Storm's Unlikely Star: Bloomberg's ASL Interpreter

There's not much room for positive news in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, but one woman has captured the hearts of those following the news of the storm, reports the New York Post. Lydia Callis is Mayor Michael Bloomberg's American Sign Language translator, and was on hand at his news conferences during the storm. Her lively interpretations got a lot of attention, and Callis welcomes it. The focus on her, she says, makes “the situation a little bit easier, not focusing on all the negative horrible things that are happening.”

“American Sign Language is a very visual language, so sometimes you have to use pictures to describe what people are saying in English,” says Callis, who has a mom and three siblings who are deaf. Check out her moves, or visit this great tumblr tribute. (More lydia callis stories.)