Sandy

[Dexman PE PMP]

I saw that. Temps expected to drop to the 30's, winter storm to blow in, and worst of all is the fact that non-union workers from out of state there to help are *allegedly* being turned away.

 

[Flyer_PE]

I've seen it reported in a few places that line crews from Alabama have been turned away since they are non-union.

 

[Capt Worley PE]

A friend of mine's parents live in Huntsville AL. She called him and said their work crews had been turned back because they weren't union.

 

[Flyer_PE]

Heck of a job, Bloomie!

 

[MA_PE]

Hey, the people that are turning them away would be the same "heroes" of 911 that have been seeking compensation for all that they went through since that mess go cleaned up.

 

[engineergurl]

regardless, so much for the "No bureaucracy, no red tape"...

 

[csb]

There was quite the conversation this morning on ESPN's Mike & Mike over the NYC Mayor's decision to run the marathon. Too many resources are necessary to pull off an event like this that would be much better applied towards the rebuilding effort.

It brings in $350M worth of revenue to the city, much of which isn't destroyed. I say hold it.

I disagree.

1) It sends a terrible message as to priorities

2) It diverts resources needed elsewhere

3) It increases traffic into a city with huge problems already

4) Where are the folks gonna stay whose hotels are without power?

I've seen a couple of statements that, if true, are problematic at best and damning at worst:

1. The're bringing in generators for the marathon with enough capacity to power something like 400 homes. While I understand that portable generation like that just can't be connected to those theoretical homes, the guys that write the headlines don't have the first foggiest clue and neither do most of the people that will read said headlines.

2. Marathon workers are turning away residents from porta-potties they are setting up for the marathon. Residents are forced to do their business in the woods.

3. They're kicking locals out of hotel rooms to make room for people associated with the marathon.

This is shaping up to be a train-wreck of epic proportions.

I can see this. The generators were brought in before all this happened, because, just like other large events, the media people need so much power. I'm guessing that the marathon workers are used to kicking homeless people out of the port-a-potties too. People in parts of New York returned to work yesterday (a friend included) and even the teachers reported today. That means people are being expected to travel for normal activities. I'm still thinking the potential of having a group of people come to town who are bringing expendable income with them can't be all bad. Heck, Atlantic City opened 12 casinos today.

I'm still going to have to think about this one.

 

[FLBuff PE]

Why don't they cancel the Knicks game tonight and put cots on the floor so people have somewhere to sleep and stay warm? Why are the Giants playing at the Meadowlands (in NJ) this weekend? Couldn't all the resources that go into those events also be put towards the recovery from Sandy?

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

It's hard to wath or get to the game when power is out and mass transit is a mess. I'll probably watch the Knick game tonight, but I'd be fine with it being postponed. Have them play in February when Miami is in the area to play Brooklyn or Philly.

Regarding the Giants, it's tough to reschedule a football game, but I don't see why they couldn't play at a neutral site somewhere.

 

[Freon]

There was quite the conversation this morning on ESPN's Mike & Mike over the NYC Mayor's decision to run the marathon. Too many resources are necessary to pull off an event like this that would be much better applied towards the rebuilding effort.

It brings in $350M worth of revenue to the city, much of which isn't destroyed. I say hold it.

I disagree.

1) It sends a terrible message as to priorities

2) It diverts resources needed elsewhere

3) It increases traffic into a city with huge problems already

4) Where are the folks gonna stay whose hotels are without power?

Captain W - I tend to agree. Bad symbolism. But those little toys they call "generators' are not going to fix the problems. Bring in the "Big Boys"; USACE, NavFAC, 2nd Fleet, II -MEF and KBR. Fix the problems and put a few IBEW reps in cuffs on a flight to Gitmo...(My Sister is an IBEW Rep -Take her too - please)

 

[Road Guy]

I would think they would postpone the NYC Marathon but I dont know if maybe the event is in a part of NYC that wasnt effected as bad?

Doesnt part of the route go over two of the bridges that were closed??

I cant help but think that NYC probably has enough staff to handle this type of emergency better than most other citiies, but the outlaying areas may be messed up worse and those type jursidictions may not have enough staff..

Glad its a decision that I dont have to make!

All I know about NYC is what I saw on Home Alone 2, and wha John Rocker told me

 

[engineergurl]

Captain W - I tend to agree. Bad symbolism. But those little toys they call "generators' are not going to fix the problems. Bring in the "Big Boys"; USACE, NavFAC, 2nd Fleet, II -MEF and KBR. Fix the problems and put a few IBEW reps in cuffs on a flight to Gitmo...(My Sister is an IBEW Rep -Take her too - please)

http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=118416

This is all I have heard about... doesn't seem like all that much.

 

[Road Guy]

there is some constitution rule that prevents the US Military from assisting in full force unless the Gov / Mayors relinquish control to the Feds.. which is why the National Guard exist...

seems that it could be updated, theres lots of assets that the US Military has to make these type situations more habitable than the civiliians are going to have at their disposal..

I think this was revelaed in Katrina also.. which is why it takes days to assemble NG troops from other states when you really need help..

I got to work Hurricane Andrew [ I think that was the name] (the one that took out homestead, FL) when I was a Georgia NG. reallly one of the most rewarding times I spent in uniform.. driving down the Florida Turnpike locked and loaded because Miami's finest criminals were raiding the water and supply trucks that were sent in with the relief effort..

 

[mudpuppy]

regardless, so much for the "No bureaucracy, no red tape"...

It's not the gov't, it's the unions. They'd have Bloomberg's head on a pole if he forced the power companies to let nonunion workers touch the electric grid. Not to mention they'd stop working and grieve the heck out of ConEd.

 

[csb]

Dear Baby Jesus,

Thank you for allowing me to live in a right-to-work state.

Regards,

csb

 

[Flyer_PE]

Looks like the marathon is a moot point. It's been cancelled.

 

[Master slacker]

An e-mail from a friend of mine:

You can't blame O for this. All those taxes NY pays and the state doesn't have an emergency plan? People don't have any supply reserves? One week warning too (granted weather people 'Cries Wolf' on every storm). FedEx and Home Depot were able to fly goods into Haiti day after earthquake a few years ago. People are too dependent on the government.

1) I feel sorry for those being without power, water, gas, yada yada... currently living in sub-standard conditions.

2) People are f***ing stupid sometimes. If there is a storm that you see once every 100 years and has a decent chance of coming your way, you f***ing prepare for it. You buy water, fill your tub, buy gas jugs and fill them, and BUY CANNED FOOD! If nothing else, it'll soften the blow of the conditions for a period of time. What's the worst that'll happen? You spend $500 in one go on stuff that'll take weeks to use if the storm doesn't hit? Nah, I'll save the $500 and risk being in a 3rd world for a month. For Katrina, those who are smart got out or prepared. They didn't wait for Willy Wonka to bus them out. They just went. Those who aren't smart didn't get out. Everyone knows what happened after that.

3) "Hindsight is 20/20!!!" This is true, but hurricane projected paths are known long before land fall.

4) You can bet your ass that if I had several days warning that a Nor'easter were to blow through south Louisiana I'd stock pile wood, charcoal, blankets, water, gas, etc...

5) Union arrogance... cutting your nose off to spite your face. What a cancer. Enjoy the lack of power and the cold for longer than you would otherwise. I hope you voice your opinions to the powers-that-be in this fuster cluck.

6) I certainly hope those living through this mess will learn from it and prepare for all sorts of forecasted events in the future.

 

[IlPadrino]

Why not always be prepared for at least a week of self-sufficiency? 3 cases of MREs (which seem to never expire), 50 liters of water, and enough books to stay entertained for the entire family. Maybe even a 5 kW generator to keep your cell phone charged. But New Yorkers are hardly living a third world life!

 

[engineergurl]

1) I feel sorry for those being without power, water, gas, yada yada... currently living in sub-standard conditions.

Do you, really? Personally, I'm not too concerned with thouse living in sub-standard conditions. I'm concerned with those who lost their homes, who lost their loved ones while trying to get out, who stayed safe but are now trying to figure out where to go from here... sure some are out power, water, gas, yada yada... others are still under water, lost all their cherished things, lost loved ones...granted, it may be scaled down then other natural emergencies that have happened in our country, but SOME people have lost everything.

2) People are f***ing stupid sometimes. If there is a storm that you see once every 100 years and has a decent chance of coming your way, you f***ing prepare for it. You buy water, fill your tub, buy gas jugs and fill them, and BUY CANNED FOOD! If nothing else, it'll soften the blow of the conditions for a period of time. What's the worst that'll happen? You spend $500 in one go on stuff that'll take weeks to use if the storm doesn't hit? Nah, I'll save the $500 and risk being in a 3rd world for a month. For Katrina, those who are smart got out or prepared. They didn't wait for Willy Wonka to bus them out. They just went. Those who aren't smart didn't get out. Everyone knows what happened after that.

Senario- Let's just say....

I'm a singal gal, I'm living in a studio apartment, I have no bathtub (so therefore, I can't fill it), I have no storage space in my apartment, so I don't normally stock up, but since a storm is on it's way, I buy some canned food... vienna sausages, crackers, stuff like that... now I have the opportunity to get out... but when I tried to all the public transportation was packed, and I can't afford anything else, so I go back home, call my folks and tell them 'I'm just gonna wait it out'. Then I head to the store and buy four gallons of water and hope for the best....

Seriously Dude? Have you EVER been to NYC? Have you ever been to Long Island? Do you have any concept of how many people live in a single city block?

And don't even bring up freaking Katrina. Yes, that was a disaster, it was devestating. But you know what, a lot of people didn't get the flip (I had to edit that word) out, and I know what happened after. People like my husband waded thru water, and went thru houses and found dead bodies. They spent months there. Great Corporations stepped in to help. Personally, I haven't seen a single advertisement from Tide showing that they would be setting up trucks where people could do their laundry like I saw with Katrina. I haven't seen lines of Walmart trucks, and I haven't seen corporate America step up to take advantage of the NYC and NJ people like they did down in the Gulf... hmmmm (no comment)...

3) "Hindsight is 20/20!!!" This is true, but hurricane projected paths are known long before land fall.

Considering I am VERY far south from where it finally hit and I prepared, I am not so sure you watched the news... less than two days before, they were predicting it would hit in the MD/DC area... the news also said that the Boston area would take the brunt of it... they kept going back and forth between the 'American model' prediction and the 'European model' prediction and talking about that so much, who the crap really knew which one would be right and where it WOULD hit...

4) You can bet your ass that if I had several days warning that a Nor'easter were to blow through south Louisiana I'd stock pile wood, charcoal, blankets, water, gas, etc...

There will never be a Nor'easter blow thru Louisiana. I am going to go out on a limb here and guess that the weather there was kinda simlar to what I experienced in Alabama... and I'll tell you this much. Charcoal isn't going to do you any good, it's too cold outside to cook out there and you aren't going to use it indoors... oh and let me see you try and find it in a northern state after September. Wood will come in handy, as long as you live in a house with a fireplace... if not you are SOL there. Since I assume you do have a fire place, have fun lugging it in the 2+ feet of snow since you probably didn't stack it near the house (with Louisiana being susiptible to termites and all), I'm sure you will be wrapped up in your blanket to go out and get it.... but then, your blanket will be wet and it won't do you a lick of good after because... last time I checked, wool blankets (or pants, or socks) aren't owned by many down south.)

5) Union arrogance... cutting your nose off to spite your face. What a cancer. Enjoy the lack of power and the cold for longer than you would otherwise. I hope you voice your opinions to the powers-that-be in this fuster cluck.

Since you already brought up Katrina... I very much remember some states getting assistance... and not others. Talk about cutting your nose off to spite your face. And I'm sure the people who don't have power REALLY had some say in if the people who helped them were Union or not... that's politics dude, not humanity... stop being an a$$.

6) I certainly hope those living through this mess will learn from it and prepare for all sorts of forecasted events in the future.

I'm sure they will, and since this is the first time NYC/NJ has been hit by this kind of thing, I'm sure next time, they will be smarter... wait... how many hurricanes hit the gulf coast?

Seriously, everyone needs to stop being so smart and start being a human being. I'm sorry, but this 'our response would have been better', or the attitude 'we would have delt with this better' is starting to get to me. Who cares. There are PEOPLE impacted here. People like me and you.

I am proud of my high school friends who still live up there who are communicating thru facebook posts to arrange hot showers and rides and getting each other to work via facebook and twitter. I'm proud of my friends that have set up charging stations outside of their homes. I have a very distinct feeling that the country isn't going to pull together like we've done for other weather events that have struck our nation, but I personally am seeing people helping people, and that might not be on the news, but it is happening.

Right now, I'm just thankful that I have heard from my family and friends from the area, and that they are alive.

 

[engineergurl]

I want to say I am sorry for the rant, and the bad spelling. I was emotional. I really just don't understand why we (as in EVERYONE) aren't looking at this from the view that 'people need help' ...'lets help'.... I am slowly becoming very negative...