News

    LONG ISLAND BEACH, NY (WENY) -- Damaging winds, downed trees and flooding weren't the only problems caused by Hurricane Sandy.
    Some people's homes caught fire, And firefighters couldn't get there to put it out.  That's because the superstorm physically prevented fire crews from responding... and hundreds of families watched their homes go up in flames. In a neighborhood on Long Beach Island, several families could do nothing but watch their homes burn to the ground.
      On Farrell Street in Long Beach on Long Island, an was hit hard by Hurricane Sandy where some of these homes burned to the ground. You can actually still smell the charred remains in the air.
      After Hurricane Sandy hit, fire broke out and the water was so high here, firefighters couldn't get here to put out the flames.
      "This was my home that I lived in. My whole life was in there," said Shawn Darrow, whose home was destroyed. He and his roommate where surveying the damage Friday.
      "Unsalvagable. The tree is still standing which is what we were concerned about initially. That was our biggest worry," Darrow said, "There was waist high waters and all the fires were raging. So nobody could get here to stop it. It was just a matter of it burning out."
     Today, Shawn and his neighbors are getting some sort of help. FEMA search and rescue teams are on the ground, going from door-to-door making sure everyone is okay.
     "There's such a widespread damage here, in New Jersey and other states. That with the utilities, it's going to be hard," said Athena Hause, with the FEMA Search and Rescue Team.
      Neighbors here are staying in shelters, one of which is on Long Island's North Shore. That's where some Red Cross volunteers from the Southern Tier are helping neighbors
     "I spoke with some neighbors today and they said they're thankful. Very thankful for the shelter. They don't what they would do with out it," said Red Cross volunteer Arlene Heffner.
      Neighbors say they're happy they got out alive and they'll start rebuilding as soon as they can.