Historic photograph captures the moment New York City was left powerless by Hurricane Sandy
A spectacular photograph has captured the historic moment the lights went out over half of Manhattan.
Taken by photographer Iwan Baan from the air, the incredible image, which is splashed across the cover of this week's New York Magazine, shows the Island of Manhattan half aglow and half in dark.
Hurricane Sandy left thousands without electricity when it struck on Monday evening, and the confronting, yet beautiful, photo encapsulates how one of the world's most powerful cities was rendered powerless in an instant by mother nature.
In a situation dubbed 'The Tale of Two Cities,' much of uptown New York continued to live as usual in the aftermath of the storm, with some even calling the week off from school and work a 'hurrication.'
But the situation in lower New York, which became known as SoPo - or the area South of Power - became dire as the power outage continued for days and temperatures began to drop. With no power, water and gas, downtowners frantically sought to get uptown but found hotel rooms and taxi cabs difficult to come by.
Power was restored in shifts, with some pockets getting electricity again on Friday night and much of the remaining areas of downtown getting power by Saturday.
Historic: Taken by photographer Iwan Baan from the air, the incredible image, which is splashed across the cover of this week's New York Magazine, shows the Island of Manhattan half aglow and half in dark
Life after Sandy: A woman with her groceries passes a group of National Guardsmen as they march up 1st Avenue on Saturday in New York
Dark: A view from the dark scene of New York City's blackout in lower Manhattan, taken from a rooftop in Chelsea on Monday night
Hard at work: John Shammah, a Con Edison employee, pauses while working on Wednesday. New Yorkers waited with bated breath to hear from the power company as to when power might be restored in their neighborhood
Shocking: Residents were stunned to see scenes of mayhem, like the Fairway supermarket in Red Hook, Brooklyn that had to dispose of spoiled food on Wednesday
Clean up: Joseph Leader, Metropolitan Tranportation Authority Vice President and Chief Maintenance Officer, assess the flooding damage at the South Ferry 1 train station in New York. New Yorkers struggled to get around the city after the storm, cramming into buses and fighting over taxis while the subway was immobilized
Light and dark: People visit the Karma Kafe, one of the few open businesses, which set up a sidewalk shop on Wednesday in Hoboken, New Jersey
Power up: With no electricity, New Yorkers scrambled to charge their electronic devices and electrical outlets were at a premium. Businesses began offering any spare plugs to downtowners in need
New York's finest: FDNY firefighters respond to a fire in a storefront after the roof collapsed on Wednesday in Brooklyn
Darkness falls: A largely unlit downtown Manhattan stands under a night sky due to a power blackout caused by Hurricane Sandy in New York on Wednesday as thousands were without power
Business as usual: As lower Manhattan struggled without lights, Midtown Manhattan continued as usual following Hurricane Sandy, in Times Square on Wednesday
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