Sandy: F#CK YOU

So I got power back here on Long Island. I got it last night. Still the cell service is horrible because Sandy kicked the cell services ass. T-Mobile (my carrier; normally excellent on LI) and AT&T combined for awhile. So as the national media and the local media cover Breezy Point and New Jersey and of course lower Manhattan, I am going to write a little something about my experiences on Long Island. As of right now I checked LIPA (Long Island Power Authority) has about 600,000+ customers without power (not including small villages with their own power supply). 

The storm started to kick up around 1PM Monday. Low tide and technically the first wave of the storm surge hit a little before that. My cousins who live on the water noticed that it was already abnormal at low tide so they left and come above the evacuation zone to us. Wind started to really kick up the afternoon with the first rainstorm. After that continuous wind battered my area. Trees were parallel to the ground at times to sheer force of the wind. Luckily I had power throughout Monday afternoon and night during the peak of the storm. Apparently, my dog loves hurricanes and wanted to go for a run in the middle of the storm. Well, after one yank of the leash with a big boom (transformer exploded) a few blocks away he ran into the house. 

Around 5AM ( I didn't sleep) we lost power. My cousins got up soon after the power went out. They decided to head home to scout out their home in the evacuation zone. My parents and I stayed home and scouted our local area. Noticing live wires almost on every block with down trees. Reports from neighbors said Garden City looked like World War II. Trees shattered. The worst was reports coming in by radio from Fire Island and Long Beach. Total carnage. Almost so hard to believe since I spent so much time in the city of Long Beach as a kid on the beach. 

On Wednesday, I started cleaning up with my parents. I started at 8AM and finished at 3PM. My cousins started at 8AM and didn't finish until late at night and still haven't finished. After cleaning up, I drove down there to check the damage. I don't have enough words to express what I saw yesterday. The 3 things that stand out: gas/oil smell, boats, and humming of generators and water pumps. I have a few pictures and videos but I decided in respect to my family and friends and fellow Long Islanders not to show any. 

As of right now, I can't use the bathroom without wondering if raw sewage comes up through the pipes. I am only block in the area that has power (weird and eerie), gas stations are closed to no power or no fuel, traffic for miles and miles. I could go on.  

What I am asking our readers is: keep us in your thoughts and prayers, find a way to help out (if you have the money to do so), and if you know anybody in the NJ, NY, CT please extend a hand so they can stand up on.

PS- I also think 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) should be removed from Bruce Springsteen's set list.