CLEVELAND — Ten years ago this weekend, Northeast Ohio celebrated a Cleveland Browns win over the then-San Diego Chargers. The score? 7-6.
It was also just nine days before voters would go to the polls in the 2012 Presidential race.
In the 3News weather department, Hurricane Sandy had our attention, as it rolled up the Atlantic and took a left hook at New Jersey. Sandy caused historic devastation in the Garden State, but it wasn't done yet.
Northeast Ohio got hit with intense thunderstorms and wind damage because a cold front collided with the remnants of Sandy, making for a "Franken-sized" superstorm just before Halloween.
October 29th, 2012
Do you remember the winds that came in the night? Howling through siding, and over the tops of trees. The winds made Lake Erie look so angry. The curious observer couldn't help but gawk at Mother Nature's fury. Lynna Lai interviewed one man, who came out the see the waves at the East 55th Street Marina.
"It definitely got worse in the last 10 minutes. It's definitely picking up. Scary out there," he said.
Especially scary those first few hours in communities along the lake. Power went out quickly. In the dark, neighbors could hear huge trees come crashing down. Some weren't so lucky when trees crashed down on their houses, or cars, taking power lines with them. Bay Village lost an estimated 500 trees during Sandy. Lakewood - over 100. The winds tore part of the roof off of St. Anthony's school in Lorain. And with power out, basements started to flood in Avon Lake, as well as other towns.
October 30, 2012
The light of Tuesday morning offered a clearer picture, but no relief from the winds as they continued to blow across the region. The gusts meant it wasn't safe for power crews to get an early start, and they had to wait until the winds died down.
First Energy reported 250,000 customers were without power. In that first day more than 70,000 would get their power back. But due to the extent of the damage, other communities would not be as lucky. Nerves continued to fray.
"No heat? This isn't 80 degrees like 2 weeks ago," said one Parma resident.
Trees that once towered over homes, came down. Some downtown buildings took a beating too. Flooding, especially in Valley View and Parma brought even more dangerous conditions.
October 31st, 2012
Trick-or-treating has gone on in rain and snow. But Sandy forced most communities to postpone it, until families had heat and electricity again, and debris was picked up.
By the third day we saw more people heading to shelters. Governor Kasich stopped by one in Lakewood, where residents were tired, but glad to have warmth, light and some food.
"It's warm and it gives me a place I can knit. At home, even during the day, it's too dark to sew," said one woman.
People were encouraged to stay off the streets, but some ventured out, and they found intersections a risky gamble.
"It's a safety issue. If you don't stop at an intersection, and you hit somebody, there will be a severe penalty for that," said one traffic officer, we met while directing traffic in downtown Cleveland.
Marinas across northeast Ohio reported damage. At the time Edgewater had 80 boats in the water. About 20 were damaged, and others sank.
Meteorologists said Northeast Ohio was battered because a cold front that traveled east over Cleveland, stalled and then merged into the western edge of Sandy. The hurricane's winds then swept south across Lake Erie with no trees or buildings to reduce the wind speed.
Lake Erie's massive waves, some up to 20 feet high, led the Ohio Department of Transportation to close all lanes of the East Shoreway between East 72nd and East 55th streets.
At the Edgewater Marina, which had about 80 boats in the water when the storm hit, officials said at least 20 boats were heavily damaged and others sank.
Three days in, crews had settled into 16 hour shift to get power restored.
Those days were long too for thousands of northeast Ohio residents, some who didn't get their power restored for a week or more.
As northeast Ohio remembers Superstorm Sandy, it's just as important to not forget what neighbors did for neighbors - and how they celebrated together when the lights finally came back on.