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Eh, it will take police who could be patrolling for looters, sanitation workers who could be assisting with cleanup, and EMS who could be working search and rescue. There's no getting around that.
I'm not convinced it's actually drawing resources away, just because it requires resources of its own. How many EMS workers will be along the marathon route? And would they be in Staten Island if not for the marathon?
Sanitation workers in Manhattan would likely be in Manhattan doing their job there, whether the marathon is going on or not. Same for the other boroughs.
Staten Island has police precincts. Maybe if they didn't have to spend time policing people getting gas ignoring advisories to stay off the roads unless necessary, they would have more time to patrol for looters?
And the fact is, a huge majority of Staten Island has power. Con-Ed is saying everyone should be restored by Saturday and Sunday.
People keep claiming the marathon is drawing resources, but I fail to believe it went through the entire chain of command, and officials decided..."sure, it's no big deal if we take resources away from Staten Island".
People are blowing it out of proportion. I live right here - I have friends there...some are freaking out, but that's literally 2 people out of the dozens I know out there.
Which is why I'm surprised the game in Manhattan tonight was still on 24 hrs later
midtown manhattan, where the game will be played, is perfectly fine. there was probably no reason to cancel the first Nets game, but they did it, just in case. A lot has changed in the short time since that announcement, there really is no reason to cancel any other events if the facilities have power.
I guess you are missing the point. Staying didn't and couldn't have prevented property damage. All it did was put lives in danger. Both the person that stays and the people that need to come rescue them after the fact.
It hasn't even been a week yet, there isn't that much garbage piling up, and it's not like it's 80 degrees out.
Those without power or heat in non-evacuation areas can bundle up--it's not below freezing. I have numerous friends who haven't had power/heat since Monday, it is what it is. What on earth do you want--someone to snap their fingers and it's all fixed? Reality check, that can't and won't happen. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, people need to rescue themselves. Walk a mile on Staten Island and you'll be in a neighborhood with power. Stop into a store and warm up while you get some groceries. Don't wait to be rescued, rescue yourself!
I haven't had power all week. Last night was a little chilly, but my wife wore long sleeves to bed. i still slept in shorts. people out here are panicking over some minor inconveniences. and people in areas in downtown NYC and in staten island are ignoring the fact that there is water and food a 10 minute walk away.
I'm not convinced it's actually drawing resources away, just because it requires resources of its own. How many EMS workers will be along the marathon route? And would they be in Staten Island if not for the marathon?
There are EMS tents every mile plus about 80 EMT's and paramedics on bikes riding the route. Each tent is staffed with a three to eight EMS. Mostly EMT's and paramedics although they often get some nurses and doctors that volunteer. There are less at the start, progressively more towards the finish--minimum six EMS per tent once you get to the 20 mile mark (the "wall"). I get this from my EMS husband who is also a marathoner. (No, he isn't running this year, he's run it twice in the past and hates the NYC course with a capital H.)
So using an average of four per tent that's 179 plus an extra 20 or so at the finish--let's call it an even 200 as some are nurses/doctors who volunteer and are not part of the NYC EMS. Police presence is at least that, probably double it. That's an awful lot of manpower.
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Sanitation workers in Manhattan would likely be in Manhattan doing their job there, whether the marathon is going on or not. Same for the other boroughs.
Not really--have you ever seen a marathon course after the race? It's insane. Completely buried in paper cups, fruit rinds, power gels packs, discarded clothing, and assorted other flotsam and jetsam.
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Staten Island has police precincts. Maybe if they didn't have to spend time policing people getting gas ignoring advisories to stay off the roads unless necessary, they would have more time to patrol for looters?
True, although the marathon will still take additional resources for the race route.
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And the fact is, a huge majority of Staten Island has power. Con-Ed is saying everyone should be restored by Saturday and Sunday.
Not arguing that at all.
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People keep claiming the marathon is drawing resources, but I fail to believe it went through the entire chain of command, and officials decided..."sure, it's no big deal if we take resources away from Staten Island".
I don't think it's just SI. It's also lower Manhattan, parts of Queens and Brooklyn, it's going to take months to clean it up and I do believe that the marathon is taking away a lot of city workers who would be better leveraged as assets towards the recovery effort at this point.
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People are blowing it out of proportion. I live right here - I have friends there...some are freaking out, but that's literally 2 people out of the dozens I know out there.
I agree to an extent, there are far too many people waiting for rescue instead of helping themselves, but I'm guessing you've never been to a marathon, never run one, never volunteered at one. I have, and the resources they take to operate are enormous.
By the way, if the marathon is cancelled, all entrants get a guaranteed spot in 2013 but their entry fees are NOT refunded or applied towards next year. The majority of entry fees go towards over 50 charities supported by NYRR. Discuss among yourselves.
Channel 2 news reported that the 6 massive generators that they have to keep the runners warm in the tents can power over 400 homes that are without power. Is a marathon that is going to clog up the city at a time during a recovery really a priority right now???
Channel 2 news reported that the 6 massive generators that they have to keep the runners warm in the tents can power over 400 homes that are without power. Is a marathon that is going to clog up the city at a time during a recovery really a priority right now???
It's not that easy to just move those generators into place for 400 homes. You can't safely run extension cords that far, and they just aren't set up to handle that type of use.
Even to move them to a place like one of the hospitals that lost their generators would be a challenge. It's not like you can just unplug from the existing generators and plug into the mobile ones, it requires highly skilled electricians--much more skilled than the guys who will be manning them for the auxiliary power in the park.
Events are important for the local tourism economy. You need to keep an economy strong, especially after disasters.
It does bring tens of millions into the city. However like I said, with so many pulling out or not able to get there, I think this could end up being like the party that people don't show up for. Planned for ice cream and cake for 50 and only the kid who is lactose intolerant and the other kid who is allergic to everything show.
If that happens, it's a lot of resources wasted on an event that doesn't bring in a whole lot of revenue. Classic Catch-22.
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