Hurricane Sandy Update from NY

[Lin ASL Ebron]

A very comprehensive report from an elder at Brooklyn Bethel that gives us an excellent overview of how our brothers have been affected by this traumatic event:

"Many are wondering how we are doing here in Brooklyn after the Hurricane. The Branch Committee was monitoring everything and were prepared. They had brothers stationed in the office complex, at Bossert, and other buildings in case there was damage or flooding. The rain did not really come and there were a few hours of severe winds. The biggest event was the storm surge. The 30 Columbia Heights office building had some flooding in the basement because it faces Furman Street which is at the levels of the piers. The water came up to the loading dock area but the brothers sandbagged the main areas where water could get in. They were able to pump out any water that got in.

A portion of the facade that was on Building 5 was torn off the building and blown all over the street. It is more of a cosmetic facade so it can be replace. We never lost power so that was good. The waterfront park was all flooded, the lower potions of the DUMBO area were all under water but the rest of our properties are all on high ground so we were OK.

We were directed to stay home on Monday and Tuesday morning. We were able to go back to work on Tuesday afternoon. There were problems with the computer connections and the telephones

so we did what we could.

The biggest problem of course is the effect on New York City. The storm surge came up into Manhattan and flowed into the openings of the subway and roads and flooded the subway tunnels

between Brooklyn and Manhattan, the Brooklyn Battery tunnel between Brooklyn and Manhattan and the tunnels between Manhattan and New Jersey. The subway system is shut down and the buses are not running. Everything south of 40th street in Manhattan lost power so when you look across the river, there are no lights on. It is erie. New Jersey really got wiped out, especially

on the barrier islands.

It will take some time to get things back up and running. We had trees down in the area so we have to walk the streets that are cleared. We will see how things work out over the next few days. The subways are a key to the life of the city so without it, the traffic is terrible and people cannot get to work.

The Bethel family is doing well and pulled together through this event. The cooks and waiters were positioned from their residences to where they would need to work so that nobody would have to go outside. Wallkill and Patterson had power outages but they have emergency generators that sustained them until the power was restored. Getting around will be the biggest problem for the next few weeks. The airports are closed and getting there is a challenge. Many guests and visitors were stuck but should start clearing up over the next few days.

So we will keep working hard and see how matters turn out. We are doing well and are staying safe.

Bye for now"

Although the Hurricane has passed now, hundreds of our brothers are still badly effected by this event as their homes and property have been damaged, businesses & livelihoods crippled, and now

severe fuel shortages add to their misery.

We will need to keep them in our prayers for some time to come.

To conclude, here is a dramatic news report from ABC news;

"Hurricane Sandy Wreaks Havoc"

.... which you can watch at the link below:

http://www.ultimatebiblereferencelibrary.com/Page2new.html

(If the above link doesn't work, just copy and paste into your browser search bar at the top of the page).

Warmest Christian Love

[docwatson1914]

Dear sister Melinda, thank you for the report on our brothers.

This is no reflection on you nor your motives, but prudence dictates verification of your source. Is this possible?

We live in a world where misinformation is spread unintentionally by our brothers with the best of intentions;

those who are no longer our brothers who like to misinform;

and apostates who work slyly to undermine Jehovah's organization and it's people.

Lastly, there are those who have direct "official" connections and those who have direct "unofficial" connections (family members & friends at Bethel) who do provide the insight directly provided by them.

I commend you for updating all of us, as many in the area where I live are also very concerned. Thank you again.

[Daniela]

Dear sister Melinda, thank you for the report on our brothers.

...

I commend you for updating all of us, as many in the area where I live are also very concerned. Thank you again.

Thank you, Melinda, for your updated report. It seems these are the latest news. We keep our Brothers and sisters in our thoughts and prayers!

[Simon17]

http://www.ultimatebiblereferencelibrary.com/Page2new.html

Why is the update on Sandy link embedded in this wierd site selling Bibles?

[Simon17]

BTW, Sandy finally got to me... we lost power during the day today and I waited in my first 1:15 gas line. Still, one of my friends waited 4+ hours so I really dont feel too badly about it!

[Lin ASL Ebron]

The update was provided by one of the elders in the affected area. Regarding the web site, another brother in CA manages/owns that and some other sites. I refer to his site(s) mostly for neat tools that help me with my homeschoolers (i.e. videos, notebooks for assemblies/conventions, pictures that we can use in our ASL talks TMS). The elder's update was received in an email from the brother who owns the site, maybe that's why the hyperlink was included. I actually didn't realize I had included it. Sorry for the confusion.

Thanks for the caution about the dangers of apostates. I try not to share information unless I know where it originates. I've subscribed to these websites for a few years now. The moderator employs a lot of the same safeguards that are found on this site. So I guess I feel fairly comfortable quoting him, but none of us of infallible, so the counsel on the side of caution is appreciated.

tanx

Agape'

[Qapla]

I tried the link and could not find an update for the Branch, just an ABC news link to a general story about the storm.

A brother I know got an email on his phone that not only listed some of the damage to the NY buildings, but it also had info on damage to KH's and homes. If someone has that report or additional info, could they please post it.

Thanks.

[Musky]

I tried the link and could not find an update for the Branch, just an ABC news link to a general story about the storm.

A brother I know got an email on his phone that not only listed some of the damage to the NY buildings, but it also had info on damage to KH's and homes. If someone has that report or additional info, could they please post it.

Thanks.

I had decided not to post this as I was sure others would receive it and post it in one of the three ongoing threads on this subject. But since John asked, here it is. My apologies to anyone who may have posted this already:

Hurricane Sandy Report from USBC– November 2, 2012

Bethel Complexes

At Bethel one family member had minor injuries.

A section of building #5 façade fell off. Fortunately no one was injured.

Patterson lost power and is still operating on generators.

Wallkill lost power and was on generators but the power is now restored. They had minor damage from the wind and rain.

Warwick and Tuxedo lost power and communication. Communication has been restored at both sites. Warwick is still without power and is running on generators.

In advance responsible brothers were contacted along with 21 RBC committees and 127 Circuit Overseers.

Instructions and reminders were sent to 2,333 congregations.

Report of 2 minor injuries. One serious injury to a child in Winsor Georgia. A tree limb fell on him due to the high winds. He is in the hospital and is being supported by HLC along with his parents and congregation.

Kingdom Halls & Homes

12 Kingdom halls have serious damage from the winds and flooding.

319 Homes have minor damage.

79 Homes have moderate damage.

61 Homes have major damage.

Waiting for more reports

12 RBC crews began operating on Wednesday, October 31st. Other RBC committees are ready to respond. Need road access from local authorities.

Last night a telephone conference was held with 21 RBC committees to find out what further assistance is needed. Equipment and crews are ready to assist.

Evacuations

1,100 publishers were evacuated. The Circuit overseers are relocating displaced publishers and those without power for an extended time. Rather then the publishers going to shelters they are finding other publishers for them to stay with.

As communication is restored more information will become available.

Personnel Committee

Thank you and appreciation to the Bethel family for their efforts to help the friends out at Bethel and in their congregation. Have helped to cut & clear streets and sidewalks from branches and leaves. Even though you are busy caring for your Bethel assignment you are also helping out the friends. Visiting the friends and checking your Kingdom Halls for damage. Bethel has taken care of friends who have been stranded by providing rooming and meals for them.

[Qapla]

Any updated news would be of interest to many of us.

[palmhat]

Thank you for posting this information. This is the very reason I joined this website. I went on the internet looking for info on the brothers in Sandy's path. I knew they would be well cared for as it is the hq for the awesomest disaster relief on planet. Having joined I am happy to have found more that I was looking for. This is way better than "ToonTown".

[jackmbd]

Thank you for the update. A brother reported at the last meeting that the branch had said 3000 of our brothers were affected. Do you know anymore about this? Are they needing anything from us other than prayers? I know the Branch will make official requests if necessary and that freelancing can do more harm than good, but you guys seem to have a pretty good handle on it, so let us know if we can help in any way.

[Bluebell]

I just posted this to the "interchange" section but think it fits here better

http://www.jw.org/en/news/headlines/#mid702012033

Hurricane Sandy strikes East Coast of the United States

NOVEMBER 7, 2012 | UNITED STATES

As of November 2, 2012, there were no known deaths and one serious injury reported among the Witnesses. There was relatively minor damage at the Witnesses’ world headquarters in Brooklyn. There were 61 homes of Witnesses and some 12 Kingdom Halls seriously damaged by floods or high winds. More than 1,100 Witnesses were evacuated in advance of the storm. Damage assessments are ongoing, and Witness volunteers are coordinating their efforts with local authorities to meet the needs of fellow worshippers and other victims. Media Contact: J.R. Brown, Office of Public Information

[Bluebell]

Within the storm(s) area:

14 – States

125 Circuits

9 – Assembly Halls

970 – Kingdom Halls

2,332 – Congregations

25 RBCs

200,000+ Publishers

Damaged (known to date)

· KHs: 99 light damage; 8 moderate damage; 3 heavy damage

· 710 reported some level of damage to their homes

This past weekend:

· 4 comfort hubs were established in NY and NJ – providing warmth, food, and temp. shelter

· 516 volunteers formed 40 crews from 17 RBCs and worked each day

· 190 of the most serious homes were ‘made safe’ (this generally involved crews pumping out water from basements. Next - removing wet and damaged furnishings, ripping out sheetrock, insulation, removing trees, tarping damaged roofs, etc.. Finally cleaning, and sanitizing all affected areas. These projects are now waiting on decisions from Fema, insurance, etc. and itemized reconstruction plans. In some cases the brothers can continue to occupy but in many cases the homes are not livable.

Experiences:

In one densely populated area, the work crews showed up to assist the brothers and this drew crowds of onlookers from the neighborhood asking what was going on so the local pioneers began to follow the work crews and stand on the sidewalks outside the homes to witness to the neighbors as the work progressed.

In some cases, we dispatched more than one crew to a home by mistake but this also resulted in a good witness when the neighbors saw all the trucks with out of state license plates and volunteers with yellow badges reading “Jehovah’s Witnesses – Disaster Relief”. Many commented that ‘no one else is doing this’.

At one of the main comfort stations in Queens NY an on-duty policemen who has worked in the neighborhood for 30 years came in to see what was going on. They gave him a tour of the facility and showed him how they were organized to help the friends. The report stated that as he saw the detail that was being put into caring for the friends he literally began to cry, saying he had never seen such a thing.

[palmhat]

OH MY, OH MY, OH MY!!! Awesome news to share with family tonight. FW is tonight.

Thank you so so much.

[HenJen]

Mathews 7:7, We need to continue asking for help from our heavenly father, He is always there for us. Today's scripture is also giving us strength knowing that Jehovah is our stronghold.

[rocket]

Within the storm(s) area:

14 – States

125 Circuits

9 – Assembly Halls

970 – Kingdom Halls

2,332 – Congregations

25 RBCs

200,000+ Publishers

Damaged (known to date)

· KHs: 99 light damage; 8 moderate damage; 3 heavy damage

· 710 reported some level of damage to their homes

May I ask, What is your source for this information?

[Bluebell]

Within the storm(s) area:

14 – States

125 Circuits

9 – Assembly Halls

970 – Kingdom Halls

2,332 – Congregations

25 RBCs

200,000+ Publishers

Damaged (known to date)

· KHs: 99 light damage; 8 moderate damage; 3 heavy damage

· 710 reported some level of damage to their homes

May I ask, What is your source for this information?

from a brother in Brooklyn..... confirmed.....

[Daniela]

Thank you, Jenni!

Very nice experiences!

[LindaL.]

http://www.jw.org/en/news/by-region/americas/united-states/hurricane-sandy/

[docwatson1914]

This link is from personal friends having family at Bethel. Provides some photographs of situation.

https://www.icloud.com/journal/#2;CAEQARoQ6Dn8_8Kr1oVV26wY42DDog;FC0E96E2-3D46-4A87-94D6-BFF303587DB5

[palmhat]

This link is from personal friends having family at Bethel. Provides some photographs of situation.

https://www.icloud.com/journal/#2;CAEQARoQ6Dn8_8Kr1oVV26wY42DDog;FC0E96E2-3D46-4A87-94D6-BFF303587DB5

Thank you for these pics.The skirmishes we contend with on our personal fronts tends to fade the need for reinforcements on other battle lines. As time goes on we tend to lose the impact of disaster aftermath. At this moment I can not do much but pray for our affected brothers. Updates such as these assist us in our efforts to keep their need in the forefront of our daily routine. Something..........

Thank you