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Hurricane Sandy will be remembered by those who lived through it as the deadly storm that hit New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania in late October, bringing heavy rain and high winds to one of the most densely populated regions on Earth.
Heartbreak is everywhere. I think of the countless stories of grief, like the mother of two who saw her toddler-aged children drift away from her in a wave after leaving her “Zone A” house too late. I think of friends, family, and readers from around the world who voiced their concerns for our staff. In some sense, the world felt a little smaller, a little more connected than it had been, because in the face of hardship people show their true colors.
To be perfectly clear, the effects of the storm on our publication pale in comparison to any home damaged, mementos lost, or lives destroyed. What we do is de minimus next to the real problems of the world. Yet in our own little way, the effects of Hurricane Sandy on aiCIO were felt nonetheless—and, I think, brought us closer together as a group.
For one, it meant that our editorial and art teams were spread around the world during our busiest time of year. European Editor Elizabeth Pfeuti was sent to moderate a conference in Barcelona to help our sister publication PLANSPONSOR Europe, which had some of its team stranded in New York. Leanna Orr, our newest member, was stuck in Chicago. Editor-in-Chief Kip McDaniel made one of the last flights into New York after attending a wedding, and had no power or heat in his downtown apartment for the week.
New York City can feel like a huge place when taxis are sparse and the subway is at a standstill, we found. For most of our team in New York City during Sandy, the storm meant walking into the office, or for me, jogging. (Why not be efficient?) After all, we still needed to meet deadlines. Our Creative Director SooJin Buzelli lacked cell reception where she lives in the Lower East Side, walking 40 minutes to find reception and about an hour to the office. “So it just made more sense to come in,” she says.
Hurricane Sandy meant our conference team giving updates over the phone by candlelight for our upcoming Sydney conference. It meant that our annual December 4 awards dinner—traditionally held at Chelsea Piers, where the tidal surge flooded the complex with water as high as five feet in some spaces—had to be relocated at the last minute. As of publication, we still don’t know where it will be held.
Despite this geographical and technological divide, we were brought closer together. During this relatively brief moment of difficulty—which, for us, thankfully, was certainly minuscule in the grand scheme of things—we found a way to get our Liability-Driven Investing issue, and this December issue, to the printer within nine days. We usually have two months to produce each. We also found a way to finish a webcast, prepare for our second conference in Sydney, and not strangle each other.
It was partially a result of fewer distractions—not too many people were emailing and phoning that week, except to check on loved ones and see what they could do to help. But it was also, I think, an extension of the sense of camaraderie that permeated far beyond New York City that week. People made the best of what they were given, and were grateful for the chance to do something.
As SooJin said: “For the first time, I even saw stars out my window.”
—Paula Vasan, Managing Editor, aiCIO