[Prestidigitweeze]

Update:

There is currently no cell phone service or power in my area (though a few pay phones are functioning). I've taken a cab uptown to check on work and make calls for two elderly writers who are trapped in their apartments without electricity, heat or food. Both walk with canes; one is also blind. I have no power or heat and might not for another week, but I am entirely fortunate compared to them.

The world outside looks like the apocalyptic landscape we often see in films: A building with its facade ripped away, crisscrosses of amputated branches and debris in place of the sidewalk, and lone stragglers walking beside formerly overrun streets.