AFTERMATH

Well, I am at the local library because it's warm here and I need to take care of my Etsy shop and get started on the backlog of orders. Just wanted to let y'all know we made it through the "perfect storm". We were really hit hard here by Sandy - whole houses just blocks away have disappeared, and more than a few, others have missing walls where loose boats sailed through, some areas look like a bomb went off - and this is just a few blocks away from me. 

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Power and cable lines are down, mangled trees have been chopped up and moved to the curbside and odd pieces of home siding and roofing decorate the roads. There is a curfew in effect from dusk to dawn. I heard my beach hangout at Robert Moses Park is gone because the waves were 25 ft high at the height of the storm and wiped out the access roads and traffic circle, and most of the beach itself.  2 of my favorite local waterside eateries are gone - one just disappeared and the other looks like a bomb went off inside. Most stores are closed and the ones that are open are only accepting cash because there is no electric in them either.

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The water came up as close as 75 or so ft to the house. The saving grace of all this is that no one got hurt and the house only has some minor damage - a miracle really when I see what happened to some others, and I'm deeply grateful for that. Thank you God, angels and Mom for watching over us during that very scary storm. At times the whole house shook and I was afraid it would come down on us. Two large tree branches hit the house, but glanced off and so didn't do too much damage. Thank God we all thought to move our cars out from under the trees, or some of us would not have them anymore.

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I am suffering Sandyshock in a huge, miserable and depressed way - no heat since 10/29 around 5pm - what is that, 7 days now? (i don't know, I've lost track of time, each looooong, frigid, boring day blurs into the next now), no electric, no gas, food shortages until yesterday, 29 degree nights and 50's in the day and it's been cloudy (did I say no heat?), and candles are nice but they really irritate my asthma. I've started to wheeze again.  
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The thermostat in the house is now saying 45 degrees.  I am living in 3 prs of socks and sherpa bootie slippers, 2 prs of thermals, a pr of sweats top and bottom, a quilted vest, sherpa hoodie coat, sweatshirt and gloves and I am still cold. My poor nose is so called I am afraid it will fall off. I sleep under 3 fleece blankets, a sherpa throw and a fleece throw, fully dressed in all those layers of clothes. Did I say this is really the pits? Have I said how piss poor LIPA service is? and that I have not seen one LIPA truck or crew anywhere since the storm? *SIGH*
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To make it worse the neighbors in back, front and at end of each cross block have electric 3 days ago - and not one of them has offered to run an extension cord or brought a hot meal.  How sad is that?  We finally got a person to talk to at LIPA yesterday after 35 unsuccessful tries since the storm hit and 45 minutes of waiting only to be told we would have electric back by tonight 11pm the latest.  mm hmm, we'll see.  And now, with the new Nor'easter that's going to hit us Weds/Thurs with buckets of rain and more high winds - well, if we don't get electric tonight as promised we probably won't get it for another week.  Meanwhile, the temps outside continue to drop into the Upper 20's at night and upper 40's during the day.
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If I had gas in my car I would seek refuge with a friend, but the gas lines are miles long at the stations that are open and I definitely will run out on while line. I have no choice but to stay put and suffer until power is restored and the gas is flowing again and the lines are gone. I have begun walking to the  library 2 blocks away just to thaw out and use the computers, then just to hang out awhile and read a little before walking home to a cold house. After this I sympathize all over again with Katrina victims. No one should have to go through this - it's a shameful travesty that bears direct reflection on our mismanaged, too well paid government.
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*sigh*