The storm didn't hit us very hard: 3" of rain, some tree limbs down, my power was out for about 14 hours. Connecticut is a small state, but it has a lot of variation in terrain. All in all, for those of us in the northern part of the state it was a wind event. Everything was over by morning.
The real damage was along the coast. Long Island Sound runs the whole length of Connecticut's shoreline, pretty much, and it's effectively a cul-de-sac. The storm was blowing from the east, into the Sound, so the water just kept piling up. The moon was full, so the tides were higher than usual. The result was a storm surge that was much higher (and reached further inland) than most people can remember. A lot of structures that had just been rebuilt after the hurricane we had last Hallowe'en were damaged or washed away again.
This storm was absolutely enormous. When people look at a satellite view of a hurricane, they typically notice the clouds spiralling around the center. They don't realize that a typical hurricane has winds spreading out over 500 miles. This one was twice as wide.
Manhattan got really clobbered. I can't believe what happened there. They sealed off the island, and evacuated over 300,000 people from the southern end. The bridges are okay, but there are several tunnels terminating in Manhattan. They'll have to be pumped out. A large electrical substation blew up, knocking out power to lower Manhattan. You don't see telephone polls in Manhattan: everything is underground, and a lot of it is so old that the documentation is lost.
The subways are a mess. I'm sure they moved the actual trains out of harm's way, but the electricals weren't designed to be immersed in salt water. Even if the water didn't cause too much corrosion, the tunnels are filled with all kinds of stuff that washed up. Then there was that fire that took out a city block.
I know the area pretty well, and the financial district is right down there at the tip. People take their lunches out to sit in Battery Park, which went completely under.
Manhattan has been rising out of the water for years, but evidently not fast enough. It will be along time before lower Manhattan returns to normal.
I can't even imagine what New Jersey looks like.
All in all, the top two-thirds of Connecticut (where I live) made out pretty well.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at Oct 30. 2012 15:18
Jerry Schwartz
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Oct 28, 2012 20:02
