Superstorm Sandy alters AAA's task

Superstorm Sandy has temporarily altered a big part of AAA’s job, from Lindenhurst to Staten Island, an area that experienced the worst of the storm’s flooding.

The nation’s largest motorist organization has been towing “hundreds” of mostly flood-damaged cars that insurance companies will likely consider totaled, said spokesman Peter Crescenti, of the Garden City-based New York area office.

“This has been a nonstop operation,” he said. “The numbers are just staggering.”  

Normally, the service comes to the aid of drivers whose cars are temporarily disabled. But the storm has thrust it into recovery work.

At the request of owners, AAA is towing the cars back to drivers’ homes or to service stations or dealers. And many owners believe the cars can be repaired or will be drivable once they dry out. But insurers will likely consider them a loss, Crescenti said.  

 “Most of these people will not get these cars back on the road,” he said.