Saturday, November 3, 2012

Another quick collection of Sandy links

A few Sandy-recovery stories that intrigued me over the last few days:

  • The Coast Guard has called off its search for Captain Walbridge, and has moved into an analysis stage: Coast Guard scrutiny on the Bounty's sinking begins, investigation expected to last months
  • A plan has been developed and put into action to secure and dismantle the damaged construction crane: Dangling Crane to Be Secured in 36-Hour Weekend Operation
    Over the next three or four weeks, workers will build another crane alongside the damaged one and use it to remove the parts that are broken, said the mayor

    Dave Winer's blog has some good pictures here.

  • Large parts of New Jersey will practice gas rationing, at least for a few days: Christie Orders Odd-Even Rationing System For Filling Up Gas Tanks
    Residents with license plates ending in an odd number can make gas purchases on odd-numbered days of the month Residents with plates ending in an even number will be able to buy gas on even-numbered days, the governor said.

    Specialized plates or those not displaying a number will be considered odd numbered plates, a release from the governor’s office stated.

    This being New York, there's an extensive black market, on Craigslist: Energy emergency: Sandy profiteers sell gas, generators at predatory prices on post-apocalypse Craigslist

    to get a taste of how bad it is: search for "gasoline," "gas," or "generator" on NY Craigslist right now
  • A somewhat-under-reported story is the impact of the closure of the stupendously-enormous Port of New York and New Jersey: Cargo industry suffers huge losses in wake of storm
    Commercial vessels aren't yet allowed to wait for the terminals to reopen. "If you don't have an approved berth, you can't come in and sit for a week and wait for something to open," Ward says.

    Ocean shippers are rerouting ships to other East Coast ports, such as Philadelphia. For example, Evergreen Marine, a shipping company based in Hong Kong, told customers Friday that it would steer vessels to Baltimore or Norfolk until the New York port resumes normal operation.

    The Wall Street Journal, behind a paywall, says that the biggest problem is not the waterways or the physical docks, but the fact that the lack of power means they can't run the container cranes and lifts.

  • Lastly, to end on a somewhat lighter note, this amusing story about why there happened to be eight generators already present at the New York Army National Guard's Lexington Avenue armory: How Victoria’s Secret Saved the National Guard During Hurricane Sandy
    As they had done for the last three years running, the lingerie company was holding its annual television event at the Regiment’s historic armory, located at 25th street and Lexington Avenue in Manhattan. For the show, the producers had hauled in eight massive 500 kilowatt generators. Of course, the producers said, we’d be happy to help. Hours later, the lights flashed back on.

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