The bodies of two Staten Island boys who were swept out of their mother’s arms by Hurricane Sandy have been found, the New York Post reports.
Police arrived at the home of the boys’ mother Glenda Moore Thursday to deliver the news.
Moore’s sons, 2-year-old Brandon and 4-year-old Connor, were found four days after the hurricane hit under debris and trees that had been downed by the storm. The bodies were found about 20 yards apart around 10 am Thursday morning.
A family friend of Moore’s said, “It’s a shock for everybody right now. She’s in pain.”
Moore and her husband stopped by a funeral home to make arrangements for their sons. A friend described the boys as “the joy of their lives.”
Brandon and Connor Moore were separated from their mother Monday night as she tried to lead them away from the destruction of the hurricane. Moore had been trying to get to her mother’s house in Brooklyn, but her Ford Explorer stalled along Father Capodanno Boulevard as the street began to flood.
Moore called her husband and then carried the boys out of the SUV, but the water caused her to lose her grip and her sons were pulled away from her. Moore sought help from nearby houses but was turned away by the people who answered their doors. Moore faced the storm alone, desperately trying to find her children, until rescuers found her clinging to a porch post hours later.
The boys were found about 30 yards from the corner of Father Capodanno Boulevard and McLaughlin Street, according to law enforcement sources.
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said the deaths of Brandon and Connor Moore were among the worst tragedies of the hurricane.
“Terrible, absolutely terrible,” Kelly said. “It compounds all the tragic aspects of this horrific event.”
Nineteen people have died on Staten Island due to Hurricane Sandy, the highest death count in the five boroughs. Forty-one deaths in New York City have been blamed on the storm.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Moore family and all those who have been affected by Hurricane Sandy.