Atlantic City residents shocked by storm damage
(CBS News) ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. - All bets are off in Atlantic City, where the casinos remain shut and the boardwalk torn up following the devastation brought on by superstorm Sandy. We spoke with some people who disobeyed orders to evacuate before Sandy hit.
Zelphia Connor chose to ride out the storm. It's a decision she now regrets.
"This was scary," she said. "I mean, scary. To not know if the water was going to come over-- I literally thought the ocean was going to come into my hom."
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It didn't. But a 50-foot section of the Atlantic City boardwalk landed in her garage.
"I saw the boardwalk floating down the street," said Connor, "but I never knew it's destination was going to be here."
A short drive away, much of Pleasantville, New Jersey is in shambles after being battered with wind gusts over 70 mph and a tidal surge that ripped houses apart.
Jackie Ernst has lived here for 22 years.
"When I left everything was intact, and I came back yesterday morning to this," she said with emotion.
Most of the water has receded. Now the clean-up begins.
Her family tried help pick through the mess left behind.
"I'm going out of this property in a box," said Ernst. "I assure you of that. I'm not leaving."
Ernst wants to rebuild. But her daughter Mary said that will be very difficult."This is everything she has right here," said Mary, "and it's practically gone. It's all gone. She doesn't have anything."
Officials caution they are still a long way from deciding who can move back. The more immediate concern is getting the power back -- 60,000 remain without it in Atlantic County.
