I'm well, Michael, thanks for asking.

Strangely, I'm actually in NYC proper & was mandatorily evacuated (my bldg is directly at the edge of a bay & my area is quite low-lying & floodable, 3 blocks from the Ocean in Brooklyn).

I have taken a hotel room in Manhattan (didn't really have anywhere else to go). Happens I got a room in the heart of Times Square, talk about surreal. In the crossroads of tourist territory, particularly strange.

Odd here in NYC, mostly tourists & visitors left here, stuck in town due to canceled flights. Traditionally, both Broadway theatres & major museums are usually closed on Mondays, now most other stuff is closed here. All subways & bus services were discontinued Sunday night.

Equally strange, in the Hotel where I'm staying everywhere I turn, I hear Portuguese being spoken (I was raised in Brazil, I speak fluent Portuguese of a native, it's not a language one hears all that commonly), I thought I was having auditory hallucinations.

As to the Sandy the storm barreling up the East Coast

In the memorable words of NJ Gov. Christie,

"if it looks stupid, it is stupid" he said we can all take that as a good NJ rule.

Extrapolating further from succulent culture, but this time in the context of activities during these storms:

when in doubt about doing something in these extreme weather conditions, best not to

Be safe everybody, hope you got all the plants secured.

(And here I'd been looking forward to posting pix of my latest Foster Sans, the armload of them that came home w/ me from a plant meeting last Tues.)

Karen the displaced (no plants to play w/ or quilts to admire in hotel room, I may go batty!!)

Am off to go explore Grand Central Station on its most unusual situation of being completely EMPTY!!

I'm glad you're Ok, PG.

I have a friend on the Cape and she's having quite a time of it - wind and tidal surges.

My best to everyone.

Michael
Interlaken NY Z6

And just think if you're friend is on the Cape & struggling already, while the storm hasn't even hit NJ yet (projected abt 8 pm tonite).

Guess you're glad your farm is inland, huh? Curious, may ask whereabouts ( I know upper NYS pretty well) & what you grow?

Be well everybody!!

Good Lord, is everyone Ok? Stush, did you get snow or just crazy rain? I think the snow even made it to KY!!! My mom said Cleveland had torrential rains and the waves from Lake Erie closed I-90 on the shoreway. It's a bad one.

Stay safe all.

I live on Sheepshead Bay. we got flooded. pumped water from basement all night. Lots of trees and 4 street lights are down on my block. Scary...

Hi Elichka,

It seems we're neighbors. I too live on Sheepshead Bay, am currently in a NYC hotel, costing a fortune.

Can I ask what street pls. & how deep was the flooding? Did the Bay spill over its walls? I live directly across from Holocaust Memorial Park, right at the Corner of Shore Blvd & West End Ave. (Apt. bldg. w/ the big white columns).

Do you still have electricity?

Thanks much Elichka, you're the only source of info. for our local area, seems there's no coverage of it at all on broadcast TV that I can find.

Sounds like you're in a house, I'm in the top of a 6 story apartment bldg; guess I'll assume no elevators.

Sorry folks to go so OT & use the GW like this, but it seems she's my only & certainly best source of info. Scary indeed!

Thanks in advance & of course, stay safe!!

Hi PG,

I'm in Interlaken, between Geneva and Ithaca. The farm (only 14.5 acres) is smack dab between the two lakes. The wind was pretty bad last night. The roof held, but the horizontal winds blew water UP the clapboards and into the house!!! It was SO weird. My cats were rather disturbed about the whole thing. Second round tonight, I hear, but lower wind. There's a storm arm swirling this way.

I don't know if this is all that OT. The weather effects our plants, right?

Stay safe all.

Michael

After much praying we are untouched here in this part of South-Western Pittsburgh. Some hi winds and some heavy rains. My prayers goes out to the people of the areas most affected. How about that fire in Queens NY. Hope all the others here are ok.
Stush

Karen

I live on east26 and AvX. i know for sure that Bay spilled. manhattan beach area is flooded. i saw a picture of Masal Lounge on Emmons and Ocean Av is flooded as well as Cherry Hill(if you know this stores). Ocean av , ocean PKWy are flooded, cars are floating. some occasional fires here and there. Some parts of Sheepshead bay without electricity

Inna

I am thankful for the little effect the storm had on the farm. A few buckets held the water. The damage on the coast is SO much worse. I pray you are all safe.

Michael

Here in NJ finally got electric back on late last night though many areas are still without power. A lot of large trees down in the neighborhood. Saw roofs and cars crashed. Luckily, inland, the rain was not as bad as Irene last year. Glad everyone else is ok.

Good to hear all your voices, and to know all are safe. Plants can be replaced - and they will be. Those 111 burned out homes in NY look like WWII pictures of Nagasaki following atomic bombs.
Strangely, Knoxville, TN got no snow and only light rain, while 50 miles south of here on the NC/TN border (ele. 5000+ feet) got 23 inches of wet snow.

Yes, I'm glad we're hearing from folks too. It's been weird weather, it has. The fire looks terrible.

Be well all.

Hey everybody,

Am checking in from the office, back to work today (& the bosses worked yesterday).

I still see no news coverage of my area at all, so pls. indulge me in asking Elichka for further updates.

Thx Inna, that was the most specific news I've heard. I've only seen some pix of local damage at the Newspaper 'The Brooklyn Paper', & within that 'Sheepshead Bites'.

Have you heard any specifics about evacuees being allowed to return home? As of last night, it was still an evacuation zone to which we are not allowed to return until bldg inspectors have been through?

TIA for any info. possible. Thx everybody for the good wishes & BonsaiGai that it's not THAT OT, touch�, weather does affect the plants.

Karen

i really don't know. I've been w/my family on Emmons Av yesterday. its devastating. Water is everywhere. small shops and restaurants under Loehmanns are flooded. Piles of cars. Today I went w/kids to do shopping at Stop&Shop. Closed due to flooding and no electricity. Employees are throwing food in huge garbage containers. its nowhere to shop, I don't trust small stores they may sell spoiled food. I don't know if your building has electricity. plus its kind of cold outside. What if your building doesn't have heat(most likely). i think its probably better for you to stay in a city, you don't have to commute for 3-4 hrs by bus one way( this is how long it took for my neighbor) and back. I am very sorry that you are not at home but I'm glad you did leave the place. My 91-yr old grandpa refused to leave Far Rockaway. After 2 days without electricity and heat we dragged him to Brooklyn(very stubborn man)
Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help

Inna

(Am here charging phone & laptop at the local Staples, for free, they are being extremely kind & most helpful.)

Thx Inna for the update & the others for indulging me. Glad you got your Granddad to come w/ you.

My boss drove me all the way home (he lives in Midwood). He dropped me off at my all dark bldg; I'm at the top of 6 stories, no power, light or heat, but I do have running water & stove, so am able to improvise. Will be time for a goosedown sleeping bag soon the apmt is QUITE cold. When did it become winter??

Interestingly, most of the plants are fine, all sitting up especially upright, I think it's the cold, probably in the 50s in there.

I moved my new Golden Hahnii away from the window, expect it'd just be too cold for it there. Couple of my Hoyas are visibly unhappy, & yellowing think it's too cold for them.

If you folks hear inquiring abt me on other Forums, pls. let folks know I'm in touch here & relatively OK.

Thanks everybody,

(PG) Karen

Karen,
Plaese be careful if using your stove for heating. The CO-2 could build up and slowly do you in. I hope being on the upper floor the heat rises up and keeps you warmer than those on the bottom floors. You are on my prayer list.
Stush

Thanks Stush, I was happy to hear you're OK & seems the storm missed you.

Thx too abt the stove, I'm not using oven to warm, just the stove, by simmering on low several vats of water for a few hrs. at a time. Not overnight & only while I'm in the same room. Thx tho' all the same.

Hope life gets back to normal for you soon PG. Houses a block over from me are still without power, traffic lights are not working, no gas. I finally got back in my office on Saturday briefly. Back again tomorrow (Monday). Schools were out all last week adn will be again at least half of this week until they all get power and cleaned up.

Thanks for keeping us all posted. I check in here every day to see how you are all doing. We all hope you will have power soon and life will begin to return to normal. Please keep updating. Barb

Karen, I'm glad to hear you have a place to go back to. You, Inna, and Woodnative have been on my mind all weekend. (No computer at the farm.) Keep up the good work Stush. Prayer is good for everyone.

Be well all.

Michael

Hi Karen,

Do you have your lights and heat going?

Hey Barb & thanks for asking,

No, sadly no lights, heat or power heat, but a brief spot of electricity last night. Lasted for an hour before it pooped out. They'll try again today, w/ promise of heat for Friday.

A glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel, so I keep telling my self since last night.

Wow, it's been a long haul. I surely do hope the get your heat and lights on tomorrow. I'm so sorry this happened.

Well hello everybody; thanks for the good thoughts you've been sending myself & other worn out survivors of Hurricane Sandy.

Am back, happy to say got electricity last night, heat this morning, vast improvements you can just imagine! Since I have no phone nor Internet, I'm not sure how/when I'll be posting pix, but will when I can try.