Sandy strands some San Antonians as others help

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 01: The midtown skyline remains lit as Lower Manhattan remains mostly without power on November 1, 2012 in New York City. The storm has claimed at least 16 lives in the United States, and has caused massive flooding across much of the Atlantic seaboard. U.S. President Barack Obama has declared the situation a "major disaster" for large areas of the U.S. east coast, including New York City. less NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 01: The midtown skyline remains lit as Lower Manhattan remains mostly without power on November 1, 2012 in New York City. The storm has claimed at least 16 lives in the United States, ... more Photo: Afton Almaraz, Getty Images Photo: Afton Almaraz, Getty Images Image 1 of / 273 Caption Close Sandy strands some San Antonians as others help 1 / 273 Back to Gallery

NEW YORK — As New Yorkers battled flooding, darkness and debris Tuesday to assess the damage left by Hurricane Sandy, some tourists scrambled to try to find a way back home, with airports and mass transit systems disabled by the so-called “Frankenstorm.”

Meanwhile, San Antonio was doing its part to help.

Ramiro Cavazos, president and CEO of the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, was among the stranded.

“I guess in a way, it's not too, too bad; we fared better than most people,” Cavazos said Tuesday.

He and his wife came to New York for a series of meetings that were canceled Sunday, but they couldn't get out of town before airports closed Monday.

As the storm approached, they stocked up on water and food in their room at Muse, a midtown hotel largely spared the sort of flooding and damage seen in other parts of the city.

Cavazos said they booked at Muse because it is owned by a company that is looking to develop a hotel at the Pearl Brewery complex.

It could be days before they're able to fly back to Texas.

New York City's major airports were damaged by the storm, with John F. Kennedy International Airport and New Jersey's Newark International Airport set to reopen at 7 a.m. today with limited service. Amtrak rails were closed, and most roads in and out of the city were inaccessible.

Cavazos and his wife were supposed to be on a flight leaving Tuesday but were rebooked on a Thursday flight from Newark. That flight had been canceled twice already, he said.

“We've got our fingers crossed that we'll get out tomorrow,” Cavazos said. “We just want to get home soon to get to our 3-year-old and 6-year-old boys.”

San Antonio sent a convoy of utility workers Tuesday to help restore power on the East Coast as military and emergency officials remained ready to respond to Sandy's aftermath.

CPS Energy sent 26 vehicles with 51 employees to Richmond, Va., to help the local power company, which has more than 100,000 customers without electricity. The volunteer linemen, foremen, digger operators and other personnel have three days to complete the 1,550-mile road trip before reporting to a staging area Friday to work.

The crews will work in affected areas for at least 10 days.

“We have done a lot of storm relief efforts across the South from Louisiana to Florida, but this will be our first venture this far north,” CPS construction manager Eric Fassett said in a statement.

Fassett said he hoped the convoy, which he is helping lead, could arrive Thursday evening. Cold weather and finding enough fuel along the route are among the challenges, he said.

Col. Wayne Shanks, public affairs chief with U.S. Army North, which has headquarters at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, said his agency has about 160 people, including several from San Antonio, assessing needs on the East Coast. Army North commander Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, who helped coordinate the 2005 evacuation of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, remains in San Antonio and is receiving regular briefings while staying ready to advise Army officials.

The San Antonio chapter of the American Red Cross sent two people Sunday to help care for storm victims, and it has vehicles and volunteers waiting to see if more assistance is needed.

The storm generated bad news for Texans who hoped to see the tall ship HMS Bounty in Galveston in the fall. One of the replica ship's 16 crew members died, and a search was continuing for the captain after the ship sank Monday off the coast of North Carolina.

The 1700s replica vessel, built for the 1962 film “Mutiny on the Bounty,” was expected to arrive in Galveston by late November for a public exhibition.

Utility crews from San Antonio were rerouted today to a city in New Jersey that is among the areas suffering the worst devastation left by Sandy.

In its online blog, CPS Energy said 26 vehicles and 51 employees who departed Tuesday for Richmond, Va., to help a local power company with more than 100,000 customers without electricity, were redirected to Jackson, N.J. The volunteer linemen, foremen, digger operators and other personnel will assist First Energy.

"Superstorm Sandy made an almost direct hit on Jackson, and almost one million customers are without power. Major damage to transmission lines, cell towers and distribution structures are reported in the area," the blog stated in an update shortly before noon Wednesday.

The utility crews spent Tuesday night outside Baton Rouge, La., and continued traveling Wednesday morning, the blog stated. The crews will work in affected areas for at least 10 days.

"We have done a lot of storm relief efforts across the South from Louisiana to Florida, but this will be our first venture this far north," CPS construction manager Eric Fassett said Tuesday in a statement.

Fassett said he hoped the convoy, which he is helping lead, could arrive Thursday evening. Cold weather and finding enough fuel for the truck along the route are among the challenges, he said.

nhicks@express-news.net

shuddleston@express-news.net

Scott Huddleston reported from San Antonio. Staff Writers Colin McDonald and Jennifer Lloyd contributed from San Antonio.