Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc on the Northeastern coast of the U.S. in 2012, but residents in New York and New Jersey - two of the hardest-hit areas - proved that communities can come together in times of need to overcome tragedies such as this.
Even after being dubbed as one of the strongest storms, love turned out to be stronger.
For two people - Dennis Klaus and Maryann Daino - the event that destroyed both of their homes brought on a new romance and a second chance to have a place to call "home sweet home."
Klaus lived in Brooklyn before the storm, and Daino resided in Staten Island, and the two met when they each relocated to separate mobile homes in Connecticut, Valerie Guglielmo of the Connecticut Lottery told The Huffington Post in an email.
Following the devastation of Superstorm Sandy, New Faith Church aided many victims by providing trailers for people to live in. Klaus and Daino just happened to be positioned diagonally across from one other and connected instantly.
The pair decided to live together after one year of residing in separate trailers, and about six months ago, in October, they purchased a lottery ticket - a winning ticket.
Klaus and Daino waited to collect their winnings, and stowed the ticket in a safety deposit box.
"We lost everything before and we didn't want to lose everything again. We wanted to be careful, so we talked to an accountant and a lawyer first," Klaus said.
"I wanted to make sure I didn't owe the IRS any money or Wells Fargo," Daino told the station, according to the Washington Times.
The grand prize was more than $255,000 dollars, and after taxes, the couple will get to keep about $180,000.
"We don't consider it money. We consider it a home. It's a home," Klaus said. "It's not to be spent. It's where we're going to live together and start a new life."
What a fairytale ending for these two!
