by Wang Fengfeng
ATLANTIC CITY, United States, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- Sandy, the deadly superstorm roaring on Tuesday north along the northeastern coast of the United States, left in its wake a trail of destruction and millions of people without power.
The storm, which made landfall Monday night in New Jersey, devastated Jersey Shore, leaving streets flooded, homes abandoned and powerlines downed. All over America, more than 30 people have so far been killed by the superstorm.
On a seaside drive linking Atlantic City and Ocean City, NJ, nearly a dozen power poles were down, closing down the road completely. Many seaside neighborhoods were soaked before the storm landed. When the tide receded as the storm moved north, streets were covered with over a foot of sand.
"Absecon Bay has been washed away," a resident of Atlantic County who only identified herself as Mary told Xinhua. "There's no road, and they say there maybe like 2 feet of sand, and they have to come and bulldoze it away for us even to go home, if I have a place even to go home to."
Mary and her family live on the Absecon Bay just north of Atlantic City. They sought shelter in a Red Cross-run shelter set up at Pleasantville Highschool as early as Sunday morning, as water in the bay went "up to our hips."
As the storm passed, local governments in seaside counties of New Jersey began to pour resources into recovery.
Bulldozers could be seen clearing roads of debris and sand from early Tuesday. Police patrol cars and fire trucks were everywhere to guard dangerous fallen trees and powerlines, as utility companies rushed to restore their infrastructure. More than a million in the state were without power, as about 8 million people in eastern states lost power due to the hurricane.
Chris Christie, the New Jersey Governor, described the damage "unthinkable," declaring the decimated barrier islands still "off limits" as of Tuesday evening, after taking a helicopter tour of the barrier Islands and Jersey Shore earlier in the day. There were reports throughout the day of daring rescues of people stranded by the storm in the state.
President Barack Obama, who canceled campaign events facing the 10th hurricane this year, was scheduled to visit New Jersey on Wednesday. He said Tuesday at the headquarters of the American Red Cross that Sandy was "not yet over," and people should be prepared for days and possibly weeks.
All over storm battered areas of New Jersey, utility crews could be seen working near damaged electric poles and power grids. But seaside communities worst hit by the storm could take longer to see their power restored, as high winds keep crews from making repairs.
"This wall of water that hit New Jersey is not something we could have prepared for, though I wish we could have," said Ralph LaRossa, president of Public Service Energy & Gas, a utility company.
It is not entirely clear at this point how much damage Sandy has brought to New Jersey. Carol Collin, executive director for Red Cross southern shore chapter in Pleasantville, NJ, told Xinhua that they have yet no plans to shutter their shelters around Atlantic City.
"We are waiting to hear from our government officials what the damage assessment is gonna be," Collin said at a shelter in Pleasantville Highschool, which holds about 400 people. "It's up to the government to see what roads are safe, what communities are safe, what communities maybe still under water."
Although most people living along Jersey Shore haven't yet returned home, some have already headed back and began to clear their yards of debris and wood.
"Last night was rough," said one resident. "But we made it, we survived."
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