New York Police Department Commissioner Ray Kelly made a surprise trip to one of the most badly affected areas of New York, Staten Island, which was slammed by Hurricane Sandy last week.

Acting as an emissary for City Hall, New York’s top cop met with residents in Staten Island to see how they were dealing  with the catastrophe. Kelly consoled victims, inspected damage and promised that conditions would improve soon.

Kelly made a surprise visit to Maria Jenins’ home. The 55-year-old transit worker told the New York Daily News newspaper how shocked he was when he visited her Midland Beach home.

He asked her “How’d you make out?”

A shocked Jenins said “What are the odds that he came to my corner…We didn’t know he was coming here.”

Kelly listened as Jenins told him how she lost everything on the first floor of her home and how her pool had been washed away by the storm.

Read more news from Hurricane Sandy here

She said that Kelly was a comforting presence and she thanked him for clamping down on crime after the storm. “I told him he’s doing a good job protecting everybody,” added Jenins.

Kelly did not announce his visit to the area or address the reporters, saying he was only visiting to assess the damage.

Crime in New York has certainly been kept at bay since Superstorm Sandy. During Hurricane Katrina in 2005 there was widespread violence and lootingi n Louisiana. 


However, Commissioner Kelly is pleased with how the NYPD has reacted during this disaster. On Thursday he told the press he was only aware of two major incidents of looting when 18 people broke into a Coney Island food store. Also another two people were arrested for robbery on Staten Island.

He said the NYPD were keeping a robust presence on the streets of New York.

“We have a large number of police officers deployed, we have light towers deployed, radio cars patrolling. We are focused on the blackout areas.

He added, "We are doing, I think, an excellent job."

Read more news from Hurricane Sandy here