October 29, 2012

Jersey City experienced a historic storm surge of nearly 14 feet, which flooded the streets of Downtown, Lafayette, West Side, and Country Village, turning city blocks into rivers. The power went out across the Eastern Seaboard, leaving Jersey City in darkness and water.

The city’s recovery was measured in billions of dollars and years of reconstruction, but the most difficult loss was in the neighbors we lost. We remember the two residents who died from storm-related incidents, a reminder that behind every statistic are people affected forever.

From <https://www.nj.com/news/2012/12/hurricane_sandy_victims_from_n.html>

MAUREEN CAPORINO

Maureen Caporino’s philosophy about greeting visitors to the Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority was simple: Strangers must be vetted.

Caporino, 65, would tilt her head, raise one eyebrow and grill visitors she didn’t recognize with questions about their credentials. No one made it to an appointment with one of the city’s water engineers without Caporino’s blessing, said Daniel Becht, the authority’s executive director.

"Her desk was right in the front, so you really couldn’t get past her," Becht said. "Once Maureen confirmed you were here for official business, she would soften and offer you a cup of coffee."

Caporino worked at the authority for 22 years before retiring with severe health problems. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease made it difficult for her to breathe. She also had very bad eyesight, said co-worker Dore Carlo.

"She had to hold a paper right up to her nose to be able to read it," Carlo said. "We joked with her about it."

Caporino coped with her health problems until her daughter Erika, 30, died in 2009, said Carlo. The women lived together in Jersey City and worked together at the authority.

"Her daughter’s death basically decimated Maureen," Becht said. "There was no more spring in her step, no more quick-witted comments, and her health declined rapidly."

In recent years, Caporino required an oxygen tank to help her breathe and rarely left home, neighbors said. Even a short trip down the stairs would leave her gasping for air.

She was found dead by a caregiver in her modest two-story Ogden Avenue home Oct. 30, less than 24 hours after the power went out. The oxygen tanks on which she relied could not operate; emergency tanks that relied on batteries were empty. Jersey City police officials say they do not know whether she died before or after the tanks ran out.

In the wake of the destruction, Jersey City residents came together. Neighbors rescued each other with kayaks, and first responders and volunteers worked tirelessly, demonstrating a community spirit that no flood could erase. Many recall how the community united in support and shared grief.

DHYANESH BALAJI

Dhyanesh Balaji owned a small red bicycle with black handles and black training wheels.

Neighbors occasionally saw the 4-year-old riding the sleek bike up and down Laidlaw Avenue in Jersey City, where he lived in a second-floor apartment with his mother and grandmother.

At 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 31, a car driven by a neighbor who lives two blocks away from the family struck the child while he was crossing a darkened street with his mother and grandmother, Jersey City Police Chief Tom Comey said.

He was holding hands with his mother, Nagarani Nagarajan.

"She looked away for a second," a city police officer wrote on the crash investigation report to describe the driver’s explanation of the incident.

The intersection of Jefferson and Central avenues was one of thousands throughout Jersey City that were dark that night. Nearly the entire city of 250,000 was without power two days after Hurricane Sandy struck.

Multiple Indian news websites have reported that Dhyanesh’s mother and father, Balaji Jeyakannan, returned to India to bury their son. The family could not be reached for comment.

The boy was Hurricane Sandy’s youngest victim in New Jersey.

WHY IT IS IMPORTANT NOW

FURTHER LOOK