Here we go again

With the impending Frankenstorm approaching NYC, everyone seems to be in a panic. You'd think with Hurricane Irene hitting just last year people would at least be a little bit calmer. Not the case. Lines at the grocery stores are super long and shelves are kind of picked over already. However, with meteorologists are predicting this storm to be pretty bad because of it being a combination of three storms. We have Hurricane Sandy meeting up with a Nor'Easter meeting up with another front. Essentially its the perfect storm. A weatherman's wet dream if you will.

Sidenote: It seems that these strong storms are becoming more and more frequent. Not just on the East Coast, but all over the world. Anyone that thinks Global Warming is a falsity needs to reconsider this or have their head examined. And if you don't believe me, go see An Inconvenient Truth.

Considering my first visit to NYC ever was a couple days after their infamous black-out, I didn't know what to expect when I moved here to the big, bad apple. Would stuff like that happen often? Nah. However in the last eight years, I have experienced some pretty surreal NYC experiences that hadn't happened in many years that I guess I was "lucky" enough to experience myself. Thankfully none of these things have been traumatic or affected me too much in a negative way. I am hoping that's the case this time around as well. I mean, the thought of having to deal with hurricanes was the furthest thing from my mind when I moved here. With that being said, below are the three "NYC-centric" events I have experienced in the last few years.

1) NYC Transit Strike. (2005) This happened my second year in New York and my first year teaching. All mass transit, buses and subways in NYC, the largest mass transit system in the world, went on strike. Since many New Yorkers don't own cars, this is a very big deal. For three days, there was no way to get to work besides hoofing it. School was not cancelled, but it was assumed that attendance would be low since many students don't live within walking distance. (Elementary and middle schools are pretty much neighborhood schools in NYC so students could attend, but many high schools had very poor attendance because students can choose to go wherever they please and therefore don't live that close.) I lived about 2.5 miles from my school and did not want to use any sick days missing work, so in the dead of winter, I walked to and from work the entire transit strike. We had about 15 kids total each day and watched movies and played board games with them each day. Many staff members couldn't make it into work either because they lived too far to walk. Sucks that they had to waste their sick days on this but it was out of their control.

On the plus side of this strike, I got good exercise walking to and from work everyday and made one of my best friends out of it. We had been working together for half the year already and never really talked much. When the strike came, we decided since we lived near each other we'd walk to and from work together. During these walks we realized we had a lot in common. When you meet someone who can talk food, poop, TV/movies, AND be raunchy with you, you hold on to her! AmIright?

2) Snow Days. (2009, 2010) These are a rarity in NYC so I never thought we would ever have snow days in the city for public schools. I didn't get one until almost my fifth year teaching.  And believe me when I say this, teachers are just as thrilled to get snow days as the students are. There were a few days where the snow was falling hard but not sticking and the plows could keep up so school was on. It's not like the suburbs when it snows here with school cancellations because not that many people drive. Also the NYC public school system is so large and cancellations affect so many people: teachers, students, and parents. If the streets get plowed and the snow is still coming down, school isn't cancelled but attendance is often low. If the subways and buses can run, then school is in session. We have had quite a few snow days recently, and if this storm is as bad as predicted, we might actually get a Hurricane day. Or two. That is something I never ever thought I would experience.

3) Hurricane Irene. (2011) Oh Irene. As I have said before, her bark was bigger than her bite. At least in the city. (But you gave me the time to start this wonderful blog you are currently reading!) I know in Long Island, upstate NY and in NJ, people's homes were devastated and there was millions of dollars of damage. Because this was the first Hurricane to hit the city in a very long time, people were freaking out. They were stocking up on groceries, water and batteries. Many were acting as if the world was going to end. Mayor Bloomberg actually shut down all mass transit for the first time ever the night before the storm was going to hit as a precaution. He also ordered an evacuation of Lower Manhattan because of its low sea level and fear of flooding from the rivers. I understood the rationale behind this even though the mayor took a lot of flack. He's damned if he does and damned if he doesn't. Had he not done these things and the storm was bad he would have gotten chewed out badly and because he did all this and the storm wasn't as bad as predicted, he still got chewed out. A lose-lose situation. Because the storm wasn't as bad as expected in the city though, it was a ghost town. With mass transit shut down, many stores were closed because the employees couldn't get to work. Also, many stores had windows taped and boarded up. This is not something you see everyday here in the big city. Finally, once the rain stopped, many people were out and about milling around town after being cooped up for two days. It was very surreal.

Although I would love to get a day off of school or two because of this Frankenstorm, I really hope it isn't as strong as it is expected to be. I hope we don't lose power and no lives are lost. If people actually take precautions and follow the instructions given, everyone should be okay. I have my water, a flashlight, some magazines, and some food. (And if the power stays on, lots of movies!) Hopefully I won't need anything beyond that. A lot of damage is in store if in fact this storm pans out the way its supposed to. I can only hope everyone stays safe and dry. But cross your fingers for a day or two off of school for me and the kiddos.