A former Frampton man living in America has told of his encounter with deadly Hurricane Sandy, which almost destroyed his Long Island home.
Stuart McEwing and his wife Amanda were terrified they would not make it out alive as the super storm raged across New York and brought 5ft of water into their home.
“Everyone has lost something to this, we’re just fortunate all we lost were material possessions and not a life,” said Stuart (31), who emigrated in 2008.
The couple had spent 18 months creating their dream home in Freeport only for it to be ravaged by flood water and 92mph winds.
Their terrifying experience saw them take refuge in their bedroom as the hurricane shook their home, their cars were submerged, houses burned around them, trees were uprooted and one home exploded from a gas leak.
A 20ft-long boat even ended up coming to rest in their street.
“As it got to Monday night we heard the surge was going to be very serious,” said Stuart.
“We discussed evacuating at that time but still didn’t want to leave the house we had worked on for so very long.
“ If I could do it again I would just have packed up, locked up and left.”
The couple are now taking shelter with their family and are not expected to be able to return home until after Christmas.