By October 28, 2012 Hurricane Sandy  (SANDY) had already passed over the Caribbean and made its way to NYC. The late season storm had already caused the deaths of numerous persons and property damaged climbed into the millions. It was being predicted that the SANDY would affect between 50 and 60 million people in the U.S. Rick Knobb, director of the National Hurricane Center, warned that this past weekend the weather would quickly deteriorate. New Jersey Governor Christie declared a state of emergency in anticipation of the storms arrival. Daniel P. Malloy, the Governor of Connecticut, warned that SANDY would be like no other storm in the last 30 years. Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City, order the evacuation  of all residents living in Zone A. As early as the 25^th weather forecasters predicted that SANDY would develop into a Mega-storm. Predictions called for SANDY to arrive over land during high-tide and to collide with a cold front. The storm has left the NYC metropolitan area. SANDY lived up to its pre-arrival billing. Was I not fully understanding all of the warnings and news about the power of the storm?

Now that the storm has left the area and we are expecting another, I have had time to reflect on everything that has happened. Recently, I read an excellent piece in the New York Times about finding the right balance in preparing for a foreseeable disaster. Sloane Crosley, writing in the Opinionator of the Opinion Pages, believes that it is impossible to find the right balance between overreacting and under reacting to an event like Sandy. Preparing  for a disaster is not an exact science. Millions of people prepared differently for the arrival of Sandy.

In my opinion Mr. Sloane correctly writes that Sunday evening there was energy in the air. The universal topic of conversation was about how one was preparing for the eventual calamity that Sandy evening and Monday morning would surely bring. Much to his credit Mr. Sloane addressed the reality that hardened New Yorkers had discounted the forecasters’ prophetic claims of pending doom. These whether reporters along with top City officials warned New Yorkers to take seriously Sandy’s potential power and hunker down. The author’s words that he used to describe New Yorker’s apparent nonchalant view of the storm appear below:

 “As a New Yorker, the line between “in case of emergency” and “smack dab in the middle of an emergency” can be unclear. On the one hand, our city prides itself on being tough, keeping a level head. On the other, we are not above imagination: We have seen the horrifying footage of Katrina, and we’ve been to the movies. New York may major in romantic comedies, but we minor in post-apocalyptic suspense thrillers. “The Day After Tomorrow” alone turned us all into experts in spontaneous bird-migration patterns”

On Tuesday morning, like Mr. Sloan, I too was shocked to see on TV and the Internet the damaged that the storm had caused. Lower Manhattan was without power. The downtown subway stations and tunnels were inundated  with sea water. The site of seawater rushing into the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel was as impressionable as it is unforgettable. The coast of Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island was savagely ravished by the storm. Breezy Point Queens was the scene of a fire that destroyed 100 homes. Home and businesses that dotted the New Jersey coast line were completely obliterated by Sandy.  

I admit that our allowed my past experiences with storms to unduly influence my taking seriously the warnings about the power and danger of Sandy. I was letting my suppressed machismo rule my better judgment. Concerning the mega-storm Sandy; I was as wrong as I was lucky. My girlfriend was perplexed by my nonchalant attitude during the storm’s approach and its arrival over the Metropolitan area. Last year’s Hurricane Irene  proved to be a toothless tiger.  She did her best to hold me back from going outside on late Sunday evening. She worried that a tree might fall on top of me. The next morning when the weather had calmed considerably I again left the home using the same path that I used just hours before during the height of the storm. As I turned the corner my path was completely obstructed. A large tree had fallen. Two telephone poles together with their lines lay crossed the street and sidewalk. I was fortunate not have been under that tree when it fell.

I am extremely lucky to have survived Sandy without suffering damage of any sorts. Unfortunately too many residents of the Metropolitan area were not as fortunate as me. Each day I keep all of these people in my prayers. I will never again take my well being for granted or that I can survive any natural disaster without proper preparation. By going to the crock-pot party I made some friends and learned a valuable lesson in humility. I should always prepare for a disaster. Is possible that a friend, neighbor or someone I do not know might need my help. It is much easier to survive a disaster when friends and community work together to overcome their communal problems. Governmental help might arrive quickly, later or not at all. People have to take care of each other in times of emergency and not depend on governmental assistance in the first moments of the disaster.