MoRUS needs help drying out on its basement on Avenue C

From the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space, 155 Avenue C:

The museum is racing against time to dry out its basement. Please, please, please share extra fans, dehumidifiers and heaters with us and spread the word that we need help. The space will be open all day today following the Alphabet City parade, which meets at 12:30 p.m. at East Houston Street and Avenue C.

Assessing the damage to businesses along Avenue C; Associated may be closed for 1 month

[Dave on 7th]

New York Natives takes a look at some of the storm-damaged businesses along hard-hit Avenue C. Things are particularly bad at the Associated at East Eighth Street. Per NYN:

[A]t The Associated Supermarket, flooding effected an entire basement and half the general floor with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of food completely spoiled. A supervisor estimated they would be closed for at least a month as he threw out sealed but still contaminated boxes of lettuce.

Help clean up local parks

Many city parks are reopening this morning... The New York City Department of Parks & Recreation sent out the following:

New Opportunities to Volunteer
Many of New York City’s parks and playgrounds were impacted by Hurricane Sandy. If you would like to volunteer with NYC Parks to aid in clean-up and recovery, please review the list of parks and playgrounds below that are in need of assistance and go here to sign up.

Manhattan
East River Park
Saturday and Sunday
10am – 1pm
meet-up: East River Track Building located at E. 6th St.

Sara D. Roosevelt Park
Saturday and Sunday
10am – 1pm
meet-up: Hester Street and Sara D. Roosevelt Park

Here is a list (PDF) of the parks that remain closed.

Lower East Side volunteer needs

Via Hope for New York ...

• Help unload truck and distribute goods to those in need on Lower East Side Saturday 11/3 and Sunday 11/4. Meet @ 10th St & Ave D anytime after 8:30AM. Just show up!

Donation Needs

The Father's Heart
Need: Donations of 1) Bottled Water and 2) Fresh fruit & veggies all day Saturday 11/3. Bring donations directly to The Father's Heart at 545 East 11th St anytime between 8:30-2:30PM.

Bowery Mission
Need: The Mission is in great need of gasoline to power their generators, blankets, and sweatshirts. Please drop off any of these items at 227 Bowery, New York, NY, 10002 OR the administrative headquarters on Madison and 31st. Find more Bowery needs here.

There are plenty more ways to help citywide. Go here for more details.

Thanks to C-Squat

[Dave on 7th]

There are a lot of people to thank for their efforts following Hurricane Sandy... Many residents who I've talked with were particularly grateful of C-Squat residents.

You may have seen the free food and BBQ going all week outside the building at 155 Avenue C. Per Dave on 7th: "C-Squat feed more people [in the East Village] than the city did." The first sign of any kind of coordinated relief via the National Guard arrived Thursday evening to East 10th Street and Avenue D.

In addition, 155 Avenue C is home to MoRUS, where Time's Up! charged cell phones and other items with the stationary bike-powered generator.

To boost spirits: A post-Sandy parade for Avenue C

From the EV Grieve inbox...

Alphabet City got really hammered by the hurricane. To boost spirits: a parade. Let's play a parade on Saturday at, say, 12:30 up Avenue C from Houston to C-Squat/MoRUS at East 10th Street.

We need musicians to RSVP — please let us know your instrument or section. Also circus friends, stiltwalkers, jugglers, and others, please come add festiveness and spectacle!

Please bring fruit and other supplies to give out, too. Zines, comics, and activity books make great throws for homes without power! Here's what to do with your dusty library...

[Image by Nicolina Art]

And now, the line for gas

Even before the power returned late this afternoon, cars convened at the Mobil station on Avenue C at East Houston.

EVG reader Krikor Daglian took the following photos.

Per Krikor:

Cars started lining up at the newly-powered Mobil on Avenue C and 2nd, despite the fact that the owners weren't there and the place was closed. Police came by and told everyone to leave. Just walked by again and it looks like the owners have arrived but the police are still blocking it off. Not sure what will happen next. People are pretty antsy to get gas. The traffic is horrendous.

Meanwhile, this gas station is set to close next month and become a new development of some sort.

Chapter 1

The opening scenes from Woody Allen's "Manhattan" circa 1979...

[Updated] The power is on

And the crowd goes wild ...

Updated:

Here's the scene on East 10th Street and Avenue D just after 5... via @johnblack

Zombie alert tonight

"Shaun of the Dead" plays tonight at 7 in front of the St. Marks Church-in-the Bowery. East 10th Street and Second Avenue. Per the invite: "Bring radio, chair, blanket and hot beverages."

Free hot meal at the Wayland on Avenue C

At East Ninth Street... starting now...

BBQ tonight at Matilda

BBQ Friday 2night! At Matilda 11th St at Ave C. Come support the East Village w/food & bev! 6-11pm! PLEASE RETWEET @boweryboogie @evgrieve

— Daily Food & Wine (@DailyFoodnWine) November 2, 2012

Noted on Avenue C

People are siphoning gas out of abandoned cars on Avenue C

— Zach Mack (@zmack) November 2, 2012

More scenes from outside Key Food yesterday

Where the dumpster was set up for employees to pitch produce and other items... I've heard varying accounts of the scene here. (I didn't see this.) A few news accounts painted this as an apocalyptic scene.

Here's the view from London at the Daily Mail:

Shocking images captured groups of residents sifting through garbage outside a Key Food supermarket at Avenue A and East 4th Street in the East Village yesterday.

Families, elderly people and young residents were seen climbing into the dumpster hunting for whatever they could find to eat.

Here are photos from Edward Arrocha, who noted via Facebook:

Outside of Key Food, a trip. Kudos to C-squat for liberating the food... but shame on the horders who took so much more then their fare share in spite of hungry neighboors... share, repost, let the world see New York...

And C-Squat residents later cooked up the food for any hungry neighbors...