New York Marathon’s power generators left unused as many remain without power

When New York City announced that their annual marathon had been cancelled, they cited critics who said it was in poor taste to race through the five boroughs while so many people were suffering from Hurricane Sandy's devastating aftermath.

However, all of those generators that Marathon critics argued could be put to good use giving power to those without, stood idly by in Central Park.

According to the New York Post, the generators, which could have powered 400 homes in Staten Island, aren't the only things that went without use yesterday.

"Stashed near the finish line of the canceled marathon were 20 heaters, tens of thousands of Mylar “space” blankets, jackets, 106 crates of apples and peanuts, at least 14 pallets of bottled water and 22 five-gallon jugs of water," the Post reported.

The Atlantic Wire argues that the report is a bit "puzzling," given that the marathon had gotten quite the bad rep over the last few days– especially over their decision to use those generators to power a media tent.

One Staten Island resident said yesterday to the Post “We needed 100 percent of the resources here.”

“If those generators were here, we maybe could have had some light for the cleanup effort,” he said. “Those generators would really have come in handy.’’
So why weren't the generators used? City Hall hasn't explained.