Day One: I'll label this as Sunday. I woke up early to a gloomy overcast day to run a 5 miler in central park. Successfully guilt-tripping my boyfriend into joining the cold masses of spectators at 8:30am we headed to the park at 72nd street. I stood among thousands of people as they prepared for a countdown to marathon Sunday exactly one week from that day (myself excluded). A promise from the announcer bellowed through the crowds that they have never postponed the marathon and they won't do it this year even with Sandy on the way. An encouraged crowd takes off -- I finished in a little under 43 minutes and headed to bed and then further prepare for the Sandy takeover.
Day One (evening): The bf comes over with his stash of Sandy survival tools. We cook as much food as we can with hopes of power (and microwave use) but worse case we can heat things on a gas stove (a pseudo-luxury I never knew about in Ohio, gas stoves, who knew). We spent the evening watching scary movies and eating the candy I bought for the trick or treaters. My state of mind was anticipatory, desperately checking facebook and Twitter for Sandy updates; entertaining myself with tongue in cheek remarks from friends all over the city about being prepared with candy and two bottles of water. And reading endless articles about how not to prepare for a hurricane and some of my friends doing just those very things. 7:00pm rolls around and the subways and public transportation have been shut down citywide. People were evacuated in lower Manhattan.
Day Two: I wake up to check email to see if work is still on, offices are closed pretty much all over in preparation for the storm. So I cook more...contemplate getting a pizza around 5:00pm just as the storm is picking up (unconvinced by a poll of friends and an adamant boyfriend) we move on to a prepared dinner and more scary movies. I start to feel like I'm just waiting for the next meal - what to have? Will we have power? How much weight am I gaining by being this sedentary!?
Then the wind really starts...
Granted I probably shouldn't have watched all those scary movies, but this wind had me spooked! It literally made sounds I thought only a sound machine could -- leaves being ripped from trees, air whipping around corners in a race to the next block. Crazy!
Now the events of the following days I can only attest to being witness to via social media. Fortunately, Harlem was spared and I was able to keep abreast with the situation from afar.
Day Two (evening):
Flooding started in lower Manhattan, reports online people started to lose power.
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| Credit LiveWire |
The front of a building down the street from where I worked completely came off.
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| Credit: DailyNews |
A power plant exploded...
The epicenter of the east coast and a considerable amount of people were left without power.
Day Three: The jokes on facebook about ill-preparedness ceased, due to lack of cell phone power and stuff got real. People without roofs, cars floating in the street, no water, no power, walking miles to charge their phones... you get it. I can't imagine what those in lower Manhattan went through, I admit I was among the lucky part of upper Manhattan, but the beating the city took was something that at the very least made you feel the ripple effect. You were stuck wherever you were -- couldn't even help those in the lower parts, since public transportation was still out.
Day Four: Present Day. Bus service started, power below 34th street still out. Things beginning to take shape. Announced limited service on subway lines! Posts on FB look more like "let me know if you need a place to shower." And updates to friends and family inquiring about their well-being.
I know natural disasters happen all over the place, and this probably won't be our last with climate change, etc., but the thought that Sandy was still 400 miles away and did the damage it did to the city is unreal. Companies, heck industries are out for days. It's not like I'm worried we won't rebound, we will; besides this city is built on a solution-oriented spirit. Know how I can tell? The marathon is still on... As day one started, the announcer called it and months of training for over 47,000 people will be tested on Sunday without postponing or plan Bs to be introduced. You can bet the run through the city will be even more precious this weekend. They'll once again see a city rebounding and millions of people forfeiting the idea of giving up -- because it's New York -- and that's what we do, we find solutions, be creative and keep making things happen. Keep your heads up everyone; we're almost there!
