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From: charlie
Date: 8/18/03
Time: 8:57:19 AM
Remote Name: 209.240.198.62
Jasper, I think the folks that had the worst problems were the ones in NYC where they actually had to leave their apartments or high rise places of business and could not get home.
Back in Feb. we had a terrible ice storm where most of the city lost power because there was actual damage to the lines which needed repair. Many people were w/out power in the freezing cold for a week or more. After a while there was nothing you could do to get warm.
To me, that kind of power outage would be worse for a normal city. Neither would be good in NYC.
I have learned--as did another couple of hundred of thousand people---to have emergency supplies around the house--from flashlights and batteries to canned food or prepackaged food that doesn't really have to be cooked. I learned several different ways of heating instant coffee or hot chocolate over a small flower pot with a pillar candle in it and a small "grill" over the top.
Retailers also learned that February is STILL the winter and NOT having winter clothing, generators and other items like gas or propane stoves, etc was NOT a good marketing plan. Several DAYS went by before the retailers either sent for or drove trucks themselves out of state to buy items and bring them back.
I found that you couldn't even find sweat shirts and sweat pants at Kmart or Walmart, etc. NOT because they were OUT of them but because they had spring and summer clothing in the store and no longer had a section for sweat gear.
Hopefully, our city would be more prepared for a next time.
Retailers should at least have a "what if' plan for such emergencies...winter or summer.
charlie