Weathering the Storm

By Yessoh Bouazi

By Rachelle Anthony

By Charles Reynoso

Looking out my bathroom window, I saw a huge branch that got stuck on a power line in front of my house in Westchester County.

The wind blew ferociously. If it blew any harder, the power line would have snapped in half. I grabbed my flashlight and went back into my room.

Despite Hurricane Sandy, I still decided to go to a diner with a friend.

“There are no street lights! There’s a whole bunch of downed trees, blocking the road,” my friend said to me over the phone.

I struggled to take a shower, style my hair, get dressed, and put on make-up in the dark. I lit a candle and placed it in the bathroom, so I could take a shower. I proceeded to get dressed, and put on my bathrobe over my clothes. My mother would be upset if she knew I was going out in this weather.

I did my make-up and devised an escape route.

“Where are you?” my friend asked.

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” I repeated.

Down to the basement I went. As I opened the garage door, a blast of leaves blew in violently. I saw chaos — more downed trees, branches, and garbage being tossed around like a salad.

On the way to the diner, I also saw downed power lines, street signs and fallen trees. Police cars and ambulances were everywhere. Roads were blocked off. A few people were outside walking but most of the streets were desolate.

The traffic lights were swinging back and forth as if they were going to come crashing down. The wind was so strong it pushed my friend’s car back and forth.

At last we finally made it to the diner. There were a few people there, including a few employees from the fire department, enjoying their meal, and so did we.