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)

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)

After Sandy, New York City picks up the pieces

Many are calling Sandy the most devastating storm to ever hit New York City.

More than two million people are without power, including nearly every apartment and business below 39th Street. Plumbing is also out for tens of thousands of people. More than 80 homes in Breezy Point, in the Queens borough, burned down, decimating the neighborhood. The subway system was out of commission for days because of flooding, transportation tunnels were also flooded by water from the Hudson River, and high waters from the East River overtook parts of the east side of the city.

“Manhattan Youth Downtown Community Center is now under 20 feet of water and the property has taken a tremendous damage,” said Bob Townley, founder and executive director of Manhattan Youth. “1.4 million gallons of water filled the lower levels of the center.”

“We have rebuilt before and we can rebuild again," Mr Townley added.

Manhattan Youth is a non-profit community service organization that has served families, children, teens and senior citizens for over 25 years and was also damaged on September 11, 2001.

Hurricane Sandy updates from NYC

The Kid Reporters will have continuing updates from New York about the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Right now, Kid Reporter Cecilia Gault is out talking to her neighbors in Lower Manhattan — one of the hardest hit areas of the city — for a story update about the storm. She and her family also went back to their apartment after a couple days in a nearby hotel. Cecilia and her family say their apartment suffered no damage, but friends in the neighboring community of Tribeca weren't so lucky. Still, they don't have power — like most people below 39th Street. Cecilia sent in this photo of glow sticks that were placed in a stairwell to help residents see where they are walking:



More photos and updates will be coming from Kid Reporters in New York and other areas affected by Hurricane Sandy. Stay tuned for their coverage. And share your story with us: Do live in an area affected by Hurricane Sandy? If you do, how did the storm impact your community? What did your family and neighbors do to prepare? Share your experiences with us in the comments below!

(Photos courtesy Cecilia Gault)

—Kids Press Corps Editor Dante A. Ciampaglia

Hurricane Sandy Makes Landfall

It's 7 p.m. in New York City, and Hurricane Sandy is making landfall near Atlantic City, New Jersey, about 120 miles away.

Hurricane Sandy made landfall as a Category 1 storm. Sandy produced winds of 90 mph with gusts of up to 115 mph. It's a mammoth storm that threatens 50 million people in the North East corridor.

The National Hurricane Center said that the hurricane-force winds extend up to 175 miles from the storm's center, with tropical storm-force winds extended outward up to 500 miles.

The areas expected to feel the full force of the storm — including high winds and record flooding — include coastal New Jersey, Long Island, New York, and Lower Manhattan in New York City. More than a million people up and down the east coast are without power.

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

Do live in an area affected by Hurricane Sandy? If you do, how did the storm impact your community? What did your family and neighbors do to prepare? Share your experiences with us in the comments below!

Photo: The New York City skyline and Hudson River are seen from Hoboken, New Jersey, as Hurricane Sandy approaches on Monday, October 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Sykes)

Catching up with Willow Smith

Willow Smith is gorgeous! Indeed, at 11 years old Willow (as her fans know her) is absolutely stunning with her new sculpted hair style.

I was thrilled to meet her and chat about her life and career at the Sony Store in New York. She had just premiered the video for “Fireball." Her new single is a collaboration with another favorite artist of mine, Nicki Minaj. “It was amazing [to work with her]," Willow told me. "She is an awesome, awesome artist and she has so much energy.”

In the video Nicki Minaj appears as her character Harajuku Barbie. Minaj is dressed in an over-the-top dress made of fluorescent-colored teddy bears and matching rainbow colored fur boots.

“Fireball” is an energetic party dance tune like her previous hit single “Whip My Hair.” That song was a great hit, which went platinum in the U.S. and peaked at number 11 in the Billboard Hot 100.

Willow was fun to interview because she is so relaxed and confident. She describes her famous parents, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, as “very nice people.” She told me that Demi Lovato is her favorite singer and writing is her best subject in school. Reading books is Willows preferred thing to do when she isn't working. She mentioned that she especially enjoys reading Grimm's' fairy tales.

Her fashion sense is out of this world. When I met her, she was wearing studded pants and a plaid stadium jacket with a yellow shirt. Nicki Minaj was correct when she rapped “You're real major even though you're a minor” to Willow on “Fireball.” Like her superstar parents, Willow is a major talent. 

The “Fireball” video includes an amazing dance choreography. Willow shows off her dance talent as well as her singing voice in the new video that was filmed in Los Angeles. The video starts with what looks like a fireball/UFO crashing to Earth. It’s a fantastic music video. The “Fireball” video was directed by Hype Williams, who also directed Jay Z’s “Empire State of Mind” video.  Willow describes  her new video as “fun and upbeat.” I think that is also a good way to describe Willow Smith.

Be sure to check out my video interview with Willow Smith! 

—Kid Reporter Cecilia Gault

Nearly 20,000 people march on Wall Street

I must say, I witnessed something very special yesterday in lower Manhattan. I have never seen anything like this. People with different ideas, beliefs, and agendas gathered to make positive change.

An estimated 15,000 people peacefully marched up Broadway from Zuccotti Park to Foley Square. This new movement is called Occupy Wall Street. The movement reached an amazing turn out today, including at least 15 major labor unions such as the United Federation of Teachers, the AFL-CIO, and the Transit Workers Union.

The march was carefully organized and amazingly orderly considering the enormity of the participation. I felt safe and protected the whole time I was at the event (nearly three hours). The organizers of Occupy Wall Street had placed members spread out over short distances along the way to the rallying point in Foley Square to direct marchers and to keep the event non-violent, peaceful, and law-abiding.

The march was loud but calm and even cheerful. The protesters carried colorful placards and banners to make their point. Some placards said, “We are the 99” or “Stop Corporate Greed” and others had environmental messages. Some protesters wore eye-catching costumes and make-up to express their concerns and ideas. Some danced or played drums or guitars as they marched. 

One person I interviewed was a Vietnam veteran. He tearfully told me that he was so happy to see that all those people came together to voice themselves and exercised our freedom of speech.  I also met one family of six from Brooklyn, New York, who took time out to be part of this historic event. The family had four children who were holding handmade banners.

This protest may have begun with young Americans but from what I saw has now become inclusive of all ages and nationalities. Being at the march, I felt like I was part of an event that will be remembered for a long time.

Be sure to check out my report on the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps website!

—Kid Reporter Cecilia Gault

Editor’s Note: Cecilia and I were at the Occupy Wall Street rally yesterday for nearly three hours. After we left, and the protesters marched back to Zuccotti Park, altercations erupted between police and protesters according to people at the scene who posted videos online. Some protesters were hit with clubs, while others were sprayed with mace. We didn’t witness these events, but it’s important to ackowledge that they happened as part of the march and rally yesterday.

Photo: Four kids hold up a sign during the Occupy Wall Street protest yesterday. (Photo: Dante A. Ciampaglia) 

The New York City view of Hurricane Irene

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s evacuation plans were put in place for low-lying areas of New York City. The evacuation areas were called “Zone A” and included Coney Island in Brooklyn, parts of the Raceways in Queens, the Staten Island coast and Battery Park City in Lower Manhattan. 

A total of 370,000 New York City residents evacuated. Many evacuees went to stay with friends or family or hotels outside the danger zone.  The city also provided hurricane shelters throughout the five boroughs.

Mass transit, including subways and buses, were shut down throughout the city for more than 24 hours. 

“We hope for the best, but we prepare for the worst," said during one of his press conferences.

Both New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie declared states of emergency as Irene as it battered the Bahamas and continued moving toward the United States. President Obama said Irene had the makings of an "historic hurricane."

Tropical storm Irene formed on the coast of Bahamas and proceeded towards the United States. Irene accumulated power as it got closer to the United States. At one point, Irene had become a Category 3 hurricane. Irene was massive. The diameter of the storm according to NASA satellites was almost one-third the length of the whole U.S. Atlantic coast line measuring up to 700 miles wide.

As a resident of “Zone A,” I also prepared for the worst.  My parents and I packed up and took a taxi to a hotel in “Zone B” a less vulnerable part of the city.  My friend Olivia, 14 years old,  was at the same hotel as me. Olivia was with her parents and her little dog named Gracie.  I did not know what to expect from this weather event, but, It was good to spend time with friends and family during the storm.

Fortunately, by the time Irene hit New York City, it was no longer a catastrophic storm and it was downgraded to a tropical storm. 

The storm surge from the Hudson River, however, flooded parts of Manhattan, including Zones A and B. A storm surge is the rise of water that occurs as the result of a storm. Flooding in the city was about a foot deep.  

The Holland Tunnel, a highway tunnel under the Hudson River connecting the island of Manhattan with New Jersey, was closed due to flooding. Irene caused water and wind damage in New York and hundreds of thousands of people were without power.  Furthermore, the storm killed at least 15 people as it swept up the East Coast over the weekend.

—Kid Reporter Cecila Gault

Photo: A bike on the streets of New York is partially submerged by flood waters caused by Hurricane Irene. (Courtesy Cecilia Gault) 

My Relatives in Japan

Kid Reporter talks to her grandparents and uncle after earthquake.

I have relatives in Japan who experienced the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

“I haven’t slept well since Friday, but I am grateful that everyone in my family is fine and I have a roof over my head,” my 74-year-old grandmother told me by phone this week. She lives in Yokohama, Japan. “I can’t bear to watch the television; devastation in northeastern Japan is unimaginable. So many people just washed away by the tsunami. My heart bleeds for them and their families.”

Yokohama and the nation’s capital of Tokyo are in the Kantou area, which now has scheduled blackouts to conserve energy. In the Yokohama area where my family lives, their scheduled blackout means four to five hours without electricity each day.

Subways and trains in Tokyo and Yokohama are affected by the blackout. Many lines have been suspended. As a result, my uncle now spends two to three hours each way to get to and from work. My aunt spends two hours walking to work every day.

“It is nothing, compared to what is going on at the Fukushima nuclear plant and the disaster area,” my uncle Masa told me. “I am very afraid of what is going to happen next.”

Uncle Massa has prepared “go bags” for his family, complete with energy bars, water, and passports.

There is a lot of confusion and uncertainty for residents in Kantou area. Gas stations have long lines at the pumps. Foods and daily products in supermarkets are scarce. The fear of radiation is spreading very fast after a leak was detected in Tokyo, 150 miles (240 kilometers) to the south from the Fukushima power plant. The discovery triggered a food, water, and gasoline buying panic.

“I try very hard to keep my children to feel safe and stay positive,” Uncle Massa said. “I am aware of the danger of the power plant, but at this point, but there is nothing I can do to change it. I try to bring them back to normal.”

My two cousins, who are ages 10 and 5, have been back in school since Monday, March 14. My grandfather Shujiro told me that as he felt an aftershock, “Everything will be okay, there are people working very hard. They are a godsend.”

—Cecilia Gault

PHOTO: Instant noodles have disappeared from supermarkets in Japan.  (Photo by
Masa Ikeda, Yokohama, Japan)

Can U.S. Students Compete?

Why are other, less rich and productive countries, do so much better with education?

Students in Finland get better grades on reading, science, and math than every other country in the world. Finland also has shorter school days and there is no such thing as a failing school.

The drop out rate in Finland is less than 1 percent, but it is 25 percent in the United States of America.  Education experts at the NBC Education Nation conference in New York this week say we have to catch up! I agree and so does Sir Ken Robinson.

Robinson talked to me after his panel discussion on Study Abroad: We can we learn from the global leaders in education? The author of The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything, Robinson stressed the need for a better balance between science and art curriculum. This current generation of students should be able to make better use of technology in schools, he said.

He also talked about what he called the "three myths of creativity."

“The three myths of creativity are that only certain people are creative," he said. "I believe that’s not true, I believe everybody is creative and has great creative abilities."

I go to a Performing Arts school and I agree that creativity is important.

I also spoke to David Livermore, a senior research consultant at the Cultural Intelligence Center. He said that if he can change one thing in education, he would try to find a better connection with parents and students.

He also said that students can increase their cultural intelligence just by traveling. I think it is crucial to understand other cultures so we can discover the inspirations all around us.

To hear my conversation with Sir Robinson, click on the play button below.

—Cecilia Gault

VIDEO: Courtesy Scholastic Inc.