WWII vet takes shelter in local retirement home during Hurricane Sandy


Hurricane Sandy had devastating effects in North and Central America, killing nearly 200 people, and causing an estimated $52 billion in damages. But the disaster could have been much worse, had it not been for the kindness of many people.

As reported in the New York Daily News, 91 year-old New York City veteran Abraham Nayowitz and his 89 year-old wife Paula were stranded in their seventh-floor Manhattan apartment, out of power, and running low on food, due to the hurricane outside.

“All this water just came rushing by. It was terrifying,” Paula told the newspaper.  What was really scary was that there was no power of any kind.”

In the early stages of the storm, the couple bundled themselves up with blankets and coats, and neighbors came by with food, but when the hurricane persisted, a neighbor called the local fire department to help remove the couple and take them to a safer place.

Abraham has a heart condition, and Paula has arthritis, and so they were fortunate to be taken into Kittay House, a New York independent living community in the Bronx.

There, the Nayowitzes were served a hot meal of turkey, yam, mashed potatoes, and string beans. And despite the scare they endured, Paula told the newspaper she and her husband are grateful for their health, their neighbors, and for each other.

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