The US Northeast began an arduous slog back to normal on Wednesday after historic storm Sandy crippled transportation, knocked out power for millions and killed at least 64 people with a massive storm surge that caused epic flooding.
Financial markets reopened with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg ringing the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange after the first weather-related two-day closure since 1888, and packed buses took commuters to work with the city’s subway system halted after seawater flooded its tunnels.
The New York area’s John F. Kennedy and Newark airports reopened with limited service after thousands of flights were canceled, leaving travelers stuck for days. LaGuardia Airport, a third major airport serving the nation’s busiest airspace, was flooded and remained closed.
Limited New York subway service was due to return on Thursday, four days after shutting down ahead of the storm, and some commuter rail service was due to come back on line later on Wednesday.
The progress was in contrast to images of devastation along the New Jersey Shore, where flooding swallowed whole neighborhoods, and in New York City’s Breezy Point, where 111 homes were destroyed by fire.
“It looks like the pictures of London or even Dresden after World War Two,” New York Senator Charles Schumer said in describing Breezy Point.
News Source: bdnews24.com
