After superstorm Sandy wreaked havoc in New York City, dividing Manhattan between those with and without electricity, public transport came to a halt. On Friday November 2, 2012, André-Pierre du Plessis walked down from Uptown Manhattan to see just how deserted the streets were between the Financial and Flatiron Districts where NYPD traffic cops directed traffic and prevented looters from raiding shops in SoHo.
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- Between the Empire State Building and One World Trade Center the entire Lower Manhattan was without power.
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- Construction work on what will be New York’s highest residential building couldn’t continue this week as a crane boom collapsed during Hurricane Sandy, likely because of heavy winds. Here it can be seen dangling from the building.
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- Canal Street, New York
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- Hardly a sole on a Friday afternoon in SoHo, New York.
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- Shops with generators offered phone-charging facilities in Downtown Manhattan.
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- Hot food offered to those who has been without electricity in Downtown Manhattan.
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- Massive lines formed throughout New York as people try to get to work
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- The Federal Emergency Management Agency was criticized for not doing enough.
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- Boats moored elsewhere float in Hudson River after being displaced by Hurricane Sandy.
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- Boats moored elsewhere float in Hudson River after being displaced by Hurricane Sandy.
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- Traffic cops directing traffic amid power failures in Downtown Manhattan.
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- The US Army Corps of Engineers drive up Downtown Manhattan to continue their work in draining flooded subway stations.
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- New York’s popular grocer, Trader Joe’s, was closed for a week due to Hurricane Sandy.
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- A wine shop in Lower Manhattan uses a generator for some light.
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- Shops like McDonald’s and Starbucks that would usually serve customers around the clock, we closed due to power outages in Lower Manhattan.
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- Due to a lockdown on New York’s public transport system, people took to biking to get to and from work.
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- Free access to public transport following Hurricane Sandy.
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- As New York’s subway system gets back on its feet, some subway cars remain stationary like this 3 train at 116th Street Station.
André-Pierre du Plessis has been a journalist in South Africa for nearly a decade working for Die Burger, Huisgenoot, YOU and DRUM Magazine. More recently he was a reporter for eNuus and the eNews Channel. He co-created and produced the channel’s flagship technology-news programme “Tech Report”. He’s currently completing a MA in Business and Economics Journalism at Columbia University in New York.
Latest posts by André-Pierre du Plessis (see all)
- The heaven and hell of public transport in the US: Exit fares and 90′s sitcoms – February 4, 2013
- In Photos: New York and Hurricane Sandy – November 7, 2012
- Hurricane Sandy has more New Yorkers biking – November 6, 2012
- New York: Connecting cities, architecture and ideas – October 26, 2012
- Much ado about Brooklyn’s Barclays Centre? – October 12, 2012
