A Bermudian caught in the wrath of Hurricane Sandy said yesterday that she felt she was living in a “bad sci-fi movie.”Laura Gorham, who travelled to New York to take part in a conference, said from her host’s home in the city’s Upper West side she witnessed the explosion of a substation which plunged much of Manhattan into darkness.“We saw the green flashes of the power plant explosion, but weren't sure what it was until we caught up with it on Twitter,” she said. “In this neighbourhood some trees are down and the streets are strewn with branches and debris — but nothing at all bad.”I feel like I'm living in a bad sci-fi movie, but I am counting my blessings.”Richard Lowry, who is studying in New York, said that while a Category 1 Hurricane may not seem dangerous by Bermuda standards, Sandy was likely one of the worst storms to strike New York in years.“Not only is Halloween likely to be cancelled, but this will also impact the Election next Tuesday. Already people are worried if the City infrastructure will be repaired in time,” he said.Describing his experience with the storm, Mr Lowry said: “We have pretty good views of the East River and Manhattan but at the height of the storm we could barely see any of the skyscrapers, the rain was so heavy.“The storm was massive so New York suffered an extended period of high winds and hurricane force gusts. Although it stopped raining Monday night, there have been intermittent squalls [since then].”Once the storm had cleared, he said he and his wife discovered numerous fallen trees littering their neighbourhood.“As the subways are closed everyone is out surveying the damage in the streets and the local parks. I turned the corner and saw an enormous tree that came down, flattening two cars, caving in the side of a house and taking down a bunch of overhead lines,” Mr Lowry said.“One of the neighbours was startled when he saw the damage and in his inimitable New York way said, ‘Whoa, we have a winnah!’“All the neighbours were helping to clean up the street, which was a very familiar sight from Bermuda after the storm.”The Royal Gazette circulation manager, delMonte Davis, said that he was amazed at the noise of the storm as it roared past Tudor City Place, where he stayed during the hurricane.“One by one, pieces of scaffolding from nearby construction sites become airborne then hit something, or could be heard blowing down the street,” he said. “It sounded like a freight train that passed every two minutes.”Hurricane Sandy itself may have barely grazed Bermuda, but the Island was yesterday still feeling the impact of the storm due to grounded flights, cancelled cruise ship visits and shipping delays.Delta, US Airways, AirTran, JetBlue and United Airlines all cancelled flights scheduled to or from the Island yesterday.Air travel is expected to return to normal today with only one flight cancelled as of press time last night — American Airlines flight 1443 from Bermuda to New York.Several hotels, including Rosewood Tucker’s Point and the Fairmont Hotels said yesterday that they have had a number of cancelled bookings and early departures.Schools have also been affected by the flight cancellations, as a handful of teachers and students have been stranded overseas.Warwick Academy principal Margaret McCorkell said that three school staff and 19 students were yesterday stuck in Miami, including several that had taken part in a school sponsored trip to the Dominican Republic to work with Habitat for Humanity. She said the stranded group is expecting to return to the Island today or tomorrow.Ted Staunton, principal at Saltus, said five teachers from the school had found themselves stranded in the US and Canada by the storm, including two who were supervising a debating team. BHS Head Teacher Linda Parker meanwhile said three teachers and a handful of students were yesterday stuck off the Island.Several scheduled cruise ship visits to Bermuda were also cancelled, including stops by the Enchantment of the Seas, the Caribbean Princess and the Regatta, but according to the Department of Marine and Ports, the Explorer of the Seas is still expected to arrive at King’s Wharf this morning.According to Meyer Shipping, the storm also forced shipping vessels Bermuda Islander and Somers Isles to delay scheduled trips between Bermuda and the United States, potentially affecting retailers.Zach Moniz, manager for the Lindo’s Group of Companies, said: “Most of our suppliers for perishable food items are in New York and New Jersey and we are unable to reach them as they don’t have power right now.“We do anticipate issues with our shipments from these suppliers, however at this point it’s too early to know the exact details.”However a spokesman for MarketPlace said yesterday they did not expect their supply to be affected by the shipping delays.