On the ninth anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, a Sheepshead Bay is recalling how her home and community returned in the wake of its destructive force.
"I just can't believe I'm saying that - nine years. It's crazy," Missy Haggerty says.
Haggerty remembers that day in 2012 like it was yesterday.
"It was two minutes, I put the key into the door, the water started coming down and in 15 minutes, the court was at 5 feet already," Haggerty recalls.
She managed to get her neighbors and three dogs out safely, but her house was a complete loss.
"You're in shock when that happens," Haggerty says.
The organization Build It Back raised her home off the ground. It took three years of construction before she was able to move back in.
"The guys were great. I mean, Christmastime, I would come down with a big stocking full of chocolate because they were working Christmas Eve, on my house, houses down here," Haggerty says.
Now that the house has been raised 14 feet, Haggerty says whenever it starts to rain or a storm moves into the area, she feels safe.
"You got to be prepared, but to say it's going to happen again, you know we don't know, but you can't live in fear."
While the storm devastated her community, Haggerty is always prepared for Mother Nature and learned that hope can help through any disaster.