First signs of normality emerge after storm Sandy

First signs of normal life emerge but power and transport remain a problem

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New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg visits the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday, on the first day of trading. Photo: EPA

Published: 12:00am, 1 Nov 2012Updated: 7:21am, 1 Nov 2012

Two airports and Wall Street reopened yesterday, bringing the first signs of normality back to storm-battered New York, as US President Barack Obama headed on a politically charged inspection of spectacular damage in neighbouring New Jersey.

The Big Apple, reduced to a standstill by one of the biggest storms in its history on Monday and Tuesday, was only just starting to re-emerge from the wreckage. The New York Stock Exchange, which had its first two-day, weather-related closure since 1888, reopened without a hitch.

And in a move bringing relief to snarled flight schedules around the country, John F. Kennedy and Newark Liberty airports made a limited reopening, although LaGuardia was still shut. At last count, 19,500 flights had been cancelled because of superstorm Sandy, tracking service flightaware.com said.

Passengers crowd onto a bus on First Avenue October 31, 2012 in New York. Photo:AFP

In another bright spot, buses were back on New York streets. However, the subway, flooded in places during the storm, was still closed and dense road traffic made for painfully slow commutes.

Swaths of New York, including many skyscrapers in lower Manhattan, remained without electricity, and schools throughout the city were closed.

First signs of normality emerge after storm Sandy

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}First signs of normal life emerge but power and transport remain a problem

First signs of normal life emerge but power and transport remain a problem