This morning I went out to see how the cleanup from Hurricane Sandy is progressing.  As soon as I arrived at the first service station, the line for gas extended as far as I could see.  That was the case at the other three stations I passed.  Some stations had gas, some were waiting for gas to be delivered.  The problem with waiting hours on a gas line, is you never know if the station will run out when you get to the front of the line.  That’s been causing serious frustration.  Overall, it appeared most people were being patient.  Some people were standing with five gallon jugs to fill up their generators or bikes, but most people were in cars.  On the way to Manhattan beach, which is only a couple of miles from my home, there were no functioning traffic lights.  That wasn’t unusual because most of the lights are out in the southern most parts of Brooklyn.  When I arrived in Manhattan Beach, a very small neighborhood surrounded by water, which shares an island with Coney Island and Sea Gate, there were cleanup vehicles everywhere.  I lived there for ten years and lost a car in the 1991 perfect storm when the bay overflowed the bulkhead.  The cleanup was taking place in earnest.  There were garbage trucks and dumpsters everywhere.  Due to the fact the neighborhood is essentially four blocks wide, when the ocean came up, it deposited sand throughout the neighborhood so the streets are a mess.  I tried to get to the beach but it was closed and guarded by police.  There was debris everywhere although it was very peaceful; the calm after the storm.  Every house had piles of debris in front, mostly from flooded basements although some homes did have water enter the first floor.  Many of the homes are built above the level of the street and suffered less damage.  Other homes have driveways that are under the house and in those cases the water filled up the garages and basements like Niagara Falls.  It’s always been an issue and not the greatest design in a neighborhood surrounded by water.  Some residents now have power and with the resources brought in to clean up, there’s no question life will get back to normal fairly quickly.