KING JESUS IS COMING FOR US ANY TIME NOW. THE RAPTURE. BE PREPARED TO GO.
STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)
THE FIRST JUDGEMENT OF THE EARTH STARTED WITH WATER-IT ONLY MAKES SENSE THE LAST GENERATION WILL BE HAVING FLOODING
GENESIS 7:6-12
6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
GOD PROMISED BY A RAINBOW-THE EARTH WOULD NEVER BE DESTROYED TOTALLY WITH A FLOOD AGAIN.BUT FLOODIING IS A SIGN OF JUDGEMENT.
MATTHEW 16:1-4
1 The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.
2 He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.
3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?
4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.
DAY 1 HURRICANE SANDY UPDATES
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2012/10/updates-on-hurricane-sandy.html
DAY 2 HURRICANE SANDY UPDATES
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2012/10/no-ny-trading-today-again.html
DAY 3 HURRICANE SANDY UPDATES
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2012/10/day-3-hurricane-sandy-update.html
DAY 4 HURRICANE SANDY UPDATES
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2012/11/nov-112-day-4-hurricane-sandy-update.html
DAY 5 HURRICANE SANDY UPDATES-HAPPENINGS
ITS 12:02 AM AND NEW YORKERS ARE TRYING TO GET A NORMAL LIFE BACK.
ITS 6:15AM AND 88 HAVE BEEN KILLED IN HURRICANE SANDY.
ITS 11:10AM AND THE DEAD COUNT FROM HURRICANE SANDY IS 92.2.7 MILLION STILL WITHOUT POWER IN NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY.
ITS 3:30PM NOV 2,12.AND DESPITE 92 PLUS IS DEAD,BLOOMBERG INSISTS THE NY MARATHON WILL GO ON.AMD WHILE OBAMAS FLOUNTING HIS ELECTION CAMPAIGN,NJ AND NY CITIZENS WANT HELP BADLY.WERE SHOULD OBAMA BE.ON THE FRAUD CAMPAIGN TRAIL OR HELPING OUT CITIZENS WHO GOT DAMAGE FROM HURRICANE SANDY IN NJ AND NY.AND THERE SAYING THERES ANOTHER POSSIBLE STORM,A COLD ONE COMING IN ON THE AREA AS SHORTLY AS NEXT WEEK EARLY I HEARD.
STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)
THE FIRST JUDGEMENT OF THE EARTH STARTED WITH WATER-IT ONLY MAKES SENSE THE LAST GENERATION WILL BE HAVING FLOODING
GENESIS 7:6-12
6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
GOD PROMISED BY A RAINBOW-THE EARTH WOULD NEVER BE DESTROYED TOTALLY WITH A FLOOD AGAIN.BUT FLOODIING IS A SIGN OF JUDGEMENT.
MATTHEW 16:1-4
1 The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.
2 He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.
3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?
4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.
DAY 1 HURRICANE SANDY UPDATES
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2012/10/updates-on-hurricane-sandy.html
DAY 2 HURRICANE SANDY UPDATES
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2012/10/no-ny-trading-today-again.html
DAY 3 HURRICANE SANDY UPDATES
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2012/10/day-3-hurricane-sandy-update.html
DAY 4 HURRICANE SANDY UPDATES
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2012/11/nov-112-day-4-hurricane-sandy-update.html
DAY 5 HURRICANE SANDY UPDATES-HAPPENINGS
ITS 12:02 AM AND NEW YORKERS ARE TRYING TO GET A NORMAL LIFE BACK.
ITS 6:15AM AND 88 HAVE BEEN KILLED IN HURRICANE SANDY.
ITS 11:10AM AND THE DEAD COUNT FROM HURRICANE SANDY IS 92.2.7 MILLION STILL WITHOUT POWER IN NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY.
ITS 3:30PM NOV 2,12.AND DESPITE 92 PLUS IS DEAD,BLOOMBERG INSISTS THE NY MARATHON WILL GO ON.AMD WHILE OBAMAS FLOUNTING HIS ELECTION CAMPAIGN,NJ AND NY CITIZENS WANT HELP BADLY.WERE SHOULD OBAMA BE.ON THE FRAUD CAMPAIGN TRAIL OR HELPING OUT CITIZENS WHO GOT DAMAGE FROM HURRICANE SANDY IN NJ AND NY.AND THERE SAYING THERES ANOTHER POSSIBLE STORM,A COLD ONE COMING IN ON THE AREA AS SHORTLY AS NEXT WEEK EARLY I HEARD.
Frazzled New Yorkers fret about long road back to normalcy
By Martha Graybow | Reuters – 12:02AM
NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York authorities have made a big push for normalcy after megastorm Sandy, but for many residents dealing with water-logged homes, power outages, gasoline shortages and painfully slow commutes, things are far from that.Officials have moved quickly to try to jump-start business and tourism after the storm. The New York Stock Exchange reopened after a historic two-day closure, with a smiling Mayor Michael Bloomberg
ringing the opening bell. The subways began to rumble with limited
service on Thursday. Broadway theater is back. And the mayor has
declared the New York Marathon will go on as scheduled on Sunday,
despite calls by many to postpone it.Still, inconveniences are mounting for many people, and
news that some could have to wait more than another week for their
power to be restored by Consolidated Edison Inc added to the misery.
Anxiety is also rising as a fuel shortage left many without gasoline,
leading to tense scenes and police patrols at gas stations throughout
the region.A rising death toll from the storm has also been
unsettling for many - it has now reached at least 97 across the U.S.
Northeast, with 39 of those in New York City. Officials said that it was
likely to climb further as rescuers searched house-to-house in coastal
towns.Concern about crime is growing.Viktoria Altman, 33, whose home in the Sheepshead Bay
section of Brooklyn was flooded by the storm, said she was frustrated
that there was little police presence in her neighborhood. The area has
had widespread power outages.She said she was concerned about accidents on streets
where stoplights have been knocked out, saying drivers have been "flying
through the intersections." She also said she worried that homes in the
darkened area could be a target for criminals."It feels like we've been abandoned here by the powers
that be," said Altman, who runs a children's tutoring center.The New York Police Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday.There have been some arrests for storm-related crime.
More than 15 people in Queens have been charged with looting and one man
was charged with threatening another driver with a gun as he tried to
cut in on a line of cars waiting for gas, said Queens District Attorney
Richard Brown.
Tara Hohenberger, who has been without power for days in the East Village of Manhattan, said her neighborhood feels "a little tense" and she wished there was a bigger police presence."I walked home from 91st Street last night and it's scary once you get below the black-out zone," she said.
TOUGH BUNCH
Christie, a vocal Romney supporter, praised Obama, and Bloomberg, a political independent, endorsed Obama on Thursday.In New York, U.N. headquarters suffered severe damage and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon offered recovery help to the United States and Caribbean nations affected by the storm.
Tara Hohenberger, who has been without power for days in the East Village of Manhattan, said her neighborhood feels "a little tense" and she wished there was a bigger police presence."I walked home from 91st Street last night and it's scary once you get below the black-out zone," she said.
TOUGH BUNCH
New Yorkers are a tough bunch, of course, and the city
made it through the shock and disruptions of the September 11, 2001,
attacks. This week, people dealing with minor hassles from the storm
generally took them in stride, given the loss of life and devastating
property damage some had suffered, but that didn't mean they weren't
deeply frustrated with long waits at crowded bus stops or the loss of
water supply as well as power in many apartment buildings.Subways were running with limited service on Thursday,
but many endured long commutes that involved detours on shuttle buses
that inched along city streets. Traffic was still gridlocked in Midtown
Manhattan. There was even talk that platoons of rats in the New York
City subway system might emerge onto the streets after train tunnels
were flooded in the storm. (There was no evidence of an invasion,
however.)Recovery experts said the early days of a disaster are
critical in setting the tone for the public's patience with what could
be weeks or months of inconveniences.Credible communication with the public from political
leaders, utilities and others are especially important, said Debra
Knopman, a vice president at the Rand Corp in Arlington, Virginia, and
director of its division on justice, infrastructure and the environment."There is the near-term response measured in days and
weeks and months, and then there is going to be another round of
responses that will take place over the next several years," she said.
"Every coastal city in the world is going to be watching very closely
about what happens in New York and how they reconstitute themselves."Indeed, New York officials, including Bloomberg and New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo,
got generally high marks for their handling of the crisis brought on by
Sandy - both for their aggressive warnings and evacuation plans ahead
of the storm, and their regular updates in the aftermath.
While many people are suffering, some experienced few
problems. With the subway running on selected lines, commutes for some
were almost back to normal. And in Manhattan neighborhoods such as the
Upper East and Upper West Side, which did not experience widespread
power outages, one of the few changes was brought on by a massive influx
of refugees from electricity-starved Lower Manhattan bunking with
friends and family.Still, New Yorkers aren't known for their patience, and some storm-hit residents have had it.Advertising
creative director Chris Swift, 37, lost power in his apartment in
Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood during the storm. By Thursday he was
fed up and jumped on a bus to head to a hotel in Boston."I tried 20 hotels
on foot as I couldn't call them with no battery left on my phone, but
they were all booked," he said of his attempts to find alternate lodging
in New York. "The thought of no communication, company, food or shower in my apartment made the $15 bus trip to Boston worth it."(Additional
reporting by Andrew Hofstetter, Kathy Jones, Adrees Latif, Angela Moon
and Michelle Nichols; Editing by Martin Howell and Eric Walsh) Scope of Sandy's devastation widens, death toll spirals
By Edith Honan | Reuters – 6:15AM NOV 2,12
NEW YORK (Reuters) - From New York City's Staten Island
to the popular beach towns of the Jersey Shore, rescuers and officials
on Friday faced growing evidence of widespread destruction wrought by
superstorm Sandy, mounting anger over delayed relief and a rising death
toll.The total killed in one of the biggest storms to hit the United States jumped by a third on Thursday alone, to 98. In New York City, 40 people have been found dead, half of them in Staten Island, which was overrun by a wall of water on Monday.Among the dead in Staten Island
were two brothers, aged 2 and 4, who were swept from their mother's
arms after her car stalled in rising flood waters. Their bodies were
found near each other in a marshy area on Thursday.U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and Federal Emergency Management Agency Deputy Administrator Richard Serino planned to visit Staten Island on Friday amid angry claims by some survivors that the borough had been ignored.Scenes of angry storm victims could complicate matters for politicians, from President Barack Obama just four days before the general election, to governors and mayors in the most heavily populated region in the United States. Obama visited New Jersey on Wednesday and has received praise for his handling of Sandy."They forgot about us," said Theresa Connor, 42, describing her Staten Island neighborhood as having been "annihilated." "And (Mayor Michael) Bloomberg said New York is fine. The marathon is on!"Fury has been escalating throughout New York
at Bloomberg's decision to proceed with the world's largest marathon on
Sunday, vowing the event - which attracts more than 40,000 runners -
would not divert any resources storm victims."If they take one first responder from Staten Island
to cover this marathon, I will scream," New York City Councilman James
Oddo said on his Twitter account. "We have people with no homes and no
hope right now."Staten Island,
which lies across New York Harbor from lower Manhattan, is home to
about 500,000 residents, many blue-collar workers whose families have
lived there for generations.
CRIME FEARS
In New Jersey,
entire neighborhoods in oceanside towns were swallowed by seawater and
the Atlantic City boardwalk was destroyed. At least 13 people were
killed in New Jersey and the toll was not only financial, but heavily emotional as well."There's nothing more precious to people than their
homes. Those are where their families are, their memories and
possessions of their lives, and there's also a sense of safety to home,"
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said late on Thursday."That sense of safety was violated with water rushing
into people's homes at an enormous rate of speed and people having to
literally swim, climb, jump for their lives," he said.The financial cost of the storm promised to be
staggering. Disaster modeling company Eqecat estimated Sandy caused up
to $20 billion in insured losses and $50 billion in economic losses,
double its previous forecast.At the high end of the range, Sandy would rank as the
fourth costliest U.S. catastrophe ever, according to the Insurance
Information Institute, behind Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the September
11, 2001, attacks and Hurricane Andrew in 1992.About 4.5 million homes and businesses in 15 U.S.
states were still without power, down from a record high of nearly 8.5
million.In blacked-out New York City
neighborhoods, some residents complained about a lack of police and
expressed fears about an increase in crime. Some were also concerned
about traffic safety. New York police officials were not immediately
available to comment."People feel safe during the day but as soon as the sun
sets, people are extremely scared. The fact that Guardian Angels are on
the streets trying to restore law just shows how out of control the
situation is in lower Manhattan," said Wolfgang Ban, a restaurant owner
in Manhattan's Alphabet City neighborhood.The Guardian Angels are a group of anti-crime volunteers.Staten Island
Borough President James Molinaro directed his anger over relief efforts
at the American Red Cross. "I have not seen the American Red Cross at a
shelter, I have not seen them down on the south shore where people are
buried in their homes, they have nothing to drink and nothing to eat,"
he said.The American Red
Cross said it was doing everything it could to aid those affected by the
storm as quickly as possible and that help was on the way to Staten Island, usually reached by a 25-minute ferry ride from Lower Manhattan.
ANGER OVER SCARCE GAS
Also among the dead in New York City were a 13-year-old girl, whose body was found amid the debris of a Staten Island house, while in Brooklyn a 24-year-old man and woman were killed by a falling tree.
The hunt for gasoline added to a climate of uncertainty
as Sandy's death toll and price tag rose. In the New York City borough
of Queens a man was charged with threatening another driver with a gun
after he tried to cut in on a line of cars waiting for gas, Queens
District Attorney Richard Brown said.Sandy started as a late-season hurricane in the
Caribbean, where it killed 69 people, before smashing ashore in the
United States with 80-mile-per-hour (130-kph) winds. It stretched from
the Carolinas to Connecticut and was the largest storm by area to hit
the United States in decades.The Federal Emergency Management Agency
agreed to cover 100 percent of emergency power and public
transportation costs through November 9 for affected areas of New York
and New Jersey, up from the traditional share of 75 percent.New Jersey
natives Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi will headline a benefit
concert for storm victims Friday on NBC television, the network
announced.The presidential campaign has returned to full swing
after being on hold for several days because of the storm. Obama, locked
in a tight race with Republican challenger Mitt Romney head of next
Tuesday's election, appeared to gain politically from his disaster
relief performance.Christie, a vocal Romney supporter, praised Obama, and Bloomberg, a political independent, endorsed Obama on Thursday.In New York, U.N. headquarters suffered severe damage and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon offered recovery help to the United States and Caribbean nations affected by the storm.
(Writing by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Eric Walsh; editing by Mary Milliken)
Upper Manhattan struggles with guest influx after Sandy
By Jessica Toonkel and Katya Wachtel and Emily Flitter | Reuters – 6:20AM NOV 1,12
NEW YORK (Reuters) - While people living north of New York's Times Square were largely spared from the rising waters and power outages that slammed Lower Manhattan on Monday, they are now dealing with a different kind of flood: Guests.Refugees from "Blackout City," the portion of Manhattan
that has been without power since late Monday, have been flowing north
into parts of the city where life has been fairly normal this week - at
least on the surface.Inside the area's expensive homes, it's a different story.AJ Feld, 24, found the sleek two-bedroom apartment he
owns on 78th Street and West End Avenue overflowing on Monday night.Three young women - only one of whom Feld knew well
from his days at Duke University - were sleeping in his bed. Three more
of his friends were on the wraparound sectional couch in his living room
and he was on the floor of his second bedroom, having been elbowed out
of bed by the seventh refugee-friend."We've kind of just been inviting whoever," said Feld,
who works on business development for a health care startup. "I just
haven't had that many people up here before."Five of the people who stayed with him that first night
when the power went out had left to stay with other friends, but two
guests still remained by Thursday.Electricity for the
bottom half of Manhattan was cut off late on Monday after damage from
the massive storm triggered an explosion in a Consolidated Edison power station.The company has said power will be restored by Saturday
to most of Manhattan, though customers in other parts of the city may
have to wait another week or more to get their electricity back, and
across storm-ravaged New Jersey many remain in the dark.The storm, which killed dozens of people, also crippled
transportation systems across the region, giving people fewer options
over which friends to stay with.
PLENTY TO SPARE
Some of the largest and most expensive homes are located in the neighborhoods of the Upper East Side and the Upper West Side, on either side of Central Park - which means that there are plenty of resources to share.But the commingling of family and friends, or even strangers and acquaintances - including people who may not have bathed, since there is no hot water downtown - hasn't been easy for everyone. Restaurants that were once calm and relatively quiet are now crowded and noisy.Gyms and health clubs above the dark zone of Lower Manhattan have become half-way homes for those without power, hot water and flushing toilets. On Thursday, at least 20 members of Equinox Health Club at Columbus Circle could be seen sitting on the ground, grouped around power outlets, charging smart-phones, laptops and other electronics.
Even the Equinox employees are part of the migration."I'm staying with 10 other people right now in a room at the Trump Hotel," said an Equinox employee called Madison, as she handed out towels to the constant stream of gym members passing the desk.On Wednesday, Equinox members received a blast email saying they were no longer allowed to bring guests to the club for showers. "As you know we've done our very best to remain open regular hours in all clubs with power," the email began."We are getting unprecedented usage and, in an effort to better serve our members, we cannot accommodate guests until the situation stabilizes."
Often it isn't just humans who have to be accommodated. Daniel Smith, 39, who had to evacuate his flooded West Village apartment, arrived in Manhattan's northern neighborhood of Inwood to stay with friends with his parrot Lola in tow. He worries that he isn't pulling his weight as a guest because he has spent each day since the storm cleaning his own apartment."I wish I had the energy to make dinner, but the best thing I can do is not fall asleep at the table," he said. "Usually I am a much better guest."Raymond Lozanes, a 37-year-old consultant at software company Oracle, has three friends crashing in the living room of the one bedroom Hells Kitchen apartment he shares with his partner, Matthew.Things got craziest on Tuesday when another five people came over for a few hours to charge their phones, have a meal and a hot shower. "It was an impromptu charging party," he said.
COLLEGE STUDENTS AGAIN
PLENTY TO SPARE
Some of the largest and most expensive homes are located in the neighborhoods of the Upper East Side and the Upper West Side, on either side of Central Park - which means that there are plenty of resources to share.But the commingling of family and friends, or even strangers and acquaintances - including people who may not have bathed, since there is no hot water downtown - hasn't been easy for everyone. Restaurants that were once calm and relatively quiet are now crowded and noisy.Gyms and health clubs above the dark zone of Lower Manhattan have become half-way homes for those without power, hot water and flushing toilets. On Thursday, at least 20 members of Equinox Health Club at Columbus Circle could be seen sitting on the ground, grouped around power outlets, charging smart-phones, laptops and other electronics.
Even the Equinox employees are part of the migration."I'm staying with 10 other people right now in a room at the Trump Hotel," said an Equinox employee called Madison, as she handed out towels to the constant stream of gym members passing the desk.On Wednesday, Equinox members received a blast email saying they were no longer allowed to bring guests to the club for showers. "As you know we've done our very best to remain open regular hours in all clubs with power," the email began."We are getting unprecedented usage and, in an effort to better serve our members, we cannot accommodate guests until the situation stabilizes."
Often it isn't just humans who have to be accommodated. Daniel Smith, 39, who had to evacuate his flooded West Village apartment, arrived in Manhattan's northern neighborhood of Inwood to stay with friends with his parrot Lola in tow. He worries that he isn't pulling his weight as a guest because he has spent each day since the storm cleaning his own apartment."I wish I had the energy to make dinner, but the best thing I can do is not fall asleep at the table," he said. "Usually I am a much better guest."Raymond Lozanes, a 37-year-old consultant at software company Oracle, has three friends crashing in the living room of the one bedroom Hells Kitchen apartment he shares with his partner, Matthew.Things got craziest on Tuesday when another five people came over for a few hours to charge their phones, have a meal and a hot shower. "It was an impromptu charging party," he said.
COLLEGE STUDENTS AGAIN
When it became clear the power outage
was going to last more than a day or two, 39-year-old Jon Reinish, a
native New Yorker living on the lower East Side, grabbed a bag of dirty
laundry, packed up and went to his parents' apartment on the Upper West
Side."I am sitting here putting out press releases, and my
laundry is being done in the next room," he said. "It's like you become a
college student again."Mind you, staying at home has its own set of
challenges. "I am leading my part of a 20-person conference call and my
dad comes busting in to tell me I left the light on in the kitchen last
night," Reinish said.But as the days without power continue, both hosts and
refugees are wondering how long is too long before the guests outstay
their welcome. Steve Devera, one of the guests staying in Lozanes'
living room has found another place to stay Thursday night and is
hopeful his power will be back Saturday.In another apartment in the same doorman-serviced building where Feld lives, Helga Shepard, who is 80 and a Holocaust survivor, let the leader of her book club come to stay after the power went out in New Jersey.The woman spent one night on Shepard's couch and left."I've been asking
myself - why did she leave?" Shepard said. "I'm pretty sure she knew I
was delighted to have her." Shepard mused that perhaps it was her pet
bird, a cockatiel named Amelia, who perches on her shoulder and "likes
to run the house."(Editing by Martin Howell and Todd Eastham)
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012/11/02/us-sandy-new-york-jersey.html
Superstorm Sandy costs could top $50B
The total cost in human lives reached more than 90 fatalities in 10 states.
New Jersey's once-pristine Atlantic coastline famous for Bruce Springsteen and the TV show Jersey Shore was shattered. Some residents finally got a look at what was left of their homes: Sandy wrecked houses, businesses and boardwalks.And warnings rose again about global warming and the prospect of more such severe weather to come."The next 50 to 100 years are going to be very different than what we've seen in the past 50 years," said S. Jeffress Williams, a scientist emeritus at the U.S. Geological Survey's Woods Hole Science Center in Massachusetts. The sea level is rising fast, and destructive storms are occurring more frequently, said Williams, who expects things to get even worse.
Police tape blocks the entrance to a fuelling station where people wait in line in Brooklyn, New York Harbour on Friday. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters)
Across
the Hudson River from New York City, the floodwaters were slowly
receding in the city of Hoboken, where an estimated 20,000 people had
remained in their homes. The National Guard was helping with
evacuations, but residents were warned not to walk around in water that
was tainted with sewage and chemicals from the heavily industrial
region."You have to realize that the damage here is just so widespread," the
CBC's Tom Parry reported from New York on Friday morning. "And really,
in places the damage is just absolutely devastating."New Jersey residents across the state were urged to conserve water.
At least 1.7 million customers remained without electricity there, and
fights broke out as people waited in long lines for gas.In Atlantic City, N.J., where casinos remained closed, Monty Dahm was
using his restaurant to feed about 200 emergency workers, despite the
power outage."We had dinner by candlelight," he told CBC News by phone.Dahm said floodwaters, more than high winds, caused most of the damage in the city of 40,000 residents."I had five feet of water inside my house. I had two feet of seaweed, dead fish and bugs," he said. "The smell was horrendous."
In New York, the decision to reopen undamaged parts of the United States' largest transit system came as more than 4.6 million homes and businesses were without power — down from a peak of 8.5 million.
New Yorkers streamed into the city as service began to resume on commuter trains and subways. The three major airports resumed at least limited service, and the New York Stock Exchange was open again. Amtrak's Northeast Corridor — the busiest train line in the country — was to take commuters along the heavily populated East Coast again starting Friday.But hundreds of people lined up for buses, traffic jammed for kilometres and long gas lines formed. New York City authorities say a motorist was arrested after he tried to cut in line at a gas station in Queens early Thursday and pointed a pistol at another motorist who complained.The latest deaths reported included two young boys who disappeared Monday night when waves of water crashed into an SUV.Hundreds of thousands in New York City alone were still without power, especially in downtown Manhattan, which remained in the dark roughly south of the Empire State Building after floodwaters had knocked out electricity. Con Edison said it was hoping to restore power by Saturday."I think that there's are probably a lot of people out there that just want to get through today, the last work day, get into the weekend, and hope that things are going to improve," Parry said.
"But when you go farther out" from Manhattan, he added, "the damage is so devastating that it's going to take a lot longer for any semblance of normality to come back to those places."
Concerns rose over the elderly and poor all but trapped on upper floors of housing complexes in the powerless area and facing pitch-black hallways, elevators and dwindling food. New York's governor ordered deliveries of food and drinking water to help them. New York dipped to about 4 C on Wednesday night."Our problem is making sure they know that food is available," New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Thursday, as officials expressed concern about people having to haul water from fire hydrants up darkened flights of stairs.In Manhattan's Chelsea neighbourhood, Mary Wilson, 75, walked downstairs from her 19th floor apartment for the first time Thursday because she ran out of bottled water and felt she was going to faint. She said she met people on the stairs who helped her down."I did a lot of praying: 'Help me to get to the main floor.' Now I've got to pray to get to the top," she said, buying water from a convenience store. "I said, 'I'll go down today or they'll find me dead."'
John Okeefe walks on the beach as a rollercoaster in Seaside Heights, N.J., rests in the ocean on Wednesday. (Julio Cortez/Associated Press)
The
superstorm's effects, though much weakened, continued Thursday. Snow
drifts as high as 1.5 metres piled up in West Virginia, where the former
hurricane merged with two winter weather systems as it went inland.Across the region, people stricken by the storm pulled together, in
some cases providing comfort to those left homeless, in others offering
hot showers and electrical outlets for charging mobile phones to those
without power."The problems are huge," Parry said. "The traffic problems, the
electricity problems, there's just a lot to deal with and I think that
authorities are struggling to attend to every need that's out there."
Bloomberg also ordered residents to share cars. Television footage Thursday showed heavy traffic crawling into Manhattan as police turned away cars that carried fewer than three people — a rule meant to ease the congestion that paralyzed the city earlier in the week.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012/11/02/us-sandy-new-york-jersey.html
Superstorm Sandy costs could top $50B
2nd most costly U.S. storm behind Hurricane Katrina-The Associated PressPosted: Nov 2, 2012 4:58 AM ET-Last Updated: Nov 2, 2012 10:52 AM ET
Superstorm Sandy left New Jersey's delicate barrier islands a hazardous wasteland of eroded shoreline, ruined beachfront homes, flooded streets and damaged utilities, and a forecasting firm estimated the total U.S. damage could run as high as $50 billion US.New York City was slowly coming back to life, starting with the partial reopening Thursday of vital subways, three days after the storm hit. However, neighbouring New Jersey was stunned by coastal devastation and the news that thousands of people in one city were still stranded by increasingly fetid flood waters.The forecasting firm Eqecat estimated the total U.S. damage at $50 billion, making it the second-costliest storm in the country's history after Hurricane Katrina. The estimate includes property damage and lost business.The total cost in human lives reached more than 90 fatalities in 10 states.
New Jersey's once-pristine Atlantic coastline famous for Bruce Springsteen and the TV show Jersey Shore was shattered. Some residents finally got a look at what was left of their homes: Sandy wrecked houses, businesses and boardwalks.And warnings rose again about global warming and the prospect of more such severe weather to come."The next 50 to 100 years are going to be very different than what we've seen in the past 50 years," said S. Jeffress Williams, a scientist emeritus at the U.S. Geological Survey's Woods Hole Science Center in Massachusetts. The sea level is rising fast, and destructive storms are occurring more frequently, said Williams, who expects things to get even worse.
Police tape blocks the entrance to a fuelling station where people wait in line in Brooklyn, New York Harbour on Friday. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters)
Across
the Hudson River from New York City, the floodwaters were slowly
receding in the city of Hoboken, where an estimated 20,000 people had
remained in their homes. The National Guard was helping with
evacuations, but residents were warned not to walk around in water that
was tainted with sewage and chemicals from the heavily industrial
region."You have to realize that the damage here is just so widespread," the
CBC's Tom Parry reported from New York on Friday morning. "And really,
in places the damage is just absolutely devastating."New Jersey residents across the state were urged to conserve water.
At least 1.7 million customers remained without electricity there, and
fights broke out as people waited in long lines for gas.In Atlantic City, N.J., where casinos remained closed, Monty Dahm was
using his restaurant to feed about 200 emergency workers, despite the
power outage."We had dinner by candlelight," he told CBC News by phone.Dahm said floodwaters, more than high winds, caused most of the damage in the city of 40,000 residents."I had five feet of water inside my house. I had two feet of seaweed, dead fish and bugs," he said. "The smell was horrendous."In New York, the decision to reopen undamaged parts of the United States' largest transit system came as more than 4.6 million homes and businesses were without power — down from a peak of 8.5 million.
New Yorkers streamed into the city as service began to resume on commuter trains and subways. The three major airports resumed at least limited service, and the New York Stock Exchange was open again. Amtrak's Northeast Corridor — the busiest train line in the country — was to take commuters along the heavily populated East Coast again starting Friday.But hundreds of people lined up for buses, traffic jammed for kilometres and long gas lines formed. New York City authorities say a motorist was arrested after he tried to cut in line at a gas station in Queens early Thursday and pointed a pistol at another motorist who complained.The latest deaths reported included two young boys who disappeared Monday night when waves of water crashed into an SUV.Hundreds of thousands in New York City alone were still without power, especially in downtown Manhattan, which remained in the dark roughly south of the Empire State Building after floodwaters had knocked out electricity. Con Edison said it was hoping to restore power by Saturday."I think that there's are probably a lot of people out there that just want to get through today, the last work day, get into the weekend, and hope that things are going to improve," Parry said.
"But when you go farther out" from Manhattan, he added, "the damage is so devastating that it's going to take a lot longer for any semblance of normality to come back to those places."
Concerns rose over the elderly and poor all but trapped on upper floors of housing complexes in the powerless area and facing pitch-black hallways, elevators and dwindling food. New York's governor ordered deliveries of food and drinking water to help them. New York dipped to about 4 C on Wednesday night."Our problem is making sure they know that food is available," New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Thursday, as officials expressed concern about people having to haul water from fire hydrants up darkened flights of stairs.In Manhattan's Chelsea neighbourhood, Mary Wilson, 75, walked downstairs from her 19th floor apartment for the first time Thursday because she ran out of bottled water and felt she was going to faint. She said she met people on the stairs who helped her down."I did a lot of praying: 'Help me to get to the main floor.' Now I've got to pray to get to the top," she said, buying water from a convenience store. "I said, 'I'll go down today or they'll find me dead."'
John Okeefe walks on the beach as a rollercoaster in Seaside Heights, N.J., rests in the ocean on Wednesday. (Julio Cortez/Associated Press)
The
superstorm's effects, though much weakened, continued Thursday. Snow
drifts as high as 1.5 metres piled up in West Virginia, where the former
hurricane merged with two winter weather systems as it went inland.Across the region, people stricken by the storm pulled together, in
some cases providing comfort to those left homeless, in others offering
hot showers and electrical outlets for charging mobile phones to those
without power."The problems are huge," Parry said. "The traffic problems, the
electricity problems, there's just a lot to deal with and I think that
authorities are struggling to attend to every need that's out there."Bloomberg also ordered residents to share cars. Television footage Thursday showed heavy traffic crawling into Manhattan as police turned away cars that carried fewer than three people — a rule meant to ease the congestion that paralyzed the city earlier in the week.
Millions still without power in NY, NJ after Sandy
By Scott DiSavino | Reuters – 11:15AM NOV 2,12
(Reuters) - More than 1.3 million homes and businesses in New York and 1.4 million in New Jersey
were still without power on Friday, four days after Hurricane Sandy
slammed into the U.S. East Coast, the states' power companies said.Most utility
companies in the two states said it could take a week or longer to
restore power to all customers in the wake of Sandy, the worst natural
disaster to strike their customers.In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo
sent a letter Thursday to the CEOs of state power companies, saying he
would "take appropriate action against those utilities and their
management if they do not meet their obligations to New Yorkers in this
time of crisis.""I recognize there are men and women in the field now
working hard to restore service ... but it is your job to provide them
with adequate resources and support to get the job done in a timely and
safe manner," Cuomo said.New York's Consolidated Edison Inc,
the biggest utility in the state, said Friday about 565,000 homes and
businesses in New York City and Westchester County were without power,
down from more than 900,000 affected by the storm.Con Edison serves more than 3 million customers in New York City and Westchester County.In New Jersey, Public Service Enterprise Group Inc said more than 716,000 customers were still out, down from 1.7 million. PSEG serves about 2.2 million customers in the state.FirstEnergy Corp's Jersey Central Power and Light
utility reported more than 712,000 customers were still without power,
down from more than 1 million affected by the storm. JCP&L serves
about 1.2 million in New Jersey.
PRESSURE FROM CUOMO
Con Edison said it expects to make significant progress restoring electricity to all customers over the next seven days.In lower and mid-Manhattan, Con Edison has said it expected to restore power by Saturday, November 3.But the company warned that more than 100 buildings which have had their power restored were still without electricity due to flooding in basements or damage to local equipment."Utilities, like elected officials, are vested with the public's trust. In the case of utilities, in exchange for conducting business and generating profits for their shareholders, they are entrusted to provide safe and adequate utility service," Cuomo said in his letter."When they fail to keep the public's trust, they must answer," the governor said.
He warned: "If you failed to prepare ... I would direct the Public Service Commission to commence a proceeding to revoke your Certificates (of public convenience and necessity)."To date, Con Edison said its crews have restored electricity to more than 320,000 customers affected by Sandy.As of 5:00 a.m. EDT (0900 GMT) Friday, Con Edison said about 226,000 customers lacked service in Manhattan, 84,000 in Queens, 35,000 in Brooklyn, 54,000 in Staten Island, 31,000 in the Bronx and 140,000 in Westchester.
PRESSURE FROM CUOMO
Con Edison said it expects to make significant progress restoring electricity to all customers over the next seven days.In lower and mid-Manhattan, Con Edison has said it expected to restore power by Saturday, November 3.But the company warned that more than 100 buildings which have had their power restored were still without electricity due to flooding in basements or damage to local equipment."Utilities, like elected officials, are vested with the public's trust. In the case of utilities, in exchange for conducting business and generating profits for their shareholders, they are entrusted to provide safe and adequate utility service," Cuomo said in his letter."When they fail to keep the public's trust, they must answer," the governor said.
He warned: "If you failed to prepare ... I would direct the Public Service Commission to commence a proceeding to revoke your Certificates (of public convenience and necessity)."To date, Con Edison said its crews have restored electricity to more than 320,000 customers affected by Sandy.As of 5:00 a.m. EDT (0900 GMT) Friday, Con Edison said about 226,000 customers lacked service in Manhattan, 84,000 in Queens, 35,000 in Brooklyn, 54,000 in Staten Island, 31,000 in the Bronx and 140,000 in Westchester.
Elsewhere in New
York, the Long Island Power Co (LIPA) said it still had about 532,000
customers without power, down from more than 900,000. LIPA serves about
1.1 million customers on Long Island.
"With respect to
the Long Island Power Authority, I will make every change necessary to
ensure it lives up to its public responsibility," Cuomo said."It goes without
saying that such failures would warrant the removal of the management
responsible for such colossal misjudgments," Cuomo said about LIPA.UK power company
National Grid operates the power system on Long Island under a contract
with LIPA. That contract will end in 2014, when a unit of New Jersey's PSEG will take over the operation of the system.The utilities in New York and New Jersey with much
fewer current outages include units of Con Edison, Iberdrola SA,
National Grid, CH Energy Group Inc and Pepco Holdings Inc.(Editing by Gerald McCormick and Bernadette Baum)
Bloomberg: NYC Marathon will go on
By | Associated Press – 3:30PM NOV 2,12
NEW YORK (AP) — Mayor Michael Bloomberg came under fire Friday for pressing ahead with this weekend's New York Marathon in a city still reeling from Superstorm Sandy,
with some New Yorkers saying that holding the race would be insensitive
and divert police, generators and other resources when many are still
suffering.Joan Wacks, whose Staten Island
waterfront condo was swamped with 4 feet of water, predicted
authorities will still be recovering bodies when the estimated 40,000
runners from around the world hit the streets for the 26.2-mile race
Sunday, and she called the mayor "tone deaf.""He is clueless
without a paddle to the reality of what everyone else is dealing with,"
she said. "If there are any resources being put toward the marathon,
that's wrong. I'm sorry, that's wrong."At a news conference,
Bloomberg defended his decision as a way to raise money for the stricken
city and boost morale less than a week after Sandy flooded
neighborhoods, knocked out power to hundreds of thousands homes and
businesses and killed at least 39 people.Bloomberg said New York
"has to show that we are here and we are going to recover" and "give
people something to cheer about in what has been a very dismal week for a
lot of people.""You have to keep going and doing things," he
said. "You can grieve and you can cry and you can laugh, and that's what
human beings are good at."He noted that his predecessor, Rudolph
Giuliani, went ahead with the New York Marathon two months after the
Sept. 11 terrorist attacks."If you go back to 9/11, Rudy made the
right decision in those days to run the marathon and pull people
together," Bloomberg said.
One of the world's pre-eminent road races, the New York Marathon generates an estimated $340 million into the city. This time, the marathon's sponsors and organizers have dubbed it the "Race to Recover" and intend to use the event to raise money for the city to deal with the crisis. New York Road Runners, the race organizer, will donate $1 million and said sponsors have pledged more than $1.5 million."It's hard in these moments to know what's best to do," NYRR president Mary Wittenberg said. "The city believes this is best to do right now."The course runs from the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge on hard-hit Staten Island to Central Park, sending runners through all five boroughs. The course will not be changed, since there was little damage along the route.Earlier this week, the mayor gave assurances the race wouldn't siphon off resources from the storm recovery, noting electricity is expected to be restored to all of Manhattan by race day, freeing up "an enormous number of police."New Yorker Michael Sofronas used to run the marathon and has been a race volunteer for four years, serving as an interpreter for foreign runners. But he said he won't volunteer this year."I'm also really very aghast at the fact that we've just gone through the Sandy hurricane and I believe that the people should not be diverted to the marathon. They should focus on the people in need," he said. "It's all about money, money from everybody. The sponsors, the runners."A Swede who arrived in New York this week to run in the marathon sided with the mayor."It doesn't feel good, coming to New York," said Maria Eriksson, 27. "But the marathon has been planned for such a long time. And besides, it brings so much money to the city. That should help. What help would it be to cancel?"But John Esposito, a Staten Islander helping his elderly parents clean out their flooded home, said: "They brought giant generators to power the marathon tents while we've got thousands of people without power. ... How about putting one of these generators here? Have some compassion."
One of the world's pre-eminent road races, the New York Marathon generates an estimated $340 million into the city. This time, the marathon's sponsors and organizers have dubbed it the "Race to Recover" and intend to use the event to raise money for the city to deal with the crisis. New York Road Runners, the race organizer, will donate $1 million and said sponsors have pledged more than $1.5 million."It's hard in these moments to know what's best to do," NYRR president Mary Wittenberg said. "The city believes this is best to do right now."The course runs from the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge on hard-hit Staten Island to Central Park, sending runners through all five boroughs. The course will not be changed, since there was little damage along the route.Earlier this week, the mayor gave assurances the race wouldn't siphon off resources from the storm recovery, noting electricity is expected to be restored to all of Manhattan by race day, freeing up "an enormous number of police."New Yorker Michael Sofronas used to run the marathon and has been a race volunteer for four years, serving as an interpreter for foreign runners. But he said he won't volunteer this year."I'm also really very aghast at the fact that we've just gone through the Sandy hurricane and I believe that the people should not be diverted to the marathon. They should focus on the people in need," he said. "It's all about money, money from everybody. The sponsors, the runners."A Swede who arrived in New York this week to run in the marathon sided with the mayor."It doesn't feel good, coming to New York," said Maria Eriksson, 27. "But the marathon has been planned for such a long time. And besides, it brings so much money to the city. That should help. What help would it be to cancel?"But John Esposito, a Staten Islander helping his elderly parents clean out their flooded home, said: "They brought giant generators to power the marathon tents while we've got thousands of people without power. ... How about putting one of these generators here? Have some compassion."
U.S. waives Jones Act to help get fuel to Northeast
By Timothy Gardner and Ayesha Rascoe | Reuters – 3:20PM NOV 2,12
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government issued a rare waiver on Friday allowing foreign tankers from the Gulf of Mexico to supply the Northeast with fuel after Hurricane Sandy, but the extent of relief was uncertain since some ports in the region still lack power.The Department of Homeland Security's
waiver of the Jones Act allows foreign vessels to begin shipping
petroleum products, such as gasoline and diesel, from the Gulf of Mexico
to Northeastern ports effective immediately and running through
November 13.With power still out at many ports and gasoline
stations it was unclear how much fuel was needed immediately and how
quickly it could get to customers.DHS said it had received only one request from a company to waive the law. It did not identify the company.The Jones Act, created to support jobs in the maritime
industry, requires goods moved between U.S. ports to be carried by ships
built domestically and staffed by U.S. crews.The American Maritime Partnership (AMP), a domestic
maritime industry group, said it was not aware of any cases where U.S.
vessels had not been available to transport fuel. But it supported
waivers in the aftermath of the massive storm."We will not oppose
waivers that are necessary to facilitate delivery of petroleum products
into the regions affected by Hurricane Sandy," AMP said in a letter
sent on Friday to President Barack Obama and the heads of several government departments.Benchmark New York Harbor gasoline futures dropped 5
cents, or 2 percent, on news of the waivers, which could allow shippers
to divert cargoes that are en route to Europe or Latin America to the
depleted Northeast market.
NO URGENT NEED?
Craig Fugate, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, told reporters several government agencies were trying to figure out how many ships were available. He said the Energy Department held a conference call on Friday with major suppliers."We're working ... on which ships can be potentially diverted to New York," Fugate said.Shipping sources said the slow return of power to ports in the New York Harbor had them considering delivering fuel to nearby cities such as Boston which could boost supplies available in the wider Northeast region.Energy experts said the waiver might not bring immediate relief to fuel-strapped New York and New Jersey, where two refineries were shut by Sandy. But, in the longer term, shipping alternatives could help ensure steady supply."There appears to be no urgent need at the moment" for a Jones Act waiver, said Bob McNally, head of Washington-based consulting firm the Rapidan Group. He said shortages so far have been at the retail level rather than the maritime import level.David Goldwyn, who headed international energy affairs at the U.S. State Department until early 2011, said the waiver could boost the ability to deliver fuel to the East Coast now that tankers that were set to go to Europe or other destinations can dock there without restriction."The travel from Gulf Coast to the East Coast is pretty quick," said Goldwyn, who currently runs Goldwyn Global Strategies, an energy research and strategy company.
NEW
YORK (Reuters) - Frustration grew for superstorm Sandy's victims in the
U.S. Northeast on Friday, many of whom were left with no power, no
gasoline and little information about when their shattered lives might
return to normal.While Manhattan prepared to host the annual New York City Marathon
on Sunday, acute gasoline shortages in the city's storm-battered outer
boroughs and New Jersey led to long lines and short tempers.Tankers finally began entering New York Harbor on Thursday, and a
tanker carrying 2 million barrels of gasoline arrived at 2 a.m. on
Friday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said.Sandy, which brought a record storm surge to coastal areas, killed
at least 102 people after slamming into the U.S. Northeast on Monday.
Forty-one died in New York City, about half of them in Staten Island,
which was overrun by a wall of water.Starting before dawn on Friday, long lines of cars snaked around
gasoline stations around the area in scenes reminiscent of the energy
shortage of the 1970s."The police are stopping people who are trying to cut in the line,"
said Steven Golub, 53, an attorney who waited in line for hours at a
Manhattan gas station. "There's no gas anywhere else. There was a guy
with diplomatic plates who tried to cut in the line and one of the cab
drivers complained so the police actually stopped him."Police were in place at many spots to keep the peace between
furious, frustrated drivers. In one instance, a man who attempted to cut
in line was charged with threatening another driver with a gun on
Thursday in the borough of Queens.
"When people cut the line, people are about to stone them," said Chris Allegretta, who had stood in line for 90 minutes with a gas can at a filling station in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey.Less than 40 percent of all gas stations in New York City, Long Island and New Jersey operated on Thursday because of a combination of power outages and constricted supplies after the storm devastated the energy industry's ability to move fuel into and around the New York City region.U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and Federal Emergency Management Agency Deputy Administrator Richard Serino planned to visit Staten Island on Friday amid angry claims by some survivors that the borough had been ignored.
'THEY FORGOT ABOUT US'
NO URGENT NEED?
Craig Fugate, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, told reporters several government agencies were trying to figure out how many ships were available. He said the Energy Department held a conference call on Friday with major suppliers."We're working ... on which ships can be potentially diverted to New York," Fugate said.Shipping sources said the slow return of power to ports in the New York Harbor had them considering delivering fuel to nearby cities such as Boston which could boost supplies available in the wider Northeast region.Energy experts said the waiver might not bring immediate relief to fuel-strapped New York and New Jersey, where two refineries were shut by Sandy. But, in the longer term, shipping alternatives could help ensure steady supply."There appears to be no urgent need at the moment" for a Jones Act waiver, said Bob McNally, head of Washington-based consulting firm the Rapidan Group. He said shortages so far have been at the retail level rather than the maritime import level.David Goldwyn, who headed international energy affairs at the U.S. State Department until early 2011, said the waiver could boost the ability to deliver fuel to the East Coast now that tankers that were set to go to Europe or other destinations can dock there without restriction."The travel from Gulf Coast to the East Coast is pretty quick," said Goldwyn, who currently runs Goldwyn Global Strategies, an energy research and strategy company.
(Additional
reporting by Roberta Rampton, Susan Cornwell and Robert Campbell in New
York; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick, Phil Berlowitz and Jim Marshall)
Post-storm anger grows, especially outside Manhattan
By Emily Flitter and Chelsea Emery | Reuters – 3:40PM NOV 2,12- Enlarge PhotoReuters/REUTERS - A sign asking for help from FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) is seen in the BroadChannel section of the Queens borough of New York November 2, 2012. Four days after superstorm Sandy
"When people cut the line, people are about to stone them," said Chris Allegretta, who had stood in line for 90 minutes with a gas can at a filling station in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey.Less than 40 percent of all gas stations in New York City, Long Island and New Jersey operated on Thursday because of a combination of power outages and constricted supplies after the storm devastated the energy industry's ability to move fuel into and around the New York City region.U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and Federal Emergency Management Agency Deputy Administrator Richard Serino planned to visit Staten Island on Friday amid angry claims by some survivors that the borough had been ignored.
'THEY FORGOT ABOUT US'
President Barack Obama, locked in a tight race with Republican
challenger Mitt Romney, has so far received praise for his handling of
storm relief. But scenes of angry storm victims could affect the U.S.
political campaign with Election Day four days away."They forgot about us," said Theresa Connor, 42, describing her
Staten Island neighborhood as having been "annihilated." "And Bloomberg
said New York is fine. The marathon is on," she said, referring to Mayor
Michael Bloomberg.Rising seawater flooded lower Manhattan, much of which still lacked
power and subway service on Friday, while midtown and uptown Manhattan
were close to normal.Fury has been escalating
throughout New York at Bloomberg's decision to proceed with the marathon
on Sunday, vowing the event - which attracts more than 40,000 runners -
would not divert any resources storm victims."I just walked past four huge
generators. Those could be put to use for people who need them," said
Marjorie Dial, a tourist from Oregon who was shocked to see the
generators in Central Park, where the marathon finishes. "What they've
discovered on Staten Island should have been the tipping point - the
bodies."New York City Councilman James
Oddo said on his Twitter account: "If they take one first responder from
Staten Island to cover this marathon, I will scream."More than 3.7 million homes and businesses along the U.S. East Coast remained without power on Friday.While power was expected to be
returned throughout Manhattan by Saturday, it could be another week or
more in suburbs and more distant towns along the coast.Cuomo directed the New York
National Guard to deploy an additional 600 troops to help restore the
grid in Westchester and Rockland counties, suburbs north of New York
City.Forecasts for colder
temperatures only added to the tension, since many in New Jersey and
elsewhere have been using fuel-powered generators to run lights and
heaters while waiting for utilities to repair downed power lines.
Disaster modeling company Eqecat
estimated Sandy caused up to $20 billion in insured losses and $50
billion in economic losses, double its previous forecast. New York
Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli estimated economic losses of $15 billion to
$18 billion in New York state alone.At the high end of the range,
Sandy would rank as the fourth costliest U.S. catastrophe, according to
the Insurance Information Institute, behind Hurricane Katrina in 2005,
the September 11, 2001, attacks and Hurricane Andrew in 1992.Sandy started as a late-season
hurricane in the Caribbean, where it killed 69 people, before smashing
ashore in the United States with 80-mile-per-hour (130-kph) winds. It
stretched from the Carolinas to Connecticut and was the largest storm by
area to hit the United States in decades.(Reporting by Reuters bureaus throughout the U.S. Northeast; Writing by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Mohammad Zargham) 
