News: Leftover from the Storm
(Long Island, N.Y.) An estimated sixty-five million people have been affected by the storm. Hurricane Irene evacuated many from their homes, and presented many with the “should I stay or should I go?” dilemma. Reports are already calculating that the tropical storm has cost over seven billion dollars in damages.
The George Washington Bridge was reopened yesterday and about half of the lines on the Long Island Rail Road have been put back in service. Utility poles and trees were blown onto tracks during the storm, and service has been suspended on several branches. Far Rockaway, Long Beach, Oyster Bay, and Port Jefferson are among these lines in addition to everything east of the Montauk and Ronkonkoma branches.
Long Island bus services are back to normal in both Nassau County and Suffolk County. Both John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia airport were closed as of noon on Saturday. Jury duty has been cancelled for today, and grand jurors are expected to report for service tomorrow.
Police and authorities are asking residents who have spotted down trees to report them to their county officials. Those who have experienced power shortages or have witnessed down power lines should contact utility providers. As of Monday, the New York Stock Exchange remains open.
Many Long Islanders have compared this week’s hurricane to one that occurred over twenty-five years ago in 1985. Hurricane Gloria began on September 16th and lasted until the 28th. It reached a Category Four in the tropical waters of the Bahamas, where Irene was a Category Three. Like Irene, Hurricane Gloria weakened after reaching the coast of North Carolina.
The 1985 Hurricane resulted in eight deaths, making Hurricane Irene a deadlier storm. Some reports have estimated that as many as twenty-seven people have been killed in correlation with the hurricane. Estimated costs for Gloria were $900 million in damages, converting to about $1.84 billion dollars today.
Long Island had not been directly affected by a hurricane since 1960’s Hurricane Donna, which occurred about twenty-five years prior to Gloria. Unlike Irene, Hurricane Gloria was speedier and reached Long Island shores just ten hours after hitting the Carolina Outer Banks. Both Hurricanes, however, made great impact upon the beaches of Long Beach.
Perhaps one reason many Long Island residents decided to tough it out for this week’s hurricane is because they had survived the 100mph winds of Gloria. Also, sources claimed that Hurricane Gloria occurred during a time of low tide, making Irene a storm that involved more rains and flooding. Reports stated that Gloria, also a Category One Hurricane prior to reaching Long Island, had winds of a Category Three.
In both cases, the press had labeled the hurricanes as “storms of the century.” Hurricane Gloria left two million residents without power and destroyed almost fifty homes along Long Island.
