GUYANESE are a resilient people who have experienced their fair share of floods in their respective home villages and towns. They know well how to wade through water with buckets on their heads, and to wait out a flood high on their rooftops. But the impact of Hurricane Sandy was nothing they could have ever imagined.

They were among the eight million people left stranded in the New York Tri-State area, without electricity and cell-phone among other key services, as they squared their shoulders to deal with the devastating floodwaters that wreaked havoc in Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Long Island and New Jersey.
The very graphic and gut-wrenching images speak volumes, as they tell of the chaos that followed the arrival of the ‘super-storm’, which made landfall on Monday, October 29; a chaos that is still being felt now almost a week on by way of railway shutdowns, power outages, road closures, and massive flooding.
Thankfully, no Guyanese was reported missing or dead, considering the horrific fires in the  Breezy Point area of Queens, which flattened 111 houses, leaving in their wake hundreds homeless.
The surge, however, affected the Far Rockaway home of Queens resident and dancehall costume designer, Horace ‘gold-teeth Lance’ Carter, sending waves gushing into the studio and factory housed in his basement, and leaving in their wake an estimated loss of  US$80,000.
Carter, also a ‘mad-cow’ masquerade dancer, said the loss has left him in shock and misery, as he is faced with not only pumping out eight feet of water that reached as far as his first-floor dwelling area, but also putting the pieces back together to restore his business, and replace valuable furniture and memorabilia.
Carter’s two cars and all his appliances — refrigerator, washing machine and television set — were lost in the flood. His costume materials and sewing machines have also been damaged beyond repair.
The three-level house, located in the heart of the beach region, was home to five family members and two tenants.
Meanwhile, Manhattan resident, Deborah Barocas, who lives on East 54th Street, is thanking her lucky stars that she lives on the 14th Floor, and did not have to evacuate. Being on the 14th Floor also had other advantages. “I looked out my window at one point and saw someone’s terrace chairs flying into the skies. It was surreal,” recalled the author of ‘Guyana’s Tasty Exotic Cook Book’, who opined that the wind was at its worst as it tunnelled towards the building in which she lives. “I could hear an eerie type of screaming; it was very creepy,” Deborah said, adding:

“My children’s bedroom was creaking, and they refused to sleep in there later that night. I was terrified when I saw what the wind was doing to the trees on the street. I am happy that I have double-faced windows.”
But she was well prepared for any eventuality. “I sustained no damage, but, as always, with the threat of a storm, I usually pack an emergency backpack for every one of us,” she said.
And, like Barocas, Indira Nandalall and her family, of Elmont, New York, survived the wrath of the storm. “Sandy didn’t affect us in any damaging way, Thank God!” she said.
But this was not the case for Con Ed employee, Allison Skeete, who herself suffered power outage and water shortage at her New Jersey home for more than four days.
The utility worker, who knows the inner workings of the system, was terribly upset that her power was intentionallyturned off by PSE&G, and that residents were not notified. She however sought to make light of the situation by, no pun intended, lighting a kerosene lamp and pretending she was having a candlelight dinner as she reflected upon the many nights  she’d had to spend in blackout back in her native Guyana.
Skeete, who survived the dastardly storm twice, was on a cruise to the Caribbean when Sandy reared her ugly head, forcing the ship to abort the voyage and turn back from Puerto Rico. She recalled the heroism of the captain who piloted the ship through rough seas to get passengers back safely to New York.
But while some Guyanese, like my Facebook friend Hazel Williams, prepared for the storm in fine Guyanese style with pepperpot, chowmein, baked chicken, and plenty of ice to keep her food in the freezer, others did not fare so well.
Karen Younge, a make-up artist by profession, said she was petrified by the thought of the large trees lining the street in her Fort Green Park, Brooklyn neighbourhood falling on her building.  Recounting the incident, she said:
“The lights went out and came back on immediately; but throughout the night (they) flickered sporadically… I finally went to bed, but when the winds settled and I woke up thinking everything was ok, I went outside and saw a large tree (had been) uprooted and (had fallen) toward the park, missing four houses.
“Across the street at Fort Greene Park, there are a lot of downed trees, and as you can see from my pictures, a tree is split in half. God spared my life; I am thankful to be alive, because it could have been a lot worse.”
Nicknamed ‘Frankenstorm’, the massive gale caused much hysteria and panic across the boroughs, as cases of water and bread flew off the shelves of stores, and carriers stranded passengers at area airports.
Chief Executive Officer of Guyana Fashion Week, Designer Sonia Noel, was one of those passengers sidelined by Caribbean Airlines. She had been scheduled to depart for Georgetown when Sandy struck.
“The closest I came to a natural disaster like this was a few years ago, when the earthquake in Barbados and Trinidad shook the Caribbean, but not at this magnitude,” said Sonia, who was awaiting word of her flight from the airline when I caught up with her.
“Being here during this devastating hurricane is so scary, especially when you look at the TV coverage and see how many people are affected,” she said, adding:
“I am staying with my sister, and, thank God, the tree that fell at the back of her house did not hit the window; but it was very close.
“I was scheduled to travel to Guyana last evening, but now I am not sure how soon I can; but I hope it’s soon, because I am the featured designer at the Caribbean Plus-Size Fashion Week in Trinidad, from November 1 – 4.”
The Guyana Times International reported scores of Guyanese in Richmond Hill experiencing damage to their properties. According to the publication, Jini Persaud, a Guyanese residing in Queens, New York, said the storm was the most catastrophic she’s ever experienced.
“It’s devastating! So much damage! But I must say, spirits are high; and, in true New York fashion, we’re just waiting to dust off and get into ‘fix-it’ mode,” Jini said.
“We were all worried for each other, but once we knew that the people we love were safe, we were okay. As I always say, things can be replaced, people can’t. We’re taking it in stride,” she concluded.
As for Indra Puran, a Financial Services Professional with New York Life Insurance Company, she was in Vancouver, Canada for her company’s Annual General Meeting when Sandy struck. On her return, she found that her house was literally in tatters. The sidings had all blown off, the gutters were gone, and her garage door was missing.
Thankfully, before leaving for Vancouver last Sunday morning, she had had the foresight to drop off her kids at her mother’s house, which is in the same Ozone Park, Queens neighbourhood in which she lives.
She was scheduled to return via the La Guardia Airport, but unfortunately, her flight was cancelled because the entire tarmac was under water from Sandy’s fury. She finally arrived at JFK on Thursday.