After the Storm

View of Central Park from Columbus Circle. 11.2.2012

There is a melancholy hanging over the city post Hurricane Sandy.  We have been lucky here on the Upper West Side in that we did not lose power and most of the damage up here seems to be confined to the trees.  Regardless, the last week has not been 'normal' by any means, even here.  Most of our friends in our neighborhood did not work all of last week for various storm related reasons: from being unable to get to work due to the loss of the transit system, to their offices having lost power, or having their office indefinitely closed since it was located across the street from the dangling crane in Midtown.  There is a long line of cars that stretches in front of our house every morning while people wait to get gas.  Store shelves are emptier than usual.  Schools have been closed all week.

Although power has been restored to many, our friends and family that are still without power are going on over 1 week without power in winter weather.  Pretty awful.  And then, there are those in worse circumstances still that have lost their homes. The sadness is palpable, although so is the determination to go on.  That people are offering to help in so many ways is uplifting. Things are slowly beginning to feel more normal but I think in some ways we may be only beginning to learn what the true costs of the devastation will be.

How to Help
Artists Giving to Sandy Victims
Help a Family that Lost their Home