Kansas City woman in middle of superstorm Sandy's aftermath

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A Kansas City woman is one of the millions of people on the East Coast who is still without a home, power and aid on a fifth straight day in a row.

Shawnee Mission East high school graduate Elise Berlau-Heeran now lives in Rockaway Beach, in the borough of Queens.

She rode out superstorm Sandy with her two children, ages 2 and 4 months.
     
Her family, like hundreds of thousands, battled the cold, which dipped into the 30's during the weekend.

Superstorm Sandy knocked out gas lines and electricity.

Some 2.4 million people had no power so patience is running low.
 
Berlau-Heeran's family lost their family restaurant by one of the storm's many fires and have no idea when they will be able to return to their flooded homes.
     
During the weekend, several residents in the Rockaways vented their frustrations at New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg as he toured the area.

Berlau-Heeran said she believes the slow government help is one of the reasons why the area is still unlivable.

She spoke to 41 Action News on the phone.

"It's a disaster," she said. "There's no federal help so far. Where are they? Nobody knows where they are. I think they've seen a few of the National Guard. Every single person's water heaters are in the basement, so there's no heat. You can't live, there's nowhere to live."

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said restoring electricity is the top priority.

The Governor said his state will hold utilities accountable if they were not prepared for Sandy.

Berlau- Heeran said the area is a tight knit community and believes that spirit will help pull the community through to recovery.

Her Kansas City family has started a fund to help the hundreds of families on Rockaway Beach where hundreds of homes were destroyed.
       
If you would like to help, log on to www.giveforward.com/rescuetherockaways