STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.—Staten Island hit the spotlight for all the wrong reasons last week. The southwestern portion of the island, closer to New Jersey than Manhattan or Brooklyn, was among those hardest hit by Hurricane Sandy.
Dozens of homes were damaged beyond repair, displacing families who now face the task of rebuilding their lives.
The island lost an estimated 20 residents out of 42 dead citywide, according to the city’s Office of Emergency Management.
Fifteen thousand people remain without power, and may not get plugged back in until Nov. 12.
But the hordes of volunteers who have descended on the island since last Wednesday have heartened those who have lost so much. One resident estimated thousands of volunteers have come since Oct. 31, a day and a half after Sandy hit.
