While hurricane ‘Sandy’ became a laughingstock in twitter feeds and on facebook this past weekend, the aftermath from the category 1 storm is no laughing matter.

Although the whole east coast was effected by the strong gusts of wind and drenching rain, New York and New Jersey were the most impacted by the Hurricane that ripped through the eastern United States earlier this week.

Manhattan tunnels flooded, a broken levee in New Jersey caused ‘massive flooding’ and there were even reports of snow in states such as Maryland, North Carolina, and West Virginia.

New York City was mainly ‘shut down’ on Sunday night until early Tuesday morning in preparation for the storm. All subways stopped running as much flooding was expected. The normally jam-packed NYC streets were left vacant, with only the brave and curious still wandering to gawk at the powerful winds and high waves.

Although these precautions undoubtably saved the lives of thousands, they didn’t stop sandy from tearing through buildings, homes, and piers (NJ).  There have been 30 storm related deaths in New York and 74+ reported  throughout the East.

While the city began to power up once again; businesses reopened, streets repopulated, it was definitely not a normal sight to see with flooded streets and much destruction.

Over 10 million homes and businesses across the East Coast were left in the dark with no heat, warm water, or  any other everyday amenities. Some families without power will not be finding relief for even another week or so.

With only 800 homes without power ( many with their power back) and only a small amount of damages to properties, Franklin seems to have been quite lucky as compared to the destruction seen in other states and even nearby towns.