The hurricane is one of these connecting things that brought about not only a lot of suffering and horrible destruction but also a lot of interesting stories. Basically, any Communications person's dream - which is why we have been trying to gather stories from different people at work. A very interesting exercise actually and I was thinking I actually haven't shared my story properly. I have added bits and pieces here on the blog but let me pull it all together hopefully in not too many words.
So little did I know when I was packing for Boston the Friday before Sandy. I was going to take China bus to hang out at my friend's Halloween party and that was it. Of course at work there were predictions about the storm and we sent out some client/broker communications but I was sure that this was not going to affect me personally. When checking for updates on Saturday and even Sunday morning I was getting a little more worries, thinking that I should be getting back into the city as I didn't want to risk being on the road during the storm. But still I did not even think of any consequences for my apartment. Just about when I got on the bus around lunch time in Boston, my friend called me and told me she had to vacate her apartment. I quickly called my flatmate and surprise, surprise we are actually in flood zone A so we had also been asked to evacuate the building. If only I could have gotten off the bus at that point - I was very close to asking the driver to stop and drop me off in a random parking lot so my friends could pick me up... Of course I was panicking more and more on the bus, realizing that the subway would stop running and that I had nowhere to go. Fortunately my friend's brother who lives up in Washington Heights was kind enough to not only take her in but also allow me to ride out the storm up there. When I got into Chinatown I caught one of the last subways uptown and there was a very weird atmosphere in the trains - almost like the quiet before the storm... However, there was no storm to be seen that night! And we actually thought we could get back to our homes the day after - far from the truth. The actual storm only happened on Monday night and yes, there was a lot of wind but nothing worse than any winter storm I have witnessed in Germany. What was really freaky was when the lights started flickering and after having seen all these notes on Facebook that people had lost power we were constantly charging our phones and taking showers, just in case the power/hot water went out. You also start eating a lot more than you usually do when you are nervous and have nothing better to do, the night of a storm. I have to say, we got really spoiled too. Have not had this much nice, homemade food during my entire stay here in NY... Anyway, I think what made my evacuated time fly as well, was work. Since I work in Communications, we had to update both internal and external stakeholders throughout our company but also clients/brokers and answer media inquiries. An interesting one was a TV inquiry we got from Singapore the night of the storm - I had to find one of our experts to represent the company on a news show for CNBC in Asia and then needed to prepare and communicate with the TV station and the spokesperson in the wake of Hurricane Sandy approaching. But actually, I think even though this work was so closely related to the storm, it somehow took my mind of worrying too much and just got me into 'business mode'. I also enjoyed being able to update our website and communicating with other evacuees in the middle of the storm - granted I was lucky that I never lost connectivity - this would not have been possible from my apartment in lower manhattan. Now, the morning after the storm we saw that some branches of trees had come down and it took me about two hours to answer all inquiries from family and friends overseas. But really, it didn't seem so bad until we heard what a mess Sandy had caused both in my neighborhood down here and especially in other boroughs like Queens, Staten Island and Long Island and Jersey. We have yet to see the full extent of the destruction that this storm caused.
Long before there was ever talk of Sandy I had booked a trip to Miami, joining my friend who was there on a conference. Now, my big worry was first of all whether the airport would be open and actually LaGuardia was closed until Thursday morning and I was due to fly out that day and secondly whether I needed my passport which was safely stored in my room in TriBeCa. Having called the German embassy, I decided to take a chance and try to fly out with my German state ID and fortunately they let me. I have never been so glad to pass through security and they actually let me get on an earlier flight to Florida. So, I have been extremely blessed and did not have trouble staying anywhere while being evacuated but some of my friends really didn't know where to go, what to do without electricity and connectivity. It was a strange vibe - almost seemed like mid-town was becoming the hip place to be as obviously shops and restaurants also couldn't open without power and heating.
While in Florida, enjoying the sun I finally received a note from my building that it was safe to get back into our apartments - and just today I read that we might be able to get a reduction in rent. With the insane rent that could pay for some of the emergency purchases I had to make in Miami or maybe be invested in another donations. With all the horrific scenes I have seen from places like Rockaway Beach and the new winter storm approaching, we should really all donate to those aid organizations that are trying to provide shelter and food to those who really need it now. The city speaks of 40.000 new homeless people. One really positive lesson I have taken from this personal experience of a catastrophe is that it brings people closer together and also that it so important to strive for getting back into 'business mode' as soon as possible- for me it was participating in the communications efforts of the company and speaking to colleagues which really helped. Thanks to everyone out there who is making a difference right now. Sandy will most definitely be a name that we won't forget too soon...
So little did I know when I was packing for Boston the Friday before Sandy. I was going to take China bus to hang out at my friend's Halloween party and that was it. Of course at work there were predictions about the storm and we sent out some client/broker communications but I was sure that this was not going to affect me personally. When checking for updates on Saturday and even Sunday morning I was getting a little more worries, thinking that I should be getting back into the city as I didn't want to risk being on the road during the storm. But still I did not even think of any consequences for my apartment. Just about when I got on the bus around lunch time in Boston, my friend called me and told me she had to vacate her apartment. I quickly called my flatmate and surprise, surprise we are actually in flood zone A so we had also been asked to evacuate the building. If only I could have gotten off the bus at that point - I was very close to asking the driver to stop and drop me off in a random parking lot so my friends could pick me up... Of course I was panicking more and more on the bus, realizing that the subway would stop running and that I had nowhere to go. Fortunately my friend's brother who lives up in Washington Heights was kind enough to not only take her in but also allow me to ride out the storm up there. When I got into Chinatown I caught one of the last subways uptown and there was a very weird atmosphere in the trains - almost like the quiet before the storm... However, there was no storm to be seen that night! And we actually thought we could get back to our homes the day after - far from the truth. The actual storm only happened on Monday night and yes, there was a lot of wind but nothing worse than any winter storm I have witnessed in Germany. What was really freaky was when the lights started flickering and after having seen all these notes on Facebook that people had lost power we were constantly charging our phones and taking showers, just in case the power/hot water went out. You also start eating a lot more than you usually do when you are nervous and have nothing better to do, the night of a storm. I have to say, we got really spoiled too. Have not had this much nice, homemade food during my entire stay here in NY... Anyway, I think what made my evacuated time fly as well, was work. Since I work in Communications, we had to update both internal and external stakeholders throughout our company but also clients/brokers and answer media inquiries. An interesting one was a TV inquiry we got from Singapore the night of the storm - I had to find one of our experts to represent the company on a news show for CNBC in Asia and then needed to prepare and communicate with the TV station and the spokesperson in the wake of Hurricane Sandy approaching. But actually, I think even though this work was so closely related to the storm, it somehow took my mind of worrying too much and just got me into 'business mode'. I also enjoyed being able to update our website and communicating with other evacuees in the middle of the storm - granted I was lucky that I never lost connectivity - this would not have been possible from my apartment in lower manhattan. Now, the morning after the storm we saw that some branches of trees had come down and it took me about two hours to answer all inquiries from family and friends overseas. But really, it didn't seem so bad until we heard what a mess Sandy had caused both in my neighborhood down here and especially in other boroughs like Queens, Staten Island and Long Island and Jersey. We have yet to see the full extent of the destruction that this storm caused.
Long before there was ever talk of Sandy I had booked a trip to Miami, joining my friend who was there on a conference. Now, my big worry was first of all whether the airport would be open and actually LaGuardia was closed until Thursday morning and I was due to fly out that day and secondly whether I needed my passport which was safely stored in my room in TriBeCa. Having called the German embassy, I decided to take a chance and try to fly out with my German state ID and fortunately they let me. I have never been so glad to pass through security and they actually let me get on an earlier flight to Florida. So, I have been extremely blessed and did not have trouble staying anywhere while being evacuated but some of my friends really didn't know where to go, what to do without electricity and connectivity. It was a strange vibe - almost seemed like mid-town was becoming the hip place to be as obviously shops and restaurants also couldn't open without power and heating.
While in Florida, enjoying the sun I finally received a note from my building that it was safe to get back into our apartments - and just today I read that we might be able to get a reduction in rent. With the insane rent that could pay for some of the emergency purchases I had to make in Miami or maybe be invested in another donations. With all the horrific scenes I have seen from places like Rockaway Beach and the new winter storm approaching, we should really all donate to those aid organizations that are trying to provide shelter and food to those who really need it now. The city speaks of 40.000 new homeless people. One really positive lesson I have taken from this personal experience of a catastrophe is that it brings people closer together and also that it so important to strive for getting back into 'business mode' as soon as possible- for me it was participating in the communications efforts of the company and speaking to colleagues which really helped. Thanks to everyone out there who is making a difference right now. Sandy will most definitely be a name that we won't forget too soon...
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