New York City

New York: Gasoline Stations Run Dry

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– New Yorkers in fuel scramble as storm-hit pumps dry up (Reuters, Oct 31, 2012):

NEW YORK – Drivers and homeowners scrambled to secure fuel for their cars and generators in the U.S. Northeast on Wednesday as storm-hit gasoline stations started to run dry.

More than half of all gasoline service stations in the New York City area and New Jersey were shut because of depleted fuel supplies and power outages, frustrating attempts to restore normal life, industry officials said.

Reports of long lines, dark stations and empty tanks circulated across the region. Some station owners were unable to pump fuel due to a lack of power, while others quickly ran their tanks dry because of increased demand and logistical problems in delivering fresh supplies.

The lack of working gasoline stations is likely to compound travel problems in the region, with the New York City subway system down until at least Thursday and overland rail and bus services severely disrupted.

Homeowners and businesses relying on back-up generators during the power cuts, including many Wall Street banks in lower Manhattan, may also run short of fuel.

Read moreNew York: Gasoline Stations Run Dry

NYC: Sewage, Bacteria, Gasoline Found in Floodwater

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– Sewage, Bacteria, Gasoline Found in NYC Floodwater (ABC News,Oct 31, 2012):

Water is everywhere in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy – in basements, on the streets and in transit systems – but the one place that flood water is most dangerous is in your body.

ABC News chief health and medical editor Dr. Richard Besser collected floodwater and drinking water in some of the areas hit hardest by Sandy and had them tested at The Ambient Group lab. The floodwater collected in Lower Manhattan tested positive for gasoline and two types of bacteria found in sewage: E. coli and coliform.

“Very dangerous,” Besser said. “Make sure you wear protective gear if you are coming into contact with flood water.”

Read moreNYC: Sewage, Bacteria, Gasoline Found in Floodwater

18 Startling Quotes About The Incredible Destruction Caused By Hurricane Sandy

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– 18 Startling Quotes About The Incredible Destruction Caused By Hurricane Sandy (Economic Collapse, Oct 31, 2012):

It is hard to put into words the absolute devastation that we are seeing along many areas of the east coast right now.  Boats have been washed ashore, homes have been razed, some coastal roads have been essentially destroyed, and large numbers of people are still trapped in their homes by flood waters.  It is being reported that more than 50 people are dead and more than 8 million people along the east coast have lost power.  Those without power might not get it back for a week or more.  In New York City, an all-time record storm surge of almost 14 feet caused incredible destruction.  It is going to take months for New York City to recover, and along the Jersey coast things are even worse.  Hurricane Sandy really did turn out to be “the worst case scenario” for much of the eastern seaboard.  At this point more than 15,000 flights have been cancelled, and nobody knows when subway service in New York City is going to be restored.  More than 4 million people a day use that subway system, and right now many of the most important tunnels are absolutely flooded with water. Sadly, this crisis is far from over.  The storm formerly known as Hurricane Sandy has moved inland over Pennsylvania where it continues to do a tremendous amount of damage.  The full extent of the destruction caused by this storm will probably not be known for weeks.We have truly seen some unprecedented things during this storm.  For example, a 168 foot long tanker was driven ashore on Staten Island.  Right now the tanker is sitting on Front Street.

Read more18 Startling Quotes About The Incredible Destruction Caused By Hurricane Sandy

US Gov Report: 2 Refineries, 3 Nuclear Sites, And 6.25 Million Residents Still Dark

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– 2 Refineries, 3 Nuclear Sites, And 6.25 Million Residents Still Dark (ZeroHedge, Oct 31, 2012):

The US Department of Energy has just released their latest storm damage report for Sandy and it does not make for good reading. Over 50% of New Jersey residents remain without electricity and almost 2 million people in New York state alone. Port Reading (Hess) and Linden (Phillips) refineries remain shutdown (about 308,000 barrels per day or 26% capacity offline), and 3 nuclear sites (Salem, Indian Point, and Nine Mile Point) remain offline and many of the others are at dramatically lowered output (only 52% of capacity online!). Not good…

2012_SitRep6_Sandy_10312012_1000AM

Sandy Total Loss Estimate: Up To $100 Billion

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– Sandy Total Loss Estimate: Up To $100 Billion (ZeroHedge, Oct 31, 2012):

In a stunningly accurate prediction of what to expect from a 100-year storm, the following 2011 report assessing the ‘risk increase to infrastructure due to a sea level rise‘ provides everything you did not want to know about just how bad the situation is with recovery from Sandy’s damage but were afraid to ask. Based on extrapolations from storm surge heights, the authors see a ‘perfect storm’ of this magnitude likely creating a total loss between $50 and $100bn. As Atlantic Cities notes, citing the report: The researchers also estimate that… it could take the subway system about 21 days to get working at 90 percent functionality. If all potential damage is considered, …that timeline could increase to several months, and that “permanent restoration of the system to the full revenue service that was previously available could take more than two years.”

Read moreSandy Total Loss Estimate: Up To $100 Billion

New York Paralyzed As Subways Shut Down Indefinitely: Subway Chief: ‘Worst Disaster Ever’

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– New York Paralyzed As Subways Shut Down Indefinitely: Subway Chief: “Worst Disaster Ever” (ZeroHedge, Oct 30, 2012):

As everyone who has been to New York City knows, without its underground arteries – the subway system – the city is if not dead, than certainly in an indefinite coma. By that logic, New York will not get out of the critical ward for many days, because hours ago the head of the New York City’s transit system just called Hurricane Sandy “the most devastating event to the city’s subway system ever.” At last check seven subway tunnels under the East River had flooded, as did the Queens Midtown Tunnel—and Metropolitan Transit Authority chairman Joseph Lhota said there is “no firm timeline” for when the system would be back up and running. According to other MTA employees it would take between 14 hours and 4 days just to pump the water out of the subway system. We’ll take the over. And as long as there are no subways, there are no clerical and support workers, there is no Wall Street, there is no beating heart to the city.

Read moreNew York Paralyzed As Subways Shut Down Indefinitely: Subway Chief: ‘Worst Disaster Ever’

Nuclear Power Plant Alert As Superstorm Sandy Expected To Hit 26 Nuclear Facilities Along Its Path

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See also:

– Hurricane Sandy: New Jersey Oyster Creek Nuclear Plant SFP Cooling Could Be Stopped If Water Levels At The Plant Rise 6 More Inches

– Nation’s Oldest Nuclear Power Plant, New Jersey’s Oyster Creek, Declares Alert Following Water Surge

– Nuclear plant alert as 26 facilities in Sandy’s path (RT, Oct 29/30, 2012):

Parts of two nuclear power plants were shut down and another one put on alert, as the ‘Superstorm’ Sandy ravished the US East Coast. The storm may hit as many as 26 of the nuclear facilities along its path.

­A unit at Indian Point plant north of New York City was shut down on Monday due to an external grid issue, the plant operator said. The facility itself and its employees are not at risk, the Entergy Corp. said.

At the Salem plant in Hancocks Bridge, New Jersey, a unit was shut down Tuesday, because four of its six circulating water pumps were no longer available, PSEG Nuclear reported.

Read moreNuclear Power Plant Alert As Superstorm Sandy Expected To Hit 26 Nuclear Facilities Along Its Path

Superstorm Sandy Blaze Video: Fire Rips Through Breezy Point, Queens, 50 Houses Destroyed (Video)

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YouTube Added: 30.10.2012

Description:

Explosions, fires, and floods have devastated New York, killing at least six people statewide. Hurricane Sandy left dozens of houses ablaze as it hit the city while flooding at least seven subway tunnels and overwhelming the emergency services. First reports of major fire were coming in from the Rockaway Park area of Queens, New York. A few hours later, fire engulfed 15 houses in Breezy Point, Queens, and 190 firefighters were on site battling the blaze. Fire has reportedly destroyed 50 houses.

Hurricane Sandy: New Jersey Oyster Creek Nuclear Plant SFP Cooling Could Be Stopped If Water Levels At The Plant Rise 6 More Inches

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– U.S. nuclear plant declares “alert” after Sandy storm surge: NRC (Reuters)

Exelon Corp declared an “alert” at its New Jersey Oyster Creek nuclear power plant due to a record storm surge, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said, warning that a further water rise could force the country’s oldest working plant to use emergency water supplies to cool spent uranium fuel rods.

The alert — the second lowest of four NRC action levels — came after water levels at the plant rose by more than 6.5 feet, potentially affecting the pumps that circulate water through the plant, an NRC spokesman said late on Monday.

Those pumps are not essential since the 43-year-old plant was shut for planned refueling since October 22. However, a further rise to 7 feet could submerge the service water pump motor that is used to cool the water in the spent fuel pool.

Exelon said in a statement that there was no danger to equipment and no threat to public health or safety.

The incident at Oyster Creek, which is about 60 miles east of Philadelphia on the New Jersey Coast, came as Sandy made landfall as the largest Atlantic storm ever, bringing up to 90 mile per hour (mph) winds and 13-foot storm surges in the biggest test of the industry’s emergency preparedness since the Fukushima disaster in Japan a year and a half ago.

Read moreHurricane Sandy: New Jersey Oyster Creek Nuclear Plant SFP Cooling Could Be Stopped If Water Levels At The Plant Rise 6 More Inches

Superstorm Sandy: At Least 16 Deaths, 7.5 MILLION WITHOUT POWER (Video)

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– At least 16 deaths, 7.5 million without power in Superstorm Sandy’s wake (Chicago Tribune, Oct 30, 2012):

Superstorm Sandy slammed into the New Jersey coastline with 80 mph winds Monday night and hurled an unprecedented 13-foot surge of seawater at New York City, flooding its tunnels, subway stations and the electrical system that powers Wall Street.

At least 16 U.S. deaths were blamed on the storm, which brought the presidential campaign to a halt a week before Election Da. Sandy also killed 66 people in the Caribbean.

For New York City at least, Sandy was not the days-long onslaught many had feared, and the wind and rain that sent water sloshing into Manhattan from three sides began dying down within hours.

Still, the power was out for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers and an estimated 7.5 million people altogether across the East. The full extent of the storm’s damage across the region was unclear, and unlikely to be known until daybreak.Stock trading will be closed in the U.S. for a second day Tuesday — the first time the New York Stock Exchange will be closed for two consecutive days due to weather since 1888, when a blizzard struck the city.

Read moreSuperstorm Sandy: At Least 16 Deaths, 7.5 MILLION WITHOUT POWER (Video)

Nation’s Oldest Nuclear Power Plant, New Jersey’s Oyster Creek, Declares Alert Following Water Surge

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– Nation’s Oldest Nuclear Power Plant, New Jersey’s Oyster Creek, Declares Alert Following Water Surge (ZeroHedge, Oct 29, 2012):

As a reminder, the biggest catastrophe that resulted from last year’s Tohoku earthquake in Japan was not the earthquake itself, nor the infrastructure destruction from the susbequent tsunami, but the impact of the soaring water wall on the nuclear power plants in the coastline, namely Fukushima, and its aftermath, by now known all too well to all. So tonight too, all along the east coast, the biggest threat is not the wind, nor the rain, but the impact of the storm surge on the tens of nuclear power plants located in the vicinity of the rapidly rising tide. Such as Oyster Creek in New Jersey which just went on alert due to the surging water level.

From AP:

The nation’s oldest nuclear power plant is on alert after waters from a colossal storm reached high levels.

Read moreNation’s Oldest Nuclear Power Plant, New Jersey’s Oyster Creek, Declares Alert Following Water Surge

NYC: 670,000 Without Power, ConEd Says Repairs Could Take A Week – Interactive Status Map

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– 670,000 Without Power, ConEd Says Repairs Could Take A Week – Interactive Status Map (ZeroHedge, Oct 29, 2012):

The good news is that no workers are trapped. The bad news is that between the 14th Street transformer explosion and the flooding and damage elsewhere, there are 670,000 people without power and over 230,000 of them are in Manhattan.

  • *CON ED SAYS UNDERGROUND SUBSTATIONS COULD BE UP IN 3 TO 4 DAYS
  • *CON ED SAYS IT WILL TAKE LONGER TO REPAIR ABOVE GROUND STATIONS
  • *CON ED SAYS IT COULD BE UP TO A WEEK FOR POWER RESTORATION
  • *LARGEST STORM RELATED OUTAGE IN CON ED HISTORY, MIKSAD SAYS

Full list of current outages in New York City (hardest hit are Cooper Square, Canal, Jamaica, Chelsea, and Borough Hill):

Read moreNYC: 670,000 Without Power, ConEd Says Repairs Could Take A Week – Interactive Status Map

Postcards From An Underwater New York

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– Postcards From An Underwater New York (ZeroHedge, Oct 29, 2012):

Once the surge levees break, the water level just soars and covers everything in a “reverse Titanic” as the following pictures demonstrate:

Ground Zero (via AP)

Hoboken PATH station (via @garywhitta)

Avenue C and 13th Street (via iWitness Weather):

Lower East Side:

The Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel is flooding… (via @NewsBreaker)

The Belt Parkway fully underwater

Stunning view of the lower manhattan black out (via @nicksummers)

14th Street Transformer exploding! (via @georgeweld)

Floating Cop cars in lower east side (via  David Schulz)

 

More as we see it.

 

Once the surge levees break, the water level just soars and covers everything in a “reverse Titanic” as the following pictures demonstrate:

Ground Zero (via AP)

Hoboken PATH station (via @garywhitta)

Avenue C and 13th Street (via iWitness Weather):

Lower East Side:

The Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel is flooding… (via @NewsBreaker)

The Belt Parkway fully underwater

Stunning view of the lower manhattan black out (via @nicksummers)

14th Street Transformer exploding! (via @georgeweld)

Floating Cop cars in lower east side (via  David Schulz)

 

More as we see it.

NYC: Video Of ConEd Station On FDR And 14th Street Exploding

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– Video Of ConEd Station On FDR And 14th Street Exploding (ZeroHedge, Oct 29, 2012):

Moments ago the Emergency Services were hit with the following disturbing update:NYC | MANHATTAN | EXPLOSION | FDR DR & E-14 STREET | U/D CMD RPTS EXPLOSION AT THE CON ED PLANT. MULTI-RESCUES UNDERWAY | UEA01

See it happen in real time: fast forward to 3:10 in the clip below to see an underwater power station explode.

Worst Case Scenario: Hurricane Sandy Is The Biggest Storm Ever To Hit The Northeast

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Source

– Worst Case Scenario: Hurricane Sandy Is The Biggest Storm Ever To Hit The Northeast (Economic Collapse, Oct 28, 2012):

The biggest storm to ever hit the northeast United States is creating a tremendous amount of havoc up and down the eastern seaboard.  It is hard to describe how gigantic this storm actually is.  From end to end, Hurricane Sandy is more than 1000 miles across.  It is twice the size of the state of Texas, and meteorologists are calling this storm a “worst case scenario“.  It is currently coming ashore in New Jersey, but this is just the beginning.  A winter storm approaching from the west is going to combine with Hurricane Sandy, and the combined storm is projected to hammer the northeast with wind and rain all the way through the end of the week.  Meteorologists all over the nation are saying that they have never seen anything like this.  Hurricane Sandy is the biggest storm in modern U.S. history, and earlier today the storm pressure was recorded to be even lower than the Long Island Express Hurricane of 1938.  In fact, Hurricane Sandy has the lowest pressure ever recorded for any storm north of the state of North Carolina.  On Monday evening it was packing maximum sustained winds of about 90 miles per hour, and hurricane-force winds could be felt as far out as 175 miles from the center of the storm.  To say that this storm is a major disaster is a tremendous understatement.On Monday night, it is projected that wind speeds in New York City could reach 80 miles per hour.  But that is only part of the story.  The higher you go, the more intense the winds will be.  For example, if you live 30 stories above New York, a gust of wind at 80 miles per hour on the ground will be close to 100 miles per hour for you.

Read moreWorst Case Scenario: Hurricane Sandy Is The Biggest Storm Ever To Hit The Northeast

Hurricane Sandy Could Bring ‘Catastrophe,’ Affect 60 Million People (CNN)

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– Sandy could bring ‘catastrophe,’ affect 60 million (CNN, Oct 29, 2012):

Tens of millions of people braced Monday for howling winds, torrential downpours and storm surges that authorities warned could bring devastation unlike anything they’ve seen.

Hurricane Sandy could affect as many as 60 million people.

“This is the most catastrophic event that we have faced and been able to plan for in any of our lifetimes,” Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy said.

Read moreHurricane Sandy Could Bring ‘Catastrophe,’ Affect 60 Million People (CNN)

Hurricane Sandy Turns NYC into Ghost Town (WSJ) – The $100 Billion Storm: 17 Things You Should Know About Hurricane Sandy

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– Hurricane Sandy Turns NYC into Ghost Town (Wall Street Journal, Oct 29, 2012)

– The $100 Billion Storm: 17 Things You Should Know About Hurricane Sandy (Economic Collapse, Oct 28, 2012):

Meteorologists are warning that Hurricane Sandy could potentially be the worst storm to hit the east coast of the United States in 100 years.  Do you remember “the perfect storm” back in 1991?  That storm was so bad that Hollywood made a blockbuster movie starring George Clooney about it.  Well, this storm is going to be much worse.  When I first heard about Hurricane Sandy, I didn’t make that much of it.  I figured that the east coast would get some wind and some rain and that they would whine about it a bit but that everything would be just fine.  But then I started looking into this storm a bit more.  It turns out that this storm is even larger than Hurricane Katrina was.  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has categorized the destructive potential of this storm to be 5.8 on a scale that goes from 0 to 6.  So don’t be fooled when you hear that this is only a “category 1 storm” or that the maximum winds will only be around 80 MPH.  It is the unprecedented size of this storm and the mind boggling storm surges that it is producing that truly make it dangerous.  It is being reported that Hurricane Sandy is more than 1,000 miles across from one end to the other.  Meteorologists have never seen anything quite like this before, and we are most definitely in unprecedented territory.  One meteorologist is already projecting that this megastorm could cause 100 billion dollars in damage, but the true amount of devastation will likely not be fully known for weeks.  If you live in the northeast part of the United States, you definitely want to buckle up because you are about to get absolutely hammered.The following are 17 things that you should know about Hurricane Sandy…

Read moreHurricane Sandy Turns NYC into Ghost Town (WSJ) – The $100 Billion Storm: 17 Things You Should Know About Hurricane Sandy

Prophetic Pillars On St. John The Divine Cathedral Depict Apocalyptic New York

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Flashback.

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– Prophetic Pillars on St. John the Divine Cathedral? (The Vigilant Citizen, April 13, 2012):

One of the first articles published on this site was Sinister Sites – St. John the Divine Cathedral, where I’ve described the building’s occult symbolism and its role in the United Nations’ efforts to push a single world religion. Probably the most shocking part of that article was the pictures of the columns, conceived in 1997,  depicting the destruction of New York city (including the Twin Towers). The Church was named after St. John the Divine, the author of the Book of Revelation.The original article showed only two of these columns (the others were not visible at the time I took the pics). Since then however, the other pillars are visible and their symbolism is as esoteric and mysterious as those originally posted. Here they are (in no particular order).

The columns are placed next to the Cathedral’s entrance, under saintly figures.
Posted in the original article on St. John the Divine, this pillar depicts an apocalyptic New York city being engulfed by enormous waves.
Also posted in the original article, this column depicts the destruction of the Brooklyn Bridge. Underneath is the New York stock market and people trading goods. Is this a reference to the Babylon of the Revelation?
Horsemen of the Apocalypse?
A scene depicting a birth from some kind of flower, surrounded by mummies and above a lamb with its legs tied. Who is being born? Is the Anti-Christ who is said by the Book of Revelation to the beast “coming up out of the earth; and had two horns like a lamb“? Underneath is a spiral vortex (symbolizing change of consciousness?) and people apparently praising or worshipping the figure.

Read moreProphetic Pillars On St. John The Divine Cathedral Depict Apocalyptic New York

Hurricane Sandy: Wall Street Shuts Down; Trading May Not Resume Until Wednesday

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– All US Equity Markets Closed Monday (And Maybe Tuesday) Due To Sandy (ZeroHedge, oct 29, 2012):

Late Updates – after a day of consultation and realization that if the algos were left alone to play then things could go a little pear-shaped – NYSE and NASDAQ will now be totally closed tomorrow:

  • *U.S. EQUITY MARKETS TO CLOSE ON OCT. 29 FOR STORM, SEC SAYS
  • *NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE TO CLOSE MARKETS FOR STORM
  • *NASDAQ OMX MARKETS CLOSED TOMORROW ON HURRICANE SANDY  :NDAQ US
  • *CBOE TO CLOSE EXCHANGES OCT. 29 BECAUSE OF HURRICANE SANDY

Via NYSE:

“In consultation with other exchanges and market participants, NYSE Euronext will close its markets on Monday, Oct. 29, 2012 and pending confirmation on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012’’

“We support the consensus of the markets and the regulatory community that the dangerous  conditions developing as a result of Hurricane Sandy will make it extremely difficult to ensure the safety of our people and communities, and safety must be our first priority’’

“We will work with the industry to determine the next steps in restoring trading as soon as the situation permits’’

Add to this, SIFMA’s recommendation that bond markets close at midday – which is all a little moot given MTA’s closure and tomorrow looks like being a busy day for the European desks…

– Hurricane to close Wall St on Monday, possibly Tuesday (Reuters, Oct 29, 2012):

U.S. stock and options markets will be closed on Monday and possibly Tuesday, the exchange operator said, going back on a plan that would have kept electronic trading going on Monday.

As Hurricane Sandy bears down on the New York area, regulators, exchanges and brokers grew increasingly worried about the integrity of markets and the safety of employees.

It will be the first time the market has closed for a weather-related event since Hurricane Gloria on September 27, 1985.

– Wall Street shuts for storm; trading may not resume until Wednesday (Los Angeles Times, Oct 28, 2012):

As Hurricane Sandy barrels down on the East Coast, Wall Street is shutting down.

The nation’s two biggest trading platforms — the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq Stock Market — have both closed for business. They said trading might not get back to normal until Wednesday.

This would be the first time trading has been halted in all U.S. stocks since a four-day stretch after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Read moreHurricane Sandy: Wall Street Shuts Down; Trading May Not Resume Until Wednesday

New York Mayor Orders Evacuation Of ‘Zone A’ Residents

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– New York Mayor Orders Evacuation Of “Zone A” Residents (ZeroHedge, Oct 28, 2012):

First it was governor Cuomo, now it is Mike Bloomberg holding a press conference discussing advance preparations for Sandy, and just like last year, the first thing to be done, is the order of a mandatory evacuation of all low-lying areas, where some 375,000 New Yorkers live, contained in Zone A – those who don’t voluntarily evacuate will not be arrested, but are being “selfish” according to Mayor Mike (it is unclear what happens if the non-evacuatees are also found to be in possession of a highly illegal 32 Oz coke container… that may be a felony offense). Depending on the storm surge, if any, it is likely that Zones B and C will also be evacuated. To find if you live in a zone to be evacuated, go to this website, alternatively the full hurricane evacuation preparedness map is presented below. And remember: if packing a go bag: no sugar… anything but sugar, or else Nurse Sam will be very angry.

Below is a map showing that virtually the entire downtown financial sector, including Goldman HQ, falls into Zone A. If the evacuation escalates to include Zone C, none other than the New York Fed (where over 20% of the world’s gold is held) will also be empty.

New York City Hurricane Evacuation Zones (pdf)

NYC Hurricane Evacuation Zone