In the nick of time...

Well, I'm back in Charlotte, and apparently I got out of NYC just in the nick of time.  I left at around 6pm on Saturday and the subways closed at 7pm on Sunday.  And then apparently all hell broke loose along the entire Eastern seaboard!!  I could not feel more blessed to have gotten out without any delays, and I seriously hope that NYC and NJ recover soon.

The pictures online are absolutely amazing.  From the blackouts to the flooding, I can't believe this is the same city I was just adventuring around a few days ago!

Blackout in lower Manhattan

Check out this website for a before-and-after .gif

http://gothamist.com/2012/10/30/compare_lower_manhattan_before_and.php

Empty Grand Central Station

http://gothamist.com/2012/10/28/photos_grand_central_terminal_gets.php#photo-5

MTA/Aaron Donovan

The Red Hook neighborhood, which is where I stayed last month

http://gothamist.com/2012/10/30/photos_stormtroopers_flooding_and_m.php#photo-6

flickr

This picture of the flooding at the ground zero/Freedom Tower dig site is amazing, because it shows the sheer power of that volume of water.  I remember this statistic from a disaster preparedness course that we took during med school - it only takes a foot of water to displace the weight of a 4-door car, sweeping it with the current.

http://weather.aol.com/2012/10/30/at-least-80-flooded-houses-destroyed-by-nyc-fire/

But alas, leave it to Diane Sawyer to leave us with a ray of hope; that after the storm the sun really does shine!

instagram - DianeSawyer