Staten Islanders Talk Tales of Loss and Compassion

Students, parents, and teachers at New Dorp High School on Staten Island talked about hurricane Sandy’s impact in front of federal and state schools officials Thursday.

Dennis Walcott, chancellor of the NYC Department of Education, shakes hands on Dec. 13 with Matthew McComb, a student at New Dorp High School, after hearing his story about how McComb and his mom were affected by Hurricane Sandy .Benjamin Chasteen/The Epoch Times

NEW YORK—Many people cried as about 20 students, teachers, and parents told harrowing tales of escape, endurance, loss, and recovery during and after Hurricane Sandy struck Staten Island.

Tenth-grader Jennifer Mahon described how her parents had left their home to drive their cars to higher ground, expecting the water would only rise a couple of feet.

“While that happened it rose to 10 feet in a matter of about 5 minutes,” she said.

Mahon and her two siblings rushed to bring up whatever valuables they could carry from the basement while their parents struggled to escape the surging water. Her parents ended up at the door of a complete stranger’s house, where they stayed the night. Meanwhile, Mahon and her siblings climbed onto the roof as water continued rising. They tied themselves to the toilet so they wouldn’t blow away.