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NYC Power Expected to Be Out For Days, Looters Take Advantage, and Gas Shortages Loom

Oct. 31, 2012 8:13am Mike Opelka

Less than a day after the hybrid superstorm known as Sandy struck the northeast, looters and scammers have surfaced. TheBlaze reported on the top five scams that popped up immediately after the storm hit — and how to avoid them, And now comes the looting.

Looting and Scammers Take Advantage Of Storm In NYC

A New York City Police officer looks in to the broken window of a T-Mobile store near the Financial District, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012. New York City awakened Tuesday to a flooded subway system, shuttered financial markets and hundreds of thousands of people without power a day after a wall of seawater and high winds slammed into the city, destroying buildings and flooding tunnels. Credit: AP

The New York Post is reporting that more than a dozen looters have been arrested following incidents in Coney Island, and the Rockaways sections of the city. In lower Manhattan, looters descended on the tourist area known as the South Street Seaport, helping themselves to merchandise from the stores in the mall.

The Huffington Post’s Crime section is also covering the looting in the southern portion of Brooklyn, reporting tensions are high, fights are breaking out between residents and at least one drug store has been targeted by looters.

Image: April O’Brien / Huffington Post

The MedaAid Pharmacy claimed that thieves had rummaged through more 10,000 pharmaceutical products and made off with a considerable number of prescription meds.

Gothamist captured some photos of the Brookstone store that was among those victimized by a gang of approximately twelve looters who took advantage of the store’s broken windows early on Tuesday morning.

Image: Christopher Robbins / Gothamist

In addition to the sporadic looting, several reports of scammers hitting the streets of the affected areas are popping up. Fake utility company workers apparently were robbing people in one section of the city, the Post reports. In the past during similar situations, crooks have been reported to extort powerless homeowners by claiming that cash will get their power restored sooner. It won’t. Power is expected to be out for days.

The NYC transit system remains in a crippled state. There is no subway service in the entire city and power is still out to the section of the city below 39th street — for the uninitiated, that covers a critical portion of the city including Wall Street, the financial district, NYU, SOHO, and Penn Station. Amtrak’s northeast corridor remains virtually shutdown north of Newark, NJ.

Because of the transit issues and the closing of water-soaked tunnels, hundreds of thousands of people are trying to drive into the city for work using the few active entrances. This influx of cars is clogging traffic and now putting a strain on the very limited number of gas stations in Manhattan. One friend of TheBlaze reported that lines are quite long at the handful of stations on the small island, and at least one station had already run out of fuel. On top of that, gas prices rose as East Coast ports usually used to import crude oil have been affected.

With the situation in New York changing each day, TheBlaze will monitor and update this story as needed.

(H/T: Gothamist, NY Post, HuffPo)

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Comments (96)

Frank_Wall
Posted on October 31, 2012 at 9:56am
Its something you really cannot prevent. Happened after Hurricane Katrina and its happened now. People are sadly opportunists and will always take advantage of the situation

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- rangerskippy
  Posted on October 31, 2012 at 10:05am
  when a natural disaster hit Japan, they did not have looting problems.
  
  It is a certain segment of our population that generally does the looting. That same segment has been led to believe that “free stuff” is owed to them.
  
  Report this comment
- Kenszen
  Posted on October 31, 2012 at 11:10am
  And in contrast, there was NO looting after the Japan tsunami. It is a matter of dignity and self-respect, both of which these looters (who probably belong to the 47%) do not have.
  
  Report this comment
- Ddave333
  Posted on October 31, 2012 at 12:29pm
  With the inability to protect your Life, Liberty, and Property with your Second Amendment rights thanks to Bloomberg and the Democrats – This sort of thing is Inevitable.
  
  Report this comment
- DeOppressoLiber
  Posted on October 31, 2012 at 1:02pm
  New Yorkers deserve what they get. You want to live in a place with strict gun control, put up with it and shut up.
  
  Not much looting go on in Texas when hurricanes hit.
  
  Report this comment
- mecanic
  Posted on October 31, 2012 at 1:26pm
  And out comes the animals…
  
  Report this comment
- KIWL-DA-WABBIT
  Posted on October 31, 2012 at 1:49pm
  It really is sad when what little you have left after the storm is then stolen by punks. God is in charge, but I believe his hand is against this country.
  
  Report this comment
- NickyLouse
  Posted on October 31, 2012 at 9:22pm
  Probably did not happen in Joplin either.
  
  Report this comment
- siquijorisland
  Posted on November 1, 2012 at 12:19am
  You mean some people are responsible for this. Imagine in a poor third world country after a earthquake and 45 deaths no looting. However plenty of neighbors helping each other, explain this?
  
  Report this comment
- sillyfreshness
  Posted on November 2, 2012 at 1:55am
  @rangerskippy
  
  Exactly right. That segment is “dead weight” in our society in that they don’t contribute anything, they just take. Think how great this country could have been if it didn’t have so much “dead weight” dragging us down.
  
  “I wants my Obama phone…..”
  
  Report this comment
ricanpatriot
Posted on October 31, 2012 at 9:51am
They’re just following orders from Dear Leader, redistributing that wealth…

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ClaudeRains
Posted on October 31, 2012 at 9:38am
Issue a shoot to kill order and watch the looting come to a complete halt.

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- TheLeftMadeMeRight
  Posted on October 31, 2012 at 10:27am
  What? You think the national guard has any live ammo? It’s all been sent to the TSA.
  
  Report this comment
- katgolf
  Posted on October 31, 2012 at 1:51pm
  Amen!
  
  Report this comment
oldincarolina
Posted on October 31, 2012 at 9:37am
The low-life looters should be shot on sight, no questions asked. It should be a Federal Law.

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MrKnowItAll
Posted on October 31, 2012 at 9:35am
Just REMEMBER that I lived through the Riots here in Detroit. The Buildings and Businesses UN-touched were maned by the owners , their family, and friends with Tommy Guns.

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rockymtngal
Posted on October 31, 2012 at 9:28am
Disasters bring out the best and worst in people. While others help others, others help themselves by looting, lying and cheating. Uh…that sounds a lot like Obama, doesn’t it?

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Proverbs17-12NLT
Posted on October 31, 2012 at 9:22am
Just a little redistribution democrat style. This is what happens to democrats when they run out of Hopey Changey.

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- Yeah_Buddy
  Posted on October 31, 2012 at 1:27pm
  Deamoncrat mantra: never let a good crisis go to waste.
  
  Report this comment
barber2
Posted on October 31, 2012 at 9:19am
Looting ? So strange. I listened to NRP this morning ( get ready for sarcasm ) and they never mentioned anything about looting. They did , however , spend time dwelling on the president’s stopping campaigning to handle the storm, and got in a mention of old FEMA/ Bush versus new FEMA/ Obama !! The MSM / NPR just doing their usual flood of water carrying for the Obama who has been campaigning for the past year ! Benghazi ? No mention of Benghazi . Looting ? No mention of looting.

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Mr.Fitnah
Posted on October 31, 2012 at 9:09am
Give it a week. Fires and riots.

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- 700P
  Posted on October 31, 2012 at 9:28am
  I expect a forthcoming announcement by the administration their voters have been disenfranchised by the opportunity to go looting.
  
  As a true liberal Mecca it would also not surprise me if a few struggling businesses staged lootings by moving their merchandise, taking their insurance claim and then restocking their shelves with their original items.
  
  Report this comment
- BlessedGirls2
  Posted on October 31, 2012 at 4:43pm
  Watch the news…the fires have already started…
  
  Report this comment
Walkabout
Posted on October 31, 2012 at 9:09am
I expect looting. I had hoped that society would get more resilient to infrastructure wise & socially to such a breakdown.

I was wrong.

We’re still working on the engineering. On the socially side, Rush Limbaugh pointed out that we spend $ 60,000 on every family in poverty. The Liberals/progressives have a lot of explaining to do.

If you had spent or give $60K to someone for several years you would expect them to have gotten an education or a trade & pulled themselves up out of poverty.

The road to HEII is paved with DEMOCRATS!

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- coachsmac
  Posted on October 31, 2012 at 9:15am
  The road to HEII is paved with DEMOCRATS!
  
  Hey that is a slogan one of the teachers in SC had in her room!! Probably not a good idea!! Of course she is now on Administrative leave, for having an opinion! So much for free speech!
  
  Report this comment
- BlessedGirls2
  Posted on October 31, 2012 at 4:34pm
  Limbaughha is so ignorant and you are stupid to repeat his rants…If you spend $60k per year on a poor family of (how many? no mention of numbers) just say 4…they are no longer poor! so you then must call them something else…any clue?
  
  Report this comment
- texastommy
  Posted on November 1, 2012 at 10:26am
  The point is blessedsissy we spend $60k but not near that much makes it to those who need it, instead, most is sucked up by the federal beaurocracy in salaries, office supplies, building maintenance, etc. and no further. We feed the government with that $60k, not the people.
  
  Report this comment
dublinthewagons
Posted on October 31, 2012 at 9:08am
After the election this may spread.

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grickm
Posted on October 31, 2012 at 9:01am
The liberals in NYC built their great utopian society. Now let them enjoy the results of their labor.

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- biohazard23
  Posted on October 31, 2012 at 9:09am
  Nanny Bloomberg, what say you? Still think criminals just need a hug and a teddy bear, and that large Slurpees still your city’s most pressing issue? Idiot.
  
  Report this comment
- BlessedGirls2
  Posted on October 31, 2012 at 4:40pm
  They can certainly afford it…can you? stop being jealous of rich people
  
  Report this comment
markprice
Posted on October 31, 2012 at 8:58am
Shot on sight, that would stop the looting

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- mrunner
  Posted on October 31, 2012 at 1:16pm
  They would if they were allowed to exercise their 2nd Amendment rights. Sadly, this is New York City- they have no such rights in this liberal utopia…
  
  Report this comment
bikerdogred1
Posted on October 31, 2012 at 8:57am
This is a good time for the NYPD to have a little target practice,shoot to kill should be loud and proud and put in place.One shot,one kill.

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- Displacedsoutherner
  Posted on October 31, 2012 at 9:02am
  After NYPD’s poor on-target percentage with the Empire State Building shooter they need the practice anyway.
  
  Report this comment
TheGreatMan
Posted on October 31, 2012 at 8:44am
Ray Nagin to provide free transportation for professional looters from New Orleans. You know……brother helping brother.

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commonsenseguy
Posted on October 31, 2012 at 8:44am
one shot,one kill, they should shoot everyone of the lowlifes they catch,then America would be a lot better off,

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- muddy1
  Posted on October 31, 2012 at 8:56am
  The reports of looting are greatly exaggerated as are the reports of empty store shelves as evidenced in this post Sandy photo of grocery store. The few looters mentioned are nothing in comparison with the size of the population. Furthermore, their numbers are nothing to the massive numbers looting in New Orleans.
  
  Report this comment
- Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
  Posted on October 31, 2012 at 8:56am
  Agreed, now how long will it take the administration to blame the looting on the Tea Party and on the Romney campaign?
  
  Report this comment
- kay2861
  Posted on October 31, 2012 at 8:59am
  I agree, but the gun laws are so strict in New York that they can’t protect themselves. They are sitting ducks for looters.
  
  Report this comment
SocialistSlayer
Posted on October 31, 2012 at 8:36am
Hurricane Karma – coming back to bite these Commies! Go Slurp on an 8oz drink somewhere !

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taintso
Posted on October 31, 2012 at 8:35am
the looters are out redistributing the wealth for Obama.

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- RepubliCorp
  Posted on October 31, 2012 at 8:42am
  Yep! how are those guns laws working for ya NYC?
  
  Report this comment
poorrichard09
Posted on October 31, 2012 at 8:33am
The two-legged rats emerge from their hiding places.

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Thighmaster
Posted on October 31, 2012 at 8:31am
Is looting considered “work” and if so will looting disqualify the looters from receiving other government benefits ?

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- let us prey
  Posted on October 31, 2012 at 8:37am
  Lol.
  
  Report this comment
- BetterInformed
  Posted on October 31, 2012 at 8:39am
  Did you loot this week? Did you try to loot this week?
  
  Report this comment
- loriann12
  Posted on October 31, 2012 at 8:47am
  Do they have to claim the value of the items taken as income? Will it put them over the limit for their SSI?
  
  Report this comment
- TheLeftMadeMeRight
  Posted on October 31, 2012 at 10:32am
  That would depend, are you a full time looter or is this a part time hobby? Please consult your tax professional for advice… Oh yea, you don’t pay taxes.
  
  Report this comment
- Teaparty_Grammy
  Posted on October 31, 2012 at 1:36pm
  It probably IS considered work by the Obama administration. Expect an announcement any day now that unemployment is DOWN in New York. That would probably be about as accurate as the latest employment numbers put out by the Liar-In-Chief.
  
  Report this comment
momrules
Posted on October 31, 2012 at 8:30am
After Ike we had problems with vultures. As we were pulling our ruined belongings out of our flooded homes they descended actually going through our things picking and choosing what they wanted to try and take. Try was the operative word. I ran two sets of them off myself and called the police on one. The only reason they weren’t shot is they didn’t come into the house.

Be careful about contractors too. The one we hire brought his own crew which turned out to be a bunch of illegals he had picked up at Home Depot. They didn’t even have tools and wanted to use ours. We fired the contractor but it took 7 months of me harassing him daily and then holding a bad check he had written us over his head to get our money back. I later heard that he had gone to jail for scamming people.

The wicked and the greedy always take advantage of a bad situation.

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florida123
Posted on October 31, 2012 at 8:27am
Anyone a bit surprised? I mean it is NYC the home of the Liberal Commie and Bloomberg who forbids law abiding citizens from owning hand guns!

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- Eastinfection
  Posted on October 31, 2012 at 8:31am
  When you outlaw self- defense…
  
  only outlaws can defend themselves..
  
  Report this comment
- montanalablover
  Posted on October 31, 2012 at 8:34am
  Let the games begin. The ghetto rats are coming out of the darkness. Parasitic welfare moochers on the move. This is no surprise. New York City is a cesspool of humanity.
  
  Report this comment
- Thighmaster
  Posted on October 31, 2012 at 8:38am
  Just wait until one of the looters grabs a 24 oz big gulp, NYC will spare no expense tracking them down..
  
  Report this comment
- Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
  Posted on October 31, 2012 at 8:57am
  No I am not, even Drudge Report commented upon the gathering looters using twitter to announce their intentions. No surprise at all.
  
  Report this comment
- U.N.hater
  Posted on October 31, 2012 at 8:59am
  Can you use a rifle?
  
  Report this comment
commonsenseguy
Posted on October 31, 2012 at 8:24am
this is really sad for everyone especially our friends who have to suffer, but bloomberg is there to help,he has banned everything heck even in tough times he still will not let them have a large soda,but he is letting the parasites run lose,and now he can do what he and obama have wanted for a long time, they will not let a lot of the gas stations open back up because they contribute to global warming,but the parasites are okay.what a commie,i pray that all our friends will recover and i will help out with what i have,i hope people will do the same, start with helping friends and family first,i know we can help them way better than the government. god bless you all and may god be with you in your time of sorrow and need.

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ZAP
Posted on October 31, 2012 at 8:22am
Let the anarchy begin

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- Eastinfection
  Posted on October 31, 2012 at 8:29am
  Redistribution of Stupidity….
  
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ZAP
Posted on October 31, 2012 at 8:19am
Add your comments

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- let us prey
  Posted on October 31, 2012 at 8:28am
  Heads on pikes may deter them.
  
  Report this comment

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