Category Archives: Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Sandy

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By: Teresa Roca

When I woke up on Tuesday morning, I had no clue how bad Staten Island got hit by Hurricane Sandy.

I looked out my window to see everything intact. With no trees on my block and everything such as tables and chairs put away or tied down, nothing seemed ruiened or out of place. I don’t live near the water, so my block and the surrounding blocks were okay. The only thing we suffered from was no power for two days.

Suffering from boredom, I drove to my friend’s house with the little gas I had left (not knowing gas would be scarce for weeks). I picked her up and we drove around my area for a fast food restaurant or diner. To our surprise, nothing was open. We then resorted to going to a grocery shop and finding food to make.

As we drove to other neighborhoods, that is when we started seeing the destruction. Fallen trees on destroyed houses, power lines in the middle of streets, traffic lights out and more. When we finally found an open super market, the lights were off and the only food being sold was non-perishable items. We waited on a long line for hours realizing that the storm was much more disastrous than we had previously thought.

Ater hearing horror stories from neighbors of massive flooding and a death toll on Staten Island rising by the hour, I decided I needed to find service to see if my loved ones were okay. I somehow got in touch with a friend who had power and I got my father to drive me to her house.

When I got there, I couldn’t help but cry when I saw the devastation that took place in New Jersey, the Rockaways and especially my home of Staten Island. Between the destruction, people pleading for help, and others crying for their missing loved ones, I couldn’t believe how naïve and selfish I had been.

When I got home, I was welcomed to power. I ignored it though, and filled bags with clothes and food to donate to people devastated by the hurricane.

When I sat down to watch the news, I learned that Staten Island waited days before receiving help from the Red Cross and FEMA. That is when I knew that I had to report about this injustice and shed light of the horrible circumstances that were happening in my borough.

I am grateful that my family, friends and myself weren’t harmed by the hurricane. I only wish I knew sooner so I could have helped sooner.

Hurricane Sandy Post: Neighborhood

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Hurricane Sandy is the most harmful storm that I have every witnessed in my life.

I live in queens, and many of my neighbors were heavily impacted by the storm. The aftermath of Hurricane Sandy has affected everyone differently, some homes were completely destroyed, while other homes had immense flood damage.

The flood damage wiped away priceless belongings, and was harmful to a family’s home. In queens, many neighbors were hit badly, the most is Breezy Point. I knew of someone who lost their home in this neighborhood. They had packed a bag and went to the evacuation center, only to return home to find that the house no longer stood.

In my area, the power poles were down, wires criss-crossed in the street, and fallen trees covered every inch of the roads. You couldn’t step anywhere without putting danger to yourself and your loved ones. A few cars on Merrick Boulevard was broken or smashed by a fallen tree. New license plates faced the worst of the weather, the owners were distraught and the neighborhood was still in silence.

This storm has torn so many families upside down, and the city is facing a huge loss. New York was hit with a full force, and so was New Jersey. Landline was down, WIFI was non-existent and the internet was not even on anyone’s mind. We were all facing incredible weather and trying to figure out the next action step to take.

I hope that New York is able to move forward and repair the damage that was brought on to many families. Today, there are still some who has no power in their homes. I never realized how much we relied on the availability of electricity and technology for everything. It was not noticeable at the time, but now, with so many homes in the dark.

It is horrible to view and to be surrounded in your neighborhood that has been through this ordeal by Hurricane Sandy.

 

Reporter’s Notes: Hurricane Sandy in Morris Park

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It has been about two weeks since Hurricane Sandy has ravaged Nyc and the tri-state area. Unfortunately, many are still suffering and trying to rebuild their lives day by day. I’m truly thankful that I wasn’t greatly affected by the hurricane, with the exception of the effects is has caused on my school work. In my neighborhood; Morris Park, the most significant issues were power outages, fallen trees, and scattered debris. It was surprising that the items and trees I pass daily in my neighborhood became weapons and a source of harm towards the residents of the area.In front of my cousin’s home, which is only 3-4 blocks away from my house; a large tree that stood in front of her house, was torn out of the ground by the strong winds.

In front of my cousin’s home, a large tree is uprooted and tears down powerlines

The tree was entangled with the power lines to the entire street, so, as the tree split in half, it tore down the power lines leaving the street and the homes in complete darkness for over a week and a half. I do commend the sanitation department, with the exception of my cousin’s block, all debris and branches were being picked up the next day. They (sanitation) were willing to help residents get rid of large branches that were blocking the roads.
Although Morris Park’s physical damage was minimal, the rat race for gas by thursday morning was ridiculous. There was a line that wrapped around the entire block of vehicles waiting to fill up, and an even longer line of gas container toting individuals. At one point the atmosphere became so hectic that the need for a police presence was necessary.
Hurricane Sandy has definitely shaken the north eastern part of the country up a bit. The nonchalant attitude of ” it won’t happen to us,” has been diminished. I am proud to witness the city come together and help each other out during this hard time. This is a testament to what New yorkers are made of, we have tried to regain normalcy as much as possible, and attempt to rebuild what is lost. This is what we represent, resilience.