New York:
Why does a disaster, natural or otherwise, bring people together? We have seen it post 9/11 and post 26/11, and now we are seeing it post Hurricane Sandy.
With gasoline running short in supply, the lines are long and tempers are getting short. Ali, a Manhattan-based cab driver, had to wait for four hours at the petrol pump this morning yet he laughs it off saying "it is not dangerous... yet." There are no gas stations open anywhere except in the borough of Queens. Where there is gas, the New York Police Department has had to post officers on duty to regulate the lines, to check any quarrels that breakout over some one or the other trying to cut the line. Yet in other parts of the city, New Yorkers are sharing cabs with complete strangers.
New Yorkers are known to be tough city slickers hardened by the fast-paced life on this island but amidst misery and disaster left behind by Sandy are also emerging stories of generosity. Regular folk are offering helping hands to neighbours and friends, opening up their homes to those without power. I myself spent the last four days on the couch in the home of a friend in Brooklyn. Others are donating to the Red Cross.
Private sector companies are also pitching in. New York Sports Club (NYSC), the popular Manhattan-based gym, has opened its doors and its showers to the public!
For Ashton Beckett, a tourist visiting New York, this has been a godsend. Ashton had planned a holiday in New York to visit her boyfriend and found herself stuck in an apartment with no hot water, no power and no heating. Her flight out has been postponed by four days. "I have had three cold showers now but I just could not bear another one so I came here and they were kind enough to let me shower for free," says a freshly scrubbed and relieved Ashton.
Jason Ravenna, General Manager of the NYSC at Grand Central, says they have been getting about 50 people a day coming in to shower or to charge their devices. "Some of them even work out because it's a de-stressor, so they can feel really good and be little upbeat. This whole thing can be very stressful, you know," explains a buff Jason.
In another part of Manhattan, Brightbox, Inc., a New York City start-up that builds charging stations that allows you for a flat fee to charge your mobile device in public places, has set these up for free.
Ryan Johnson, from Brightbox, Inc has been spending the day showing grateful and hapless tourists and New Yorkers how the station works. He says he and his team have been flooded with gratitude and I believe that as I know from experience that being out of power is bad enough but being without a phone is completely debilitating.
There are some cabs over charging passengers and there are also some unconfirmed reports of looting taking place on Staten Island. It is jarring to see members of the National Guard on the streets, their enormous military trucks rolling down the avenues but clearly hurricane Sandy is bringing out the best and the worst of New York City.
With gasoline running short in supply, the lines are long and tempers are getting short. Ali, a Manhattan-based cab driver, had to wait for four hours at the petrol pump this morning yet he laughs it off saying "it is not dangerous... yet." There are no gas stations open anywhere except in the borough of Queens. Where there is gas, the New York Police Department has had to post officers on duty to regulate the lines, to check any quarrels that breakout over some one or the other trying to cut the line. Yet in other parts of the city, New Yorkers are sharing cabs with complete strangers.
New Yorkers are known to be tough city slickers hardened by the fast-paced life on this island but amidst misery and disaster left behind by Sandy are also emerging stories of generosity. Regular folk are offering helping hands to neighbours and friends, opening up their homes to those without power. I myself spent the last four days on the couch in the home of a friend in Brooklyn. Others are donating to the Red Cross.
Private sector companies are also pitching in. New York Sports Club (NYSC), the popular Manhattan-based gym, has opened its doors and its showers to the public!
For Ashton Beckett, a tourist visiting New York, this has been a godsend. Ashton had planned a holiday in New York to visit her boyfriend and found herself stuck in an apartment with no hot water, no power and no heating. Her flight out has been postponed by four days. "I have had three cold showers now but I just could not bear another one so I came here and they were kind enough to let me shower for free," says a freshly scrubbed and relieved Ashton.
Jason Ravenna, General Manager of the NYSC at Grand Central, says they have been getting about 50 people a day coming in to shower or to charge their devices. "Some of them even work out because it's a de-stressor, so they can feel really good and be little upbeat. This whole thing can be very stressful, you know," explains a buff Jason.
In another part of Manhattan, Brightbox, Inc., a New York City start-up that builds charging stations that allows you for a flat fee to charge your mobile device in public places, has set these up for free.
Ryan Johnson, from Brightbox, Inc has been spending the day showing grateful and hapless tourists and New Yorkers how the station works. He says he and his team have been flooded with gratitude and I believe that as I know from experience that being out of power is bad enough but being without a phone is completely debilitating.
There are some cabs over charging passengers and there are also some unconfirmed reports of looting taking place on Staten Island. It is jarring to see members of the National Guard on the streets, their enormous military trucks rolling down the avenues but clearly hurricane Sandy is bringing out the best and the worst of New York City.
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
