New York: messages during a hurricane

Most Holy Trinity, Brooklyn

Although New York was severely flooded and battered for hours by Hurricane Sandy last night, with power outages in many areas, ICN contacts managed to send out a few texts and Facebook messages which give a sense of what it have must felt like.

Franciscan Father Timothy Dore, from the Roman Catholic Parish of Most Holy Trinity--St Mary in Brooklyn, wrote on Sunday:

- Calm before the storm!

- An attempt at hurricane preparation in the friary garden.

- I have to be honest: I'm a little worried about this one. Please everyone, be safe! According to the map, and fortunately, Most Holy Trinity--St Mary is not in any of the flood danger zones (see the map at:
http://project.wnyc.org/news-maps/hurricane-zones/hurricane-zones.html)

- NYC Mayor Bloomberg orders mandatory evacuation of 375,000 people in low-lying areas across the city (Zone A); public schools closed tomorrow ahead of Hurricane Sandy

20 hours ago near Williamsburg, NY via Mobile:

- The wind is really hitting the house hard here in Brooklyn. Half of Manhattan is now without power (everything below 40th Street). My phone is being hit with lots of dire emergency text messages from the City (such as "Take Shelter Immediately"). This is for real! Please everyone be safe!

15 hours ago:
- Still standing!

5 hours ago via Mobile:

- All is well here in our corner of Brooklyn. We have power, cable and Internet. Our basements are dry and we have only a couple of turned-over flower pots. I noticed a couple of damaged roof tiles, but nothing that is apparently serious. The computer monitor in my office was fried, but I don't know if its storm related. I'm praying for everyone in the city and beyond who did not fair as well as we did.

23 minutes ago:
- The day after the City was hit by the hurricane Sandy, we still had very interesting cloud formations in the sky above Trinity! Praise God!

Deacon Tom Cornell, associate editor of the Catholic Worker, who living at the Peter Maurin Farm in Marlboro, New York wrote Sunday night that they were well prepared and had battened down the hatches as much as they could:

two hours ago:
- The storm damage has been extensive and severe, but it stopped just south of us by a hair! No flooding, no trees down, no damage to house. Deo gratias! Thanks for your concern.