On Sandy Anniversary, New Rochelleans Should Review Disaster Plans

One year ago, Superstorm Sandy tore through New Rochelle and surrounding communities, downing trees, taking out power lines and leaving millions of dollars of damage.

There was flooding toward the coastline, heavily damaging New Rochelle parks, including the county's Glen Island Park.

Thousands of people were without electricity for almost two weeks. The American Red Cross opened a shelter at Albert Leonard Middle School, with 84 people living there at its peak. The shelter stayed open until November 9.

After the storm passed, Habitat for Humanity of Westchester Executive Director Jim Killoran didn't think it would take too long to make repairs.

"I'm shocked that there are still so many people not in their homes," he said.

Killoran and his volunteers are still working in the Rockways, traveling back and forth sometimes twice a day. Habitat worked on over 800 homes and helped 2,500 families.

"We still need help," he said. "We still need support."

Killoran said he would be lying if he said that the anniversary isn't making him emotional.

But he wanted the one-year mark to let people take stock of what happened and how we can prepare for future disasters.

"A crisis is the opportunity to change things," Killoran said. "We need a more sustainable New York."

He said people learned from the 2007 floods that devastated the area.

"We are ready at any given time to mobilize," Killoran said.

What he has been urging people to do, besides developing a personal or family disaster plan, is get with your neighbors and decide on a disaster captain.

"If the government can't get to your house," Killoran said, "how will you as a neighborhood respond."

"We need to think ahead of the game," he said. "Unequivocally, there will be other disasters."