It's the end of the world as we know it

Nov 2 2012 by Lorraine Howard, Irvine Herald

As I watched the devastation of Hurricane Sandy take its toll on New York, it was like something from a Hollywood film.

I sat there expecting a superhero to fly in, use their super powers and it would all just disappear.

It seemed very surreal on one hand but, having visited New York twice in my lifetime so far, it made the shots of Staten Island, Central Park and Times Square even more real to me.

I have friends over there, Connie and John Degnan — in Boston — who were busy preparing for days before, stocking up with supplies.

As news of the hurricane came through, Connie emailed me to say she had made a flan and they were settling for the storm.

They had experienced it before a few years ago and it was a case of once bitten...

I kept thinking of the landmarks and how invisible the Statue of Liberty had become, a blur through the storm but still standing proudly, the guardian of her city.

I also thought of my late gran, who would hide inside the hall cupboard at the hint of a thunder storm or high winds in Kilbirnie.

She would scream and lock herself in it until the storm had settled, so I can only imagine how she would cope if Hurricane Sandy came knocking down Ayrshire way.

The 50,000 New York residents who were left without power must have been terrified sitting in their apartment blocks as the city that never sleeps found herself at a standstill.

Though I did shout at the screen a few times when I saw the people standing close to the water’s edge taking photos — it could have been straight out of a scene from Superman —and I held my breath as I feared someone would be swept away with one gush of wind.

I’m not sure how I would cope in that situation, it’s hard to imagine what it would be like to be told to stay at home with no power, no mobile phone network and rations.

It must be scary but New Yorkers have proved they are made of strong stuff.