A South Dakotan Witnesses A Hurricane

by Breanna Fuss, Reporter
October 30, 2012 4:40 PM


As Hurricane Sandy made its way across the East Coast, millions of people braced for whatever the storm was going to bring.

We talked to woman from Sioux Falls Tuesday who is out in Washington, D.C., to get her Midwestern take on the biggest storm that has ever hit that region.

"Sunday night we found the metro was going to close, federal government (buildings) would shut down. So basically the whole city spent the weekend going to the grocery stores, buying as much water and food and flashlights as they could,” said Claire Wilka.

Claire Wilka grew up in Sioux Falls, and for her junior semester at Creighton University she is interning at Senator Johnson’s office on Capitol Hill.
 
"I've defiantly never been in a hurricane before. So it’s just been a long, long steady rain with really heavy winds. And its freezing,” said Wilka.

Wilka said Hurricane Sandy paid Washington, D.C. a visit Monday, bringing high winds that not even a South Dakotan is used to.

"I mean these winds out here...I've never been in such high winds I guess,” said Wilka.

She said there hasn’t been much flooding in her area; it’s mainly been damaging winds.

"I look out my window and there are street signs that are hanging by one screw,” described Wilka.

 The city Wilka describes as always busy and going is seeing a lot less traffic.

"I'm basically right now Capitol Hill and there's people coming and going everywhere, but now there defiantly is not as many people out and about,” Wilka said.

But the storm hasn’t stopped Wilka from going on as usual, she said Sandy doesn’t faze her.
     
“It must be my midwestern bravado or something because I've been in blizzards, and tornados as well, and I thought it was kind of exciting,” said Wilka.

Wilka expects the metro to be open Wednesday, and to resume working Thursday.