According to NASA, when Hurricane Sandy hit Oct. 29 as a category one storm, it resulted in massive devastation on the people living in one of the 24 states it blew through.
Senior Ashleigh Hutton was with her father when she found out about her mom, brother, and step-family.
“I have been checking my phone for updates on the storm. I am concerned for my family out in New York City,” said Hutton who recently moved here from New York and still has family living there.
Instead of leaving the city, Hutton’s relatives boarded up the windows and stayed in the city. They knew the storm was coming, so her relatives stocked up on food. Hutton’s relatives were one of 8.5 million who were left in the dark after the storm.
By Monday morning still more than 1.3 million were waiting to get back on the grid. With no public transportation, it was hard to get around the city forcing most people to stay in their homes.
According to Hutton, her family was just waiting and preparing for the massive storm. Potentially high winds and rising water in the city were the most serious threats her relatives faced during the storm.
“Their house has protected them good so far, but it is difficult for them to go anywhere because of the lack of transportation,” said Hutton.
As reported on KNWA, the city of New York has a very strong community and has started the long process of cleaning up the damage. Like many residents who live close to the coast, Hutton has been through a hurricane. She was in Virginia driving to Florida when Irene hit.
Sophomore Marissa Davis also has relatives being affected by Hurricane Sandy.
“I am severely concerned for my grandparents. They are older than most and should not be in the middle of a massive storm. They stayed in their homes instead of leaving until the storm was over,” said Davis.
Davis’ grandparents live inland in Lancaster, Penn. At 5 A.M EDT Sandy’s center, according to NASA, was located near Davis’ grandparents house. According to Davis, their house has a better chance of protecting them because they have a brand new house.
In order to protect their house, Davis said they put sand bags around the foundation to help to avoid the rising seven-inch flood waters. As well as sand bags, Davis’ grandparents boarded up their windows to avoid flying objects.
During the storm, Davis checked her phone in school and watched the news before she went to bed. Davis’ grandparents also called every day. Davis has not been through a hurricane but something more common in the local area, a tornado.
Relatives of students living on the east coast have been greatly affected by the massive storm covering 1.8 million square miles.
An uncle of junior Amy Logsdon lives in Manhattan, New York and is being faced with challenges of the aftermath of Sandy.
“I am greatly concerned. His apartment could have flooded, power could go out, and I hope that no damage will be done to his apartment complex,” said Logsdon.
Logsdon’s uncle lives in the inner part of Manhattan. He did not have to take any action like many others did due to rising water levels throughout the city. Logsdon’s uncle did have to worry about the 90-mph winds bouncing off the tall buildings of Manhattan. Logsdon is still watching the news for updates.
Many have sacrificed to help with the clean up. Organizations have donated and have been lending a helping hand from all over the United States. The American Red Cross has taken the lead for the rebuild.
The Red Cross has provided over 58,000 overnight stays for the millions of refugees without homes. The Red Cross has also distributed 1.6 million meals and snacks, and distributed 91,600 relief items for the victims, according to www.redcross.org.