Sandy's Aftermath

Sandy came in lower than expected with high winds, but little rain compared to Irene last year.  It proceeded to strip the flashing off the edge of the roof, knock pine trees over, and steal power for three and a half days.  Unlike Irene, Sandy was a much colder event and it was difficult to stay in the apartment without heat.  On the day I left to go elsewhere it was the middle of the afternoon and 45 degrees in the warmest part of the room.  At least I wasn't worried about the food in the frig going bad. 

Upon my return power was back, but the heating system was impaired due to a furnace malfunction, so I was able to only use my electric space heater for warmth.  The next day it was fixed though, and heat has been restored here.  Currently there is another storm dropping snow outside, but it seems to be a small system in comparison, even though it is a burden for people farther to the east. 

Today and the remainder of this week I was/will be helping to clean up after the minor damages in the area.  A lot of branches and trees were knocked around, and it will be necessary to clean them up before the heavy snows fall.  Minor damages to structures and yards will have to be addressed as well, but nothing like that of the east coast that took the brunt of the force.  There were many that lost their homes and livelihoods, and this may just be a taste of things to come. 

The world will continue to change, and events like these may become more frequent, despite the existence of ways to minimize the damage.  Perhaps the future will be kind to open the door we need to get there, but I think we'll have to start by coaxing it open.  It will be interesting to see how events unfold from here on.