Sandy Victims to Confront Cold, Another Storm | Common Dreams

Cold temperatures and a Nor’easter loom over Sandy survivors still without power and heat.

A victim of hurricane Sandy takes blankets from a aid distribution site in the Staten Island borough of New York November 3, 2012. (photo: Adrees Latif/Reuters) Temperatures dipped down to 39 in New York City Saturday night and are expected to get even colder Sunday night. Weather Underground co-founder Dr. Jeff Masters expects the mid-Atlantic and New England to face an early-season Nor’easter on Wednesday bringing strong winds and heavy rains to areas still affected by Hurricane Sandy.

There are some “people in homes that are uninhabitable,” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said at a news conference. “People don’t like to leave their home, but the reality is going to be in the temperature.” Mayor Bloomberg added that some coastal residents would have to wait a “very, very long time” to see power restored.

Staten Island resident Sara Zavala told the Associated Press that she was relying on a propane heater just during the day to stay warm.

“When I woke up, I was like, ‘It’s freezing.’ And I thought, ‘This can’t go on too much longer,’” Zavala said. “And whatever this is we’re breathing in, it can’t be good for you. Mildew and chemicals and gasoline.”

Worrying about the mid-week storm ahead, John Lewis tells AP, “Well, the first storm flooded me out, and my landlord tells me there’s a big crack in the ceiling, so I guess there’s a chance this storm could do more damage.  I was hoping to get back in there sooner rather than later, but it doesn’t look good.”

60-year-old Staten Island resident Marie Mandia, whose house had a yellow sticker on it, meaning the city restricted her use of it, told Reuters, “I’m not staying here. There’s no protection,” as she looked at a pile of her belongings. “Here’s my life. Everybody’s looking at it.”

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