Oh Sandy

In the aftermath of hurricane Sandy, New York City is a strange place to be. Half of the city has power (thank goodness I live in that half!). The rest of the city is dark. It's eerie walking around at night. The subways are barely running. The buses are sparse. But I was one of the lucky few.

My parents didn't get off as easy as I did. Their house is destroyed - the basement is completely filled with water destroying their boiler (and their hope of having heat or hot water any time soon). In addition to the ocean water, a sewage plant exploded filling the little space that was left in the basement with raw sewage. Electricity went away days ago. Land lines are down along with cable/wifi. They don't have a supply of water as the tap water is contaminated with salt water and sewage. One of the two cars they own is completely destroyed. The other is on its last leg. The nearby cell satellite collapsed leaving them totally unconnected with the world. Not only are they emotionally devastated, but they're also cold and hungry, and in need of a hot shower. With the Long Beach line of the Long Island Rail Road down and most of the roads closed, I can't get home to help with the cleanup. I've overnighted them a generator so that they can at least power up a space heater and a hot plate. Hopefully, I'll be able to get to them next week and maybe we will be able to salvage some memories from the house. Please send some thoughts and prayers my parents way - they really need them.