RUMSON, NEW JERSEY —
More than half-a-million residents in the Northeast region of the United States remain without electricity, heat, water - and some with no homes - after Hurricane Sandy roared through the region early last week. Now a new storm is hampering efforts to restore power and some degree of normalcy to the devastated region.
Local communities had called reinforcements from around the country and Canada. Residents of the Jersey Shore town of Rumson were struggling after the "superstorm" when this next storm hit.
“No, not a good time, and we've all kind of had enough of this and now we're getting socked with another one,” said Scott Paterson, Rumson police chief.
Despite the pounding wind and rain, this community keeps pulling together.
“We're really pleased with all the turnout. I don't think anyone could have predicted that we would have this level of quality and quantity of donations and volunteers,” said Jennifer Wargo Sapnar, an emergency medical technician.
Sapnar helped organize a “comfort station.” It's here that people affected by the storm can find anything from household cleaners to clothes, but some need more than that.
“We've been able to cover all of their needs in terms of food, clothing and a place to stay," said Rumson Mayor John Ekdahl. "The next crisis we're facing, because we've condemned probably 50 homes here in Rumson and many more across the river, is where their longer term living situation is going to be.”
The new storm is making the situation worse.
“The winds are very high. The water is already coming up. We're afraid that this storm is going to undo all of the progress that we've made this week. Personally, I'm nervous that this storm is going to do even more damage to what Sandy left behind,” said Dina Long, mayor of Sea Bright, New Jersey.
And some of the first-responders haven't even had the chance to deal with what Hurricane Sandy has done to their own homes and families.
“It's the job. It's the job. But as chief I got to worry about my guys getting home to see their families, which they have not really done. And take care of their houses, which they have not really done,” said Police Chief Paterson.
For them, being on the front line of an ongoing disaster in the neighborhood means coping with tragedy - both professionally and personally.
Winter Storm Battering Devastated US Northeast
1/11The fire-scorched landscape of Breezy Point in New York, which was devastated during Superstorm Sandy when a fire pushed by the raging winds destroyed many homes, is seen after a Nor'easter snow, November 8, 2012.
While not as strong as Sandy, this storm, called a "nor'easter," brought heavy ice-cold rain and strong winds up to 97 kilometers an hour to the coast and thick wet snow farther inland. As much as 17 centimeters of snow had been expected across New York City and New Jersey, and further north into Connecticut.
2/11A tree destroyed by Superstorm Sandy is seen covered in snow in Manhasset, New York, November 8, 2012.
While not as strong as Sandy, this storm, called a "nor'easter," brought heavy ice-cold rain and strong winds up to 97 kilometers an hour to the coast and thick wet snow farther inland. As much as 17 centimeters of snow had been expected across New York City and New Jersey, and further north into Connecticut.
3/11A pile of garbage in the street is covered with snow in the New Dorp section of Staten Island, New York, November 8, 2012.
While not as strong as Sandy, this storm, called a "nor'easter," brought heavy ice-cold rain and strong winds up to 97 kilometers an hour to the coast and thick wet snow farther inland. As much as 17 centimeters of snow had been expected across New York City and New Jersey, and further north into Connecticut.
4/11A Con Edison emergency vehicle crashes into a barricade after a nor'easter storm in New York, November 8, 2012.
While not as strong as Sandy, this storm, called a "nor'easter," brought heavy ice-cold rain and strong winds up to 97 kilometers an hour to the coast and thick wet snow farther inland. As much as 17 centimeters of snow had been expected across New York City and New Jersey, and further north into Connecticut.
5/11Workers shovel snow from Queens Blvd. during a snow storm, November 7, 2012, in New York.
While not as strong as Sandy, this storm, called a "nor'easter," brought heavy ice-cold rain and strong winds up to 97 kilometers an hour to the coast and thick wet snow farther inland. As much as 17 centimeters of snow had been expected across New York City and New Jersey, and further north into Connecticut.
6/11Travelers look at a monitor displaying cancelled flights in New York's LaGuardia airport, November 7, 2012.
While not as strong as Sandy, this storm, called a "nor'easter," brought heavy ice-cold rain and strong winds up to 97 kilometers an hour to the coast and thick wet snow farther inland. As much as 17 centimeters of snow had been expected across New York City and New Jersey, and further north into Connecticut.
7/11A victim of Hurricane Sandy receives a meal from an American Red Cross Disaster Relief truck during a nor'easter, also known as a northeaster storm, in the Red Hook Neighborhood of New York, November 7, 2012.
While not as strong as Sandy, this storm, called a "nor'easter," brought heavy ice-cold rain and strong winds up to 97 kilometers an hour to the coast and thick wet snow farther inland. As much as 17 centimeters of snow had been expected across New York City and New Jersey, and further north into Connecticut.
8/11A couple stands in a bus shelter during a snowfall in Dover Township, New Jersey, November 7, 2012, as the region pounded by Superstorm Sandy last week is hit by a Nor'Easter.
While not as strong as Sandy, this storm, called a "nor'easter," brought heavy ice-cold rain and strong winds up to 97 kilometers an hour to the coast and thick wet snow farther inland. As much as 17 centimeters of snow had been expected across New York City and New Jersey, and further north into Connecticut.
9/11پاکستان فیشن 01
While not as strong as Sandy, this storm, called a "nor'easter," brought heavy ice-cold rain and strong winds up to 97 kilometers an hour to the coast and thick wet snow farther inland. As much as 17 centimeters of snow had been expected across New York City and New Jersey, and further north into Connecticut.
10/11A woman struggles with her umbrella in the wind and snow in New York, November 7, 2012.
While not as strong as Sandy, this storm, called a "nor'easter," brought heavy ice-cold rain and strong winds up to 97 kilometers an hour to the coast and thick wet snow farther inland. As much as 17 centimeters of snow had been expected across New York City and New Jersey, and further north into Connecticut.
11/11Waves crash into a seawall and buildings along the coast in Hull, Massachusetts, November 7, 2012.
While not as strong as Sandy, this storm, called a "nor'easter," brought heavy ice-cold rain and strong winds up to 97 kilometers an hour to the coast and thick wet snow farther inland. As much as 17 centimeters of snow had been expected across New York City and New Jersey, and further north into Connecticut.
