stations for covering what will be a major US DISASTER, but different people have different priorites I guess. Hopefully you could keep amused with your woodpeckers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barmar Posted October 30, 2012 Report Share Posted October 30, 2012 Letterman did his show with no audience; he's telling his jokes to Paul Shaffer. But The Daily Show and Colbert Report aired reruns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jillybean Posted October 30, 2012 Report Share Posted October 30, 2012 Death toll 13 and climbing, hosptials being evacuated, buildings collapsing, millions of people without power and we have people posting about TV shows? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackshoe Posted October 30, 2012 Report Share Posted October 30, 2012 XXXXXX damn TV stations are preempting my shows...Looked to be a really good Castle this eveningI missed the ending. :( Ah, well, it'll turn up on "on demand" in a couple of weeks. Missed Hawaii 5-0 altogether. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtK78 Posted October 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2012 All is well here in Galloway, NJ. Our power came on this morning (much to our surprise) but cable is still out. Can't get any signal on our cell phones. Got a text message from my office informing me that our emergency system for receiving e-mails is operating. It is still windy and rainy, but not anything like yesterday. There is still a complete travel ban in effect, and access to all of the barrier islands (such as Absecon Island, which is where Atlantic City is located) is prohibited. Very few radio stations are on the air. Governor Christie held a special session of his call-in show "Ask the Governor" last night. I have to give him some kudos for his handling of the storm crisis (however grudgingly, as he is not one of my favorite persons). Much like Christie gave considerable credit to President Obama for his handling of the storm crisis and the assistance Obama and the federal government are providing to the various states. All in all, things could certainly be much worse. Just heard an update from Atlantic County Emergency Services. The water treatment plant in Atlantic City was compromised by flood waters, and residents have been advised to boil their water for one full minute at a rolling boil before drinking. Fortunately, that does not affect us. There has been extensive flooding on the islands, and, to a lesser extent, on the mainland. No word of any fatalities in this area, despite all of the damage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenberg Posted October 30, 2012 Report Share Posted October 30, 2012 I'm glad to hear the good news, Art. A friend from Minnesota called last night. He said he heard on tv that the storm would turn south and go directly toward the house of Ken Berg. A bit of misinformation. Wind and rain but no serious damage locally. Further west the storm dumped 26 inches of snow in Western Maryland, and of course there are many places without power, but not that much is happening right here. We plan to keep a low profile and hope Sandy continues to overlook us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackshoe Posted October 30, 2012 Report Share Posted October 30, 2012 I heard a report last night that Sandy had been downgraded from Hurricane to tropical storm. This was right around the time she made landfall. Here in Rochester NY they evacuated folks living along the lakeshore (south shore of Lake Ontario) and there's been some power outages in the area. They also warned about the likelyhood of more downed trees than usual, since the winds are coming from an unusual direction (North instead of West). Where I am, about 20 miles south of the shore, the power went out for about a minute, but otherwise there's been no problem. Right now it's not even raining. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wyman Posted October 30, 2012 Report Share Posted October 30, 2012 Our estimates are 7-10 days before power, hence also water, is restored. We are packing up and headed out of state to friends' houses for a few days. My folks live at the NJ shore and took a decent amount of damage to the house and a car; fortunately all of it was external (eg, siding ripped away, electrical damage, trees down away from the house). GL to everyone still dealing w the damage and to those in the Midwest just getting the storm now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtK78 Posted October 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2012 Clearly, Atlantic Electric and Comcast have learned lessons from their experiences with Hurricane Irene and the derecho. We got power back this morning and cable back about 3 hours ago. Now we have cell phone service. I heard that power losses were much worse north of here. In Ocean County, 48K of Atlantic Electric's 52K customers were without power at the height of the storm, which was last night. Still can't go into work yet - Atlantic City.like all towns on barrier islands, is still off limits. That may change by morning, but if the government won't allow you to drive into Atlantic City, there is not a whole lot you can do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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