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Journalism of Courage
The weather chased them in all its steadfast fury,as if mocking them at every haven they tried. The four of them a mother,two children and a cousin thought they could wait the monster out,ride the luck that Atlantic City promises. When water rose near their home on Monday,they retreated to a relatives place. It flooded. They sped to a school converted into a shelter,but they could not stay with their dog. So they were shuttled to the Sheraton Atlantic City Hotel,not far from the famed Boardwalk,where last-minute evacuees were being put up.
Outside,the wind screamed and ankle-deep water lapped at the sides of the hotel. The power was out and the hotel was running on a backup generator. The four of them were beyond drenched. Weve never experienced anything like this, said Cristal Millan,21,the cousin.
Hurricane Sandy captured Atlantic City and refused to let go. As the rainwater and surging waters of the ocean that hugged its beaches invaded its streets and wrenched apart pieces of the Boardwalk,the city was left an anxious and isolated island.
The storm radically transformed this gambling mecca of 40,000 into a chastened city.
On the Governors order,the dozen casinos closed at 4 pm on Sunday. It was one of only a few times in the gambling industrys 34 years in New Jersey that wagering was silenced. About 40,000 casino workers were sent home; each casino retained a skeleton crew of 50-75 people. Inside the casinos,no dice rolled,no cards were dealt and no slots beeped. The city is under siege, said Thomas Foley,the citys chief of emergency management. Sandy is pretty furious on Atlantic City. She must have lost a bet or something. As we say in our slogan,Do AC Shes doing AC,all right.
Heavy rains and sustained winds of more than 40 miles an hour,with gusts of more than 60 miles an hour,battered the city.
