A South Dakotan In A Hurricane

by Jeff Rusack, Reporter
October 29, 2012 5:12 PM


Millions of people on the east coast are feeling the wrath of Hurricane Sandy. Flooding has submerged parts of Atlantic City and strong winds could leave people without power hundreds of miles inland.

A man who called South Dakota home for 23 years has been living in New York City for the past few months. Kolbe Nelson compares the early parts of the hurricane to a winter’s day in the Midwest.   

“It's not too terribly bad out right now. It's breezy that's for sure, but nothing that you wouldn't find in Brookings on a cold February day,” said Nelson.

But being from a landlocked state like South Dakota, the storm surge comes as a surprise to Nelson.  

“It's pushing it into New York Harbor. The storm surge is strong enough where it's pushing it in the East River and the Hudson River. So, there's a lot of major flooding in a lot of places where I just assumed there wouldn't be,” said Nelson.

While Hurricane Sandy is just beginning to effect the Northeast, a South Dakotan looks to ride out his first hurricane.