The past week, people in Nebraska have been basking in sun and 60 degree temperatures. But the weather on the east coast has not been so pretty. When Hurricane Sandy took a sharp left hook onto the eastern shores of the United States, nothing but disaster followed. High winds and rain buffeted the coast and left a trail of destruction in its wake. The hurricane left one of the most populous areas in the country flooded and beaten, millions found themselves without power, and in some extreme cases, homeless.
Former Tiger Cub ads manager and HHS alum Jacquelyn Schneider is currently living in downtown Manhattan and experienced this force of nature first hand. She was not living in Nebraska when the major floods occurred last year, so the flooding was shocking to her.
“Growing up in Nebraska you become quite accustomed to tornadoes. But hurricanes, and the flooding that comes with them was something completely new to me,” Schneider said. “It was as if the flooding was a ghost that crept in, had its way and then snuck back out leaving only the damage and water marks as evidence it was there.”
HHS alum and a former Tiger Cub staffer Alice Welch lives in the Washington D.C. area, and was amazed by the winds.
“I kept looking out my window and saw trees blow by because we have a park near by and the wind was strong enough to carry the small trees around,” said Welch. “The wind was so strong I felt my balcony door was going to fly open. It was actually pretty scary.”
Welch feels it is very important for people in the Midwest to understand what it is like for people on the coast to deal with such a powerful force of nature.
“It is shocking how much damage a hurricane can cause because I never had to see one before. I can understand how people in the Midwest or the west can get annoyed with all the coverage and be apathetic, but trust me, that would change if you had to prepare for one and if you were so close to areas that were destroyed by it,” she said.
Although Nebraskans can only begin to imagine what a hurricane would be like, science teacher Yvette Hart believes that it affects everyone.
“It very directly affects the people living in the midst of it,” she said, “but the people in the Midwest are affected indirectly as well. We see pictures of it and can see what is happening, so it affects everyone eventually.”
Even though Hurricane Sandy has come and gone, there are still plenty of reminders left behind in all the damage.
“Downtown Manhattan was hit hard with flooding. The underground driving and subway tunnels connecting Manhattan to the outer boroughs filled with water limiting only bridges as a way to get into Manhattan,” Schneider said.
The limitation of the subway system poses multiple problems.
“The subways that are still running aren’t charging a fee, so they are losing money,” Hart said.
The limitation of public transportation has been very taxing on New York citizens. There is so much chaos that some people are to the point of violence.
“It was almost impossible to get a taxi and when I did get back downtown in the evening we had to drive down unlit streets where all traffic laws didn’t seem to exist- quite scary,” Schneider said. “Gas is now scarce and fights have been breaking out at gas stations.”
Even if transportation is not an issue, there are other issues to take into account, such as the population’s peace of mind.
“People are going on as usual but being in a place like D.C. and having the city literally shut down for two days is so costly and very damaging,” Welch said. “The East Coast is very fast paced and high strung, so imagine trying to get a bunch of uptight people to sit for two days. Impossible.”
But whenever disaster strikes, we are once again reminded of the better side of the human spirit.
“Stores remained open by candlelight for stranded residents in neighborhoods without power or transit options. Friends and co-workers open-heartedly opened up their homes and sent numerous emails and texts to simply check-in with one another. The doormen in my building stayed for days away from their families in order to watch over the building during the power outage,” said Schneider. “All in all, New York City has impressed me with its resilience to pull through disaster.”
