While much of New York City was spared the worst of Hurricane Sandy's fury, Greenpoint -- a neighborhood in the northernmost part of Brooklyn, on the edge of the East River -- saw a significant amount of flooding.

As New Yorkers emerged from their apartments on Tuesday morning to take stock, Greenpoint residents found a litany of damage, from flooded apartments to toppled pieces of construction sites, that testified to the storm's power.

On Huron Street, a 42-year-old artist named Michael Bozzone stood in his basement as a pump churned murky brown water out onto the street. His voice breaking slightly, Bozzone said the surging waters had claimed half of his art -- about 550 paintings, by his estimate.

"I just hope FEMA does the right job this time," Bozzone said, using the acronym for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. "I hope they'll do the right thing and make it not a fiasco to get ahold of them."

A few houses away, an incredulous 25-year-old student teacher named Mike Marra spoke of the water climbing to his doorstep before stopping.

"We were scared," Marra said.

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Downed tree branches were common Jeremy B. White
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This old dock seemed to suffer more extensive damage. Jeremy B. White
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Another construction site affected. Jeremy B. White
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This dock on the East River appeared to survive largely intact. Jeremy B. White
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Boards shielding construction sites and lots from the street were blown over. Jeremy B. White