Due to Hurricane Sandy, Baruch was closed for the week of 10/29/12 – 11/2/12 to serve as an emergency services and shelter site. Moreover, all of Lower Manhattan did not have any electricity, hot water, and cellphone service due to flooding and thus faced a calamitous blackout the entire duration of Baruch’s closure. Sandy has left widespread damage in the NYC area – as of publication of this update, thousands1 are still without power and the MTA subway system is still not at 100%.
This special edition* of our Weekly Newsmakers recounts events that transpired during the week of the blackout in Lower Manhattan and the greater NYC area and the aftermath of the hurricane.
NYC Marathon Canceled Amid Criticism – USA Today
In over 42 years, the NYC marathon had not been cancelled. It goes to show how big of a natural disaster Hurricane Sandy was to break over four decades of friendly competition. If you were Mayor Bloomberg, would you have cancelled the marathon? Weigh in via our comments section below.
Storm Closes City Schools for a Week – New York Times
At the behest of Mayor Bloomberg, 200 NYC schools were closed for a week due to structural damage resulting from Hurricane Sandy. This marked the first time in nearly two decades that the school system was shut down for long, displacing thousands of school children attending elementary school, those higher education schools and everywhere in between. How did you make use of your time off from school? Let us know in the comments section below.
Storm Sends News Media Scrambling – New York Times
While civilians in all of the five boroughs had to endure flooding, blackouts, large-scale public transportation shutdowns and delays, and freezing cold showers in nippy temperatures, the media was also hit pretty hard. Print and web publications alike were affected by distribution problems and service outages.
Looters Target Coney Island After Sandy Sweeps Through – NY Daily News
While most New Yorkers persevered in the face of adversity, some decided to take advantage of the misfortune of others. Reports of looting in Brooklyn detail lawbreakers stealing ‘flat screens’ and ‘bags of diapers and wipes.’ If you were a witness to a looting, how would you react? Comment with your thoughts below.
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*Note: this article has been continuously updated since it’s initial post date and time. You may need to refresh your browser for the most updated content.
1. http://www.coned.com/newsroom/news/pr20121107.asp | Accessed Nov. 7, 2012.
2. http://www.mta.info/ | Accessed Nov. 7, 2012.