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| New Jersey state troopers keep order as motorist line up to purchase gasoline at the Thomas A. Edison service area on the New Jersey Turnpike Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012, near Woodbridge, N.J. From storm-scarred New Jersey to parts of Connecticut, a widespread lack of gasoline added to the frustration since Superstorm Sandy passed through the area. Gas rationing was to starting at noon Saturday in northern New Jersey, where drivers will be allowed to buy it only every other day. |
NEW YORK (AP)
-- More New Yorkers got power Saturday for the first time since
Superstorm Sandy struck the region, but frustrations mounted over
gasoline shortages as refueling sites turned into traffic jams of
horn-honking confusion.
Gas rationing went
into effect in northern New Jersey, while crowds lined up at free fuel
distribution sites in New York's boroughs, where a limit of 10 gallons
per person was imposed. New York officials then said emergency vehicles
had the priority over the public.
"It's chaos,
pandemonium out here," said Chris Damon, whose family was displaced
from his home in the Queens neighborhood of Far Rockaway and are staying
with relatives in Brooklyn. He circled the block for 3 1/2 hours at the
Brooklyn Armory, where the National Guard was directing traffic.
"It's ridiculous. No one knows what's going on," he said.
New
York Gov. Andrew Cuomo had announced that the 5,000-gallon trucks from
the Defense Department would set up the emergency mobile gas stations at
five locations around the New York City metropolitan area.
"Do not panic. I know there is anxiety about fuel," he said.
After
the long lines formed, New York state officials said the public should
stay away from the refueling stations until emergency responders first
got their gas and more supplies are then made available.
The
scene was more orderly in hard-hit Staten Island, where a line of cars
stretched for two miles under the supervision of police and National
Guard troops. Another 400 people were on foot, carrying gas cans.
As
gas rationing went into effect at noon in northern New Jersey, police
began enforcing rules to allow only motorists with odd-numbered license
plates to refuel. Those with even-numbered plates must wait until
Sunday.
Jessica Tisdale of Totowa waited in
her Mercedes SUV for 40 minutes at a gas station in Jersey City, but
didn't quite understand the rules and was ordered to pull away because
of her even-numbered plate.
"Is it the number
or the letter?" she asked around 12:10 p.m. "I don't think it's fair.
I've been in the line since before noon. I don't think it's fair.
There's no clarity."
The officer who waved her out of line threw up his hands and shrugged.
At
an Exxon station in Wall, N.J., Kathryn Davidson was unaware of the
start of rationing but beat the noon deadline despite a 45-minute wait
in line and an even-numbered plate.
"How are people supposed to know?" said Davidson, 53, who said it reminded her of the 1970s, when a similar plan was in place.
"There were fistfights and everything. It got nasty," she said. "Everyone seems pretty pleasant as of right now."
In
Washington, President Barack Obama visited the headquarters of the
Federal Emergency Management Agency for an update on superstorm recovery
efforts and said "there's nothing more important than us getting this
right."
"Obviously we've now seen that after
the initial search and rescue, the recovery process is difficult and
it's painful," Obama said. "But I'm confident that we will continue to
make progress as long as state and local and federal officials stay
focused."
Obama cited the need to restore
power; pump out water, particularly from electric substations; ensure
that basic needs are addressed; remove debris; and get federal resources
in place to help transportation systems come back on line.
About 2.6 million people remained without power in six states after Sandy came ashore Monday night.
About
900,000 people still didn't have electricity in the New York
metropolitan area, including about 550,000 on Long Island, Cuomo said.
About 80 percent of New York City's subway service has been restored, he added.
The
storm forced cancellation of Sunday's New York City Marathon. Mayor
Michael Bloomberg reversed himself Friday and yielded to mounting
criticism about running the race, which starts on hard-hit Staten Island
and wends through all five of the city's boroughs.
Bloomberg,
who as late as Friday afternoon insisted the world's largest marathon
should go on as scheduled, changed course shortly afterward amid
intensifying opposition from the city comptroller, the Manhattan borough
president and sanitation workers unhappy they had volunteered to help
storm victims but were assigned to the race instead. The mayor said he
would not want "a cloud to hang over the race or its participants."
Bloomberg,
in his first comments since canceling the marathon, said he fought to
keep it going but the controversy was becoming "so divisive" and too
much of a distraction.
"I still think that we
had the resources to do both, and that we want people to be able to take
a break and that sort of thing. ... It's a big part of our economy,"
Bloomberg told WCBS-TV on Saturday during a visit to the borough of
Queens. As he spoke, he was met by catcalls from residents angry about
the city's response to the storm.
Many runners
understood the decision to call off the marathon. The overall death
toll from the superstorm was 105, including 41 in New York City. The
widespread power outages made many New Yorkers recoil at the idea of
police protecting a foot race and evicting storm victims from hotels to
make way for runners.
The cancellation forced runners to deal with what to do with no race.
More
than half of the 40,000 athletes were from out of town. Their entry
fees were paid. Their airline tickets were purchased. Their friends and
family had hotel rooms. And all week the race was a go, even after Sandy
came ashore Monday.
"I understand why it
cannot be held under the current circumstances," Meb Keflezighi, the
2009 men's champion and 2004 Olympic silver medalist, said in a
statement. "Any inconveniences the cancellation causes me or the
thousands of runners who trained and traveled for this race pales in
comparison to the challenges faced by people in NYC and its vicinity."
ING,
the financial company that is the title sponsor of the marathon, said
it supported the decision to cancel. The firm's charitable giving arm
has made a $500,000 contribution to help with relief and recovery
efforts and is matching employee donations. Sponsor Poland Spring said
it would donate the bottled water earmarked for the marathon to relief
agencies, more than 200,000 bottles.
"When you
have a significant amount of people voicing real pain and unhappiness
over its running, you have to hear that. You have to take that into
consideration," said Howard Wolfson, deputy mayor for government affairs
and communications.
"Something that is such a
celebration of the best of New York can't become divisive," he said.
"That is not good for the city now as we try to complete our recovery
effort, and it is not good for the marathon in the long run."
Each day has brought signs of recovery.
Aida
Padilla, 75, was thrilled that the power at her large housing authority
complex in New York City's Chelsea section had returned late Friday.
"Thank God," said Padilla, 75. "I screamed and I put the lights on. Everybody was screaming. It was better than New Year's."
Asked about whether she had heat, she replied, "hot and cold water and heat! Thank God, Jesus!"
But on Staten Island, there was grumbling that the borough was a lower priority to get its services restored.
"You
know it's true," said Tony Carmelengo, who lives in the St. George
section of Staten Island and still does not have electricity.
Added his neighbor, Anthony Como: "It's economics. Manhattan gets everything, let's face it."
The governor said the New York area had a strong sense of community, "but until you have your lights on you're not happy."
"We're
not going to stop until we have every house and every home restored.
... This was truly a crisis, but it requires patience," Cuomo said.
NYU
Langone Medical Center, one of two New York hospitals that had to
evacuate patients at the height of the storm, said it would reopen
Monday, although some doctors would see patients at alternate sites.
Seven backup generators at the hospital failed Monday night, forcing the evacuation of 300 patients.
At
Bellevue Hospital Center, some 700 patients had to be evacuated after
the power failed. An official there said the hospital could be out of
commission at least two more weeks.
New Jersey
Gov. Chris Christie said he would make public a list of when New Jersey
utility companies intend to restore power to each community. Even if
they end up working faster or slower, he said, residents will have a
sense of when power will be restored so they can plan their lives a bit
better.
Commuter rail operator NJ Transit said
it would have more service restored in time for the workweek to start
Monday, most of Atlantic City's casinos reopened, and many school
districts decided to hold classes on Thursday and Friday - days
previously reserved for the New Jersey Education Association's annual
conference, which has been canceled.
