While millions of East Coast residents are reeling from the impact of Hurricane Sandy, a few signs of normal life crop up in the middle of the devastation. INSIDE EDITION reports of what has become a tale of two cities.
It looks like a third-world nation, but the incredible scene is taking place in one of the nation's wealthiest neighborhoods.
Desperate New Yorkers are having to fill buckets of water at a fire hydrant because they have no fresh water at home in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.
It's truly a tale of two cities. In Uptown Manhattan, there is a sense of normalcy. People are shopping again and heading back to work.
But downtown, life remains crippled. 650,000 people are still without power.
The Uptown/Dowtown split can be seen in photos. Uptown, the famous skyline is ablaze with light, but downtown, complete darkness.
One resident said, "It feels like the world ended down here."
The entrance of the Battery Tunnel is still completely flooded.
At a Whole Foods supermarket, free food was being handed out, and residents gladly took them up on the offer.
Even the simple task of charging cell phones is a struggle. INSIDE EDITION's Diane McInerney found a crowd of people huddling around a power strip that has been hooked up to a TV truck.
The W Hotel is allowing free Wi-Fi to anyone and local residents, who have not had internet access in days, jumped at the chance.
At Nelson Blue restaurant in the Seaport, owner Paul Morgan showed McInerney how high the flooding reached, which was above their heads.
Wall Street re-opened after being closed for two days, the first time that has happened since 1888, due to weather.
And some buses were running in the city streets again, but getting around is still a challenge. Manhattan's century-old subway system was hit hard. More than one subway station is completely underwater. The system has never seen a disaster this devastating. It may take five days or more for the nation's largest transportation system to return.
In another part of the city, Breezy Point in Queens, there is devastation as far as the eye can see, caused by a fire that broke out at the height of the storm. One resident choked up when he returned to the neighborhood for the first time since the storm and found his home destroyed.
"The damage is incredible. A total loss," said the resident.
The focus now is just getting by until the power comes back and their world returns to normal.
