Well, it’s been over a month since Sandy has caused her devastation in my hometown of The Rockaways in New York.
Despite the evacuation order, most of us stayed behind. I’ve evacuated once because of Irene, and to me, it was emotionally challenging to watch from afar what was happening in my neighborhood on television, than it was to stay and be there with our bungalow. So a prayer was offered and a 5 out of 7 coin toss decision was made so we stayed.
It was one of the scariest experiences I have ever had.
Looking up my block and not seeing the boardwalk, but huge waves instead. Learning that the boardwalk got swept away and watching the ocean stream down my street as my neighbors and I kept watch on the water rise. A red sky in the west as Breezy Point burned. My neighbor’s wife was missing; she was caught up by the bay and up to her neck and water. She reached along a fence behind a Key Food and was able to make her way to the stairs of the A train station. Her husband found her, alive and well (why she decided to go for a walk while the ocean was coming down the street I’ll never know).
There were violent winds accompanied by flying debris and total darkness. The flooding waters creating life-threatening boundaries of downed electrical wires–still active with current– fighting against their submersion with sparks across the water. In situations like these, it isn’t the time to be outside, but your feet will be bone-dry in your Hurricane Sheik Plastic Bag Galoshes.(Sorry this started to sound like a Peterman Catalog description ala Seinfeld and I couldn’t let that go by).
When we passed the 10:30pm hump we knew we had went through the worst of it. There was no telling what would lie ahead of us after that. On about 4 hours of sleep I woke up the next morning and my gf and I headed out to survey the damage–it was as if we still had the same house but woke up in a different world. Everything we knew about that place was gone–except for the skating rink.
The boardwalk was gone, pieces of it were scattered everywhere as well as the Parks Department signs that were posted throughout the promenade. What was once a peaceful serene landscape of green grass and benches with the boardwalk and ocean serving as a backdrop was now a sandy mess of debris, broken benches and shards of wood and concrete. My dog Sundae was walking with us and she seemed very confused. All the scents she associated with were gone; she didn’t even know where to take a leak, poor thing.
Military helicopters flew overhead in formation, and every time this happened I hummed the theme to M.A.S.H–music helps me be happy. The boardwalk and dunes, benches and grass, playground, a seal statue, the median, the circle grass, all gone.
3 blocks of businesses burned to the ground just a few blocks away. Just one block away and houses were damaged, another block away and people had swam from their bungalows the night before.The ocean side of my block did fairly well, while the bay side was submerged in 6 feet of water the night before.
It became clear that my immediate neighbors and I were the lucky ones. We didn’t lose loved-ones (or even despised ones), and we didn’t lose possessions. I dubbed our little section of bungalows as “The Little Bungalows That Could”.
Remember that skating rink I mentioned? When the boardwalk was thrown of the trusses, it a section of it smashed against the rink, but the rink held its ground so that section of boardwalk diverted a lot of the water and slowed down the water’s rush on my block. It is believed that the rink saved the block.
Here is a before and after:
In the following days, the National Guard rolled in, as well as FEMA, the Marines, The Army Corps of Engineers, The American Red Cross, Occupy Sandy Relief, Department of Sanitation, Parks Department, etc. As the days went on they were trying. Having lost power for 2 and a half weeks meant no hot water, no cooking on our electric stove, no charging our phones, and no heat to fight off the cold. It made the simple comforts of having power–like watching television– very non-important. It meant standing in line at a generator to wait for your phone to be charged while others around you would fight over the next available outlet. My girlfriend and I used a fondue set (a gift from her parents) to heat water to make coffee and tea, it took an hour but it worked! It meant walking the dog with flashlights, watching each other’s back, being at the ready to fend off the looters, always seeing your breath when you were indoors, and wearing multiple layers to bed.
My neighbors and I gathered together each night to BBQ which was the only way to cook, but we were grateful to have a hot meal every day and neighbors to share with.
I was able to return to work that Friday, which means that as I was in midtown, I had access to much needed supplies where most stores in my neighborhood were closed. I picked up sternos, hand warmers, sanitizers, batteries, tea candles, food, sweets, and whatever else I could find to help out our little bungalow community. Anthony and Anna supplied charcoal and food.
A week and 2 days after Sandy, we endured a nor’easter without heat and a boardwalk to protect our neighborhood, but we made it. In fact, that same day my girlfriend and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary during the Nor’easter. It was cold of course, and we could see our breath, but it was a candle light dinner nonetheless. Another week after that, the power was back. I was in the shower for like, an hour.
The neighborhood is still pretty messed up, and many of the small businesses look like they may never be back. The Waldbaum’s and Key Food are condemned and won’t be open until Spring 2013. We still have no A/S train past Howard Beach. There’s no telling when the boardwalk is coming back. There are still people without power.
Yet despise the cards the Rockaway was dealt, the thing that has always held Rockaway together is the strength of people when they come together. Neighbors looking out for each other and lending help where they can. Communities vowing to rebuild and businesses pledge to not leave us behind. This is one of the things I always loved about Rockaway, so when I came back to NY a little over 2 and a half years ago, I knew this is where I wanted to return. There’s no doubt in my mind that no matter where I may go next: The Rockaways will always hold a special place in my heart as that beautiful and strong, resilient place by the sea.