It took four days and much shouting for help to arrive to the devastated New York borough of Staten Island. INSIDE EDITION reports from the scene.
They're calling themselves the forgotten people of New York City. Residents of Staten Island are struggling to cope with some of the worst of Hurricane Sandy, and they feel like nobody cares.
"It's a disaster here. They forgot about us," said one resident.
"They forgot us," said another.
"We're lost here. We're lost," cried another.
Katrina-style scenes cover large swaths of the borough. There is devastation on the streets and inside people's houses. One woman showed INSIDE EDITION around the wreckage of her son's home.
"A $3,000 dollar TV. They just got these couches," said the woman.
All this is happening just a few miles from the glitzy towers and luxury stores of Manhattan.
Dozens of boats have been washed ashore. One boat is practically on the steps of some homes.
INSIDE EDITION saw one woman who actually had to wear a respirator to clean her devastated home.
Another resident showed us the soaked interior of his brand-new Lexus and the trashed garage where he can no longer keep it.
"Two brand new cars, our ground floor is pretty much wiped out," he said.
One home was blown off its foundation, and ended up in marshland.
A shattered SUV was trapped in floodwater at the height of the storm. In back, in their car seats, were two-year-old Brandon Moore and his 4-year-old brother, Connor. Tragically, the little boys were swept out of their mother's arms as she tried to lead them to safety. The boys' bodies were found Thursday in the marshland.
Adding to the tragedy, reports that the boys' mom, Glenda Moore knocked on doors the night of the storm, begging for help, and was ignored.
But a neighbor says the night Hurricane Sandy came roaring through, it was so chaotic no one could have heard anyone's cries for help.
The neighbor told INSIDE EDITION, "The water was so loud. It was pitch black. The street lights had gone out."
Staten Island today is certainly the borough of heartbreak. Hopefully, as these desperate people speak out, they will be forgotten no more.
To help Staten Island, donors can go to tunneltotowers.org to learn more about the fund and where to send donations. Organizers said actor Gary Sinise has donated $100,000 to the fund. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani also has made a donation.
