Hurricane Sandy

Granny 23, I am sorry you are having problems. But ... please, open another thread for this. Many of us are worried sick about friends and relatives, and all those people suffering at the Sandy's hands - no comparison, really. Sorry.

Just got news by e-mail from my cousin in Central New Jersey. They have no electricity or heating and can't venture out - lots of broken trees in their garden, but none hit the house, fortunately. Their children and grand-children are safe too. Her beautiful holiday home on the NJ shore has been washed away - it had a wonderful position on the Ocean, but in the end, it was its demise. She is very philosophical about it - and says better her holiday home than other people' main and only home. Good for her. She also told me that my cousin who lives in lower Manhattan was on holiday in Arizona when it hit- and is staying with another cousin in Prescott.

Bo news from our friends in Virginia, or my other cousin in Montreal.

Our daughter in Tenerife says they are having awful weather, torrential rain and high winds- and are busy pumping the store room with all their stock in the cellar. Everything is closed.

Just heard from my friend too. They are coming back on the Queen Mary and managed to get on board early. The Captain said it would be "touch and go" getting away!
She said it was "hair raising" but now they are calmer seas and having fun!

I am glad that most of you with friends and relatives out there have now heard from them - it must have been very worrying when the satellite networks were all down. There were long queues for payphones - most people had never used one.
It does make one realise how much we depend on technology and how fragile our hold on the earth really is.
There will be people who profiteer, just as they did in WW2. No doubt there will be some looting. In general, though, the Americans seem to be helping each other wherever possible.

Geraldine - quite right too! Makes the world go round, that stuff.

Sorry, if I have annoyed you Granjura. I do not have any problems, trivial or otherwise right now, but was responding to JessM's first post infrastructure over there, like the electrity grid, is not good in the states because it is not regulated and the companies tend to do the minimum. and subsequent posts at 8.32, 9.05 and 10.16.

I intended my post to fit into the 'lessons to be learned' category, not to belittle in any way the dreadful events in the US and further afield. Again sorry for upset caused. I assure you no offence was intended.

Have heard from family and friends in NY. All without power, subways not working, fallen debris everywhere - but all safe. My son lives in a high rise in Manhattan, they have to climb up and down stairs which is very difficult for their 5 year old. So they have checked into a hotel - whose prices have increased naturally.
So upset to see the devestation on Fire Island. A great summer place for New Yorkers, we spent many happy moments there. It appears to be cut in half and apparently the waves just tore right through it. The holiday homes on the island are a source of income for many people who rent them out for large amounts in the summer. I can't see much of a season next summer, hopefully they will be able to get this place back to its former beauty.

BBC is reporting that half the subways are now open again.

And the stock exchange. So all's well with some people's world.

Granny 23 - I was no annoyed at all, just upset about those poor people out there, and it seemed a bit unfair to talk about our infrastructure minor hiccups just then. Apologies back if my post appeared abrupt.

Can anyone explain to me why the folk at the stock exchange, applaud - in spite of the economy being in deep doodah?

my son in is America on business at moment, south of Washington, bit worried got one text said ok just very wet there!!

surely no one would wish harm on Americans, my father was born in New York, Manhatten, and can only feel for the poor people caught up in this hurricane aftermath.

I'm quite sure that nobody wishes any harm to the Americans, but it does seem that all the attention is being focused on them and the plight of Haiti has been overlooked.

Sky news has shown the devastation in Haiti quite a bit over the last couple of days.

Heard from a friend there, as the subways are out people are queuing for the bus -some queues stretching down the block. She saw a line for petrol that went on for 17 blocks!
Could I ask that we stop talking about Haiti on this thread please!! They suffered horribly and still do - their infrastructure simply doesn't exist. However, this is about the US this time If you want to talk about Haiti, or the Japanese tsunami, the Boxing Day tsunami in Thailand or even 9/11 open another thread. This is about hurricane Sandy. I find the 'wandering off' into other non-related items very annoying and frustrating. Also there are one or two on this thread who I think feel that NY deserves this - you know who you are. Would it help to tell you my son is British born as are a lot of New Yorkers?

Two little boys swept from their mother's arms. Aged two and four.

Poor little boys.

It is ridiculous to say that anyone on here thinks the Americans deserve it. Why on earth would anyone feel that?

If you mean me, I have criticised the Bbc's sensationalist coverage of it. That's all.

Did I mention your name?

No.

Hurricane Sandy went through the Caribbean before making landfall in the eastern USA, so mentioning it is relevant dorsetpent.

There are plenty of peopler ill-wishing Americans and some who will regard any devastation and death from the superstorm that it became as poetic justice. I am not one of them.

jO5 Poor woman too.

Absolutely absentgrana.

Yes it is, indeed, the same hurricane. Glad to hear your family is safe dorset. I am sure we are all full of compassion for those who have lost their homes, or have been temporarily displaced from them, not to mention those who have lost family members.
As I said earlier it will be difficult and painful process getting NY, NJ etc back up and running, and poor people will suffer the most, what ever country they live in. Real pain in the backside if you can't get to work or it takes you hours. Much bigger one if you were already struggling to survive (whether in NY or Haiti) and your few, uninsured possessions, and your home, are washed away.

Obviously, this has been a very worrying time for anyone with family and friends in the parts of the US affected by Hurricane Sandy and it is good that so many of you have heard from your loved ones. However, I do feel that some of the news coverage in this country has had a mixture of schadenfreude and that same ghoulish voyeurism that makes people slow down to view a particularly horrific traffic accident.

It's the aftermath that is so harrowing, even for those whose homes are relatively intact. My cousin on Long Island has now moved to stay with relatives in Chicago because their power has gone and food has run out. They wanted to stay as they have been helping with the clean-up, but they have two small grandchildren who have also been moved out of town and they are going to look after them. Such awful, life-changing experiences for millions of people.

Optimistic, and realistic I think, review of Hurricane Sandy's effect on New Yorkers. Silver linings and all that. And no, it's not belittling the worry and the bad stuff, but as Fraser Nelson says, it would have been far worse in many other places.