Buenos dias.
I hope those of you in the Northeast still without power find yourselves in the range of AC/DC again very soon.
I've been reading some fascinating stories about the lengths to which people have gone, especially from downtown (below, say, 40th Street), to find power enough to charge their cellphones.
Hey, I'd be right there in line behind you (although I'd try the Google solar recharging tchotchke I got several years ago first).
I've also been reading about the comeback of pay phones. I didn't even know there WERE any payphones left in NYC, but yes, there's actually some 12,000 of them (down from 35,000 at their peak).
Because I was a New York City bike messenger once upon a time, I am very familiar with NYC pay phones. When I used to traverse the streets of Manhattan riding around moving vehicles like a crazy person, I had two pieces of technology: My Sony Walkman, and a beeper.
Whenever that beeper went off, I would head straight for a pay phone so I could call into my dispatch to grab another pick up.
But to imagine that a landline pay phone was my last line of communication defense... well, that's what it's come to for so many New Yorkers.
Some other good news I'm hearing: 14 of the city's 23 subway lines were expected to open (though the 3, 7, B, C, E, G, and Q trains remain dark), which should go a long way towards alleviating some of the ridiculous auto traffic seen in NYC yesterday.
And the Cuomo plan to require three folks to a vehicle coming into Manhattan, though a heavy hand, is also not a bad idea, at least until more public transport can get up and running.
I'm also amazed that LaGuardia Airport opened this morning, especially after seeing those flood waters leaning up towards the jetways just two days ago. I imagine there will be lines of folks wanting to get out of town.
As for me, I'm sitting back, taking some notes for my own disaster "crash" kit. No use not turning these lemons into lemonade.
First on my list, other than plenty of fresh water and three days of non-perishable food: One of those combination hand cranked cellphone recharger, flashlight, and weather radio. I've read about too many people who just didn't know what the —— was going on, and that alone would drive me absolutely crazy.
A small, portable stove with a minimum week's worth of fuel.
Small packages of dried instant coffee and powdered Gatorade.
Some sealed packages of beef jerky, power bars, and MREs (because I've seen so many complain about eating only bananas and power bars for three days stuck in their apartments)
Cash, and plenty of it.
Tell me what else I'm forgetting, my NYC area kinsmen.
Ready.gov had a whole list of basic and additional emergency supplies that's worth a look see here.
Hang in there, NY, CT, and NJ. You're almost back up on your feet, and the rest of the country is cheering you on.
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