Gasoline Shortages Complicate Recovery, Spread to Outer Regions

All in all, points north of NYC were largely spared the storm damage of Hurricane Sandy. We got flooded to the gills the last time around with Irene, but got fairly lucky this time around, especially seeing how Sandy ripped up NYC and especially New Jersey, who took that bitch head-on.

Most of what we suffered up here in the Hudson Valley were strong gusts, moderately sustained high winds, and related damage. Some trees down, widely scattered saturation of power outages. Dutchess County had about 25-30%  loss, more rural Ulster seemed to peak around 50%. I should add that Central-Hudson Gas  & Electric seems to be on track and doing well with restoration as, thankfully, they usually are, being well-practiced over the years with our winter storms in the region.

We did also suffer localized flooding in areas along the riverbanks, where the storm surge combined with a full-moon high-tide did do some damage. Yet that did not seem to be of immediate concern to the region overall. 

Nonetheless, a week after the storm, we are feeling the impact in a new way here upstate. Though we fared well, and almost felt cheated even (for us daredevils) there is a new development, that even in our last crisis did not seem to be a genuine factor. Upstate along the Hudson River Valley, we are now experiencing a fuel shortage. This was totally unexpected, especially this long after the storm. But as we are now learning, the NY Harbor was closed, and surrounding fuel terminals were all offline in NY and NJ.

Due to the closure of the harbor, it also appears that the primary fuel depot for the mid-Hudson region, north along the river, has also been deprived of supply. Considering the fact that we have had fuel to our local gas stations since the storm, it does not appear that the primary mid-Hudson depot suffered significant damage, even though they are on the riverfront. (Their containers must have held against the flooding, it appears.) It does appear, however, that we have exhausted the local supply stored at that depot.

Beginning yesterday, and now more acutely today, we are suddenly seeing fuel shortages with local gas stations out of gasoline entirely. So even though we were not directly effected by the storm, a week later, the impact is being felt more seriously.

We will get by, we will all recover, from upstate to the Jersey Shore, but there are some interesting lessons to learn here for a survivor.

One, even if you are not directly effected by a catastrophe, you may be impacted harder in the aftermath.

Two, it appears that locally, there is no more than a one-to-two week supply of fuel.

Three, supply routes will effect delivery of important goods. Watch for "choke points." Even for all our devastation in Irene, we had no fuel deprivation because NY Harbor was open. 

Of course, closer to the affected area, everything form mass transit to taxi cabs are basically, shit out of luck.









Tweet

Will NJ Decide the Election?

There's a lot of conspiracy theory floating about, and a lot of distrust of the government to fuel the craziness. But I have to admit, that the latest news is at the very least, disconcerting. A little background first.

There are a lot of folks saying that Hurricane Sandy was actually planned, in order to disrupt the election. Sounds crazy, but the truth is that weather control technology has been used since the 1960's. Granted, there is no system which openly displays its ability to create and controls hurricanes, but everything from aluminum cloud seeding by the USAF to create rain, to the Chinese government actually blocking rain with artillery shells during the Beijing Olympics, are some examples to show that weather control technology is alive and well. There is a wide consensus among conspiracy investigators that HAARP is a weather-control machine of sorts, which serves multiple functions.

Even if you don't believe in HAARP, try this on for size:

Hurricane Sandy Planned in 1997, Documents Prove


Okay, so maybe weather control stuff is true. But election fraud? In America? Surely that's not possible. Not in the land of the free where democracy is the backbone of our constitutional republic. Right? Hmmmmm....



Okay, so they can manipulate the weather, they do voter fraud stuff in America. But how do you tie the two together here Captain? Welllll, I am the only one who thinks that leaving the Department of Defense in charge of votes might be a conflict of interest?

NJ to use military trucks as polling places in storm-battered areas, extends mail-in voting





Tweet

Garfield's Halloween Special

Tweet

Halloween Treat (Video Special)

Tweet

Food Stamp Nation: Modern-Day Breadlines (Infographic)

During the Great Depression, "bread-lines" were an unfortunate but common sight as millions of Americans teetered ot the edge of starvation.

If today's SNAP benefit (foodstamps) was measured as a bread-line, there would be a line 7 miles long at every single Wal-Mart in America. Ironically enough, the heirs to the WalMart fortune hold more wealth than 42% of Americans combined. 

It is also important to understand that the enormous number of people on foodstamps has nothing to do with personal choices, bad habits, laziness, or other stereotypes, but rather is a product of poor economic policy. Just like the bread lines of the Great Depression were not filled with people who simply "chose" not to work, what is happening today is an emergency, but one that is less seen, slipped under the rug with rhetoric and plastic cards. The truth is, that even for many people who are lucky enough to find a job at all today, they still cannot afford to buy food for their families. By some accounts, as many as 80% of Wal-Mart employees themselves are on foodstamps.

There are solutions though. First, create a PRACTICAL MINIMUM WAGE. Second, end the vampiric economic policy of the Federal Reserve Bank. It's really that basic.

To see the high-resolution original presentation of the following graphics, click HERE and HERE

Also check out:

Wal-Mart Says Their Customers Are Running Out of Money

'My Time at Wal-Mart' Blogger is Wrong About Welfare

The U.S. is the Most Overworked Developed Nation in the World – When do we Draw the Line?

Poverty is Big Business

One in Three Americans Face Poverty, Latest Census Info Shows

Pictorial - Myth Vs. Reality of Life On Welfare





Tweet

Hurricane Sandy Planned in 1997, Documents Prove

In 1997, Westchester County (NY) Communications Officer Sandy Fried attended a seminar at the National Hurricane Training Center in Miami (FL). Part of the training was a simulation using data from the Hurricane of 1938 that caused major losses on Long Island and in Westchester. The texts of the simulated bulletins, forecasts, discussions and strike probabilities along with the hurricane’s track were sent home with the seminar attendees.

The coincidences are astounding. Not only was the simulated hurricane named Sandy, after the county communications officer, but it was also predicted to strike in October, and was also predicted to make landfall within two hours of the actual landfall of the real hurricane Sandy.

Below are captured screenshots of the drill data. You may also visit the related page at the Westchester Emergency Communications Association website.

"The intended audience for this report is those responsible for emergency management planning in Westchester County, NY."

Tweet

What Can We Cut to Balance the Budget?

Tweet