It has been five years since Superstorm Sandy barreled into Long Island, bringing historic flooding and high winds that devastated communities and left millions without power for days.
Sandy was the costliest storm to impact the United States since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In New York alone, the storm destroyed thousands of homes and caused tens of billions of dollars worth of damage across the state.
The storm hit Long Island on October 29, 2012, the Monday before Halloween, flooding homes, roads and causing severe damage to the local coastline. But the storm may be remembered more for its impacts in the weeks following than for that fateful Monday it arrived on local shores.
Widespread, long-term power outages plagued all of Long Island for weeks and even months after the storm. A regional gas crisis ensued with the interruption of gasoline supplies. Local gas stations quickly ran out of fuel after a shipment arrived, and many residents spent hours waiting in long lines at gas stations in the weeks following the storm.
Although local roads were under three feet of water, trees and power lines were downed and the local coastline suffered major erosion, Riverhead and the East End were spared the worst of the damage. Many local residents volunteered to aid communities across the region that were hit harder by the wrath of Sandy.
RiverheadLOCAL started a live blog on Oct. 27, as the huge storm system bore down on the region. Reporters, residents and officials communicated on the live blog, which continued through Nov. 6.
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