Going Through the Water

3/4 Hurricane Sandy experiences from Canarsie, Brooklyn

From Monday, October 29, 2012, Brenda Hydlebura (pictured right in front of a sink hole Hurricane Sandy created in front of her home) who lives with her 15-year-old daughter Amber (pictured furthest right) remembers this about the storm:

“About 7 p.m. we lost power and by 8 o’clock, I looked outside and saw my neighbors moving their cars because the water had begun to come on the street. The water came in so easy. It’s like it just crept up. The water was up to my shoulders by 8:30 p.m. ince I’m short person. It was terrifying [Hydlebura is about 5 feet tall.] So I called my neighbor and she said she was evacuating. I asked her if my daughter and I could come along because we didn’t know if the water was gonna get higher. She said ‘Yes. Come outside now.’

Then we went outside looking for our neighbor. It took a while before she found us, about 20 minutes because water was everywhere. Thankfully she had a Land Rover so we were able to get out of here easier,” said Hydlebura. Amber added “It was scary walking through that water. I was thinking I was gonna drown.

I’m glad we made it through. I just had to keep encouraging my mom to keep going because she has asthma and I didn’t want anything to happen to her.”

Upon returning to her home, Hydlebura found a three foot deep sinkhole on her lawn. The water flooded her basement damaging a $3,000 washer and dryer machine that she just bought and her wedding dress that was in a preservation bag. She has no flood coverage but has taken pictures to send to her insurance company and filed a FEMA claim.

There is still no electricity in Hydlebura home and she and has been staying with a high school buddy. For now she just wants her house to be disinfected and sanitized since sewage and dirt came into her basement.

She said for any future Hurricanes “I just want them to tell us when to leave so we can all be safe.”