This city is resilient!

Happy Halloween everyone!

You wouldn't think that there would be much to celebrate after the havoc and devastation that was caused by Hurricane Sandy but New Yorkers are resilient and this city will survive.

Kids are out and about going from apartment building to apartment building collecting their candy in their costumes that they have been eagerly waiting to wear, crossing their fingers that Sandy doesn't stop them…and stop them she did not - I've already had a ninja turtle, a wolverine and a Minnie Mouse at my door :)

Over the last three days, this city has seen its worst. The MTA system was shut down due to major flooding and the damage is overwhelming, to the extent it has never experienced in its 108 years of existence but the buses are up and running (they are even providing FREE service to some customers depending on areas) and the MTA employees are doing everything in their power to restore the subways to their everyday glory.

Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange, which has never been closed for more than two days since 1888 (!!) is back on track to buying and selling of shares and bonds and what not - wreaking its own havoc on the economy in its own special way ;)

Downtown Manhattan and most parts of New Jersey are still without power and ConEd customers have been told it will probably be quite a few days (if not weeks) until the power is back but they’re flying over employees from all over the country to add to the manpower to guarantee that service is restored. 

The waters have finally receded leaving the damage visible and the insurance companies crying for lost revenue. The news have estimated the cost of damage in the billions. 

Other parts of New York and New Jersey were unfortunately damaged beyond repair. Governor Chris Christie has lamented over the loss of the historical Jersey Coast and the Atlantic City pier. There are thousands of homes along the coast that have been damaged beyond repair bot to mention the roller coaster rides on jersey Shore! Breezy Point in Queens seems saw its worst, with fires ravaging around 80 homes and Rockaway in Brooklyn also bore the brunt of the storm when its historic boardwalk was stripped clear off! Trees have knocked out power lines, cars and houses and the death toll for the US is currently at 90 with rescue workers still trying to evacuate people to safety.

Looking back we were very lucky. North Williamsburg suffered minimal damage compared to other parts. Walking around yesterday all we saw was tree debris, mostly leaves and branches, and the worst was a park bench that caved under next to the East River, that was about it…

We never lost power, water or internet. Unfortunately I can’t say the same for some of my friends in the other boroughs. Some have been without power now for two days, some even without running water! People have been gathering at points to recharge their cellphones and the shelters are full with people who have been left homeless!

I was actually very happy that I decided not to evacuate, in the end it wasn't necessary as the flooding was so minimal here it didn't affect any of the buildings on Williamsburg ‘coast’. We did, however, get to see the explosion from the ConEd building, bright flashes of green and white, scary! 

The bridges are now open and people are venturing out across the ‘pond’. Most are actually coming our way to get supplies as a lot of stores in downtown Manhattan are still closed due to damage. People have also started going back to work. I’ll be trying the bridge tomorrow to see for myself how Manhattan is faring. I know I will be pleasantly surprised, this city is resilient that way.

check out this website for photos of the devastation caused by Sandy...
http://galleries.apps.chicagotribune.com/chi-hurricane-sandy-photos-20121028/