Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Storm Watch

Seeing the devastation that Hurricane Sandy has wreaked on the east coast of the United States made me a bit embarrassed of my complaints about my own experience with the first winter storm of the season on the days before Thanksgiving Day weekend.  After all, I live in Canada's north.  I am used to snow storms and power outages (although winter ones are much worse).  But what the people in the wake of Hurricane Sandy have had to endure is like nothing I've ever experienced!  And, although I've never had the pleasure of visiting New York City, it was heart breaking to see the images of floods and damage, not to mention the crowds of homeless people in that great city.

I couldn't help thinking about the only person I knew who lived there.  We haven't been hearing from Bccmee much lately since she took an indefinite hiatus from her blog.  I knew she was a very proud New Yorker and I very worried about her.  So I sent her an email a couple of weeks ago to see how she was doing.  I figured the rest of you would want to hear about her too.  Here is her reply to my query about how she had weathered the storm.

Thanks so much for your note! It's really terrible what happened. Iwas very lucky since I live inland. Our power stayed on and there was no flooding. The biggest damage was to our trees and cars and some buildings sustained relatively minor damage. Here are some photos I took yesterday of the aftermath in my neighborhood:
October 30, 2012

 You can see plenty of damage from downed trees



After the tree was hauled away 
Luckily no one was hurt!

 She said that she had thought about posting this on her blog, but she wanted to keep that space "happy".

Well, since today is her birthday, I would like to wish Bccmee a very Happy Birthday, and send her many good wishes.  I am very glad she is doing well and though I miss her amazing blog posts I hope she is enjoying herself out in the real world.

And to those people who were adversely affected by Hurricane Sandy, I hope things get better for you very soon!

9 comments:

JaneGS said...

Those pictures really tell a story. I agree, I've experienced nothing like what those in the path of Sandy experienced. I've been checking in with colleagues in the region since the storm happened, and they all have horrific stories.

Happy birthday to Bccmee, and my heartfelt wishes for a speedy recovery to normalcy for her region.

Anonymous said...

Thank You so much for sharing with us :) Strangely, Bccmee has been on my mind recently too, proving that she was ready to move on,it's just that we weren't ready to let her go!
Anyway, I'm really happy she's fine :)

CDoart said...

Thank you, Phylly, for this update on Bccmee. She is the only New Yorker I know as well and with all the hurricane news, I was very worried about her.
Thank you for letting us know, that all is well with her.

Phylly3 said...

Hi JaneGS!
Oh dear, horrific stories - I shudder to think! It's hard to imagine and I certainly hope I never find out!
Thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment. I've got to pop in on your blog again soon! :)

Phylly3 said...

@iwanttobeapinup &
@CDoart - Yes, she is very dear to us, isn't she? I knew many more people than just me would be thinking of her. I was so relieved to know she was okay!
Thanks to you both for your comments!

The Queen said...

I'm really tardy but am wondering if things are back to normal yet? NJ seems to be having problems according to the news?? Thanks for posting this!!

Anonymous said...

We did have the '98 Ice Storm here in Ottawa. Power on this grid went out a full 6 hours. So spoiled we are. Not at all prepared. We lit candles. And chatted. To our credit? we didn't moan. Now, of course, I keep a stock of batteries and several flashlights strategically around.My niece was in Brooklyn, doing graduate studies through the Sandy storms. (all well in Brooklyn, but we all kept making contact to make certain.)The destruction of Sandy has hit the most vulnerable, and also those who never imagined themselves that vulnerable. Like us soft suburbanites.

fitzg

Phylly3 said...

@The Queen - I am not sure exactly what is going on now, but I imagine the clean up will take a very long time. I am sure the Red Cross could use some donations.
@fitzg - It is hard to imagine so much destruction on such a large scale.
Thanks for your comments all!

Traxy said...

Apparently RA was in NY when Sandy hit. Not that he technically matters any more than anyone else who was there, but he's a common ground.

Glad to hear bccmee is okay. :)

Hope everyone stays warm and dry in the winter, regardless of where you are in the world! x