The Aftermath of Hurricane Sandy

BY Kamakshi Ayyar and Mei-Yu Liu

Chelsea was among the neighborhoods badly hit by Hurricane Sandy. The day after the storm, residents coped with massive power cuts while trying to get back into their daily routines.

 

As of 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 30, there was no power south of 25^th street.

 

The much-publicized collapse of a building façade, on 14^th street and Eighth Avenue, continued to draw curious on-lookers. While some came to inspect the damage, many were there for a photo-op, much to the displeasure of the police parked outside the building.

 

CNN had also set up a broadcast unit at the location.

 

Taking advantage of the presence of a TV van, residents of the neighborhood huddled around the van trying to charge their phones.

 

Good Samaritans Eduardo Gutierrez and Elaine Zang volunteered to hold up the power strips, connected to the single power source in the van, which allowed multiple phones to charge simultaneously. “I just wanted to help out,” said Zang.

 

It was business as usual for many small stores, like the deli on the corner of 17^th street and Seventh Avenue. After losing power, the store manager handed customers flashlights to help them browse the shelves, ensuring he was open as long as possible. He refrained from sharing his name, saying, “My name goes with the electricity.”

 

The Guardian Angel Roman Catholic Church at 21^st street and Tenth Avenue experienced severe flooding with about five feet of water in its basement, classroom and courtyard. Ben Drake of the Servicemaster Clean company said it would take about 12 hours to pump out all the water. The company has a contract with 400 churches citywide to pump out flood water.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 31st, 2012 at 3:38 am. It is filed under Chelsea, Midtown West, Street Buzz and tagged with chelsea, CNN, hurricane sandy, Kamakshi Ayyar, Mei-Yu Liu. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.