The images, specifically on WNBC NY are, and I don't use this term lightly, Katrina-esque.
No one's comparing it to Katrina from a body count, but what I will compare is the compartive abandonment of the people.
Beyond heart wrenching.
My heart goes out to the lifeless and homeless.  However...
I feel bad for Breezy, but Breezy is gone.
The Jersey shore was clearly under the crosshairs and the barrier islands took a devastating shot, but in many cases they are summer rentals and second and vacation homes.
But these poor bastards on staten island....
In many cases, they were not under mandatory evac.  Many of the effected were in "Zone B".  I don't fault whatever level of warning they do, this storm broke all the records and no one is clarivoyant.
Power is out to 2/3 of the island and for those not in the know, there are 3 bridges onto and off of the island.  This sludge surge has been chemically texted to be revealed to by carrying fecal/seweage bacteria and gasoline and the advice to those folks is clean out your home.  NY has no credibility since the air the week of 9/11 was given the "all clear" to keep digging.
They're devastated, they're there and they're alive.  I'm sorry for the dead, but recovery efforts have to be second to relief for the living.
There's no markets open and you can't drive their anyway since most cars are destroyed. And if your car didn't get destroyed, you can't get g-damn gas.
And then, on top of all that, they want to fire the starting gun to the marathon from the Verrazano Bridge and cut off one of the 3 major ways out of down for 8-12 hours?  Outrageous.
Set up 10,000 treadmills on Sheep Meadow and run your dopey Marathon there.
Here is Mad Dog Russo with a pretty good rant on the matter
http://siriusxmsports.posterous.com/christopher-mad-dog-russo-is-down-on-the-deci