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Hurricane Sandy Death Toll Soars To 34
By
John Del Signore
Published Nov 1, 2012
Modified Nov 1, 2012
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Courtesy Jim M.
By
John Del Signore
Published Nov 1, 2012
Modified Nov 1, 2012
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Thirty-four people have died in NYC as a result of Hurricane Sandy, according to the NYPD this morning. That's three times the number of deaths announced in the immediate wake of the storm on Tuesday, but as Mayor Bloomberg warned, the initial body count would definitely rise. And so it did. The causes of death included falling trees, electrocution, drowning, and, in one case, the failure of a respirator after the power cut out in Manhattan.
In Ditmas Park, a young couple was killed by a falling tree while walking their dog on Monday night, and on 166th Street in Queens, a man was killed in his bedroom when a tree crashed through the roof (photo). In Kips Bay, a 75-year-old woman was found dead on Monday night after her respirator lost power. The NYPD has not provided details on all the deaths, but here's more on what we do know:
- Yesterday police found 58-year-old Eden Toussaint dead in the basement of his home at 420 Beach 69 Street in Queens. It's believed that he drowned.
- Yesterday afternoon first responders found two elderly women dead in their homes on the same block of Grimsby Avenue on Staten Island. 80-year-old Beatris Spagnola was found dead at 164 Grimsby, while Anastasia Rispoli, 73, was found at 158 Grimsby. The Medical Examiner is determining the exact cause of death.
- Relatives of Staten Island resident James Rossi reported the 85-year-old man missing on Tuesday. Yesterday he was found dead "in deep water in the backyard," of his home, according to the NYPD.
- Also found dead in their homes on Staten Island Tuesday: Andrew Semarco, 61; Leonard Montalto, 53; and Ella Norris, 89.
- 29-year-old NYPD Officer Artur Kasprzak, a six-year veteran of Manhattan’s First Precinct, died in his Staten Island basement after safely evacuating the rest of his family to the attic. Investigators believe he may have been electrocuted or drowned.
- At noon on Tuesday, the NYPD and the National Guard found 51-year-old John Filpowizz Sr. dead in his basement under piles of debris. The body was found alongside his son, John Filpowizz Jr., 20.
- On Far Rockaway on Tuesday, Nancy Sorenson,50, was found dead at 188 Beach 124 Street. Henry Sullivan, 57, was found dead in the flooded basement of his home at 426 Beach 136 Street. And Rick Gold, 67, was found dead in the flooded basement at 511 Beach 133 Street.
- And on Monday night, 23-year-old Lauren Abraham stepped in a puddle outside her home at 105-05 134 Street in Queens and was electrocuted by a live electrical wire.
Tagged
death toll
frankenstorm
hurricane sandy
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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