As Day 4 post-Sandy begins, relief efforts are picking up steam. If you are in a position to help around the neighborhood, see today’s how-to, posted below. In the meantime, we’re hoping the light at the end of the tunnel is even closer than it appears. Here’s what we know this morning.
Power: After vowing yesterday that Lower Manhattan would be back on the grid by 11 p.m. Saturday, Con Edison officials told media this morning that “All Manhattan would be restored by the end of today.” Yes, they said end of today. [UPDATE, 2 p.m.: Con Edison says it still may be tomorrow before all of Lower Manhattan comes online; however, Mayor Mike Bloomberg said in a press conference a few minutes ago that “most” of Lower Manhattan would be up today. Stay tuned.]
Water/Groceries/Supplies: The FEMA effort that began (slowly) yesterday afternoon resumes today from 1-5 p.m. at five sites on the Lower East Side and in the East Village and Chinatown: 10th Street between Avenues C and D, Catherine Street between Monroe and Cherry streets (Smith Houses playground), Pitt and East Houston streets (Hamilton Fish Park), Grand and Clinton streets (water only), Bowery and Division Street (Confucius Plaza). Also, Fine Fare grocery store on Clinton Street will be open today with limited lighting and accepting cash, debit and EBT cards. We will post the hours when we know them. Con Edison is again distributing dry ice in Union Square Park, noon-6 p.m. or until supplies run out. We are keeping tabs on neighborhood restaurants, bars and other businesses that are reopening here and will have more info about that later this afternoon.
Transportation: MTA buses are running, but very slowly due to traffic. All other public transit is slowly coming back to normal, except subway lines south of 34th Street. Rootless, a ride-sharing community, has set up a website for NYC commuters to arrange carpools online here.
Schools: Will reopen on Monday.
Medical support: Levitt Pharmacy at 407 Grand St. is open using a generator and has all prescriptions available. The Community Healthcare Network has opened its mobile unit outside its office at 150 Essex St. today. It will provide pediatric, adult and adolescent medicine, and family planning services 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today. No appointments are necessary. Most insurance accepted; all patients welcome, regardless of their ability to pay.
Just a correction to the power situation, I believe they corrected themselves and that the new update for power to lower Manhattan is now this;
“Consolidated Edison Inc. (ED) will restore power to 6,500 customers on the southern tip of Manhattan today, with the rest of the island expected to get electricity back tomorrow. Con Edison will bring two underground power networks online today that supply homes and businesses south of the Brooklyn Bridge, Mike Clendenin, a spokesman for the New York-based utility, said in a phone interview. Clendenin corrected a statement from Robert McGee, another company spokesman, who told Bloomberg Radio this morning that power for all of Manhattan may be restored today.”
Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-11-02/con-ed-still-sees-full-manhattan-power-restoration-tomorrow.html
This estimation of power back up by end of today was corrected to tomorrow.
“http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-MCUD486S972P01-2L95SMOFOVTVTCG5ICPG87IS9R”
http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-MCUD486S972P01-2L95SMOFOVTVTCG5ICPG87IS9R