Three weeks after massive Hurricane Sandy struck American northeastern coastal states, many residents continue to struggle in getting their life back together as the nation officially began Thanksgiving Day

Three weeks after massive Hurricane Sandy struck American northeastern coastal states, many residents continue to struggle in getting their life back together as the nation officially began Thanksgiving Day on Thursday.

The storm-devastated landscapes of New York and New Jersey were practically unchanged compared to previous days, with entire waterfront communities demolished into debris, according to local press reports on Thursday, when the nation celebrated its Thanksgiving holiday, kicking off a major shopping season until the year-end Christmas time.

However, following over three weeks of struggling with the basic task of survival, for the most affected residents, the arrival of the holiday served as a moment to ponder, and again to take stock.

While some gathered around dinner tables, alongside family members or kindhearted strangers, others still continued cleaning, digging, rebuilding and working tirelessly to halt the persistent invasion of mold, with the holiday serving merely as another agonizing reminder of how far they have become from a once-normal and comfortable life.

“How’re we going to celebrate?” said a 48-year-old retired police officer Alex Tacoronte on Thursday as he stood in his gutted house in New Dorp Beach, Staten Island. “The holidays don’t feel like the holidays.”

On a nearby street, according to a New York Times report, Anthony Curro, 52, “who has been relying on candles and flashlights,” turned down invitations to dinners elsewhere because he wanted to stay in the neighborhood, fearing his absence may encourage looters. The one thing that set this day apart was he had shaved for the first time in a week.

For many residents in the hardest hit coastal areas of New York and New Jersey states, the nightmare remains far from over as they lost almost everything during the superstorm. Over 100 people were killed as a result of the hurricane while tens of thousands were displaced.