WNYers long to hear from loved ones

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - While western New York has been spared the worst from Sandy, we can't escape our concern for friends and loved ones living through the disaster in the primary storm zone.

As New Jersey got battered by Hurricane Sandy, Buffalonians, no strangers to storms, made the best of it. Buffalo native Ryan Felmet snapped a picture of a fire engine under water.

"Hoboken, NJ the one mile town that I live in, is under water. In several feet of water, and it's just an amazing sight to look at," he said.

Alex Levy of Williamsville, an NYU law student, is stuck in his Manhattan apartment.

"I am completely sequestered in my apartment," Levy said. "The subways are down, the roads are barren, and classes are canceled, so I'm going a bit stir crazy."

It didn't take long at Buffalo State College to find students with connections to New York City and Long Island. Their hearts and minds are with loved ones at home.

Samantha O'Carroll, a freshman from Smithtown in Suffolk County, can't get through to her parents for an update. They have told her trees are down and cars have been crushed. She wants to know how they are doing right now.

O'Carroll said, "I was on the phone with them and they were saying they were losing, like, power and cell phone reception, so, like, that I wouldn't be able to get in contact with them."

A picture of a trampoline suspended on power lines was taken by a woman in Dix Hills, Long Island, a friend of Buff State Freshman Steve Chung, whose parents live just a few miles away.

News 4's Ed Drantch made contact with his mother this morning on Winging It. She's "winging it" and doing the best she can.

"Trees are down, and trees and trees have fallen on cars. We have no power. We've had no power since about 2 o'clock yesterday afternoon," Mrs. Drantch said.

There is a lot of anxiety among those who cannot be with their loved ones in New York City, New Jersey, and Long Island and anyplace else that was hit. Friends and family can only hope for the best as crews continue to restore power and cell phone service to the area.