After we went twelve days with no power (1998 ice-storm) we thought of investing in a generator. Since then, the longest outrage we've had has been just seven hours. (We have maybe 20 or 30 outrages each year, from a few seconds to a couple of hours.) So, I'm glad we make do with woodstove, candles, and wind-up radio. I suppose the electric companies have the same dilemma; if five, ten or twenty years are going to elapse between major catastrophes in any one area, is it really worth investing in a more robust infrastructure?

Hmm, I just tweeted that and got about a 50/50 response lol v too soon.

Some people use humor as a coping mechanism, others don't I guess.

They are in the Rockefeller building at 95 Beekman and between them and the two streets behind them there are over 900 people without power.

And, yet, Con Ed returned the power to 108 customers yesterday whose property borders the Rockefeller State Park. So much for their quote in today's local paper saying "All the local utilities note priorities during storm related repairs call for outages affecting the most customers to be addressed first".

Do they not know that nearly 1,000 is far greater than 108? Or did some ijit stick another 0 in the 108 number?

I lived through that one as well only I was in Gloucester just outside of Ottawa and without power and heat for nearly 5 days with all roads, airports, trains and buses stopped. Not fun at all.

A old colleague was saying that it took 4 hours for the utility company to fix the lines at the end of his street.

The thing is, they were then supposed to go across town. They didn't realise there was another pole down around the corner, so power was only restored to one half of the street.

It seems communications and logistics of the fix up is a bit of a mess and we're not in a nearly a bad hit area...

Crews have been working in this area all day. Come 5.00 pm they've packed up and buggered off. What happened to shift work and arc lights?

The people who refused to offer that woman and her two children shelter should be utterly disgusted with themselves. WTF is wrong with folk

They interviewed that man, and he said she shouldn't have been out. Incredible.

Sorry mate you just have to be patient. What might look obvious and simple to you may not be in reality

Safety for the utility workers is important, they will get to you soon. Been there and done that. We sat outside after Ike and watched utility trucks from all over the country pass us by for 10 days because we were not priority, it is frustrating I know but it will happen eventually

I agree, but once she was out and ran into trouble, I can't believe people wouldn't offer her shelter when she banged on their door holding too small children.

Oh me too, I found it incredible that he could think like that. Did she try other people who also turned her away?

At the doctor's office this afternoon and she said 'even that enormous fir tree has come down'. Yeah I know because it was in our garden and just missed our house.

NYC marathon has been cancelled :/

It said she pounded on doors, so I presume so. Although, I have just read another article and the circumstances were descibed differently so who knows.

Horrible tragedy regardless

Dreadful

Has anyone seen any coverage of the situation in other countries affected? There has been zilch on CNN.