Here’s the latest update from the Mayor’s Office, via Andrew Olsen, Brooklyn Director of the Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit.

In addition to the information below, we are sorry to report that the Park Slope Halloween Parade has been cancelled due to the need to deploy NYPD and Department of Sanitation personnel to post-hurricane cleanup and safety duty, and it will not be rescheduled.

The worst of Hurricane Sandy has passed, we are continuing emergency operations, and have begun assessing the damage from the storm. Here is the latest information:

Power:

There are more than 750,000 customers (Con Ed and LIPA combined) without power as of 11am Tuesday.

The steam system in Manhattan south of 42nd Street was shut down as a preventative step by Con Ed. This affects heating, air conditioning, and ventilation systems for hospitals.

Power may be out in some places for 2-3 days.

Time Warner Cable: There are substantial outages (both partial and complete) in Brooklyn and Manhattan

Verizon: Parts of Lower Manhattan have landline outages

MTA: The full system is still shut down until further notice. The storm substantially impacted the subway network and the agency is working hard to restore service. Limited bus service will resume at 5pm today.

There were 23 serious fires in New York City last night and this morning related to the storm.

There are 10 confirmed deaths in the city related to the storm.

People should stay away from power lines, parks, damaged trees, beaches, boardwalks and seawalls. People have lost their lives.

We have already received over 4,000 fallen/damaged tree requests, mostly in Queens.

Reporting Conditions:

911 should only be used in case of emergencies.

To report other conditions such as fallen trees and sewer backups, please use 311 Online, text 311 at 311-692, or call 311.

Fallen trees are incredibly dangerous. Anyone who sees one should report it immediately.

Power outages and live wires should be directly reported to Con Ed (1-800-75-CON-ED) or LIPA (1-800-490-0075).

Schools:

Public schools will be closed on Wednesday 10/31.

Healthcare Facilities:

NYU Medical Center is continuing to evacuate the facility.

Coney Island Hospital has begun evacuations.

We are monitoring the power needs at Bellevue Hospital.

New York Downtown and the Manhattan VA Hospital were both evacuated before the storm.

We are coordinating with 53 other healthcare facilities that are sheltering-in-place about water levels, staffing, and structural issues.

Transportation:

East River bridges are open.

We are working to clear our roadways. Anyone else who is on the road is impeding our ability to conduct an efficient cleanup. People should still stay off the roads.

Extensive flooding and downed trees are widespread problems in all boroughs. Emergency services crews are clearing these obstructions as quickly as possible.

Mass transit is still fully shut down.

All flights are canceled at JFK, LGA, EWR.

Alternate side parking and muni meters are suspended.

Shelters:

Our 76 shelters will stay open today and we will continue to keep them open until those displaced by the storm can return home or find temporary housing.

More than 6,100 New Yorkers are in our emergency shelters now.

More than 2,200 City staff are working in those shelters now to support the evacuees.

NYCHA:

326 NYCHA buildings have no power, with approximately 29,000 total units in those buildings.

We are assessing damage at NYCHA buildings throughout the system.

Water & Sewer:

NYC drinking water is safe.

The Department of Environmental Protection is responding to reports of sewer backups and flooding.

Forecast:

A coastal flood warning is in effect until 3pm today.

Sustained winds will blow through the day, however we do not expect them to rise above 40 mph.

Surges from the storm have lessened, with a projected surge at the Battery today of 8 to 8.5 feet. Last night’s peak at the Battery was 13.88 feet.

Less than an inch of rain is expected today.

Staying Informed

For the latest updates, New Yorkers can:

Visit the NYC Severe Weather site on NYC.gov

Follow @nycmayorsoffice Twitter

Sign up for notifications from Notify NYC

Thanks, and we will be in touch as we go through this recovery process.

Ryan Whalen

Chief of Staff to Deputy Mayor Howard Wolfson

 

The Park Slope Civic Council has cancelled its annual Halloween Parade. It has not been rescheduled.

Donations of clothing and other items are needed at the John Jay High School Complex (7th Ave btw 4th and 5th), which is serving as a NYC evacuation shelter. If you can, donations before 4PM would be very helpful.

Men’s Clothes

Women’s Clothes

Kid’s Clothes

Baby Clothes

Towels (no blankets needed)

Shoes

PLEASE donate weather appropriate items. Take a look in your closet and find seasonal clothes you don’t really love or wear and give it a chance to have a second life with someone who needs them.

Volunteers are needed at John Jay and the Park Slope Armory (8th Avenue beteween 14th and 15th Streets).

They are looking for volunteers to do 8 hour shifts (no kids allowed). The Armory is specializing in folks with medical needs so you should be comfortable working with the elderly, disabled, or others who may need extra support.

You can sign up to volunteer during future emergencies at the NYC website nyc.gov

Just reported on WNBC, President Obama has  declared New York City and Long Island a major disaster due to Hurricane Sandy. This declaration will makes federal funding available to people in this area who suffered damage.

The television was still on when I awoke Tuesday morning at 4AM after falling asleep exhausted at midnight during a Dave Letterman show recorded without an audience.

After Sandy.

A few hours of sleep and then it was time for an update on the havoc wreaked by Hurricane Sandy’s landfall in New York City. The wind gusts are still fierce on Third Street; the trees sway violently. From my windows it looks like Park Slope made it through the storm very well. The same, of course, cannot be said for areas close by…

Walking though the apartment I see signs of yesterday’s panic/preparedness. The stove top is covered with pots filled with water. On the countertops are pitchers of water. The bathtub is filled with water.

The dining room table is covered with flashlights and batteries. A  Scrabble board with tiles of a game played last night next to a thousand jigsaw puzzle pieces, an image of Marilyn Monroe coming into view.

The refrigerator is filled with food; our rain boots and foul weather gear are at the ready by the front door. We never got around to creating “Go Bags” but I don’t think we’ll be needing them now anyway.

On the TV, a flooded Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, a dark Manhattan, a crane dangling from atop a NYC high rise under construction. New Jersey looks hard hit, weathermen and women describe weather conditions to come. More than 600,000 are without power in NYC and  Westchester.

Before sunrise it’s hard to even know how bad the devastation. The Gowanus just a few blocks away  flooded familiar streets near our home. Park Slope may have averted disaster but Manhattan, especially below 34th Street, wasn’t so lucky.

Shock. Pain. Incredulity. A native New Yorker I don’t remember a situation like this before. 9/11 comes to mind as a similarly disorienting and traumatic event. We know from that experience that we can pull together, that we are resilient, that we will get through this.

Remember: this too shall pass—with a great deal of hard work on behalf of rescue workers who evoke our gratitude. But all of us will have to find a way to help those in need and muster our strength to get through this anomalous and disorienting situation.

NYC transit is suspended indefinitely, there are no bridges and tunnels and schools are closed. Our lives are now very hyperlocal. We really are quite isolated out here in the borough of Brooklyn

The question is: how long will it be before service returns? Some report that it could take up to a week for transit service to return.

Indeed, the city is at a standstill.

The following bridges and tunnels are closed: Henry Hudson, Throgs Neck, Bronx-Whitestone, Verrazano Narrows, Marine Parkway – Gil Hodges, Cross Bay Veterans Memorial, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg, Joseph P. Addabbo Memorial, Ed Koch Queensboro, Manhattan, Outerbridge Crossing, Bayonne, Holland, and the Hugh Carey (formerly Brooklyn-Battery). Additionally, the George Washington Bridge is closed and the FDR Drive is closed from East 155 Street to the Battery.

What a list.

Needless to say, Alternative Side Parking (ASP) regulations and parking meter rules are suspended on Tuesday, 10/30, due to weather conditions. This will likely last for many days.

All MTA subway, commuter rail, and bus service is suspended citywide. Currently, there is no estimated time for service restoration. Staten Island Ferry service is suspended until further notice and East River Ferry Service is suspended for Tuesday, 10/30. All PATH train service and stations have shut down.

Most Amtrak service in the Northeast remains suspended on Tuesday, 10/30.

The kids will be happy to hear that all NYC Public Schools will be closed Tuesday, October 30, 2012. Due to transportation problems, I’m wondering when the DOE will be able to open schools again.

All City University of New York (CUNY) Colleges are officially closed Tuesday, October 30 and all classes are cancelled.

We  waited and watched.

In Park Slope power outages and flooding never came (though the Gowanus overflowed just blocks away). But on the television we watched as Con Edision transformers exploded, Manhattan went dark below 34th Street; fires raged in Queens; and water flooded subways and tunnels.

We waited and watched as trees flailed violently outside our Park Slope windows and images from lower Manhattan painted a portrait of life after wartime. A flooded metropolis astounded us. Catastrophic was a word that was bandied about. A back up generator at NYU failed and patients were shown being transferred to other hospitals. On Twitter, incredible images of a submerged FDR Drive, a soaked Penn Station, a dark Tribeca, a flooded  Stuyvesant Town in the East Village.

At 4AM Tuesday morning, my city is in ruins. A million are without power, the subways are stilled, stations soaked. The streets are canals, fires rages and forecasters discuss a bizarre convergence of weather systems that left unseen NYC destruction in its wake.

I wait and watch for the sunrise when my resilient city begins its slow recovery from this destruction.

Check out Brad Lander’s blog to read about Gowanus flooding. The Canal breached its banks in many places at high tide this morning. It is expected to flood at high tide tonight around 8:30 PM  and possibly tomorrow morning around 9AM.

 I have communicated with EPA Region 2 Administrator Judith Enck and NYC Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Carter Strickland. Thanks to both of them for making the time, and communicating quickly (with each other, and with me) about our concerns at the canal.

During the storm, stay out of Zone A near the canal. It will very likely flood again, with a high tide anticipated of 6 – 11 feet above normal. Everyone in Zone A should already have evacuated. In general, everyone who is not an emergency worker should stay inside tonight.

Found this picture on Found in Brooklyn. Blogger Lisanne has a lot more photos of the Gowanus on her blog.

From Eliot, who writes  Now I’ve Heard Everything: “I was out on 7th Avenue at 1:15 this afternoon and saw this tree down on Garfield Place between 6th and 7th Avenue.  The fire department was on the scene cutting the tree down, while police had blocked off the street so they could work.  One truck, on the north side of the street was damaged.  From my vantage point, I could not tell if the car nearest the tree on the south side of the street was OK or not.”

Any emergency is a litmus test that reveals much about the strengths and weaknesses of a marriage. Honestly, I’ve been a bit of a basket-case about Sandy, while my husband Huband has been much more chill.

Because I have a take-charge tendency, on Saturday morning I went to Fairway at 8:30 AM to  stock up on groceries and water. The store was crowded but I felt lulled by the task of filling my shopping cart while others did the same. Clearly, for many it was an appropriate way to quell one’s anxieties about the coming storm.

The Huband slept in.

Before I went to Fairway, I asked The Huband to take care of our flashlight situation. When I got home a few hours later he was still sleeping, seemingly unconcerned by urgent warnings about “Frankenstorm.”

By Sunday morning, he still hadn’t given any  thought to flashlights and batteries. I went ballistic. Clearly, he wasn’t all adrenaline-fueled and anxious about the foul, foul weather.  In fact, he didn’t seem worried at all.

That put me in a foul, foul mood.

It is a constant refrain around here that The Huband grew up on a farm and he’s prepared for anything. In other words, he’s in charge of fixing things, construction projects, cars, appliances, machines, toilets and FLASHLIGHTS.

Luckily, I was able to convince him to find all our flashlights and batteries. Which isn’t to say that he was willing do it on my timetable. I knew there were very long lines at the hardware store. While The Huband took a leisurely shower, I ran out to the store just to allay my fears that the store would sell out.

Standing on line I felt in control. I would get the flashlights and batteries and I would feel better in the process. Depending on someone else to soothe my anxiety is never a good idea.

I was still on line when The Huband showed up at the hardware store about a half hour later to assure me that we were in good shape regarding flashlights. Still, I decided to buy a LED flashlight, a big expensive thing.

It made me feel safe just to told that big, red, LED flashlight. Big Red. It also made me feel safe to finally have The Huband involved. Working as a team is soothing and smart in marriage and hurricanes.

Sunday afternoon, The Huband  spent an hour filling pots and pitchers with water. We talked about filling the bathtub. Cooperation goes a long way to alleviate anxiety. And a disaster shows you a lot about what does and doesn’t work in a marriage.

Pardon Me for Asking is the blog to watch for info about Carroll Gardens and the Gowanus. Here’s a picture Katia Kelly just posted on Twitter and on her blog.

At 12:30 PM in Zone C Park Slope, many stores are open and locals are shopping at Met, the Apple, other Korean Markets and at open cafes. Starbucks and Snice are closed. Lots of stores have giant blue tape X’s on their windows. But that doesn’t mean they’re closed. Many were uncertain as to when they would close

OPEN

Newstand between 3rd and 2nd Street on Seventh Avenue (They have C and D Cell batteries)

Tarzian Hardware: long line for batteries and flashlights

Met Food:  long line for groceries.

Back to the Land

Connecticut Muffin

Grand Canyon

Pino’s

Encore

Shawn’s

Community Bookstore

the pet shop

D’Vine Taste

I visited our local evacuation center in the John Jay High School Complex yesterday and inquired as to whether they needed volunteers and the answer was a resounding yes. “Especially help with the pets,” Betty, a DOE representative told me.

The Evacuation Centers welcome pets. Yesterday they needed  help setting up the pet area at John Jay.

If you are interested in helping with pets or humans, go to John Jay on Seventh Avenue between 4th and 5th Streets in Park Slope (if it’s safe outside). Tell the guard at the door that you are interested in volunteering and they will direct you to the DOE representative in charge. There is a half-hour training session, so it’s best if you can donate at least two hours or more beyond the training.

I’m listening to Brian Lehrer on WNYC. He is interviewing a Red Cross representative. Here are some tips:

–Evacuate if you are in Zone A.

–Stay in interior rooms without windows during the worst of the storm.

–Taping windows does not  help

–For info while you still have electricity, consult 311 or nyc.gov/oem if you have specific questions.

–Fill up jugs, water bottles, bath tubs, especially if you are in a high rise building.

The following is an email from City Councilmember Brad Lander. His district includes Park Slope, Carroll Gardens and low-lying Red Hook. He urges  residents not to underestimate the storm.

As you know, Hurricane Sandy will make landfall later today, bringing life-threatening storm surge, extremely high winds, and very dangerous conditions throughout our neighborhood, city, and region.

Do not be tempted by the lack of rain this morning to underestimate the storm. It is going to get worse as the day progresses, and the danger is not always seen. The wind is going to make it difficult to get around, and may well bring down trees or lead to flying debris. The storm surge is already causing flooding in some areas, and will likely get much worse. And there is a very real possibility of widespread power outages.

If you are in “Zone A,” where the City has ordered a mandatory evacuation, you should already have evacuated. If you have not, I implore you to do so immediately. To determine if you are in “Zone A,” enter your address at the Office of Emergency Management website. The list of shelters citywide is there as well (and those in our area are listed below).

If you do not live in Zone A, and are not an emergency service worker, I urge you to stay home. Be ready for power outages, check on elderly neighbors, and keep a “go bag” ready in case you do need to leave.

New York City Public Schools will be closed on Monday, and every community event or program I am aware of has been cancelled.

There is no MTA subway or bus service.

Alternate Side Parking regulations and meters will be suspended on Monday.

You can continue reporting hurricane related problems in our district on that page.

But, for the latest information, you should stay tuned to local news stations, call 311, or visit the City’s severe weather webpage.

Brad

Evacuation centers/shelter in our area

NYC College of Technology (300 Jay Street, between Tillary & Johnson, in Downtown Brooklyn)

Brooklyn Technical HS (29 Ft. Green Place, between DeKalb and Fulton, in Fort Greene)

John Jay HS (237 7th Ave, between 4th & 5th Streets in Park Slope)

IS 136 (4004 4th Ave, between 40th & 41st Streets in Sunset Park)

PS 249 (18 Marlborough Road, between Church Avenue & Caton Avenue, in Prospect Park South)

IS 187 (1171 65th St, between 11th & 12th Aves, in Borough Park)

FDR High School (5800 20th Ave, between 57th & 58th Streets, in Midwood)

NOTE: The Park Slope Armory is being used as a backup medical shelter, for people with medical needs.

Here’s what’s being predicted by the weather folks at WNBC. What they seem to be saying is that weather conditions are going to get worse, way worse, before they get better. The good news: things should be looking up starting Tuesday night. Fingers crossed.

Tonight Rain will be heavy especially south of New York City. Expect gusty winds, up to 50 mph and expect coastal flooding at high tide.

Monday morning, sleep in because there will be heavy rain with winds gusting up to 60 mph. There will also be coastal flooding at high tide.

Monday afternoon through evening: Wind gusts of 60 to 80 mph, with major to extreme coastal flooding at high tide. Widespread power outages are expected.

Tuesday morning: Heavy rain and strong wind. Damage still possible during this phase of the storm. And by Tuesday evening, conditions should get gradually better.

The Metropolitan Transit Authority has announced that service on New York City subways and buses, Long Island Railroad trains and MetroNorth service will end just after 7PM on Sunday night (bus service will continue until 9PM). The following is from WNYC.org

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has ordered New York City’s transit service to suspend bus, subway, and commuter rail service in advance of the massive storm expected to hit the eastern third of the United States.

Eric McClure of Park Slope Neighbors sent along an update on Hurricane Sandy from Andrew Olsen, Brooklyn Director of the Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit.

 This evening Mayor Bloomberg updated New Yorkers with our latest preparations for Hurricane Sandy. We expect the storm to reach our city early Monday, with the peak of the storm arriving later that day.

This is a serious and dangerous storm. While it is not likely to produce significant rainfall, sustained winds over 40 miles per hour and a storm surge of 4 to 8 feet are predicted over an extended period. Winds are expected to pick up very early Monday morning, with the most intense period of wind and elevated water levels occurring from mid-day Monday through Tuesday afternoon.

At this time we are NOT mandating any evacuations because of the storm. We strongly recommend that New Yorkers prepare to remain inside as the storm hits, whether at their own home or that of a friend or relative. For anyone who is concerned about the impact of flooding or power outages on their home and would like to seek shelter elsewhere, we will open all 65 city shelters at 9am Sunday morning and they will remain open for the duration of the storm.

These facilities are open to anyone who needs them, will provide a safe place to sleep, and will have food. Pets are welcome.

All shelters have at least one entrance usable for wheelchairs. More information is available via 311, the OEM website and the Mayor’s Office of People with Disabilities website, both of which will also provide information about accessible transportation.

New Yorkers can find the closest evacuation center to them at nyc.go

Here are other important updates that you can disseminate to your constituents:

Transportation:

NOTE: As of Sunday morning at 10:30 AM, Governor Cuomo has ordered the MTA to suspend service on subways, buses, LIRR and MetroNorth.

The MTA has not made a decision about whether the transit system will close. However, in order to be prepared in case a shutdown is necessary, the MTA has outlined the procedure by which they would close subways and bus lines. This process would begin at 7pm tomorrow (Sunday) evening, with all services completely closed by 3am on Monday morning.

People should stay off the roads as much as possible. Conditions may become dangerous, and any traffic would impede our emergency services crews.

The Department of Transportation and the MTA will closely track wind conditions on the city’s bridges and implement slowdowns and closures as necessary to ensure safety.

The Staten Island Ferry will continue to run unless very high winds force temporary service disruptions.

The East River Ferry will be shut down after the last run tonight until the storm passes.

Schools:

No decisions have been made regarding schools. As of now schools are scheduled to be open on Monday.

Healthcare Facilities:

Yesterday the city recommended that healthcare, nursing, and acute care facilities in low-lying areas take steps in preparation for the storm. These recommendations include halting new admissions, discharging those patients who can leave, and making arrangements for those who need to remain in care.

Parks and Beaches:

All city parks will close at 5pm tomorrow (Sunday.)

Any events scheduled in parks tomorrow will conclude at 2pm.

Please emphasize to your constituents that going to parks and beaches during the storm will be very dangerous. Falling tree branches and strong ocean currents will be constant threats.

Construction:

The Department of Buildings has mandated that all outdoor construction be suspended as of 5pm today.

Staying Safe and Being Prepared:

All New Yorkers are encouraged to stock up on necessary supplies. A guide for storm preparations can be found here.

During the storm flying debris will be a risk. People should stay away from windows and draw their shades.

Staying Informed

For the latest updates on the storm, New Yorkers can:

Visit the NYC Severe Weather site on NYC.gov

Follow @nycmayorsoffice Twitter

Sign up for notifications from Notify NYC

We will continue to update you as the storm progresses.

Thank you,

Ryan Whalen

Chief of Staff to Deputy Mayor Howard Wolfson

Brooke Dramer, a FOOTBKB (friend of OTBKB) wrote in to say: “John Cougar Mellancamp had Little Pink Houses. The Band had Big Pink. Garfield Place has Very Big Pink.”

Indeed, Garfield Place’s Pepto Bismol House is gaining status as an urban legend .For the record, Big Pink, pictured above is a pink house in West Saugerties, New York, that was rented by The Band’s  Rick Danko in 1966 or so. He was collaborating with Bob Dylan at the time and this was the house that Bob Dylan would  retreat to after his accident to write songs and record songs in the house’s large basement.

These tw0-track recordings came to be known as The Basement Tapes.

Members of Dylan’s band wrote most of the songs on Music from Big Pink at or around the house, and the band then began to use the name, The Band. The cover illustration, below) for the album is by Dylan.

It’s still really vague as  to whether or not the MTA will suspend service on the subway and buses on Monday due to the Hurricane Sandy. Authorities are closely tracking the course of this fierce storm nicknamed Frankenstorm.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo issued an order on Saturday directing the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to start planning for an orderly suspension of service.

However, the final decision won’t be made until Sunday. If the decision is made to stop service, New York City subways and buses would start phasing out service at 7 p.m. Sunday.

Fairway this morning at 8:30AM was crowded with locals stocking up on hurricane supplies and grub to get them through the storm.

Red Hook is in Zone A, so the residents there do have something to worry about if the storm hits New York City as expected. Fairway, however, plans to stay open Monday. They opened on the day Hurricane Irene, as well, though they sent workers home at noon, one employee told me.

Experts say the following should be in your Hurricane Preparedness Kit. You know, the one you keep in your house or apartment at all times. Hah.

Water. Store cases of distilled water in gallon jugs in the basement or garage. Water-purification tablets also can be purchased from camping supply stores.

Ice. Keep store-bought bags in your freezer and replace them occasionally so they’re fresh.

Plastic coolers. Use them to store cooked food and other perishables, including medicines, on ice.

Batteries. Store a large supply of rechargeable batteries to use around the house. Since they’re useless if they can’t be recharged, have a stash of disposable ones, too.

Transistor radio. Keep track of the news and emergency updates.

Flashlight or lanterns. Camping lanterns that burn propane or butane are handy alternatives to battery-powered units.

Cooking appliance. Perishable food can be kept longer once cooked.

Matches and candles. Keep them dry by storing in a plastic or vacuum-sealed bag.

Dried food. Beef or turkey jerky and dried fruits have long shelf lives. Other nonperishables can include energy bars and cereal bars.

First-aid kit. A basic kit is a must. You might add prescription medicine, such as inhalers, based on the needs of your family. Include pain reliever, large bandages, etc.