[UPDATE] Studio City Locals Stranded in Storm; See Reports from East Coast Patches

A few local residents have been trying to get back home, but are stranded on the East Coast and ready to brave Hurricane Sandy as it approaches.

An estimated 129 flights to and from LAX were canceled due to the storm. That left some locals stuck in the path of the storm.

Filmmaker Kyle Schickner was filming a documentary in New Jersey called "A White Man Walks into a Barbershop" about racism in America.

"The winds are getting stronger and it's getting a bit scary outside," said Schickner, who is staying in a house in Mendham, N.J., where the weather is already causing spotty electricity. "I'm looking forward to getting back to Studio City." [UPDATE: Power is still out at the place he's staying Tuesday night, but he is planning to leave by the weekend.]

Mary Soto just made it out. She writes Studio City Patch: 

I was in Boston on Sat., Oct. 27. Had to change my flight on Jet Blue for Mon. because there was a layover in NY. Took me an 1 and 15 minutes on the phone to get a Delta flight out of there on Sun. and cost a lot of money.

Richard Addams, a longtime local resident, said, "It was unnecessary for the airports to close so early, they could have kept it going another 24 hours, it's not dangerous until now (Monday), maybe later. I have two friends sitting in the airport at Raleigh and there are no hotels available, they're all booked. Not good emergency planning."

Walter Reed Middle School teacher and Studio City resident Patti Eskander wrote Monday morning, "Worried about my son and the rest of my family in New York City. This storm seems pretty dangerous."

James Otto and others were sending to Studio City Patch an ominous photo of the Statue of Liberty with swirling clouds that has been circulating via Facebook.

A Studio City mother, Colleen McDermott, found out at the last minute that her flight to come home was canceled due to Hurricane Sandy. She is stuck in the Boston area, and said that she won't be able to make it back until Wednesday or Thursday. 

"I am anxious to get back," said McDermott, who has two children back home. "I can't believe they canceled all of the flights back home. I am thankful that I have a girlfriend to stay with here." [UPDATE: "We were not hit as bad as New York, but there was flooding and terrible winds and trees falling everywhere. I will be able to get a flight Thursday night."]

Ryan Krieger of Studio City said his cousin Matt was stuck in Washington, D.C. and probably won't get back until the end of the week. The winds were getting stronger, his cousin said, and "Matt seemed a little worried, but also he was a little excited."

And, Studio City resident, Encino-Tarzana Editor Anna King, went over the weekend to New York City to a friend's wedding, and got stuck when the flights stopped going West. 

"The rains have hit, it's pretty nasty outside," said King, who is not far from where the crane fell during the winds on Monday afternoon. "We will weather it out here and see what happens." [UPDATE: She will be back on Friday.]

Do you know of someone who is on the East Coast braving the storm? Do you know someone who is stranded due to Hurricane Sandy? Please write about it in the COMMENTS area below, and post a photo if you have one.

Patch has all the coverage in the local communities detailed here (CLICK HERE).

Those of us in the San Fernando Valley understand how to get ready for earhquakes and wildfires, but are folks ready for a hurricane disaster along the Atlantic?

How have your friends and family prepared? Are they evacuating? Are they going to ride out the storm? What have they told you?

Share your conversations with them here on Patch.

And if you want to track first-hand news of the storm, there are hundreds of Patch towns from Florida to New England. Check out their reports here.

Here are just a few recent Patch storm headlines:

• Photo Gallery: Storm Hits Monday in Ocean City
• Live Discussion Board in Ocean City
• Check out Yorktown-Somers Patch's full coverage of Hurricane Sandy
• Stormy Social media tips and reminders
• Fire Island Under Mandatory Evacuation Order as Sandy Nears