See this story at BrooklynDaily.com.
Brooklyn Daily
Hurricane Sandy left Brooklyn battered and bruised, but unleashed a squall of sound bites from our cyber commentariat which — in true borough style — kept an up-to-the-minute flow of insight and reassurance to the trapped and tormented, with a few thumbing their noses at Mayor Bloomberg’s order to evacuate low-lying areas and Borough President’s Markowitz’s plea to bring in the National Guard. Check it out:
Protocol for this kind of thing says you need to give people 24 hours to get out. Waiting this long is going to ensure that a lot of people cannot get out before the MTA shut down, and Bloomberg is already trying to act like it’s the people’s own fault if they can’t get out in such a short time to cover his own rear end.
This reminds me of the snowstorm fiasco all over again.
Jay from Park Slope
Old saying, “You can tell a New Yorker, but you can’t tell him what to do.”
Contessa from Kings Highway
Wind speeds might exceed 25 mph, one gust of wind in N.C. topped 65 mph.
Even if you’re not out surfing today you still run the risk of having your hair tousled. Yup, a storm of truly histrionic proportions.
Scott from Park Slope
Teresa Scavo is afraid that if she evacuates, the city might come in and stripe a bike lane.
Dave from Park Slope
The evacuation areas of Brooklyn are already flooding and the storm isn’t even here yet.
Add in high tide at 10 pm and these townies who refuse to leave their houses in Seagate, Red Hook, and other areas will be in big trouble.
The storm has been offshore this whole time. It has also built up energy as it moved north. The gusts just knocked down a tree next to my house. What happens when you double that, add three inches of rain and a coastal storm surge?
Ty from pps
What the government’s got to do is start enforcing the old “no development on a flood plain” laws, and for god’s sake stop offering federal insurance to people building near the ocean who private insurers won’t cover!
Stu from Bay Ridge
We live right close to Coney and the Gravesend Bay, Zone B but close to Zone A. The super of my building put potting soil in plastic bags in lieu of sandbags to keep out the surge. That, and some dish cloths at the bottom of the door. Everything will be okay now.Darrel from Bath Beach
It’s not only called Frankenstorm because it’s so close to Halloween, it’s also because of the sum of its parts that make it a real monster of a storm.
Start with Sandy, an ordinary late summer hurricane from the tropics, moving north up the East Coast. Bring in a high pressure ridge of air centered around Greenland that blocks the hurricane’s normal out-to-sea path and steers it west toward land.
Add a wintry cold front moving in from the west that helps pull Sandy inland and mix in a blast of Arctic air from the north for one big collision. Add a full moon and its usual effect, driving high tides.
Don’t forget to factor in immense waves commonly thrashed up by a huge hurricane plus massive gale-force winds.
Mary from Carroll Gardens
Teresa Scavo has no business representing her community if she has no regard for her community’s safety.
T. from Brooklyn
Just wondering if Bloomberg has actually been out to the area or not?
There is a military saying that says the commander on the ground is always right until proven otherwise, so, if Markowitz is asking for the National Guard, its possible that he is in a better position to judge things in this area than Bloomberg is.
I don’t know about the looting, there have only been 20 people arrested for it according to the news, and that is pretty much a slow day for crime.
I also saw that there have been zero murders in the city since Sandy hit, so I have a feeling that this crime wave is more of a non-story that certain people are trying to latch onto, as a way to “un-blame” Bush for the horrible response during Katrina and say, “See Obama it’s not so easy, is it?”
The reality is that order is still in place, and while things are difficult for a lot of people right now, we are not seeing anything that remotely resembles the Katrina aftermath and situation that occurred in New Orleans, and anyone trying to say otherwise is full of it.
The National Guard does a lot of things other than act as law enforcement, and it may be simply that more boots on the ground are needed in the area.
Jay from N.Y.C.
I waited weeks to hear from 1iota.com about my tickets for the Jimmy Kimmel Back to Brooklyn Live.
Unfortunately, it is canceled for tonight — better safe than sorry — after I only just received my tickets via the website last night.
Hoping to get replacements since I am a huge fan of Jimmy’s.
The wind is strong here in Marine Park! Stay safe everyone!
Linda from Marine Park
This mayor is out of touch with the people. There has been looting going on here in Brooklyn.
The National Guard will help stop that and deliver food and water to the people that have problems. Why such disregard for Brooklyn?
Pat from Bay Ridge
Decent updates throughout the day with a crazy signal-noise ratio that was every other source. Thanks Courier! Walking over to Sycamore now from 72nd Street.
Scott from Bay Ridge
I was a mandatory evacuee, staying at mid-Manhattan Hotel.
I can’t afford more than three days already spent. Is there power?
What about Verizon phones?
If so, when some kind of transportation resumes, I’d like to come home.
Karen S. from Manhattan Beach
If you are in a building, you are fine. some have no power, others do, it’s the private homes that got suffered the most — basements washed out, first floor for many water facing homes are damaged, but buildings are okay.
Lots of mess and mud on the street, your biggest problem would be getting back home today if you do not drive as public transport is suspended.
Lee from Manhattan Beach
It’s easy to slam Bloomberg. I’m not a fan, but he’s doing well. Marty is an asshat, plain and simple.
Anything that fool wants, the opposite should be given. This is simply asinine, this request.
Ant from GP
Yes, anything that buffoon Marty asks for I say no to, no matter how much sense it makes.
I don’t care how much looting and devastation there is in Brooklyn, if Marty asks for it, he can’t have it.
Mayor for life from my perch
True grit
To the editor,
It takes a monstrous storm to put things in perspective — and heap much-deserved praise on our unrivaled rescue and recovery workers.
Selfless cops, firemen, paramedics, the U.S. Army Corps of Civil Engineers, the National Guard — and the rest of our amazing personnel and ground workers — are the unsung heroes who are laboring 24-7 to repair our great nation in the aftermath of the worst calamity since 9-11.
There aren’t enough medals around to reward their hard work.
Leonora Cranston
Flatbush
Super cost
To the editor,
We’ve seen the massive destruction of super storm Sandy, costing perhaps $50 billion.
For the sake of an abstract illustration, imagine, such a cost could easily be covered by Bill Gates’ wealth, with a dozen billion left over for him.
Yet all he ever cleverly did was being first who crossed a “t” and dotted an “i.”
Philanthropy is an obsolete and poor substitute for a fair and just society.
Gunther Ostermann
Kelowna, Canada
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