"I know people are attached to their homes and their neighborhood, but emergency services have to get in here."

Earlier this week, the city opened a relief center a few blocks away in a building once submerged in five feet of water, bringing generators and gas to those still battling the cold.

In Manhattan, only about 200 customers now remain in the dark -- a fact that does not escape most Rockaway storm victims.

"They're going about their lives, and we're the ones at the end of the line," said Margarita Alvarez.

"They did the city first and they just forgot about us."