Frankenstorm 2012

It has now been two days since Superstorm Sandy hit, and cabin fever has officially set in.

On Sunday, it was all about shopping for nonperishables, filling the bathtub with water (apparently you can flush your toilet this way?), and buying as much alcohol as would fit in my roommate’s and my kitchen.

Monday was about anticipation—the wind started to pick up and the sky was clouding over, so all I did was back up my computer (in case Sandy ruined… my computer?) and download every disaster movie I could think of. When the storm hit Monday night, we definitely had our share of excitement (though clearly not as much as those in lower Manhattan who got to see a power plant explode). The wind got so extreme that the door leading out onto my apartment’s roof almost blew off its hinges, a fact which I discovered when I ventured up there by myself and which almost allowed me to get blown off the roof until my neighbor found me and helped me secure it, along with my roommate. The three of us spent the rest of the night drinking wine and watching Twister and 2012, and all in all we were pretty lucky because while we were enjoying our electricity and wine, lower Manhattan was completely flooded and without power.

While we were lucky to not lose our electricity out here in Astoria, most people in Manhattan are still without power and are essentially camping in their apartments while the streets are still flooded (like 14th and Irving below, aka where I went to a concert literally two days ago).

Source: AP Photo/ John Minchillo

Alex and I walked around to survey the damage on Tuesday, and this was pretty much the extent of the damage to Astoria. So yes, we really lucked out.

Now we’re basically waiting for the subways to be emptied of THEIR CEILING FULL OF WATER. We’re making jello shots in the meantime.

Expect more blogs out of boredom in the near future, I can’t spend ALL my time watching Harry Potter and drinking wine (or can I?)!

Lauren