Please, do.
Impact: This storm is like nothing that NJ has seen, pretty much ever. I've lived here all my life. In my memory (dating back to the early '70s) we have never had a storm of this magnitude; I do not believe that a storm with near Hurricane Category 2 force winds has ever made landfall in NJ. Landfall occurred at around 8 PM EST Monday night. For the most part, the state was badly hit prior to that, but it was more like just a really bad storm. Much of the severe damage occurred between the hours of 8 and 1 AM Monday night/Tuesday morning. During that time, winds were constant at between 50-75 MPH with consistent gusts of near or over 90. I live in Northern NJ... 30 miles from NYC, 40 miles from the shore. We lost power at 7:22 PM. I was checking JCP&L's website... they are our energy provider. At 7:30, 11% of my town was without power. At 1 AM 100% of my town was without power. The shore starting getting hit a bit earlier, but this was pretty standard around the state. The winds finally started dying down around 2-3 in the morning... and when I say "dying down" I mean 30 MPH consistent, with gust at 50 MPH.
Tuesday was mostly spend assessing the damage. In my area, a local tree service had between 24-36 trucks parked in a local high school's parking lot for a week, waiting. When I went out to survey the area at about 10:30 AM, there were TWO trucks left there. The tree/power line damage was significant. Transformers blew by either being hit by trees/branches, or being ripped from the poles from the wind. At one point, nearly 90% of the entire state was without power. Practically no one was restored on Tuesday. Massive amounts of tree work needed to be done. Also, though flooding was not a problem in my area, the storm surge destroyed sub-stations in many areas, requiring several days of "drying out" before anything could be reconnected. The tree and pole damage is so widespread that no matter how many 'treemen" were enlisted, it wasn't enough. I have yet to see a street in the dozen towns I've been through that was left unscathed. Everyone I know says the same thing.
One must understand context. NJ is one of the most densely populated areas of the world... and is the MOST densely populated state in the US... almost three times that of Florida for example. Also, because of our location, it is rare for a storm of this size to hit us directly. Most hurricanes that reach NJ are far weaker and are barely tropical storms by the time the get here. Most make landfall far to the south, and the land weakens them. Last year's storm, Hurricane Irene, for example. Much less damage, much less widespread. Context is why this storm is so devastating and why comparing it to a storm in Florida is irrelevant and has no place in comparison.
By Wednesday, there were signs of restoration... and realization as to the damage. The Jersey shore has been pretty much destroyed. Some of the most popular vacation spots are fairly inhabitable. Just entering certain towns, even if you are a resident, will get you arrested. Some towns will remain like this for 6-8 months due to the damage to infrastructure... gas lines, sewer lines, and such. The famous Seaside amusement park... some of the rides were picked up and deposited in the ocean. There are boats on people's front lawns. Houses were blown from their foundations OVER A BLOCK AWAY. Power outages have created the gas "shortages" you hear about. It's not that there is no gas... it's that over 75% of all gas stations have no power to pump. And... with so many people operating on generators, AND all New Jersey Transit trains and most buses non-operational, the demand for gas is higher than it's ever been. Another problem during the restoration process is that damaged trees continue to fall. The power company may repair one thing... only to have a tree fall and destroy all the work they've done.
Thursday. Some services began to be restored. Though most towns were still at around 80%-90% with no power, a few shops and restaurants began to open. Want to get something to eat? Be prepared to wait a LONG time... and the restaurant may run out of food before you order. Supermarkets had practically nothing; they didn't have power and most people cleaned them out of non-perishables before the storm hit. Every supermarket I've visited had had to throw away their ENTIRE stock of frozen foods and refrigerated foods. It was at this point that the gas lines also started to become MORE of a problem as power restoration was still going slow because of tree/substation damage. Also, in my area, some high tension lines were not only blown off their towers, but the wind was so strong that it RIPPED THE INSULATION RIGHT OFF OF THEM. They could not be reattached; they had to be replaced, at least half a mile of them.
Friday. I went to get gas. I had heard that a station in my town got power back, so I decided to start waiting at 4 AM... for their 7 AM opening. I was fourth in line. At 6 AM, township police informed us that the station was out of gas... a very common occurrence over the past few days. So, I went to a station in the next town that I knew had been open on Thursday. They had a 7:30 opening. By the time I got there (6:15) the line already stretched 3 tenths of a mile... about a hundred cars. I got gas at about 8:45. Later, when I checked the station, the line was 8 tenths of a mile long. From what I've heard, this is relatively short. Governor Christie's gas rationing was a good move.
I got power back at 6:30 PM Friday night. Most of my friends do NOT have power, yet. My street is about 2 miles long. At 9 AM I saw about a dozen First Energy trucks coming onto my street (they were from Michigan). It took nearly all of them that entire 9+ hours to get power back to my street and a few other streets on the same grid. One street and THAT'S how much damage was done.
Things seem to be getting a little better in my area. On Tuesday, the block where I work was the only block in that town that had power (our power lines are underground). The restaurant next door started running out of basics 90 minutes after opening. Now, the town where I work has 50% power. Most towns are at about 50% or better, though there are still some that are largely without power. The entire state is at about 50%-60% without power still. Estimates are that things should be at about 80%-90% by Wednesday.
This storm was MASSIVE for the area and the reason that it has been so bad and received so much attention is because it has affected so many and is fairly unprecedented for the area. It would be like what would happen if Miami were hit with a 3 foot snow storm and a week of 20 degree weather.
So, reading the minimizing posts by some is both annoying and demonstrating that those who are making them have no knowledge of what's actually happening and about context. If you have any other questions, please ask ME. Don't make assumptions.
