"Frankenstorm" Hurricane Sandy

[Stg1swret]

As most of you are well aware, we ants on the east coast are about to undergo a hit by a very nasty hurricane. Category 1 doesn't sound like a big deal, until you add in the other factors influencing this storm. Unlike most hurricanes that arrive at this time of year, this one is a slow mover, there is also a full moon which means higher tides, a storm system from the west and an arctic air mass from the northeast will be merging with it. Current rain totals for the area hit are 13+ inches, and a storm surge of 15 feet. NYC will be shutting down its subway system, yes it will flood if not from the rain fall, the storm surge will do a good job of filling the tunnels. Projected land fall under current models put the ye hitting the Delaware Bay at about 2AM Tuesday morning from there , it will take the storm about 24 hours to move to south central PA. That is a distance of 220 miles, so the storm will be dumping rain for about that long just along the coastal area.

It is estimated that some 60 million people will be affected by the storm. Knowing the area , I would say about 1 million people will be without power along the projected path. I will keep you updated on what is happening here in my neck of the woods. I don't expect to loose power or internet services during the event. Take care all.

[Baker]

Something I've been keeping my eye on for sure. Stay frosty, guys an gals. No need to remind you all to check your preps (at least I hope not lol).

[Evolver]

Down here in Florida, We're getting 35mph gusts and have gotten 4'' of rain total but it's off our coast 200 mi, the seas are very high so its packing some heat and might be headed your way. The last report I heard is that it might get pushed to the east, fingers crossed that it does!

[FL-Jeeper]

Intercoastal NE Florida here. The worst of it will skirt my area but those further north may not be so lucky. We've had some high wind gusts (50mph) & the power has been blinked out a few times today but otherwise it's status quo. Thankfully it's staying well offshore.

I did find a disappointing surprise whilst performing a last minute inspection. I found that the bottoms of a few gallon jugs of water had cracked and leaked out some time ago. They were less than 6 months old, stored in a spare bedroom on a shelf.

[Gunfixr]

Yeah, supposed to be pretty wild here on the coast of Va.
We'll see, not the first storm we've ridden out.

[Katrina]

Stay safe all. My prayers are with you

[Evolver]

Update on the storm.


(Reuters) - Tropical cyclone Sandy revved back up to hurricane strength on Saturday as it churned toward the U.S. northeast coast where it threatens to become one of the worst storms in decades.

Prayers sent to those in it's path.


http://icons-ak.wunderground.com/data/images/at201218.gif

[msomnipotent]

I really feel for those on the coast. Good luck to you all.

Just as an FYI, I heard on the news that a lot of supplies from big box retailers are being diverted from other areas like the Midwest. Don't get me wrong, I'm certainly not complaining about it. But even if you don't live on the coast and wanted to buy a generator or gas can, you might not be able to for a while.

[GunnerMax]

It is getting hairy here in SE Virginia.

[bacpacker]

Stay safe folks and keep us posted as you can.

[Stg1swret]

Latest track put it pretty close to my home for late monday evening. It isn't going to be pretty. Tidal surge is expected to be 8+feet. Will see stong winds for 20+hours, and lots of rain. because it is linking up with arctic air and another front from the west, what no one has talked about yet is spin off tornadoes. I expect there will be a few. it has been awhile since I've done any weather forecasting, but I remember the science well. Fot the rest of you near lad fall, don't take anything for granted. This is going to affect areas as far away as Cleveland, and Boston, if land fall is near Philadelphia. It will travel far enough inland with enough force to be a real weather factor as far north as Albany, NY. time to make sure anything that can be picked up by the wind is moved indoors, or firmly secured. I do not recommend and travel. or sightseeing even when in the eye of the storm. This is a big weather maker and will be around for days.

[Katrina]

Lil sis lives in Hampton VA Haven't heard from her yet. Praying real hard for your safety

[Stg1swret]

Latest projection has "Sandy" making land fall along the New Jersey coast near Atlantic City at approximately 0100 on Tuesday. Storm surge at 10+feet. Astronomical high tide is at 0158 and there is a full moon so tide will be higher then normal. With the storm some 500 mles wide, this means an area from Norfolk, Va to Boston will receive a tremendous amount of damage from "Sandy". Higher elevations in W. Va are expected to get up to 2 ft of snow. Currently it is estimated that up wards of 50 million people may be without power, some for upwards of a week. Those along the projected path of travel will feel the effects of the storm for a period of almost 24 hours.

[Gunfixr]

Lil sis lives in Hampton VA Haven't heard from her yet. Praying real hard for your safety

We live in Hampton VA also. Somewhat windy last night, more this morning, pretty quiet now. Varying amounts of rain mixed in, so far not much heavy rain. Our neighborhood was classified as a flood zone until about a year or two ago. A little water in the yard, puddle accumulation really, street not flooded. Power went out at 4:10 am, came back about 11 am. A friend I talked to after it was back on, also in Hampton, hasn't lost it yet.
According to all the maps I've seen, it should be directly East of us about 8-9 am Monday, so it will still get worse here for some time.

For reference to those who don't know this area, Hampton is about 10 miles East of Norfolk. We are out on the Peninsula that you see on the map.

[piranha2]

You ants stay safe - follow the rules and check, check, check. We here in Florida know what its like (except for the snow part) and wish you all the best. Let us know how you are doing and what we can do to help.

[Stormfeather]

Be safe guys, keep us updated

[GunnerMax]

it is more windy now, and work says that I am off tomorrow, so yay!

[Evolver]

Hunker down you guy's and prayer's are still outbound. A full moon and a recored breaking barometric low isn't a good combination.

[Gunfixr]

Well, it's 1:30am, going to put her to bed.
Definitely more windy, steadier and heavier rain. More water in the yard, but looks like accumulation, as opposed to real flooding. Power is still on, had one good flicker several hours ago, but that was all.

A good sized limb sounded like it was coming through the roof earlier when it hit, but I went out for a look, and it's not as large as it sounded. All looked ok, at least with a bright flashlight (200 lumens).
I have been able to hear the wind over the tv (watching Netflix) for several hours, and to hear the rain pretty regular now.

We'll see in the morning.

[Stg1swret]

Sandy has just started its westward turn. Pressure has dropped more, and winds are now 85mph. Here just outside Philly we are getting rain and have wind gusts up to 30mph. Still have over 15 hours until the eye gets here so it is going to be a long day. This monster will affect almost every state east of the Mississippi. Hang on folks and hunker down. If you dont need to go somewhere stay inside. The state f Delaware has closed all its roads, NYC and Philly have virtually shut down. Things will deteriorate all day long.

[Brownwater Riverrat 13]

Yes, I would expect everyone to take all precautions, safety first and plan for power outages and think of when the winters took out everything. Batten down the hatches as they say. I hope you all have generators? The main problem is that these states and their PW depts. are not equipped to cope/handle with these situations so the people will be "without" for a long time. I'm trying to remember which storm took out everything back in the 90's but it knocked the power for awhile and there were major BBQ's going on in order to at least keep the meat from rotting. When the storm hit's people are going to be without power and the power company will get around to it when they get around to it. Supply lines are going to be cut for awhile as well. PLAN FOR IT NOW! but It's already to late........

Now watching the news this morning, I can't say I've heard this many adjectives in a very long time. These people are morons, stupid! In my sailors opinion I don't think it's going to be as catastrophic as they say, it's dinky. It's just wind and rain, but not that intense, not that big, just spread out. Look at the hurricane history, don't take my being an "ass" word for it. Do the research see for yourself. The storm serge and their exaggeration will be enough to cause the panic and damage. Then FEMA gets to assess the situation..........I'll let that one soak in............

That's another thing. That coast is not happy with storm serge so be watchful! Big trees, fallen branches and power lines. Those are my predictions for this storm from my experience..............One more thing, don't be stupid, be safe, my hopes are with you, I pray for the innocents.

The all and power Brownwater Riverrat Has spoken........pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.............Brownwater Riverrat out............

[realist]

Listening to the news reports they are reporting that areas can expect to be without power for at least a week. Obviously the most populated areas will received the aid first and the it will go out to the outlining areas. So for those of you in the outlining areas good luck. One other thing is one industry "expert" said that there is normally only a two day of supply of gasoline the rest has to be brought in. So when something like this comes around and people fill up their cars and can it shorts the fuel supply, so they have to raise prices. Hopefully you were able to fill up in advance.

[Stg1swret]

The state of PA, just announced they are shutting down highways to traffic within the hour. All trucks, combo vehicles etc. must be off the road. The storm has just broken the record for lowest pressure for a storm north of Cape Hatteras. It is now some 1000 miles across. I all set prep wise. Been watching some of the sheeple around here who don't have a clue. May only worry right now is flying debris from the idiots that didn't secure things, and falling trees.

[Gunfixr]

Well, here in SE Va, we won't see the worst of it. Still have power, amazingly enough. Normally, something like this would've taken it out soon, and it wouldn't have returned.
The center has just passed here.
Wind isn't as much this am, but steady, almost hard rain is pretty much nonstop since last night, and it's really accumulating. Based on what I know of the city, looking at my yard tells me that there will be many sections of town that are now probably under some water. Our house is pretty much an island now. We have seen this before, so it's not a surprise. We don't have a generator, but are set up accordingly. We let the fridge get pretty low, so we could get most of it eaten and not have to throw much away if/when power went out.
The city is closed today, many businesses are closed, from what we can tell. At the shop where I work it's more rural, and the owner lives out that way. Talking to him this morning, pretty much everything out his way is closed, many roads are impassable, or difficult.
We did fill up most of the vehicles, but not one. Unfortunately, with getting the BOV back on the road, and it needed filling, I just didn't have the money to fill up the last car after getting 32 gals for the truck.

So, so far so good here. Will keep posting as long as the juice stays flowing.

[Twitchy]

stay safe guys!

[deanathpc]

Wind is picking up here in western ny. Rain comes and goes. Not too bad yet. My weather station is recording the whole thing!!

[The Stig]

To all Ants in the path of this one...be careful, keep your head down and try to check in as best you can.

[apssbc]

Im not on the coast but over here were getting hit with 40-50 mph sustained and 65+ gusts. The rain isnt too bad right now, and luckily my fire dept is not running as of yet so Im still warm and dry by the fire place....Im not expecting that to last. They are expecting widespread outages in SE Michigan.

So the misses and I are using this as a preparation test. We brought a bunch of wood inside, plan on keeping the fire up all night so we dont loose heat. Filled a bunch of the water bottles we have as an extra precaution. Topping off the charges on the radios, computers, and phones. We also set out all of the lanterns to be lit if need be. So far were sitting pretty in the end of the world lol.

Good luck and stay safe to everyone in the path of the storm. We can all handle this!

[bacpacker]

Well I guess we are on the south end of the system. We've had 20-30 mph wind gust for the last two days, actually dropped somewhat today. Not much rainfall thought. Up in the Mountians about 45 minutes from here at 6:00pm had 10" of snaow and were expecting up to 2' by noon tomorrow. That's a moth early for here. Here at the house not much other than the temps dropping from 80 on Friday to 43 today.

All you folks that are under the hammer from this storm, our prayers are with you all. Glad to hear the preps are working like they should to this point.

[Willie51]

Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you in the NE and beyond. Stay safe, warm, and dry. We Florida folks can relate.

[mitunnelrat]

Im not on the coast but over here were getting hit with 40-50 mph sustained and 65+ gusts. The rain isnt too bad right now.

I've had my jaw clenched for over a day at work now due to the wind. Its constantly rattling my alarm sensors and setting them off. Earlier it was blowing me all over the road as I was traveling to and from another of our sites.


They are expecting widespread outages in SE Michigan.

We already lost ours once for a a few minutes around 3 this morning.


Good luck and stay safe to everyone in the path of the storm. We can all handle this!

And just think, we're not getting hammered from the east like they are. This could get more interesting in a day or two.

[apssbc]

Watching the news, New York is underwater and isolated from the world the bridges and tunnels are shut down. Battery park area underwater, along with lower manhattan. Engine 206 is asking for boats to evacuate the firehouse. Edison is shutting down power in areas to prevent damage. Its bad out there gonna be a huge recovery project. Looks like the storm is heading towards Michigan. Supposedly its gonna hook to the north and head out towards maine.

[deanathpc]

Won't hook soon enough.

Due to the rain and leaky roof I had one ceiling collapse. Now I have a huge draft in here. Something I wasn't prepared for. Gonna be a long night

[The Stig]

Won't hook soon enough.

Due to the rain and leaky roof I had one ceiling collapse. Now I have a huge draft in here. Something I wasn't prepared for. Gonna be a long night

Sorry to hear that. Hope you and yours stay safe.

[Echo2]

Windy as the dickins here.....Have done 2 walk arounds the house this eve....looks like I lost a shingle....and the neighbors lawn furniture is in the lower end of my yard.

And I couldn't tell you where my bag of clothes pis is....:(

Threw 2 huge pieces of firewood in my trash can.

[Gunfixr]

Still windy and rainy here, was quiet for awhile in the afternoon. It should be winding down here soon enough, though.
I've only seen the water this deep in the yard one time in the 12yrs we've been here.
For all you folks up more North, hold on tight.

[Twitchy]

reports coming in across the board from NYC, sounds like the apocalypse... FDNY has reportedly lost a truck to a tree, is running numerous fires, the subways are flooding, supposedly the NYSE trading floor is drowned in 3 feet of water, lower Manhattan in even more... This storm is quickly turning into one of the most expensive storms in US history!

[Katrina]

Spoke to sis this morning. Significant other "forgot" to put her phone on the charger(when he was through charging his) this week end so she didn't know it was dead till I called her at work. She said that they are ok, much wind and rain, she did say they have a generator and food and water, batteries etc.
Gunner Many thanks
We're middle of the state so far just wind, supposed to start raining sometime later this am.

[Stg1swret]

Just finished checking the local channels here to see what had happened over night. All is quiet here now. Looks like NYC took a real drubbing. Lots of trees down and about 1 million folks without power in PA. Delaware has about 245 thousand out. The mid west , Ohio, Indiana, Illinois. Michigan are now getting some of the effects of this storm. W Va has plenty of snow in the higher elevations. Conn, R.I., and Mass., also getting their share of the storm. Reports state this thing came ashore at 940 millibars, that is damn low for pressure. The average hurricane only gets down to 960. Although this was only rated a cat 1, damage will far exceed most cat5's. We still have days of weather ahead for most of us. PA, NJ, and Del. are pretty much closed today for clean up. Watching the news last night, Gov. Christie of NJ is extremely mad at the mayor of Atlantic City for opening shelters in an evacuation area. Cann't say I blame him since one of them was only two blocks from the ocean, and was in a flood area. Yes you guessed it, it flooded, and due to conditions they didn't send any rescue personnel.

[The Stig]

And I couldn't tell you where my bag of clothes pis is....:(


Not even sure I want to know what that is.

[Brownwater Riverrat 13]

Just finished checking the local channels here to see what had happened over night. All is quiet here now. Looks like NYC took a real drubbing. Lots of trees down and about 1 million folks without power in PA. Delaware has about 245 thousand out. The mid west , Ohio, Indiana, Illinois. Michigan are now getting some of the effects of this storm. W Va has plenty of snow in the higher elevations. Conn, R.I., and Mass., also getting their share of the storm. Reports state this thing came ashore at 940 millibars, that is damn low for pressure. The average hurricane only gets down to 960. Although this was only rated a cat 1, damage will far exceed most cat5's. We still have days of weather ahead for most of us. PA, NJ, and Del. are pretty much closed today for clean up. Watching the news last night, Gov. Christie of NJ is extremely mad at the mayor of Atlantic City for opening shelters in an evacuation area. Cann't say I blame him since one of them was only two blocks from the ocean, and was in a flood area. Yes you guessed it, it flooded, and due to conditions they didn't send any rescue personnel.

Maybe we should give the Navy a call and see if they can evacuate the "Atlantic City Super Dome" using their LCAC's? Pardon the morbid pun.............
maybe he called Louisiana and asked for advice? What a dumb ass, stand-by for heavy rolls..............

[Brownwater Riverrat 13]

The only thing I can say about this whole storm (trying to keep myself in check) is be to diligent, situational awareness, big picture, just watch out people this could snow ball, be the prepper if ever you were one, now is the time.............that's all I got to say about that.

[TroubleShooter]

Predict riots.....about 3-4 days in...

[4suchatimeasthis]

^^^ agreed. The storm wont be the problem. The fallout will be the bigger issue, in my prediction. After the storm passes and people crawl out, and their is not enough food/water/diapers to pass around.....then all hell breaks loose. I think the main thing a lot of parasites didn't take into consideration, is that unlike Katrina or 9/11, this event was over a HUGE area of the country. Basically, BIGGER STORM = MORE IN NEED OVER GREATER AREA = LESS RESOURCES TO GO AROUND.

I hope I am wrong, I hope that everyone who needs anything gets it, and gets it in time. But that doesn't address the riots/looting aspect either. Lots of people in the cities with nothing to do, no power, and a strong sense of entitlement. That's a'more.

[apssbc]

I am interested to see how this plays out. NYC has been hit very hard, crews are working their asses off trying to make rescues and get the city up and running. The bridges are closed, and battery tunnel is full to the top. Riots are likely and Im interested to see how it plays out.

[TroubleShooter]

Yes, it will be interesting to see how it plays out...This being first of month those receiving checks in mail, may not get them. Those who are getting benefits via direct deposit or EBT need power to use funds, I doubt they had any cash in reserves. Those who are drug dependent, where are they going to get their fix?

Hell I am prepared and I would be pissed off if I had to go thru that mess, any hiccup in cash flow hurts anyone....Imagine the loss of revenue from low consumer spending to each public entity.....

I guess we will find out if those emails are true about people not buying gas for day would lower prices......I am sure there will be about 50 million less people purchasing gas for their vehicles for a couple days....

[bacpacker]

The rioting was my first thoughts when I got a pretty good idea of where it was going to be hitting. An area that size with that large of a population has issues on a good day. I will be shocked if it doesn't show up in a large way before services are restored.

As bad as it is though, things could have been much worse overall. While destruction is high, the death toll at this point seems fairly low considering the population involved. For that I am truly greatful.

[Evolver]

Predict riots.....about 3-4 days in...

I doubt there is going to be any rioting there because it was a storm. Now on the other hand... if it was a win or loss in a game... thats different. :)

[ladyhk13]

Everything said here is true but as far as rioting, the only thing different now is that is is almost winter or at least winter type conditions which will keep more people off of the streets and in the shelters. Since it has a much different demographic than NO I think that there may not be the exact same violence or "I'm gonna take everything just because I can" mentality. Look at the difference between the people in LA and MS. Totally different. One took care of their own and rebuilt as a community and the other demanded handouts and took whatever they could get their hands on.
I believe the character of communities and their leaders will dictate how the whole will behave.

[msomnipotent]

Well, that didn't take long.

CNBC reports that 12 people or more have been arrested for looting in Coney Island and some other town. And people are being robbed by people posing as Com Ed workers. AND gas stations are only taking cash for purchases under $50 and some of the attendants are demanding extra money on top of the gas price.

[Willie51]

Many have no power, no heat, and no running water and this could go on for 7 or 10 days. I also read where people are flipping out because they are so addicted to their cell phones and can't use them. Little things like no cell service can cause problems for some in this generation.

My heart goes out to everyone affected. Most have "0" preps.

[Brownwater Riverrat 13]

And so it begins..........for those that can talk to your friends and family out there in the zones. Tell them to be on their guard, this ain't no picnic. There's going to be a long hard road ahead. We'll soon see who the real Americans and God fearin people are, those who practice the golden rule. Maybe I'll be proven wrong and this country will be something to be proud of and everyone will come together................eh, I'm still proud to be an American! But I'm still ready to shoot a looter.............God help them and keep them safe.



Damn I hate this shit.

[Stg1swret]

I just finished watch the worst news broadcast I've ever seen. What I saw and heard are unbelievable in the wake of "Sandy". The mayor of NYC is still going on with the NYC marathon, while diverting police, and fire services from devastated areas. To make matters worse, people who could have been used to help clean up hard hit areas outside of Manhattan, are being used to clean up the marathon route. To add insult to injury, non -union employees of out of state power companies, and other non-union companies are being told to go home, as the city unions are flexing their muscle. It is hard to comprehend how people who are obviously in need are being denied the help they so desperately need for the sake of the privileged. It is truly a sad day in America when such things are allowed to happen.

[Baker]

Negative, as of 10 minutes ago the marathon was canceled.

[4suchatimeasthis]

^^^ It should never even been a consideration. And as far as the rejection of non-union electrical workers, etc, I agree, that is the most asinine thing I have ever heard of. So much for cutting the red tape in the name of progress.

[Evolver]

Yeah now watch Obama swoop in and say that it was his idea to shut down the marathon when it was actually the sponsors of the marathon that pulled out.

[4suchatimeasthis]

I have to actually agree with the NY Governor on this one, to keep Barry out of there. No need to add to the chaos with the presidential circus, and all for what, a photo op? What exactly did he accomplish with Christie in NJ? Oh yeah, a whole heapin' helpin' of SQUAT! Get the hell out of the way and let the work continue.

[Twitchy]

overview from a helicopter does enough to realize the damage... no need to get in the way and pull a few hundred cops off rescue and recovery detail to escort the POTUS in a disaster area...

[Sniper-T]

The issues against non union electrical people has been lifted. there are hundredss of Canadians down there from all over helping out :)

- - - Updated - - -

A friend posted this on another site:
Good article and even cooler site ... http://www.survivalandbeyond.net/prepper....urricane-sandy/

Tensions are rising among those hardest hit by hurricane Sandy four days after the storm made landfall on the east coast. As food, clean water and gas become scarce and FEMA (as usual) takes its sweet-ass time delivering aid and assistance to those who lost their homes or were unprepared. This is where (to paraphrase an old MTV reality show) people stop being polite and start getting real. If any good can come from the suffering of those along the coasts of New Jersey and New York, I hope it manifests as a greater awakening to the importance of being prepared.

The north eastern United States is not exactly what you would call disaster prone. Earthquakes (like the one that struck the Virginia/DC area in 2011) are typically minor and rare, tornadoes, (like the one that touched down in Massachusetts last year) only occur every 60 years or so and hurricanes (like this one) rarely make it that far north. But, as that last sentence also illustrates; these things do happen. And as I’ve been saying for the last couple of years, disasters are happening more frequently in places where they typically don’t. So no matter where you live in America, no matter how safe you think it is there, this is your wake-up call.

The following comes to us from Survival and Beyond’s parent network; Natural News

By Mike Adams

The first 72 hours after a natural disaster are the “polite” hours. Residents operate under the illusion that Big Government will soon save them with emergency supplies: food, water, fuel, clothing and more. So they follow the rules and “play nice.”

After about the third day, all those social niceties start to erode. People are hungry and angry. There’s a feeling of desperation and even abandonment. What seemed to be a polite society two days earlier suddenly becomes more sinister. The survival needs of individuals begin to outweigh social boundaries, and what emerges is desperation… even panic.

“Dwindling gasoline supplies are causing frayed nerves as the region endures its third full day with massive power outages.” reports Fox News. “Frustration with gas supplies topped the list of issues causing tensions to boil over in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, the states hardest hit by power outages in the wake of superstorm Sandy. Residents jockeyed for fuel at the few stations still pumping, searched store shelves in vain for batteries, struggled with sporadic cell phone service and found themselves unable to buy necessities at supermarkets.”

State troopers have now been deployed to gas stations in an effort to head off near-riots as citizens lose patience and tempers flare.

On Twitter, fist fights are being reported over fuel shortages. Police have had to draw guns on some people, reports Brietbart.com.

That article includes posts from Twitter users:

You know things are bad when you ask the gas station attendent “when do you think you’re going to get more gas?” and he just laughs at you. – Prede (@predederva) November 1, 2012

Just awful! RT @metrogypsy: Someone just pulled a knife at Greenpoint #gas station as line stretches with hours long wait #gettingrealFAST – Camila Xavier (@camilaxavier) November 1, 2012

Watching the breakdown of society at a gas station on Long Island. #sandysucks – Christina (@wooly_says) November 1, 2012

There are also tweets from some users who are intelligent preppers… like this one from JohnnyRH:

I live in Utah and the people here are big into “prepping”… I have relatives in NJ and just last week we were talking and they thought I was nuts to own guns, store fuel and water and have a generator. Most people are totally blind to what chaos will come with a really large power grid failure over half or all of the country. It will take little more than a week for all hell to break loose and riots will be the norm.

“We’re going to DIE!”

Another report from ABC News reveals the desperation and panic now forming among residents in Staten Island.

“We’re going to die! We’re going to freeze! We got 90-year-old people!” Donna Solli told visiting officials. “You don’t understand. You gotta get your trucks down here on the corner now. It’s been three days!”

The situation is so bad that even the Red Cross is being blamed for not showing up with supplies:

“This is America, not a third world nation. We need food, we need clothing,” Staten Island Borough President Jim Molinaro said today. “My advice to the people of Staten Island is: Don’t donate to the American Red Cross. Put their money elsewhere.” (ABC News)

NBC News reports:

Staten Island officials had some choice words Thursday to describe what they said was a feeble disaster-relief response to people left dying, homeless and hungry in the New York City borough hit particularly hard by Sandy. Staten Island’s top elected official blasted the American Red Cross response as “an absolute disgrace” and went so far as to urge its residents not to donate to the largely volunteer agency.

No gas for a week, no power for two

This situation, by the way, is only going to get FAR WORSE before it gets better. CNBC reports gas shortages will continue for at least a week, possibly longer. That’s seven more days even while desperation has already taken hold on day three!

And power? Con Edison says it will be another 10 days before power is restored to the majority of customers currently in the dark.

As long as the power is out, gas stations can’t pump gas, and that means continued gas shortages. That, in turn, means more desperation, starvation and even panic as residents can’t use vehicles to acquire food and supplies. The American way of life, remember, is almost unimaginable without gasoline. Half the population seems physically incapable of walking anywhere these days, and almost nobody owns bicycles anymore.

Things are going to get a lot worse over the next few days

What happens when millions of people packed into high-density cities can’t get food, fuel or electricity?

People get desperate, of course. Desperation is about to set in. In the days ahead, you’re going to see more fights and even weapons brought to bear in real-life survival scenarios. The federal government will predictably fail to reach people with the help they need, and people who neglected to prepare will find themselves in ever-more-desperate circumstances.

This is a time when nearly everybody suddenly realizes gee, it sure would have been smart to have been a prepper.

What’s the value of having emergency food, fuel, a water filter, batteries and a fully loaded Remington shotgun in the hours after a superstorm? Priceless.

Preparedness is the solution

What’s the solution to all this frustration and panic? Preparedness.

If the people of Staten Island or NYC had been prepared for the storm that they knew was approaching, they wouldn’t be in a state of desperation right now!

If they had stored some of their own food, fuel, water and emergency supplies, they wouldn’t be panicked for the Red Cross to show up and save them.

If they had intelligently planned ahead and taken action based on the seven days of dire weather predictions that preceded the storm, they wouldn’t need to beg for big government to bail them out!

The answer to disasters like Sandy is to be a prepper.

Preppers are the new prophets

In the wake of Sandy, preppers suddenly seem like geniuses. While being ridiculed by the rest of the population for as long as we can all remember, preppers are the ones still standing in the aftermath of the storm.

They’re the ones you don’t see on the news, begging for help and panicking over the situation, because the preppers are sitting in their homes, eating their stored food, drinking their filtered water, double-checking their shotgun loads and staying off the streets. Preppers are the ones NOT looting, NOT complaining about the Red Cross, and NOT diving in dumpsters to find food while waiting around for the government to show up and save them.

Preppers are the new prophets. And those who failed to prepare are the new homeless.

[Willie51]

^Excellent article and so true.

[4suchatimeasthis]

Great article, as true as the reality is sad. What's worst of all, is that the vast majority of those who actually live through this disaster won't become preppers themselves. It's so simple, so obvious, but they won't do it.

Is any other creature in nature, so bent on it's own destruction, able to survive?

[Evolver]

Good question! I'm sitting here trying to think of one and I can't.

[Sniper-T]

There are a few creatures, but not many. A hyena will eat its own offspring, and it's mate if hungry enough. many insects will as well. as will fish. I actually snagged a ling cod, that was sucked onto itself.

But you said 'animals' and I digress...

All animals seem to be born with an innate yearning for self preservation. Except for man. Even the lazy grasshopper finds a way to exploit the resourseful ant.

Over the millenia, there have been many many mammals that set the course that humans are hell bent on following. Unfortnately, they are currently all extinct!

I think I'll buy some more rice on the way home.
and pasta
and ...