Times Square, rain-slick and empty, during Monday night's storm.
Today I've got what I hope will be the first of dozens, thousands—millions!—of stories on Capital New York, a totally snazzy web site. It's also the first of what will be ongoing coverage on this blog of how the theaters, big and small, of New York City are responding to Monday night's hurricane. There's some good reporting here, and I'm proud of it. Hopefully in the next week I can do more.
The temporary home of St. Ann's Warehouse is on Jay Street, nestled in the heart of Dumbo, just half a block from the East River.
On Monday night, tropical storm Sandy soaked Dumbo, flooding Jane's Carousel and dealing untold damage to the neighborhood's bookstores, galleries and shops. As images of the disaster rolled in, St. Ann's executive director Andrew D. Hamingson scanned the pictures for a glimpse of his theater, and expected the worst.
"I'm a bit of a weather hobbyist," he said by phone yesterday, "so I was keeping a very close eye on the storm. It was a fitful night to say the least."
Tuesday morning, he drove to Dumbo to see the chaos for himself. Across the street from the theater, a parking garage was filled with 10 feet of water. Next door, a coffee shop's storeroom had flooded, creating a mire of very salty cold brew. But at St. Ann's Warehouse, the water had barely lapped at the door.
"I can't even tell you how lucky we feel," Hamingson said. "Actually, we sold six tickets during the storm. Who the hell is buying in the midst of the hurricane?"
There's way more. If anyone has news or stories about the hurricane, or information about theaters that are in trouble, message me on Twitter or email akers.william@gmail.com. Stay dry, folks.