Hurricane Sandy has been declared one of the worst disasters to hit the Northeast U.S., but the chaos left in the wake of the storm is fast becoming a new disaster for affected citizens.
Photo by Dan Brinzac
News stories coming out of the area reveal widespread problems from no power to leaking gas to no gas in stations serving some of the most densely populated communities in the country. Lines at gas stations in New York and New Jersey are miles long and causing so many frayed tempers that armed police have been called in to protect customers.
Even more concerning is the evidence of incompetent leadership that is beginning to emerge that threatens to turn Sandy into another Katrina.
For instance, with hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers still without power, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has set up three diesel-powered generators to provide electricity to tents that will serve participants in this Sunday’s New York City Marathon. With people in hard-hit areas such as Staten Island, the Rockaways and downtown Manhattan still in the dark, these three generators alone could power up 400 homes.
Locals who are running out of food are resorting to “dumpster diving” for something to eat while the Mayor is diverting critical food supplies to feed marathoners.
It’s been three days since Sandy struck and, according to ABC News, Staten Island residents are pleading for gasoline, food and clothing.
“We’re going to die! We’re going to freeze! We got 90-year-old people!” one resident told visiting officials. “You don’t understand. You gotta get your trucks down here on the corner now. It’s been three days!”
With 80,000 Staten Island residents out of power and hundreds left homeless, Staten Island Borough President Jim Molinaro said Bloomberg’s decision to host the race was “crazy”.
“My God. What we have here is terrible, a disaster,” Molinaro said. “If they want to race, let them race with themselves. This is no time for a parade. A marathon is a parade. Now is the time to put your shoulder to the wheel. If they want to prepare for something, let them prepare for the election, not a marathon.”
Seaside Heights, NJ
Meanwhile, as many as 75 percent of New York City gas stations are unable to pump gas because they have no power or have run out of supplies. With no relief in sight, the mere rumor of gas sparks a mad rush of people who race out to get a good place in line.
Naturally, altercations are frequent and often violent. In one station in Queens, a man was arrested after he jumped a line to buy gas, then pulled a gun on someone behind him who protested.
Looting has also become a problem in some areas with people dressing up like Con Edison workers and getting into houses under the pretext of doing electrical repairs. Dozens have been arrested so far.
In nearby New Jersey where the shoreline was permanently rearranged by the storm and almost two million remain without power, crews from Alabama showed up to help in the clean up and were turned away because Jersey is a union state and they weren’t union employees. As Joel B. Pollak of Breitbart writes, “With so much at stake – and lives still in danger – it would seem logical to tell special interests to step aside.”
With 74 already dead from the storm, the death toll continues to rise, not because bodies are being discovered in the debris but because people relying on gas-driven generators are beginning to succumb to the deadly fumes and dying of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Those not lucky enough to have generators are doing without even the basic necessities of life. In Seaside Heights, residents have been left without electricity and running water, and are watching gas leaks shoot flames through the sand-covered streets around them.
Ironically, President Barack Obama visited the area on Wednesday and promised that “we are not going to tolerate red tape, we are not going to tolerate bureaucracy” even while far too many residents claim they haven’t seen hide nor hair of a FEMA agent since the storm hit.
Adding insult to injury, weather forecasters say another storm could strike the area next week and bring heavy rain, high winds and even snow to some of the same areas that were impacted by Sandy.
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