Tulsa Parents Watch From Home While Daughter Rides Out Storm In NYC

Many Oklahomans with loved ones in the path of the superstorm that hit the East Coast Sunday have had a worry-filled 24 hours.

That includes a Tulsa woman whose daughter evacuated from her New York City apartment.

Robin Watanabe has been watching Sandy's wrath along the East Coast, and wondering about her daughter, Kristin.

"Well, as a mom, I was on pins and needles," Watanabe said.

Pins and needles, because Kristin works in the fashion industry in New York, and lives in lower Manhattan—an area that is a mandatory evacuation zone.

10/30/2012 Related Story: At Least 39 U.S. Deaths Blamed On Superstorm Sandy

"The news, it was scary. You know you look outside our doors, it's sunshiny and 70 degrees and it's hard to imagine that kind of catastrophe is happening," Watanabe said.

Thankfully, Kristin had a place to stay with friends on New York's Upper West Side.

"As a mom, if she had been stranded in Lower Manhattan, where the flood waters were rising, I think I would have been an absolute wreck," Watanabe said.

Kristin's parents were able to call and text frequently, as Sandy approached.

They said they're thankful Kristin took the warnings about the dangerous storm seriously.

"They were running around Saturday and Sunday, gathering food items, candles, flashlights, things of that nature," Watanabe said.

10/29/2012 Related Story: Oklahomans Feel Wrath Of Hurricane Sandy

From some of the pictures Kristin sent home, New York looked like a ghost town.

"As a parent, I think, sometimes you think your children will crumble in situations like this, but you really get to see, in certain events in their life, they step up to the plate. They're stronger than they think and they're stronger than you ever thought," Watanabe said.

Kristin's parents told her to prepare for the worst, and pray for the best.

They're thankful their daughter is okay, and said they're praying for others, now, who are dealing with the massive storm.