Remembering Breezy Point

My grandparents (Albert and Edna Diem) at
42 West Market Street, Breezy Point NY circa 1920

As a child in the 1960s, I occasionally visited my Uncle Henry (technically my “grand uncle,” as he was my grandmother’s brother) at his bungalow at Breezy Point, the section of Queens devastated by fire early yesterday morning in the wake of Sandy. In my mind, the bungalow exists in a kind of perpetual summer, where I always walked barefoot, if only to avoid kicking sand into my shoes, and the windows were always open, sheer curtains blowing in the breeze. My mother, who now lives in California, wrote yesterday to share her memories of Breezy Point, a place where she spent many a day as a girl growing up in the 1940s. To people watching the news reports who don’t know anything about this community, the scenes are a charred reminder of Sandy’s force. For my mother (and maybe now for anyone reading this as well), Breezy Point will always be so much more. Here’s what my mother wrote: 

I'm sure you remember Uncle Henry who lived at Breezy Point, at the very westernmost tip of the Rockaways. My grandparents (Henry and Frances) [see picture below] built a "bungalow" there circa 1910-15 or so – I would guess, based on the photos I have of it. Uncle Henry upgraded and insulated it for year-round living and lived there almost all his life. My grandfather was giant-tall and the sand dunes loomed like mountains when we went for walks, but hey, he died when I was three, so I must have been very small. We used to spend summers there when I was little, during WW II times - I remember teenagers jitterbugging to records on one of the piers on the bayside, with me and my munchkin friends watching, and envying them, from under the tables. I also remember an artillery battery firing into the ocean during blackouts during the war, and my friends, under my direction, digging an air raid shelter in the sand and covering it with a blanket for a roof even though I somehow knew it would not help in case of an attack. We stocked our shelter with purloined canned goods and had lots of adventures and fun, believe it or not. A wonderful place for a preteen - well yes, a sort of segregated, gated community for relatively poor folk, but that was another time - where I could wander all day long charting adventures among the sand dunes, with the ocean to the south, with Uncle Henry teaching me to bodysurf, and Jamaica Bay to the north, where I would go crabbing with my father, and digging for clams, and great family gatherings in the summer with platters of corn drenched in butter - and, of course, we were harvesting the clams and the crabs at a time before pollution got too bad. I mention all this because last night Breezy Point caught fire and 80 of those little cottages, apparently all of them, burned to the ground. A terribly sad consequence of the storm. In the old days it was only a subway ride to Sheepshead Bay, and then (in the '40s) a ferry boat ride away from Wall Street. Close, but inconvenient enough to make it a rural oasis in the city. Of course, all those sand dunes were long ago filled in by houses, and the "bungalows" much enlarged - the story of all seaside communities, I'm afraid. 

Let’s hope the storm blows out to sea and that the fishermen are in port.

 - Email from Mom, 10/30/12  (who also happens to be Frances Vardamis, author of the Yannis Lavonis Mysteries and many other works)

Frances and Henry (my great grandparents)
42 West Market Street, Breezy Point NY, circa 1910

My mom, 1942, Breezy Point NY

Recent update on Breezy Point is available here: 'We're going to get through this': Breezy Point residents search for the past, look to the future

Sun Breaking Through

Sky over Amherst, 10/30 at 9:15 am

The power went out last night, and the power came back on about four hours later. At least that's what happened for some of us here in North Amherst. And from what we have heard, many parts of Amherst didn't lose power at all. So for local residents, Sandy has been what we were predicting all along - a storm not unlike many we tend to experience from time to time. Nothing at all like last year's Halloween storm, either in ferocity or official response. And for those of us still suffering (no joke) from a certain form of "PWSD" (Post Weather Stress Disorder) brought on by that Halloween storm, getting through Sandy unscathed was no small thing on either a physical or emotional level. Apparently having learned a thing or two since this exact time last year - and even then, I found the Town response to be reassuring - this time around the Town Manager gave advance notice as well as regular status updates, including tweeting power restoration projections up until power was restored last night and a "final" update 10 minutes ago. Altogether, our household was given advance "what to do in an emergency" notifications by the Town of Amherst, Comcast, WMECO, and UPS. Even one credit card company (that we are aware of) sent out a mass e-mail offering to eliminate late payment fees for anyone affected. So that's the good news around here.

We only wish everyone had been so fortunate. As we watch the footage of Sandy's impact to our south, our hearts go out to everyone affected. To our loved ones, and to people we have never met, here's hoping the sun breaks through soon, recovery goes smoothly, and you stay safe through it all.

Lights Flickering . . .

What about you? Do you still have power? (And if you don't would there be any way for you to answer this question?)  About half an hour ago, our neighbors (a house full of UMASS college students) took to the hill in front of their house and in a frenzy of what I can only describe as storm-related giddiness, engaged in some spirited football tossing. That's all done now. Once they got drenched and cold, they took cover inside. Barometer is falling precipitously, at 29.16 Hg at the moment. Windy, rainy, a solid storm brewing outside.

We have a Nor'easter!

As if you needed any more evidence, this video of flags over Amherst should prove two things. First, a nor'easter is definitely upon us, as evidenced by the direction of the wind blowing these flags. I was filming this from the front of Hastings facing north/northeast. And second, this should also prove that Amherst does indeed fly the American flag - every single day, apparently even in the midst of a hurricane bearing down on us. Not that I want to stir up any controversy, but what would a blog about Amherst be without at least a little pot stirring?!  Stay safe, and heed warnings to stay inside (I filmed this at about 11 am, before the warnings were sounded, mind you).

Amherst Declares State of Emergency

Just in case any of you local folks haven't heard yet . . .

Good morning.  This message is from Amherst Town Manager John Musante. A state of emergency has been declared for Amherst in anticipation of the arrival of Hurricane Sandy.  Winds are expected to pick up and be most severe between 2 pm – 10 pm today.  We ask you to stay off the streets and away from downed branches and power lines. For further safety tips and the most up to date information from Town officials visit the Town of Amherst website at www.amherstma.gov.  We encourage you to register your cell phone to receive future communications visit www.amherstma.gov and click the Emergency Alerts button. Continue to stay tuned to local media. You can expect another update from the Town no later than 5 pm today.

This e-mail has been sent to you by TOWN OF AMHERST. To maximize their communication with you, you may be receiving this e-mail in addition to a phone call with the same message. If you wish to discontinue this service, please inform TOWN OF AMHERST either IN PERSON, by US MAIL, or by TELEPHONE at 413-259-3291 or REPLY TO THIS EMAIL.

College Students in Sandy's Path

Over the last two days, we have been talking more than usual to our children in college - between us, the Head in the Clouds blogging team has three children in college, two of whom are first years. All of them are in Sandy’s path (really, if you’re on the east coast you’re in Sandy’s path), including one in New York City and another near Philadelphia (at Swarthmore). We hear that Columbia has cancelled classes for today, and everyone is keeping a close eye on water levels in Manhattan, even though Columbia is on higher ground. Swarthmore, where my son is located, has cancelled classes for two days, and my son reports that he and his friends are hunkering down for an unexpected and welcome break. Yesterday, they managed to scrounge the last of three loaves of bread and PB&J from their local food co-op (just in case their one dining hall closes or they can’t get to it), and they borrowed the entire Lord of the Rings movie trilogy from the library.  That will work well, of course, until they lose power, at which point they will have to balance the merits of using their remaining laptop power for Lord of the Rings over anything else. 

So as we keep a watchful eye on distant shores, we were wondering if you have a college student who’s not in Amherst and in Hurricane Sandy’s path? Where are they? What’s the impact on them? Have their classes been cancelled? Have they been evacuated? Let us know!

If you have a student in the hurricane’s path, s/he may want to pack an “evacuation bag” in case they’re asked to leave their dorm (this is particularly important for students in areas that are at risk of flooding).  Encourage them to pack for 2-3 days, regardless of what they’re told.  Contents could include:

• underwear
• toiletries
• towel
• medicine
• laptop (fully charged) and charger
• cell phone (fully charged) and charger
• light clothes
• sleeping bag if they have it

Are there other items for emergency preparedness that you would suggest?

And, finally, don’t worry too much. The way I see it, my son is probably safer in his large, concrete reinforced dorm than he would be in our small house in the woods, even with the storm being so much more intense where he is located. For sure, he’s going to have some stories to tell, and hopefully some pictures to share soon enough (pictures taken, let’s be clear, from your dorm window and not the great outdoors!). Stay safe everyone.

(Posting by Mindy and Sharon)

Streaming View of Hurricane Sandy from Space

Simply breathtaking - 



Video streaming by Ustream

Latest Track for Sandy as of Sunday, 11/28 at 11 AM

Smartphones and Hurricanes

Although it now looks like most of western Massachusetts will be in for nothing more than a fairly typical, albeit long duration nor'easter over the next few days (1-5 inches of rain, strong winds) - nothing like the stronger impact to our south - this would be a good time to update and tend to your smartphone or tablets as part of your storm preparation and monitoring. Moreover, it's a given that we will be experiencing power outages around these parts, too.

Preparation:

1.    Keep the phone charged
Charge up all your phones and tablets. Additionally, it is wise to keep them plugged in as you'll want to make sure you have a full charge if you experience a power outage. If you have any portable charging accessories, like a Mophie case for an iPhone, make sure to charge those up as well.

2.    Save battery life
If you do experience a power outage, make sure to use your phone as sparingly as possible and save the battery for emergency phone calls and information. Turning down the screen brightness on the phone and closing any apps you run in the background will conserve battery life.

3.    Download some of these apps, some are free and some are not.

Massachusetts Emergency Information App

Check out this link, http://www.mass.gov/mema/mobileapp

American Red Cross

www.redcross.org/mobile-apps/hurricane-app

Hurricane Supply List

https://itunes.apple.com/app/hurricane-supply-list/id322581064?ign-mpt=uo%3D6&mt=8

Hurricane Tracker

https://itunes.apple.com/app/hurricane-tracker/id327193945?ign-mpt=uo%3D6&mt=8

Hurricane Track for iOS

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hurricane-track-for-ios/id437519442?mt=8

Hurricane HD

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hurricane-hd/id363451838?mt=8

iMap Weather Radio

http://imapweatherradio.com/

Disaster Readiness

http://www.phoneflips.com/2011/disaster-readiness-guide/

Tune In Radio

http://tunein.com/mobile/

And if you know of other apps that could be helpful, we'd love to know about them. 

(Written/compiled by Mindy - posted by Sharon)

Part Tropical, Part Nor'easter

We have been getting calls all morning from friends who are truly, deeply worried about Sandy and it's potential to devastate the region. Just keep in mind that what you're hearing on the news may not actually be about our area specifically. Right now (and it's true, this could change) we are looking at 2-5 inches of rain in western Mass and a strong nor'easter - nothing we haven't dealt with many times. Of course, after last year, everyone's fears are understandable (we, in fact, were trapped in our house behind downed trees and power lines for 4 days), but at the moment, Sandy looks to be less intense than initially predicted, although it's likely to be a long storm, even 4 days in duration. The power could go out (it often does), and so preparations should be taken. But don't panic. Stay calm, keep breathing. Find batteries. This is also a good link if you want the most up-to-date information for the region: Weather Wisdom for New England.

Tracking South . . . Maybe

It's an interesting weekend to go live with a weather blog. On the one hand, a "weather event" is probably the best way to encourage interest in such a blog, but the event itself can't be so mammoth that the power goes down and no one has a chance to see the blog. So, there's some good news tonight, which is that U.S. models now have the storm coming onshore around New Jersey (or at any rate, well south of us) - and that means stormy here in the Pioneer Valley, but not exactly a blockbuster. The news stations are wanting our continued attention, however, as they report things like "Southern New England Could Still See Major Event." The truth of the matter is that around here anyway, no one wants Sandy to be a repeat of last year's Halloween storm, Irene earlier that same summer (2011), or the Perfect Storm of 1991. So, come back here early and often this weekend, and let us know what you're hearing when you're out and about! Our favorite report of the weekend (so far) was the couple in Stop and Shop arguing about whether or not to buy frozen food.

She: "Yes, we should stock up, nothing's going to happen."
He: "Don't buy more frozen food, it will all go bad WHEN THE POWER GOES OUT."
She: "The power won't go out."
He: "It could. It really could. WE NEED A PLAN."
She: "We don't need a plan."
He: "WE NEED A PLAN. WE NEED A PLAN."
She: "Here's your plan: GET OUT OF DODGE."
Head in the Clouds Blogger (interjecting): "What if you can't get out of Dodge because a tree is blocking your escape?"
She: "I WILL CRAWL UNDER THE TREE. I CANNOT BE STOPPED."

Oh, the humanity!

Tale of Two Tracks

Right now, as Sandy is bearing down on the U.S., the weather models have the storm taking two possible tracks. Some have the storm turning to the east and heading (more or less) harmlessly out to sea. The other possible track has the storm ("Frankenstorm") turning more westerly and lined up to destroy the infrastructure of the entire eastern seaboard from Pennsylvania on north. So, that's not much difference, right?! In the meantime, just in case, start bringing in your yard furniture, checking your flashlights and Sterno supply, and (if you are lucky enough to have a generator) making sure you have abundant fuel. And food for the pets. None of you will be happy if your cats are climbing the walls and munching on any available tuna that you planned to eat. In the end, Sandy may miss us this time, but winter is edging closer, and it's a sure thing that eventually you will be glad you prepared.

Is it possible???

You know that hurricane developing south of Cuba? Keep an eye out. Some of the latest projections have it moving up the coast and SIGNIFICANTLY impacting the northeast (mostly southern New England). The European model, which predicted Isaac accurately, shows that "at higher elevations well west and southwest of the storm center, crippling heavy, wet snow would be likely.” In other words, a possible repeat of last year's Halloween storm in about 5-7 days. Be prepared.

Latest on Path of Sandy

Finding "Peak"

Fall in the Happy Valley! This weekend, with the Columbus Day holiday, is an annual driving adventure. Without fail, our family takes a long drive (during which, ironically, we usually comment about the unseemly traffic) to search for that ever-elusive fall foliage "peak." Contrary to those generic foliage reports that are provided throughout the season, I have never considered "peak" to be an all-week kind of affair, but more often something experienced in the briefest of moments. You know it when you see it - that perfect balance of color, most leaves still on the trees, and a light ground cover of orange or yellow. On any given drive, you may see an assortment of "peaks" - in a pocket of trees along the road, framing the side of a hill, and reflected, shimmering, in a lake. Sadly, finding "peak" has been a hit or miss process these past few years, as locals will testify. You won't hear too much about it on the evening news, and I do feel bad for the tourists who are coming north for the first time and don't know what foliage can look like. But peak is not what it was five or six years ago, when the landscape was, year after year, a dependable spectacle of breathtakingly brilliant oranges, reds, and yellows. Our maples have been more muted in recent years, with many trees that once turned vivid colors providing only a hint of what used to be before their leaves just fade and drop. This year, however, has already proven more colorful than last, and I can't help but feel that familiar excitement as I anticipate our annual pilgrimage to the trees. Regardless of where we roam, the drive will culminate on the way home, right on our street, where we will look around as if for the first time and marvel that we ever went anywhere else, while the most beautiful views in the world (at this moment anyway!) are right outside our door.

Puffer's Pond, Amherst (on our street)