But this is New York after the unstoppable force of Superstorm Sandy laid it
to waste yesterday.
Not even the shells of 100 homes in Breezy Point, Queens, remained after fires
sparked by the terrifying weather ripped through them.
Surge ... Jersey feels the force of the storm
Charred bikes, washing machines and barely recognisable furniture were all
that was left by the storm, which had claimed more than 50 lives along
America’s East Coast by last night.
The toll was expected to rise significantly, with New York Governor Andrew
Cuomo saying: “I don’t think catastrophic or historic are too strong to
explain the impact.”
Embattled Americans were warned that the cost of the disaster looked set to
top £31billion.
Sunk ... Manhattan’s East Village
NEW YORK is hit by severe flooding, fires and blackouts as cyclone hits the Eastern Seaboard
Among the deaths in New York were 11-year-old Jack Baumler and Michael Robson,
13, who were killed by a falling tree in Westchester County.
One of the most horrific deaths saw a 22-year-old Queens woman electrocuted
after stepping into a puddle near downed power lines.
Neighbour Mahendra Chetram, 35, said: “I saw the girl across the street taking
pictures of the live wire sparking near my car so I ran outside to move it.
Flooded ... a casket floats from its grave in Maryland
“She was still taking pictures as I backed down the street. Then I heard a
loud shriek and it looks like how it does in the movies. Her body was
gyrating, smoke was coming from her and within 25 seconds she was out. No
movement.”
Gusts of around 80mph saw a 3ft-wide branch fatally injure a 29-year-old man
after crashing into his bedroom.
On Long Island dad-of-two John Miller, 39, was killed in front of his family
after a tree fell on him as they prepared to flee.
STATE left looking like a scene from a disaster movie with empty flooded roads and huge areas without power
On Staten Island, an off-duty NYPD officer was killed while trying to rescue
his family from their flooding South Beach home.
Also on the island, where a huge tanker washed up on shore, the body of
13-year-old Angela Dresch was found under rubble after her house was
destroyed by a catastrophic wave.
According to reports her father is still missing, while her teacher mother is
critical in hospital.
Destroyed ... home in East Haven, Connecticut
Neighbours said they ignored calls to leave because their home was looted
during last year’s Tropical Storm Irene after they left.
Emergency workers were trying to save a further 60 people who stayed in their
Fire Island homes. The storm, dubbed Frankenstorm after striking in
Halloween week, took its first life in Canada as a falling sign hit a
Toronto woman.
And a 62-year-old man was killed as he let his dog out on his porch in Oley,
Pennsylvania.
Snuffed out ... Lower Manhattan after power cuts and, bottom, as it should look
Sandy has affected 60million people in the US and left almost eight million
homes without power.
The black-out led to one New Yorker losing a hand after he lit a firework
thinking it was a candle.
President Obama declared a “major disaster” in New York and Long Island as
flooded streets were littered with cars, hospitals closed and transport
systems shut down.
Safety ... man heads fro dry land with belongings and dog
Nurses at New York University Langone Medical Centre had to evacuate 260
patients after it was flooded and power went down.
Babies were carried down nine flights of stairs while having oxygen manually
pumped into their lungs after respirators failed.
All of New York’s major airports and many more along the East Coast remained
shut yesterday. The subway system and major routes in and out of Manhattan
were also out of action after being flooded.
SUPERSTORM Sandy floods New Kids On The Block star's entire New York apartment
The New York Stock Exchange, schools and Broadway theatres all remained closed
last night.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said: “This was a devastating storm — maybe
the worst that we have ever experienced.
“The path of destruction that she left in her wake is going to be felt for
quite some time and it will not be repaired overnight.”
In New Jersey half the town of Hoboken was under water. Mayor Dawn Zimmer said
the Hudson River “filled it like a bathtub”.
There were also dangerous water levels reported at the state’s Oyster Creek
nuclear park.
President Obama cancelled his campaign events ahead of Tuesday’s election to
deal with the disaster.
Swamped ... a fleet of yellow cabs under water in flooded parking lot in Hoboken, New Jersey
He will visit storm-ravaged areas of the New Jersey shore.
And New Jersey’s Republican governor Chris Christie — a high profile supporter
of Obama’s presidential rival Mitt Romney — called the President’s reaction
“outstanding”.
Mr Obama yesterday told victims of the storm “America is with you”. Praising
emergency services at the Red Cross HQ in Washington, he added: “This is not
over and there are still communities that could be affected. Listen to state
and local officials and follow instructions.
Knee deep ... rescuer carries a boy in street
“It’s not clear that we have counted up all the fatalities at this point and
it is something that is heartbreaking for the entire nation.”
As America mourned its dead, 1,175 National Guard troops were mobilised to
prevent looting on properties in New York and Long Island.
Rescuers in Philadelphia pulled a man from the wreckage of a collapsed
building on Monday — and promptly arrested him for looting.
Run aground ... boat stuck on train tracks
Troublemakers took to Twitter threatening to ransack stores and burgle
abandoned homes as Sandy wreaked havoc. And there were reports of looting in
Queens.
New Yorkers without electricity were also said to be cracking open electricity
boxes in the street to charge up their mobile phones.
Sandy — which had already claimed 67 lives as it swept through the Caribbean
on its way to the US — was last night heading north.
UK airlines are hoping to resume flights to and from storm-lashed New York
later today.
British Airways had to axe most of its services to New York and neighbouring
Newark today, but hopes to get flights away to both cities later today.
It will be the first time since Sunday afternoon that BA has been able to
operate to New York and Newark due to superstorm Sandy.
Virgin Atlantic, whose services have also been disrupted, is also hoping to
fly to the two cities today.
THESE scenes of complete devastation resemble the horrific aftermath of a
giant tsunami in the Far East.
