Blizzard dumps massive amount of snow on Long Island

A place still recovering from Hurricane Sandy gets hit with nearly three feet of snow

The Town of Brookhaven was hit the hardest by the blizzard Nemo. Some neighborhoods -- including my community of Sound Beach -- got 32 inches of snow!

It all started Thursday night as people started to prepared for the storm.  We all lived through Hurricane Sandy, and a lot of people feared they would lose power during this storm, too. There were also long lines at gas stations and gas was running out -- just like what happened with Sandy. People waited in long lines at grocery stores to get supplies.

On Friday, we woke up to light snow but still went to school. By 12:45 my school was closed and we all got to go home! The snow was getting heavier. Weather stations kept saying it would turn to rain but it never did.  All night the snow got heavier and heavier. We could hear branches cracking outside.  Cars were getting stuck on roads. People we knew were trapped in cars or at train stations trying to figure out how to get home!

The snow got so high that we couldn't open our front door. The branches on trees we hanging all the way to the ground.  We just kept our fingers crossed the power would stay on.

By Saturday morning, the snow had ended and we could see our winter wonderland! Although some people were not happy to shovel! The sound of snow blowers fill the air.  Kids are snowball fighting and sledding.  The snow is so high that its difficult to walk in some spots.

The town of Brookhaven has issued an emergency executive order that states nobody is allowed to be out on the roads starting at 10:00 a.m. until further notice.  The roads are really dangerous for travel.

I plan in spending my day building a snowman and drinking lots of hot chocolate!

—Kid Reporter William Russell

Photo: Snow blankets cars an streets in Sound Beach, Long Island. There is so much snow that tree branches are sagging under the weight. (Courtesy William Russell)

Hurricane Sandy Recovery Special Report

Hurricane Sandy made landfall on October 29, hitting New York City, Long Island, coastal New Jersey, and parts of New England very hard. In early 2013, many communities are still struggling to recover from one of the worst storms to ever hit the region.

But the residents in the hardest-hit areas aren't alone. Kids and adults from all over the country have sent aid, assistance, and relief to the victims of Sandy. Schools have held fundraisers to help other schools, volunteers have traveled to affected areas to help restore power, and clinics and shelters have helped pets who were displaced by the storm.

Scholastic News Kid Reporters have found stories of communities across the nation standing with their east coast neighbors. Find out how kids are helping the relief effort – and catch up with the Kid Reporters' on-the-ground reporting during the storm – in the Hurricane Sandy Recovery Special Report.

Check it out on the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps website!

Photo: A young volunteer at Hoboken High School pushes a bin of clothing donations intended for distribution to the public as surrounding neighborhoods remain without power due to damage caused by Superstorm Sandy, Sunday, November 4, 2012, in Hoboken, New Jersey. (AP Photo/ John Minchillo)

—Editor Dante A. Ciampaglia

The Long Road to Recovery

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, there is a lot to be done.

When the devastating superstorm hit the northeastern United States three weeks ago, it left behind massive and catastrophic damage. New York and New Jersey got the worst of Sandy.  More than 40 people died, millions were without power, thousands of homes were damages or destroyed, and it will cost tens of billions of dollars to rebuild and recover.

Since the storm, many different organizations have stepped in to help in the recovery effort. One of the most visible is the American Red Cross.

Read the rest of the story on the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps website!

—Kid Reporter Andrew Liang

Photo: A Red Cross volunteer delivers Sandy Kits on Staten Island, New York, in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. (Talia Frenkel/American Red Cross)

Cold Ice, Warm Hearts

Hockey is a fast, intense sport. And yesterday the New York Islanders showed it also has a heart.

The National Hockey League (NHL) team held the Hockey with a Heart Hurricane Sandy fundraiser on Monday at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. From 2-8 p.m., the Islanders opened up their home ice to the public and collected donations of money, clothing, and non-perishable food items. 

But there was more to the fundraiser than just the skate. The Islanders Ice girls and team mascot Sparky were there showing their spirit. They were had interactive games set up around the rink for the children who came to the Coliseum. Food and drinks were also available.

All proceeds went to the American Red Cross Hurricane Sandy Relief fund, and Island Harvest collected the many items the fans donated. 

Read the rest of the story on the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps website!

—Kid Reporter William Russell

Photo: More than 2,000 Long Islanders, New Yorkers, and other residents of the tri-state take part in an open-skate fundraiser in Long Island hosted by the New York Islanders. (Courtesy New York Islanders)

One Area That Always Seems To Be Forgotten

Disastrous. Mortifying. Destructive. Calamitous. Annihilating. Obliterating.

Those are just a few of the words that can describe the horrors Hurricane Sandy brought to the residents of Woodbridge, New Jersey, and citizens all across the Northeast coast of the United States.

New Jersey was one of the hardest-hit states, and its beloved shore area was devastated by Sandy’s high winds and flooding.  One flood prone area in central New Jersey is the Woodbridge River Basin. Although the area has not received much attention that some other devastated places in New York and New Jersey, it is a spot that has been devastated by major flooding over the past two years from Hurricanes Irene (in 2011) and Sandy. The area has suffered mightily from storms over the years, yet nothing major has been done to fix or slow down the flooding that occurs.

Along with a state-of-the-art community center and the oldest library in Woodbridge, the town features the Woodbridge River, which begins in the central Woodbridge area and snakes its way down to Arthur Kill, which is the body of water that separates New Jersey from New York. The river began causing trouble when an extension of the New Jersey Turnpike was built in 1951. Because the Woodbridge River ran in the path of the turnpike extension and caused major flooding problems on a marquee roadway, a man-made creek was built to channel waters away from the turnpike and into swamp lands that neighbor a small community.

What does that mean? It means that every time a major rainstorm occurs, the turnpike will not flood, but the small neighborhood will be prone to flooding.

Another Swing from Mother Nature

Last week, communities in New York and New Jersey were hit hard by Hurricane Sandy. Many people were left homeless after the storm, while others are still without power and heat.

But on Wednesday, another storm took aim at the east coast.

Winter Storm Athena moved into the same parts of New York and Jersey still recovering from Sandy. Athena brought with it very cold temperatures, heavy rains, lots of snow, and strong winds. The National Weather Service predicts Athena will also cause a 2-4-foot storm surge. This will cause moderate flooding in areas who have yet to dry out from the last storm.

For the rest of the story, visit the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps website.

—Kid Reporter William Russell

Photo: Snow covers debris piles as flood waters start to return to neighborhoods in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, on Wednesday November 7, 2012, as a nor'easter hits. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry) 

Long lines in Lower Manhattan

Voting sites moved in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy

After the massive storm Sandy left many waterfront communities in turmoil and New Yorkers are still coping and working hard on its recovery, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced New Yorkers would be able to vote at any polling place. "We want everyone to vote," Governor Cuomo said. "Just because you are displaced doesn't mean you should be disenfranchised."

Many downtown polling places in New York City were crowded, and many voters patiently lined up and waited for over one hour to vote.

Even though some confusion has been reported regards to poll relocation, downtown New York City poll sites were quite orderly. Valerie, a first-time voter, voted at a relocated poll site at South Street Seaport area. “Poll workers were directing people to here, I didn’t have any problem finding this place,” Valerie said. She was very excited about voting — she recently became US citizen. She chose her candidate based on “women’s issues” and human rights.

Valerie and her family have been displaced from their apartment due to superstorm Sandy. Her apartment has become uninhabitable. When she was asked about how this storm affected her decision, she said, “I like how my candidate handled this crisis.”

Another voter, named Erica, agreed. “My candidate performed better than the other candidate would have.” Erica also said the most important issues to her were social issues energy policy.

“Economy was a big issue for me,” said a Tribeca resident who identified herself as Kelly. Many voters share economy as their important issue for their decision. Some were also focused on human rights issues.

Avery, a 22-year-old voter, expressed that he had two main issues that he focused on when making his decision. “Healthcare is a big issue, looking at the future, considering I don’t have a job that offers me healthcare. I am still under my parent’s,” Avery said. “Gay and women’s rights are also really important.”

This Kid Reporter interviewed retired Tribeca residents Mr. and Mrs. Younger who said they were mostly concerned with the economy. When asked how they felt about asked the long line to vote, Mr. Younger said, “It’s a beautiful day.”

—Kid Reporter Cecilia Gault

Photo: Voters line up to vote at a polling place in Lower Manhattan. (Courtesy Cecilia Gault)

Voices from the city

New Yorkers share their stories as relief pours in

As of this morning, power was restored to some areas of the city, including lower Manhattan, which had been completely without electricity since Monday night. Food and water supplies have also been pouring in to the city from the Red Cross and FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency). Volunteers have been pitching in all over the city.

But many parts of the city are still without power or public transportation and are still suffering from shortages and damage caused by Hurricane Sandy.

In the city that never sleeps, complete and total darkness is something that most New Yorkers aren't used to. They're not used to gas shortages, either.

Even though emergency supplies of gas are beginning to make their way to the city, the entire metropolitan region and New Jersey have been suffering from a severe shortage. Getting fuel delivered during the storm and its aftermath has been largely impossible.

Read the rest of the story on the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps website.

—Kid Reporter Fred Hechinger

Photo: Volunteers help unload food from a truck for distribution to the residents of the Lower East Side on Friday, November 2, 2012, in New York. (AP Photo/ John Minchillo)

Hurricane Sandy pounds coastal Connecticut

News reports had been warning of a developing superstorm heading up the eastern seaboard. Superstorm Sandy was referred to as “Frankenstorm” because it was going to be a very large and frightening storm. On Sunday afternoon, many residents along the coast of Connecticut received a reverse 911 call informing them that evacuation was mandatory. The winds reached up to 86 m.p.h. in a nearby town.

Those on the coast were especially concerned about the storm surge occurring with high tides. At one point, The Weather Channel news reporter Reynold Wolfe said that Mystic, Connecticut, might be the “bullseye” of the storm surge. Streets were flooded, power lines were down, and homes were destroyed. A roof was ripped off a local hotel, and those staying there had to be evacuated immediately. “When the strong wind gusts came it was shocking,” said Stonington police officer Dale Brummund.

On Friday, I spoke with Mary Tucciarone, a resident of neighboring Stonington Borough. Stonington Borough is a village that is set on a peninsula. Tucciarone said that storm waters in the village were knee-deep at times. At one point during the storm, the director of emergency preparedness told a local reporter, “The borough is an island right now.”

After the storm one could see that the town docks had been washed out to sea and a large tree had fallen on the local library. A dock also broke loose and crashed into someone’s house. I even observed a no wake sign on someone’s front lawn. Stonington is now hard at work repairing their town.

Loss of power is a major frustration in the area. There have been several days without electricity and residents are hoping it will soon be restored. On Wednesday, Connecticut Light and Power line specialist Chris Ferrist informed me that 94 percent of people in the area were without power. On the Friday after the storm, 36 percent were without power. After several days without power, many people had to discard all their perishable food.

Given the high costs of food, some people will not able to afford to replace the food that had spoiled. This problem motivated me to go to the local food pantry and interview the executive director, Vicki Anderson. When the power went out, they were concerned about all the frozen turkeys that had been donated for Thanksgiving.  In a wonderful example of neighbors helping each other, a local business, ConnRi Paper and Supply, generously donated a refrigerated box truck to keep the 250 turkeys fresh. “A storm like this puts even more pressure on the food banks,” said Anderson. “There is even greater need after a hurricane like this.”

You can help people recover from the storm by donating to the Red Cross, asking your neighbors if they need help, and donating to your local food bank.

The damage done by this storm was devastating.

—Kid Reporter Claudia Pagnozzi-Schwam

Photo: A tree was uprooted by Hurricane Sandy's high winds. When it fell, it fell on a local library. (Courtesy Claudia Pagnozzi-Schwam)

After Sandy, New York kids help their neighbors

Kids are continuing to adapt to post Sandy life in New York City. Schools have been closed for a week, while thousands are still without power, food, and housing.

Many New Yorkers are concerned about the disabled and elderly people stuck in tall buildings where the electrical outage means heat, water elevators are not working. One group of tweens decided to do something for those less fortunate.

“Me and my friends Sella and Jack, we’re delivering food to a building in Tribeca that has a lot of seniors” said 12-year-old seventh grader Madison.

The three kid volunteers are collecting supplies and money in the lobby of an apartment building located in Battery Park City.

Battery Park City is a neighborhood at the southwestern tip of lower Manhattan. Parts of Battery Park City have had its power restored.

The tween volunteers plan to deliver food, water, batteries, and other essentials to stranded residents living in Independence Plaza, a 40-story residential tower located in Tribeca. Tribeca is a Manhattan neighborhood in lower Manhattan that has been without power since the super-storm Sandy hit on Monday. Tribeca’s name is an acronym of "Triangle below Canal Street"

People are gathering at outlets and power strips in lower Manhattan that have been offered to charge cell phones. Workers at restaurants and stores are cooking and selling food on sidewalks in Tribeca for the thousands of residents who are not able to cook or refrigerate food.

Unfortunately, many people living in high-rises like Independence Plaza are unable to get down to the street level because elevators are not operating. The Manhattan power outages resulted from flooded underground lines and a transformer fire at a substation during the hurricane.

“People have been so generous and we are really grateful for all the food and money that has been donated.” said 12-year-old volunteer Sella.

—Kid Reporter Cecilia Gault

Photo: Kid Reporter Cecilia Gault with three tween volunteers helping their neighbors in lower Manhattan who were impacted by Hurricane Sandy. (Courtesy Cecilia Gault)