This is pretty neat:
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2012-10-29/postcards-underwater-new-york
craziest one comes from the comments (if its real…):
I think the photo of the shark is shopped. Bchadwick, that article is amazing. I love photos of deserted things and natural events like that. Looks amazing and erie, wish I was there so bad, definitely something everyone who is there will remember and talk about years from now I’m sure. I bet the stairs blow on some of those high rise apartments right about now. Was suprised to see the headlights on on some of those underwater cards, wonder what they were thinking?
financial district: 
Who are the idiots that parked their car their?
Yeah, I’m suprised at all the morons that couldn’t find a way in 5 days to move their car outside the city. Insurance shouldn’t have to cover those people.
Where were people parking their cars outside the city? Did the city designate large fields on higher ground for parking or did people just head for the hills and park in random neighbourhoods?
You would feel pretty stupid having lost your car, like “uhh yeah, i lost my car, didn’t see that coming…”.
Probably the same ones that liked to be all blasé and say “Hurricane Irene was nothing, this one is nothing either, look at all the silly panicking people.” Seems to be a pretty common attitude on Wall Street.
People who decided that they wanted a new car?
Weren’t their a bunch of people on AF who said that the storm would be “overrated”? Some of those people are in this thread, incidentally.
^Yeah, I thought it would be overrated (at the time, I was thinking of the crazy over blown media coverage Isaac got), but I also qualified that with a paragraph at the end emphasizing the potential for major damage given that it’s a highly populated area with infrastructure capable of being overwhelmed. I also made reference to power outages and flooding being likely at the start of the paragraph and made reference to the 2003 NYC power outage and the water shortage that ensued.
In my first paragraph I used the phrase “very overrated” which was obviously wrong, but then wrote this in the same post:
"One thing that’s often missed is that at landfall, Katrina was rated a 3 which isn’t necessarily a huge storm. So potential damage requires a well placed mid sized or greater storm and an area with infrastructure that may be overwhelmed with a high concentration of people. So on some level, the fact that it’s coming at NYC is an issue (I remember the NYC blackout in the summer of 2003 where water sold for $20 a bottle) but overall, I think this one’s going to be relatively benign as NYC is pretty sheltered from the sea and preparations have already been made throughout most of the NE.
I do want to add that as we enter 11/2012, the Mayans are looking suspiciously correct!"
^ from what I remember, price gouging is illegal, and punishable by law.
What’s illegal and not punishable by law? Sounds like there could be a market to be made.
Price collusion or monopoly would be illegal. If a hurricane is coming and stores independently increase prices in anticipation, that is not illegal.
price gouging is charging $20 for a water bottle.
Jesus, calm down people. This isn’t hard to figure out. The stores sold out quickly. Street venders stockpiled small amounts and sold it for $20 a bottle. Guess what, street venders don’t always operate by better business bureau standards *shocking* especially when there’s a city wide power outage in August and the police have bigger fish to fry.
Furthermore, price gouging is state by state and often hard to prosecute even in strict states. NY has “vague” laws on the topic:
I said something to that effect. And for me, I was right. But I know people in a sticky situation.
It’s overrated as long as I’m not hurt? Is that what passes for logic here?
(said teasingly, but with a kernel of concern)
^This is the financial industry isn’t it?
Ha ha. Point taken! 