sandy in the evening (lyn)

Latest NY Times update reads:

HAVOC AS STORM COMES ASHORE

Power Out in Manhattan as Storm Surge Floods Tunnels; New Jersey Slammed

300,000 Con Ed users have lost power, including my friend Gail who lives on 37^th St. on the Eastside.  Some of the power outages are deliberate in order “to prevent damage to equipment stored underground so that power could be restored more quickly after the storm.”

 NYC area wind gusts measure 79 mph at JFK, 78 at Newark, 68 at LaGuardia, and  58 in sheltered Central Park.

All bridges and tunnels are closed.

A crane partially collapses and dangles precariously from the top of a luxury high rise being built on 57th Street.

At 10pm, Mayor Bloomberg urges all limo and taxi drivers to get off the streets.

Further, the Mayor asks New Yorkers to stay where they are and not go out.

The front of a 4-story apartment building is blown off in Chelsea (no one is hurt).

The water level in Lower Manhattan reaches an unprecedented 14 feet.

Cars are seen floating on Wall Street.

The FDR Drive, less than three blocks from my apartment, is flooded.

I look out my window and see no rain and some wind.  I listen to the weather coverage that is on all stations, all the time, and feel like I am hearing updates of a major storm happening in a city far way.