As if superstorm Sandy didn’t cause enough damage last week, the northeast is being racked by another wave of stormy weather with wintry nor’easter Athena. High winds, rain and wet snow have plunged nearly 60,000 homes into darkness, along with the 672,000 storm victims that have been without electricity since last week.
Under normal circumstances, a storm like this wouldn’t be much of a problem, but in the aftermath of Sandy, with electrical systems still very fragile and many victims still recovering from the hurricane’s damage, much of the east coast is highly vulnerable. What’s more, coastal regions, which bore the brunt of most of Sandy’s destruction last week, are expected to be hit by floods of up to three feet. Residents of these areas are being ordered to evacuate for the second time now.
“I know everyone’s patience is wearing thin,” John Miksad, an executive at electrical provider ConEdison, said. Nearly 1,700 flights have been canceled as a result of the nor’easter, which is expected to die down by the end of the week.
Said New Jersey Governor Chris Christie earlier in the week, “I am waiting for the locusts and pestilence next.” Here’s hoping that Athena is the last of the destruction in the northeast.
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