When Hurricane Sandy first entered our vocabulary last last week, I wasn't too worried. Last year's Hurricane Irene didn't much affect New York City despite dire warnings. I figured Sandy would be more of the same.
Over the weekend it became clear that this was something different. While the hurricane came ashore south of New York, near Atlantic City, it was clear that the winds and water surges were going to cause trouble here. The only question was how much.
Hurricane Sandy coverage was on our TV nearly nonstop Monday, and our Facebook friends kept us up to date about what was happening in and around our neighborhood. After the worst of it began near 7 p.m., the winds got extremely strong outside of our apartment, though the rain was barely more than a shower.
From what I've heard, Bay Ridge seems to have been mostly spared, with some downed trees and maybe some electrical wires. Some of the shoreline, from what we've heard, is messed up. Other neighborhoods -- in all the boroughs, Long Island, New Jersey and elsewhere -- came out far, far worse. At least 40 people died. Houses were destroyed. Houses simply floated way.
In a way, Paul and I came out even better after this storm than we did after last year's Hurricane Irene: back then the cable that connected our Dish Network snapped and we had to schedule a repairman. This time, we didn't even have that. The lights flickered a few times, and that was it. When I see on the news about the lost lives, lost property and millions of people who lost power, I certainly feel my luck.
However, the subway system was shut down Sunday evening before the storm and then was flooded during the worst of it. No trains until further notice.
In addition, my office lost electricity and won't reopen until the power is back on. I was off Monday and Tuesday, and I expect the same today.
Two hurricanes in two years. Here's hoping this is the worst New York will see for a while.
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