A Look Back at Hurricane Sandy, One Year Later

It was one year ago Tuesday when Commack residents were left in the cold and dark as Hurricane Sandy knocked out power for more than 20,000 residents.

While Commack experienced far less physical damage than other parts of Long Island, residents felt mostly forgotten, as many awoke to darkness for nearly three straight weeks.

Katherine Karanzias commented on Facebook that she was out of power for a month. "Electric pole went down like a toothpick," she said.

Dani Elle commented that she was out of power for two weeks and remembered feeling like she was losing her mind as she watched LIPA trucks power up surrounding neighborhoods. "I'm still scarred for life over that," she said on Facebook.

While many described the days and weeks following sandy as a nightmare, some, like Elizabeth Zanatta, said that the experience brought their families and neighbors closer together. 

Zanatta said that she was out of power for almost two weeks, stating that she passed got through it by enjoying time with neighbors playing cards and building fired, which wouldn't have happened under normal circumstances.

In addition to coming together during that time, locals said that the generosity of their neighbors shined through the most during those days.

Dyanna Jean said that she was home alone with her 2-month-old baby and 5-year-old child when a tree from her front lawn fell on top of her house, taking the power lines with it. "It was a pretty scary moment," she said when asked on Facebook. "My awesome neighbor let us run a cable from his generator for an electric heater to keep the kids warm. So thankful for good people in the world."

Commack wasn't completely unscathed though. One of the benches in the district's new 9/11 marble memorial was broken during Hurricane Sandy. The memorial was repaired in the months following the damage.