Cleanup Slow in States Hard-Hit by Hurricane Sandy and Residents are Getting Frustrated

We’ve made it to Friday, five days after Hurricane Sandy struck the East Coast, and cleanup is moving slowly in the states hardest hit by the storm. The Sandy-related death toll in the U.S. and Canada has now risen to at least 102, and more than 4.5 million homes and businesses in the East are still without power. People are waiting in lines for 3 to 4 hours for gas in parts of the East, and some areas are prepping for another storm that’s projected to come in next week, bearing colder weather and potentially snow.

Staten Island Residents Feeling the Pinch of the Slow Cleanup
Staten Island was particularly hard-hit, with more than 80,000 residents without power. In fact, many Staten Island residents are now homeless, because their homes have been severely damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Sandy. Yesterday, four days after the storm, supplies finally began making their way into the borough, but Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro is furious at how slow the relief effort is moving. “This is America, not a third world nation. We need food, we need clothing,” Molinaro said.

Elderly Residents at Risk
Officials are particularly concerned about elderly residents who may have been left stranded and without power because of the storm. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg expressed concern over the elderly and poor who are virtually trapped on upper floors of powerless buildings, and people who have to haul water from fire hydrants up countless flights of stairs in the dark. Some organizations are providing aid to elderly residents, but the difficulty is in letting them know that food and water is available.

Looting In the Wake of the Storm
Some parts of New York and New Jersey are reporting looting in the wake of the storm. Desperate individuals have broken into supermarkets just to get food and supplies, with few other options after the hurricane. Unfortunately, some individuals are taking advantage of the hurricane to loot less essential supplies; reports have come in that looters have broken into electronics stores, pharmacies and even other people’s homes to steal anything that’s not nailed down.

While the hurricane itself is now days behind us, recovery is still slow in the hardest-hit parts of the Eastern Seaboard. From all of us here at The Voss Law Firm, P.C., we wish you a speedy recovery, and a safe weekend.