***Migrated blog entry from my blog version 4.0***

For those who haven’t known yet, I am in NYC now. As soon as on Wed. they opened the GWB I ran down to the supermarket in NJ loaded my car with 150+ lbs of food and finally made way to my apt. on 8th street below the 14th street quarantine zone.

The air is a nasty acrid smell, the smell of burnt flesh and hair–one of the worst smells I have ever smelled in my entire life. It’s the smell of death, that carries emotion with it, unlike raw sewage, which at this point, I’d rather smell.

I’m ok, and as for my friend at Merrill Lynch, she’s ok. Her mother misunderstood the frantic cell phone call. However, my friend at NYSSA wasn’t so lucky. One more friend Gabriel Petcu of Morgan Stanely hasn’t been heard from, and the Morgan Stanely hotline has no information on his whereabouts. I’ve posted a few emails and close calls on the previous thread so you can see how close most of my friends were affected and were lucky.

I’m now equipped with a radio, and a portable police radio. I registered to volunteer since I’m registered Red Cross first aid, as well as having police experience, and in fact still have my uniform and equipment still here. What was crazy was that how heavily protected the volunteer HQ was. We have large amounts of national guard armed with the heaviest weapons, which include 50 caliber machine guns with 200 round belts, 72 mm anti-tank, and automatic machine guns ranging from the Colt M1A1 and H&K MP5a’s.

Crime is rampant in the city above 50th street, with many muggings, robberies, burglaries, and cars broken into, since all police are manning the streets below 50th street. There is at least 4 cops at every street corner! News won’t tell you this, but I know so since I have a police radio.

I’m currently housing a few friends who are homeless, and its a good thing I have supplies. Supermarkets are completely wiped out clean since there are no deliveries below 42nd street. Midtown and south are already out of food and bottled water. I have more than enough supplies here to last me and my friends for about a week. Thanks for all your help, and especially many thanks to Suzanne Harper my manager at work, and my employer Johnson & Johnson for understanding the situation and my needs. My friends need me here and I will continue to work and help those in need.

Best Wishes,
-Eddie