Re:  "Heck, how many businesses let their folks go home early?"

Lots and lots of businesses closed early.  My office was officially closed at
11:30.  Everyone who lived outside walking radius was escaping from 10:30 on.
The subways were jammed worse than in normal rush hour.

Why?  Because of the rumor running rampant that the MTA was shutting down the
subways at 2:00 PM.  Turned out to be a very well-planted hoax, with people
posing as police calling various media outlets with official-sounding warnings.
Apparently they spread faster than Floyd's winds -- it wasn't until about 11:40
that an MTA spokesman got on the local newsradio to expose the "vicious" hoax
(too late to stop it) and promise that extra service was in fact being provided
-- express buses starting at 12:00 and rail rush hour starting at 2:00.

That turned out to be a hoax of another kind.  They couldn't come near handling
the crowds underground and then I had to stand in the longest, wettest (local
only) bus line ever seen in Queens.  And on top of it all Rudy was exhorting
private business to let the people go.  (Weird role for the "Pharaoh.")

This F-storm stood for Fraud.

Bruce Popkin