This was written just before to power went out last nite. I will post this and try to get something up later today, although we have no power, no TV and no internet at the apartment. Big storm damage in parts of Manhattan, mostly flooding and power failures that may take days to fix.

Things are coming to a head in New York. Extensive flooding has occurred in the outer boroughs of Brooklyn and Staten Island. Power has been shut down in the entire financial district which is at the bottom of Manhattan – Wall Street in the dark. There are very surreal pictures of darkened towers in the whole south end of Manhattan. Along the Hudson River from Battery Park up to 23rd Avenue the surge has breached the banks of the boardwalks and caused flooding like it has never been seen in this City. 23rd Avenue where Penny and I walked on a beautiful afternoon a couple of weeks ago when we walked the HighLine is under a foot of water from the river to 10th Avenue, about 2 long blocks. Nobody expected this . . .

Okay the power has just gone out in the neighbourhood and we are in darkness. No lights, no internet or phone and no TV to watch the agony everyone else is going through. Dinner is just ready: pasta and sauce with chorizo and a big salad. Luckily, we still have gas although from now on it will have to be lit with lighter or matches. Did we buy them? I think I have the emergency plan in place for coffee in the morning.

Thanks to the females in this trio, we have supplies. Food, water, snacks and wine. They have even hard boiled half of the eggs. Thanks to me we have the Brooklyn Lantern – as seen on TV for $12.99 . . . “but if you call now get two for $12.99, thats right two Brooklyn Lanterns for just $12.99. Call 1-800 . . . . now”. We also have 3 LED puck lights – pickings were pretty thin at DuaneReade, the local drugstore – although we have determined they will make great “under cabinet” lighting once the emergency is over. And Monika picked up a flashlight, a headlamp (an Energizer Pro 7) and a candle (apple – cinnamon scent) at Home Depot. When we visit the “facilities” we have our choice of light!

Maybe the best part of this is that suddenly, after two days of almost non-stop coverage and the last 12 hours where that’s all that is on the local news, we have no TV at all. After hours of being on top of the situation, we realize how vulnerable we are. No TV, no wireless, no cell network. It is very quite, more so than anytime I can remember in New York. All we can hear are the sounds of sirens racing up and down 7th Ave. The cops and firemen must love this, free range on the streets of New York. We have the windows open and there is the constant sound of the wind: not blowing hard but there and almost soothing. Its like there is nothing going on around us although we know there is much.

Today, Penny and I walked down 8th Avenue to 15th. Tonight, the entire front of a four storey building at 8th and 15th collapsed onto the sidewalk. I don’t think there is any connection but one has to wonder. The Speaker of the New York City Council blamed the collapse on this potentially being an illegal hotel. Not sure of the what this has to do with building integrity, but she was elected so I guess she knows. The building looks like a doll house, all the furniture intact and completely open to the street.

We will survive as we are sure the City will. It may take all of us a few days to recover but before we know it, it will be like this never happened. But this will be a part of our adventure that we will not forget. As Eric Fergie said in his e-mail to us, “The Big Apple, a Yankees game and Broadway Theatre and now a hurricane. What could be better than that?” From my perspective, very little!

Don’t know when this will be posted but considered it was written in one of the darkest nights in New York history.

Cheers