Many people have written via Twitter or email to ask if I am okay, and the short answer is yes.
Unlike many in New York City, I and my family emerged unscathed. There was a lot of wind and rain, but no damage to body or property.
Many people, including good friends, did suffer terribly. One lives in a neighborhood that was devastated by a terrible fire.
Diane Ravitch kind of says it all here, and eloquently. She also points out how NYC's system of school choice has made it so that many children must commute heavily to get to school, and now cannot get to school due to the flooding.
The little remark about school choice is gratuitous-even if the children could walk to school,how would the teachers get there without public transportation?