Just as promised, the big nor’easter delivered strong gusting winds, rain, snow and the threat of flooding to the storm-battered East Coast. The strong storm has made traveling difficult with icy roadways and airport & rail delays. It also has left residents who only recently got their electricity back on, powerless once again.
The East is used to nor-easters at this time of the year. However, because Hurricane Sandy left big swaths of land devastated, the wind, rain and snow is hampering cleanup and recovery efforts in areas already ravaged by Sandy when it struck ten days ago. There is a lot of frustration and many frazzled nerves on the eastern seaboard of the United States. From Connecticut to Rhode Island, several inches of wet, sloppy snow fell Wednesday.
In New York and New Jersey, rain and winds with gusts up to 60 miles are threatening to flood homes and businesses once again. The new storm also has the potential to knock down trees which were loosened by Sandy and to wipe away some of the very hard-won progress made in returning power to millions of residents who have been struggling without it. As of Thursday morning local time, rainfall from the storm had already moved across New Jersey and was set to arrive in New York in a matter of a few hours. Winds and storm surge are expected to rise during the afternoon as the big system chugs its way up the coast.
Thus far, it is hard to forecast just how serious the potential flooding will be in New York and New Jersey. However, there is much concern that it could indeed be serious as all of the sand dunes which were in place to keep water at bay have been washed away by Sandy with new water inlets created.
In the fire-ravaged Rockaways of Queens, the grim cleanup and recovery efforts are being made all that more challenging with the new storm and colder temperatures. As the Atlantic is churning with fresh fury, fire victims, volunteers and workers from numerous relief organizations are seeing the new grim reality only getting grimmer as they shiver and slide on snow-covered surfaces, working diligently to clean up the surreal landscape that superstorm Sandy left in its wake.