At least, according to this story. (if true, I haven’t been able to verify) (update: It is denied, but not officially by the IBEW)

Never let the thin edge of the wedge get into union solidarity. Especially the IBEW.
Ever.

No matter what.

Screw those people without power, we got to take a united stand against scab labor….

But in less than 3 days, some residents are already starving.

Dumpster diving for food.

3 days after the storm shut down the city and more or less destroyed portions of the area.

3 days.

Apparently very few people in the greater New York/NJ area had the intelligence to stock up on non perishable/lo prep food and water and gasoline. Even though they knew that the storm was coming, and that it’s effects would be bad.

People are apparently starving and running out of water in Hoboken because no one can get food into them because of storm damage.

Starving….. In their own (relatively undamaged) homes……. after only 3 days.  Sad that. Very Sad. I am saddened that people can’t plan ahead any better than that. These are supposed to be intelligent people. Hell, even squirrels store food for hard time.

I know some people in the area. I know that they were prepared, In fact, I know of one person who is feeding others, and who is allowing them to shower and eat at her home, because she has a genset and stocked food (and has running water)…. She is a better person than I.

But apparently a significant number of people did not prepare. Out of food and water after only 3 days. I am sure that many folks did indeed prepare in a prudent manner. We just don’t see them on the news. They are at home doing what must be done rather than standing in a line for food or water or rationed gasoline.

We only see the less than intelligent folks, ’cause they are the ones that make news.

At least they aren’t whining as loudly as the folks in Nawlins post-Katrina.

all those countries which we (the US) have helped recover from disaster over the past few years?

Are they sending relief or food or workers to the affected East Coast?

If so, I haven’t heard of it.

Perhaps we should think about that next time they need help.

Just Sayin’

I feel for the folks on the East Coast who have had their lives disrupted by the storm. I hope that they get their power back in time to keep them from freezing , and I have nothing but sympathy for them. Their way of life has been seriously disrupted, and some folks have lost everything. I can only imagine what these folks are experiencing right now.

But:

Looking at the areas that flooded, and the very little sandbagging that was done to protect things, it occurs to me that many of the issues with flooding  (and a significant amount of damage) in New York/New Jersey could have been avoided if proper sandbagging/barricading had been done (and assuming that they had materials available to do so).

Don’t just pile sandbags haphazardly….this gives no strength to your wall… Stack them in layers with one layer overlapping the next much like bricks…if you go more than three high, then you need a second layer behind the first, interlock those too… You have to sandbag all around the areas that need protection, not just part of them. A semicircle of sandbags does no good if the water can run around behind the sandbag wall. Covering the sandbags with plastic sheeting helps too.

While now isn’t the time to criticize the folks in the east coast for their storm preparations, it does appear that many of the flooded buildings and tunnels and subways could have been saved (or at least damaged/flooded less) if doors and other areas of water infiltration had been sandbagged or barricaded properly to prevent flooding into these areas. There was very little evidence of any storm water prevention/blockage in any of the pictures or video I have seen. Perhaps I missed them, but I don’t think so. It seems as if someone had used closely stacked K-rails or even sandbags and visquene to barricade the entrances to the tunnels and subways and air vents that the stormwater flooding could have been greatly reduced. Such preparations would have prevented or greatly reduced things like this. Such barricades might not have been watertight, but they would have reduced the flooding greatly. I’m not talking individual homes here, but rather larger infrastructure.

It does appear that there were very few portable generators in the urban areas, and fewer pumps, and nearly zero sandbagging. I realize that most of the time, they don’t need such items, but nature has a way of finding your vulnerabilities. Preparation is the key. And it appears that there was little of that.

Perhaps they will learn for next time. Folks in the South and the Midwest learn how to deal with floods and other examples of nature’s wrath, apparently the east coasters don’t. Sometimes, thinking about the New Yorkers and especially the citizens of New Jersey, I expect that they were thinking “this won’t be so bad… we are the chosen folks, it never gets bad here…”. Either way, it does seem that preparations that could have been taken, weren’t.  And that led to significantly more damage that didn’t need to have happened.

Others have similar opinions.

Perhaps they will be better prepared next time.

Or not.

Or lack thereof.

Surely some of these people had the foresight to stock up on gasoline BEFORE the storm hit? Maybe fill the car’s tank as well?

Apparently not.

I mean, really, if you have the containers it’s not like you can’t use it in your car over the next week or so if the storm had fizzled, so why not fill ’em up before hand?

5 gallons of gasoline will let you run yer gennie enough to keep your home above freezing and keep your freezer cold for about 4 days if you are smart with most generators. 

Surely they could have purchased enough for that a day or two ahead of the storm?