Tuesday morning I went to the East River around 730 a.m. and that was wild…I walked across 10th street with my dog Jesse to get there and at that time had no idea that a 14 ft wave had hit. I noticed many cars were rearranged and some just sitting in the middle of the street and I realized the water must have been that high. Then I went across the FDR on the 10th street overpass and saw the drive was closed and flooded in some areas. I walked down from 10th on the promenade all the way to Delancey. There was so much debris-oddest thing was a beehive which pieces and slats covered about a quarter of a mile. Plus I saw a splattered mouse. The beehive I think had been at the environmental center farther down across from Delancey. The wind was still high so I went back after an hour or so because I wanted to stay inside. No phone, news, emails, etc. I slept the whole day off and on, plus went out with Jesse a few times…and had a couple glasses of wine too. And kept reading the Roosevelt biography I had stopped reading a few months ago. I talked to a few people in the building and on the street. Everyone was just trying to figure things out.
When I went outside, a lot of people were clearing out of the neighborhood with suitcases and the stress and confusion was high. There was actually quite a bit of traffic and without traffic lights I saw my fair share of close calls with pedestrians, cars, etc. This seemed like the most danger both Tuesday and Wednesday – the dumb drivers. By Wednesday afternoon the FDR had opened and Bloomberg had restricted incoming passenger count, so things were more under control. Plus people seemed finally to realize that if there is not a traffic light, this does not mean you have the right of way. It means you have to be extra careful. This was not a 9/11 situation where people were nice after the event. It was/felt like an ‘every man for yourself situation!’
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