Storm damage captured by Matt Smith

A former Norwich man has emailed images of the path of destruction left by super storm Sandy around the neighbourhood in New York where he now lives.

Matt Smith, 39, was born and grew up in the city, going to the Blyth Jex School before studying for his degree at De Montfort University in Leiscester.

He has lived and worked in New York since June 2000 and formed his own company in March of this year.

He said: “I live on far West 42nd Street in Manhattan, right next to the Hudson River. We experienced a record 13.5ft high tide surge on Monday evening and the streets around my apartment building were flooded and power interrupted.

“However, my building has a back-up power generator so our disruption was minimal. I sat through the storm with a friend who lives a few floors up from me in the same building, pouring ‘Dark and Stormy’ cocktails.

“I took a walk around my neighborhood Tuesday morning and have attached some of the pictures I took of the aftermath. Pretty incredible stuff.”

He said he had many friends downtown without power, heat or water, and several who were still unable to return to their homes.

He said: “The mood around the city is one of resilience as the clean-up starts. Friends and neighbours are helping each other out, providing power to charge phones and laptops, and a warm shower for those who need it.

“Cell phone service is getting more spotty however as the batteries on the cell towers around the city start to drain.

“Many tunnels downtown are still flooded and getting the subway service back up and running is paramount as the city, where cars can use the roads, is now gridlocked with traffic.

“It’s pretty bad at the best of times, but I’ve never seen it like this. Mostly due to traffic lights not working where they don’t have power. Mayor Bloomberg has just announced that only cars carrying three or more people will be allowed into the city to try to reduce the congestion.

“I’ve actually been very lucky, getting through the storm with no serious issues. I really feel for those having to deal with much more of a crisis. The devastation downtown, and across Staten Island and Long Island is heartbreaking.”