<p>How is it for political gain, to point out the horrendous weather events that are clearly happening more frequently? Many other countries have recognized this. Aren’t we all in the same boat, no matter what political party, when we have flooding and hurricanes and earthquakes and tsunamis? I also greatly sympathize with Gov Christie, who clearly is worn out in service to his state. This is not a partisan issue.</p>
<p>Bethie - maybe I was not clear enough:</p>
<p>I said “I have not heard exactly what Cuomo said or the context, so I won’t defend or criticize him.” GENERALLY, I don’t like politicizing situations like this. I love that Christie is doing his job in a bi-partisan way (and find it sad that his being bi-partisan is newsworthy). </p>
<p>I also said “I think Sandy has provided an opportunity for increased, factual, scientific discussion about climate change.” </p>
<p>Many of my east coast clients are expecting to be out of power and have very limited public transportation for several more days. :(</p>
<p>lje–We are coming down today. Yesterday, the schools we work at canceled for the week (it had been day by day up until then.) Reports from family and friends are that things aren’t too bad in the CM area; the ones in Monmouth and Ocean seem much, much worse off.</p>
<p>Re Cuomo: haven’t heard his remarks but I also don’t think that understanding science should ever have been a politicized issue in the first place. It’s not politics–it’s a matter of paying attention to evidence. Hopefully everyone will now.</p>
<p>Re Christie–very impressed–this is him at his best. I was proud to see him and Obama put aside politics and work together for the good of the people. I am sorry that my state will be the demonstration project for why FEMA is important, but I hope all will now see that it is.</p>
<p>mom of 2 kids–I was not responding to*you.</p>
<p>garland–clearly some people are not paying attention to science and are turning this into something else.</p>
<p>“Re Christie–very impressed–this is him at his best.”</p>
<p>I’m impressed but would like to see him apologize for his remarks from 10 days ago about Pres. Obama regarding his leadership. </p>
<p><a href=“http://hillbuzz.org/chris-christies-epic-takedown-of-president-obama-in-virginia-43529[/url]”>http://hillbuzz.org/chris-christies-epic-takedown-of-president-obama-in-virginia-43529</a></p>
<p>I think Jon Stewart said it best last night regarding Christie’s praise of the President now- that the Guv has come back down from Bull**** Mountain.</p>
<p>Emily–The day Christie out and out apologizes for anything will be my cue to recognize it is end times. </p>
<p>If he just continues to act this way, I’ll take it. :)</p>
<p>MA is 95% back online with power. NH is about 93% back online. NH is expected to be around 100% by Friday. Those spare resources can hopefully be used in NY/NJ/CT.</p>
<p>I’d take it too, garland.</p>
<p>TwylaBloo - As a current graduate student, I cannot fathom. My lab nearly lost all of its data a couple years ago due to a water main break that destroyed every computer simultaneously. Thankfully, an external hard drive was placed just out of harm’s way (and I mean just) which had everything backed up.</p>
<p>I am sure some will not graduate or at best will be set back a long time by this. And it’s also a tragic waste of mice.</p>
<p>SAT Test Center Closing</p>
<p>[SAT</a> Test Center Closings](<a href=“Check for Test Center Closings – SAT Suite | College Board”>Check for Test Center Closings – SAT Suite | College Board)</p>
<p>nothing posted for NJ yet. Our HS is a test center and it doesn’t have power. Our town’s reconnect date has just been pushed back from 11/5 to 11/9.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>The slide show on the NJ Transit Web site is impressive.</p>
<p>It isn’t every day that you see boats on the train tracks.</p>
<p>And there’s a picture of a flooded waiting room at some train station that looks like an outtake from the movie Titanic.</p>
<p>Emilybee and Garland, I figure, “A friend in need is a friend indeed.” Ugh. “He doesn’t know anything about leading.” Good grief.</p>
<p>son still without power! i bet the novelty is wearing off quickly!</p>
<p>I believe the flooded waiting room is Hoboken.</p>
<p>Here’s a satellite view post-Sandy. </p>
<p>[Hurricane</a> SANDY Response Imagery](<a href=“http://storms.ngs.noaa.gov/storms/sandy/]Hurricane”>http://storms.ngs.noaa.gov/storms/sandy/)</p>
<p>Brother who lives in Avon is still without power but his house and his MIL’s condo on the beach block weren’t touched. They feel VERY fortunate. At present they are staying at a hotel until they are allowed back. I assume that by not being on the actual barrier island they will be able to go home sooner rather than later.</p>
<p>Mom’s house on Chadwick Island is still upright. High def fly-over photos show flooding but we don’t know how much water her particular house took on. At 91 y.o. she was on the cusp of needing to move to assisted living. Her money is all tied up in this house. </p>
<p>Sister lives in Lavallette on the beach block in the northern section that sustained less damage, of course less damage is relative. A policeman that she knew texted her that from the exterior it looked “ok”. </p>
<p>MIL is in central NJ with friends who have a generator. A tree fell on their house during the storm and they have broken windows.</p>
<p>Mom is with me and is a mess. I am worried about how all of this is affecting her health…she is using her inhaler quite a bit. Sister was down south with her husband and will have to come up with a place to live when they return tomorrow.</p>
<p>My house in the Philly suburbs is still without power. PECO left us a robo-message saying that Nov. 3 is the estimated day for it to return. I have no interest in being a full time New Yorker and our apartment here was my husband’s idea but at the moment it has power and light so I am grateful to have it.</p>
<p>I was very uncomfortable when the sibs didn’t side with me against Mom buying on the barrier island ten years ago. Even I could never have imagined something as big as this.</p>
<p>KUDOS to everyone working on this mess. Thank you.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I heard him say this and he was talking about our “new normal” and referring to the fact that these 100 year storms are coming more often and how we have to adjust to that. He was speaking in regards to an awareness of this new reality and the level of preparedness needed. If that came off as having a political agenda so be it.</p>
<p>Neighbor’s daughter who lives in Hoboken finally came home yesterday. Neighbor’s were exasperated that their daughter did not get flashlights and candles to prepare, but daughter maintained that she had prepared for Irene, and nothing happened. The father finally drove up yesterday to bring her home, then promptly gave his car a good washing. The daughter was experiencing a lot of anxiety, and the mom thought she should just get out and talk to her neighbors and see what she could do to help. But we are suburban folk, and I can identify with the panic one would feel when you look out your window and see water every where.</p>
<p>[SAT</a> cancelled this Saturday in all towns affected by the storm | NJ.com](<a href=“SAT cancelled this Saturday in all towns affected by the storm - nj.com”>SAT cancelled this Saturday in all towns affected by the storm - nj.com)</p>
<p>BIL, SIL and niece are coming down from Bayonne tomorrow. They are still without power. Fortunately they were on the far side of the bay and did not get flooded, esp. since they are a block from the water. Biggest hurdles to them arriving tomorrow will be getting across the Bayonne Bridge and getting gas. My BIL is great about storm prep, so I am sure he filled the tank before the storm – but he may have run through much of that tank commuting to work. He works for AT&T in continuity, so he is one of those Essential Personnel types.</p>
<p>DH’s trip to Chicago on Wed. was cancelled, partly due to weather and partly because he does market/financial institution continuity and has been focused on that all week, including the days when the gov’t was officially closed.</p>
<p>My FIL is in a rehab hospital in NJ and apparently they have power, so that is good. </p>
<p>One of S1’s teammates from work lives in Hoboken in a second floor apartment. It now has a water view. He has other work friends who live in that area and in Chelsea, so he has been watching the news and hoping to hear they are all OK.</p>
<p>A friend of DH’s takes care of her parents out on Long Beach (LI) in evacuation zone A. She has an apartment in midtown (East Side 50s), so I am hoping she was able to get her parents (both ill, in their late 80s) to her place before Sandy arrived.</p>
<p>So, while we are OK, there are many folks I worry about. Including all of you.</p>