Hurricane Sandy Shatters Fort Lee, New Jersey

This is part of my frequent running route. Now it’s blocked by fallen branches.

This isn’t a typical post. But it is still related to running – because Hurricane Sandy has effectively ruined my track session on Monday. Unlike last year on the day of Hurricane Irene (I ran 31 miles that morning), I’m not planning on trying my luck this time. I did, however, walk a few miles for photos around my town, For Lee, NJ – just across the Hudson River from Upper Manhattan. Below are some terrifying scenes in my neighborhood. And now I’m convinced that it was a good idea to skip running today – and possibly tomorrow.

As of 5:00 PM EST, my area isn’t as bad as it was right after Hurricane Irene. But who knows what Sandy will do to my down later this evening. I will continue to update this page as I gather more photos. If you are in the area, please feel free to share your photos. And lastly, if you affected by the severe weather conditions, please use common sense to be safe, stay with your family, and pay attention to local authorities.

This is why you should trim those huge trees around your house. You’ll have to pay for it one way or another.

This one isn’t that bad – but they’ll have a tough time getting out of the driveway.

Update: 11/06/2012

The following photos were taken on 10/30/2012. But I couldn’t process these photos due to one week of power outage in my neighborhood. Fortunately nothing of mine is damaged. My town, however, might disagree on this.

This is part of a high school in my neighboring town, Cliffside Park.

Powerless, Gloomy Manhattan

Massive traffic lining a gas station close to my house.

Are you affected by Hurricane Sandy? What have you done to be prepared and stay informed? Please share your stories in the comment section below.

Author Bio: Kevin Lu is an engineer. He received his B.S. and M.S. in biomedical engineering from NJIT. Science, technology, and running are Kevin’s passions. In his spare time, Kevin trains for and participates in races of various distances. In addition to Beyond Distance, Kevin also writes for iRunnerBlog as a columnist. Find out more about Kevin here and follow him on Twitter.