Every day, I'm learning that more and more of my favorite areas here have been devastated or destroyed. These include: South Beach on Staten Island, the Red Hook area of Brooklyn, Far Rockaway Beach in Queens and Coney Island. And I'm learning that more and more people's lives have been affected in enormous ways.
Today and for the next few days, I'm setting out to see the neighborhoods in Brooklyn and beyond for myself. With limited transportation, this will be difficult, but I believe that witnessing the effects of the hurricane instead of reading and hearing about it through others, will be hugely important for me. I continue to feel isolated and cut off from the impact of the hurricane, which of course I'm grateful for on the one hand, because I'm safe and secure, but this disconnection is also leaving me feeling increasingly agitated and angry.
Here are a few photos from my neighborhood, taken during a late night walk last night. At an elevation of 66 feet, we were fortunate to be safe, and most of the damage done here was from the winds knocking trees down in to yards, cars and houses.
Tuesday, 2am Update & Photos
All is well. It's 2am and I'm in a safe area of Brooklyn. It seems that, after teasing us since yesterday, Hurricane Sandy has had her fill and, like a jilted lover, is moving on.
The winds were light this morning, but picked up continuously throughout the day, mixing with the intermittent drizzling and dampening rains. A handful of people were out, visiting, drinking coffee, stocking up on supplies and braving the weather right along with us.
Us is me and two other people who are renting rooms at the house. Gareth a stocky, outgoing man from England with a laid back, easygoing attitude and a great sense of humor, and Catharin from Austria, a quiet young woman, generous with her stories and her snacks, boasting a gentle laugh and an adventurous spirit, always eager to run out with me in to the rain, to explore and to escape the bland indoors. I was not delighted to spend a large part of the day stuck indoors, but I was delighted to have been stuck indoors for a large part of the day with these two fun loving, open and kind individuals.
We ventured out earlier in the afternoon for strong, hot cups of coffee and pastries, and a fresh air walk in nearby Prospect Park. The wind wreaked havoc on trees, splitting them in front of us and ripping the branches from the limbs and the limbs from the trunks. The water from the small lake lapped at the shore and a pair of swans huddled nearby, their heads tucked firmly beneath their wings. Squirrels darted across our path and as the ever-increasing wind galloped upon our backs, so did our pace to get out from beneath the canopy of large trees and back in to the more safe, open area of the sidewalk.
A quick stop at a small store for essentials (chocolate, beer, candles), followed by hot showers to soothe our chilled bodies, we spent the remainder of the afternoon and early evening inside, chatting, eating, drinking pumpkin beer, reading, listening to the news on the BBC, online and on MSNBC. Gareth's online browsal and ensuing running media commentary on what was happening just miles from our doorstep kept us informed and from feeling so isolated in our second floor brownstone.
As the evening wore on, the hands on the clock reuniting over and over, 1, 2, 3... and cabin fever arrested us, Catharin and I donned our still-damp rain gear and spent over an hour walking the dark streets in the increasing winds and rain. Few people were on the streets, and we gingerly made our way amidst scattered roof tiles, shredded awnings, garbage cans, bags and cardboard littering the sidewalks, and street signs and traffic lights bending and swinging. The endless parade of tree branches and limbs marring the sidewalks caused us to hesitate to walk beneath the larger trees, and so we crisscrossed from sidewalk to sidewalk, one side of the street to the other, picking our way back home in more open, safe spaces.
Gusts of wind danced in and around us, whipping our hoods from our heads and plastering our wet jackets to our bodies. We were immediately grateful for the warmer temperature and only light rain when we realized we were heading in the opposite direction of our intended route, realizing this as the wind's whipping became more intense and stopped us in our tracks for fear we'd be carried away. Quickening our pace, we arrived home breathless and anxious, but were soon relieved when Gareth shared that rather than being about to pounce upon us, the storm was passing by. Anticlimactic sighs of relief filled the room.
Monday 9am Update:
Link to evacuation zones:
http://project.wnyc.org/news-maps/hurricane-zones/hurricane-zones.html
Photos of Hurricane Sandy from NBC website:
http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/Mandatory-Evacuations-for-Part-of-Fairfield-176113501.html
More Photos from NBC website:
http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/Mandatory-Evacuations-for-Part-of-Fairfield-176113501.html
* Subways shut down as of 7pm
* Buses shut down as of 9pm
* Currently, mild wind
* 75 mph hurricane force winds with heavy rains projected to hit New York City late Monday
* A walk through the neighborhood reveals that smaller Mom and Pop stores still have plenty of bottled water, milk, bread and other necessities.
* Police patrolling the streets in my neighborhood say that city-wide neighborhood reports state that people are calm and well-behaved.
Instead of walking the neighborhood, I decide to catch the train to Coney Island for an hour or two. Instead, I spend the entire day on the beaches, soaking in the amazing light and energy, and visiting with interesting New Yorkers, including many exciting "firsts" for me. Watch for a separate post tomorrow, with stories and images from my time on Coney Island.
2pm Update (as reported by housemates and neighbors):
The neighborhood Food Lion grocery store runs out of bottled water, milk and bread. Store Manager is unsure if more supplies will arrive tomorrow morning. Two of the three corner stores close early, but the one on our corner will be open until midnight, like always. The owner and his wife are always quick to serve up hot coffee and warm smiles.
10am Update:
alert.mta.info says:
"MTA Directed to Move Forward with System-wide Shutdown
The MTA has been directed by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to begin an orderly shutdown and suspension of all subway, bus and commuter railroad service at 7pm Sunday. The decision was made to protect customers, employees and equipment from the wrath of Hurricane Sandy as the strong storm continues its march up the east coast."
9amThis morning, I'm gathering supplies and preparing for Hurricane Sandy. My staples include bread, peanut butter, jelly, cheese, bottled water, fruit, salad supplies, chocolate, matches, candles, batteries and, beer.
Reports are that the MTA will close down the trains by 7pm and that most of the city will basically "tuck in". This all seems like a scene from a science fiction novel to me, and when out last night, no one that I mentioned the hurricane to seemed very bothered or too concerned. For now, I'm out to walk as the wind gathers, to get some images of the neighborhood, and to see how Brooklyn'ites are preparing... 
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