Storm-crippled NYC subway back on track
NEW YORK – New York City moved closer to resuming its frenetic pace by getting back its vital subways Thursday, three days after a superstorm, but neighbouring New Jersey was stunned by coastal devastation and the news of thousands of people in one city still stranded by increasingly fetid flood waters.
The decision to reopen undamaged parts of the United States’ largest transit system came as the death toll reached more than 80 in the U.S. and left more than 4.6 million homes and businesses without power. Hurricane Sandy had earlier left at least 69 people dead as it swept through the Caribbean.
The total damage from Superstorm Sandy could run as high as $50 billion, according to the forecasting firm Eqecat.
The latest deaths reported included two young boys who disappeared Monday night when waves of water crashed into an SUV. Their bodies were recovered Thursday.
Hundreds of thousands in New York City alone were still without power, especially in downtown Manhattan. Con Edison said it was on track to restore power by Saturday.
Concerns rose for the elderly and poor trapped on upper floors of housing complexes in the powerless area, who faced pitch-black hallways, no elevators and dwindling food. New York’s governor ordered deliveries of food and drinking water to help them.
“Our problem is making sure they know that food is available,” New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg said Thursday, as officials expressed concern about people having to haul water from fire hydrants up darkened flights of stairs.
In New Jersey, the once-pristine Atlantic coastline famous for Bruce Springsteen and the TV show Jersey Shore was shattered.
Some residents finally got a look at what was left of their homes: sandy wrecked houses, businesses and boardwalks.
“A lot of tears are being shed today,” said Dennis Cucci, whose home near the ocean in Point Pleasant Beach was heavily damaged. “It’s absolutely mind-boggling.”
New Jersey residents across the state were urged to conserve water. At least 1.7 million customers remained without electricity there, and fights broke out as people waited in long lines for gas.
The superstorm’s effects, though much weakened, continued Thursday. Snow drifts as high as 1.5 metres piled up in West Virginia, where the former hurricane merged with two winter weather systems as it went inland.
And warnings rose again about global warming and the prospect of more such severe weather to come.