“Hello! This is Lou Uliano! Due to severe weather, the Hewitt School will be closed.”
Monday. Tuesday. Wednesday. Thursday. and Friday.
Yes ladies, we have indeed missed an entire week of school, an absolutely unprecedented occurrence yet to be experienced during our time at Hewitt: until now.
Hurricane Sandy, the eighteenth named storm of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season, first hit our radars mid-last week as it ravaged Jamaica and soon after that, Haiti, Cuba, and the Bahamas. Meteorologists quickly realized that Sandy’s path was set slightly father East than most hurricanes we see approach the U.S., and a mapped trajectory to hit the Southeastern coast of Florida and the Florida Keys was scrapped for the more accurate prediction that Sandy would make landfall in the Northeast.
Many New Yorkers scoffed when we first heard a hurricane was headed our way; wouldn’t this just be a repeat of last summer’s hurricane Irene? Gaining the affectionate name “Frankenstorm” in accordance with the hurricane’s close fall to Halloween, it seemed quite a few people were not taking the storm seriously, even as its imminent approach drew closer. On the other hand, many New Yorkers did take the appropriate cautionary measures. Although Zoe Himmel ’14 noted, “I did think Sandy was going to be another Irene,” her family still prepared for potential disaster by “covering our windows and buying lots of food and water.” Jacqui Dropkin ’13 reported, “We kept all the news channels on, and they said that this [storm] was not something to be taken lightly, so my family and I definitely prepared. There was so much hype we felt it would be silly not to prepare.”
Sunday afternoon, Mayor Bloomberg announced that the City of New York would be closing its mass transit system at 7:00 P.M., public schools would be closed Monday, and an executive order mandating the evacuation of Zone A, where over 375,000 New Yorkers live, was now in effect. Bloomberg urged residents to evacuate, explaining that surges in the coming hours would inevitably flood these low-lying areas, and that “If you [didn’t] evacuate, you [were] not just putting your own life in danger, you [were] also endangering lives of our first responders”. Further, he noted those who chose not to evacuate, “are not going to get arrested, but they are being, I would argue, very selfish.”
Sandy finally made landfall on the East Coast Monday night, hitting Atlantic City, NJ around 8:00 P.M. with a wind speed of 80 MPH. As record-high surges of 13 feet began to batter Zone A of NYC, Con Edison planned to shut off electrical service to lower Manhattan. When one of their transformers exploded at a plant on 14th street around this time, buildings from East 39th Street to the lower tip of Manhattan lost power, leaving hundreds of thousands in the dark and without heat. Power was turned on again today, Saturday.
Other immediate damage included the flooding of most NYC subway tunnels, the closing of the East river
bridges, the Holland Tunnel, and Brooklyn Battery tunnel, and the closing of part of the FDR Drive. Check out the MTA official website to see what lines are currently up and running. All commuter rail, bus, and subway service were fare-free until November 2nd. As could be seen when passing any bus stop today, the lines are tremendous. The 47th Street and Lexington Avenue bus stop this Friday afternoon had a line snaking down the block, herded by police.
Below 30th street, life has not come to a complete halt, but the stagnancy of a powerless city is evident as one looks at locked up store fronts and restaurants taking up the romantic candle-lit option out of necessity. Biking is no longer merely eco-friendly, trendy, and cheap, but instead an essential mean of transport to many New Yorkers who usually rely on mass transit and cars. According to Ralph Bombardiere, executive director of the NY State Association of Service Stations and Repair shops, “Over 50 percent of service stations [in NYC are out of order], and it could be up to 75 percent”.
It was, to say the least, a long night for those of us in Sandy’s path Monday. Now, we look at the immediate response of our local government, the steps being taken towards recovery, and long term rehabilitation in our very own city. According to Ann Marie Borrego, Director of Media Relations at the Red Cross, the nonprofit humanitarian organization is providing approximately 198 thousand meals per day, has 230 response vehicles on ground, and has deployed 3300 disaster workers as of November 1st. Able volunteers are already working tirelessly in shelters and impromptu soup kitchens to help those who are unable to access their homes or electricity. Big names like the New York Yankees are pitching in too; on Halloween, the team announced they would be donating $500,000 to the Red Cross to support rehabilitation efforts in the hurricane-ravaged tri-state area.
The hardest hit borough overall is undeniably Staten Island. With homes totally demolished and a serious lack of supplies, the community is suffering. 19 deaths of the total 40 caused by Sandy in New York have occurred in Staten Island; search and rescues still continue to be conducted. According to residents, FEMA and the Red Cross do not have a large enough presence in Staten Island right now; more aid and assistance is desperately needed.
Staten Island Councilman James Oddo, in response to Bloomberg’s announcement Wednesday that the ING NYC Marathon would still take place this Sunday, was that “The notion of diverting even one police officer, one first responder, one asset away from this carnage is beyond irrational.” This is why the decision to keep the marathon, as of Friday afternoon, has been reversed. Despite Bloomberg’s insistence that “The city is a city where we have to go on”, events like the marathon must be put in perspective; a sporting event cannot take precedence over the rehabilitation of our city and safety of our residents. The marathon’s cancellation policy states that all runners enrolled in the 2012 marathon are “eligible for guaranteed entry” in the 2013 race.
Amidst hardship, life continues. Hewitt has attempted to hold “virtual school” in the past few days by utilizing course web, chat rooms, and Hewitt e-mail. The students have been understanding, although not overly thrilled. Zoe Himmel ’14 noted, “It was kind of annoying, but I respect that they were trying to keep [school] going so that we wouldn’t fall behind.” Jacqui Dropkin ’13 took a more aggressive stance, saying “I was very annoyed with [“virtual school”]. Firstly, a lot of people are dealing with the aftermath of the hurricane, and this kind of school work may not be a priority. Also, they seem to be giving us an excessive amount of work. We should not be punished for something we did not have control over.”
The question now remains, how will the lost school days be replaced? Rumors are buzzing that NYC public schools potentially may extend their school-years into June or have breaks slashed. In Mrs. Lonergan’s latest e-mail, Hewitt’s compromises are: an extended first semester (which will end January 18th instead of before winter break), and a slightly lengthened school year (with the achievement assemblies now set to be held June 12th). Most appealing to students, though, is that “a full schedule of classes will be held in the weeks leading to Spring Break, and exams will not be given as scheduled. We will develop a more flexible system of comprehensive assessment that is in alignment with students’ developmental needs and program design. This will add six teaching days to the school calendar for grades 7-12.”
Hopefully, we, as New Yorkers and Hewitt students, will never face the type of catastrophe which galvanized this surprise-break again. Stay tuned for more updates on Hurricane Sandy’s aftermath.
SATURDAY, November 3rd:
10:30 A.M.: Press conference with Governor Cuomo, Senator Schumer, and MTA head Lhota… 80% of subways back in service, 28 million gallons of gas to be distributed in the next 2 days, 1 million meals to be distributed, schools to resume Monday, Department of Defense sending 12 million gallons of free fuel (via trucks and ships), Con-Ed has restored power to all homes in lower Manhattan.
TUESDAY, November 6th:
11:01 P.M.: Nor’easter to hit East Coast tomorrow, potentially detrimental to areas battered bySandy. Evacuations are occurring at four health care facilities inQueensalready. Tomorrow at noon: all parks, beaches, and playgrounds are to be closed in NYC and exterior construction will be prohibited after noon. Evacuations ofNew Jerseytowns are in effect in anticipation of the coming storm.