The fury of "Frankenstorm" plunged New York intodarkness, desperation and panic. Superstorm Sandy left the the Wall Streetfinancial district and the rest of lower Manhattan without power. The streets,many waist deep in floodwater, were eerily quiet after the storm, with the onlysound coming from distant sirens and the only light cast by candles inapartment windows and the blue and red flashes of police cars. "It's kindof scary. There is no light in the street, no people in the street," saidIlona, a 22-year-old student from Russia, as she looked out over the murkywater.
Even the traffic lights were out. Special generator truckswere ordered in, and authorities reopened the George Washington bridge so somecould be driven in from neighboring New Jersey. "We have been sent toprovide power for buildings and answer the 911 emergency calls," thedriver of one generator truck said. Desperate owners sought to check on businesses,apartments and cars.
Olatz Schnabel, the former companion of the artist JulianSchnabel, rushed with her two sons to check whether her decoration shop hadbeen flooded. "The water did not get that far. We managed to geteverything out of the cellar," she said. But there was devastation, asfloodwater poured into the city from the East River, inundating road tunnelsand subway stations and threatening several days of transport chaos. On theWest Side Highway, the Goldman Sachs bank was one of the few buildings stilllit up, the streets and sidewalks below flooded with water.
At the 148th Street station in Harlem, a thick layer ofgarbage floated on the filthy water that covered the platforms. Workers staredforlornly at the devastation, hardly knowing where to start the cleanup."It's disgusting, and it always seems to happen here," said RyanGambill as he waited at the entrance. The panic came from not knowing the finaltoll. One man was confirmed dead, crushed by a falling tree in the Queensborough.
But rescue operations were launched on Staten Island, atRockaway Beach and Coney Island, seafront districts where many residents hadignored pleas to move to safety, and where some houses were said to be floodedalmost to their roofs. Waves from the storm tore up the wooden beach boardwalkat Coney Island and nearby Brighton Beach, weekend resorts for New York'sworking class. Cars floated in the water at Long Beach. Police appealed forboats to conduct rescue missions in Staten Island and at Coney Island in Brooklyn."I am seriously concerned for people's lives," said Vincent Ignizio,a New York City councilman from Staten Island.
Jean-Charles Beyaert, a dentist from France, had planned anintense week of sightseeing with 16 friends and relatives. They had hoped toattend a Harlem Gospel mass, visit Columbia University, Brooklyn and museums,as well as walk in the park. Sandy scuppered all their plans.
With guide books in their hands, the group, dressed inobligatory multicolored plastic ponchos, walked the streets aimlessly. They hadlunch at a rare hamburger restaurant that was open on 23rd Street. "Wewalk because everything is closed," said Beyaert. "But we are goingto super-charge the end of the week. There is a lot to catch up with."
Not every visitor is taking the hardship with such aplomb.Hotels in the southern part of Manhattan are caught in the power blackout trap.No electricity means no elevators and a cold dark room waiting after a toughday on the streets. Helene Leplat, also from France, said she was"disgusted." She is staying with the brother of a friend in a smallapartment and complained that the storm has left her group with nothing to dofor more than two days.
Their dreams of seeing the view of Manhattan from the top ofthe Empire State Building and visiting the Natural History Museum have beenblown away by the storm.
