WE'RE STILL HERE
TOO MANY STILL WAITING FOR PROMISED AID
A Statue of
The Madonna is all that remained standing on this
fire ravaged section of Breezy Point after Sandy hit
fire ravaged section of Breezy Point after Sandy hit
causing a massive inferno
TAGS:
HURRICANE SANDY, SANDY’S AFTERMATH, NYC, NJ, EASTERN SEABOARD,
METRO
AREA DAMAGE, SOUTH QUEENS, STATEN ISLAND & NJ COAST,
FEMA,
VICTIMS STILL WAITING FOR PROMISED FEDERAL AID, UPROOTED FAMILIES,
DESTROYED
NEIGHBORHOODS, HOMELESS IN TEMPORARY HOUSING FOR ONE YEAR
(Tuesday October 29, 2013
Rockaway, NYC) The advanced warnings
were ominous. There was a storm of epic
proportions and ferocity barreling towards the coastlines of New Jersey, Staten
Island and the vulnerable low lying communities of South Queens, New York
City. There had never been a storm of
such magnitude to strike this region at least in modern times. While many who could safely evacuate for
inland locations many more stayed to ride the storm out; in most scenarios it was
the combination of grit and sense of place that kept so many in their
apartments and homes even as the wind velocity roared at gale force. This was going to be a super storm, the “Frankenstorm”
of meteorologists’ nightmares. With the
images of massive destruction from Hurricane Katrina that hit the Gulf Coast
and New Orleans in particular in 2005 still fresh in the minds of many there
was some element of doubt that such a storm would result in comparable
damage. This is New York City, after all
and, for all our attitude, bluster and idiosyncratic logic the impending surge
still seemed remote. By some act of
nature other unseen prevailing forces would spare our coastline from the worst
this storm, Hurricane Sandy, had to offer.
We were sadly so very wrong.
Hurricane Sandy’s wrath was
felt along the eastern seaboard from Virginia to Maine but the New Jersey and
New York City coastal communities bore the brunt of her fury. She veered inland just north of New York City
and carried her destruction well into the suburban counties until losing
momentum and disintegrating into a defanged but still hostile remnant of what
she had been just days before.
It was one year ago today that
Sandy came to visit and what she left in her wake cannot be fully quantified or
qualified; yes, homes and businesses can be counted but the damage done to so
many people, families and psyches has not abated for many. To this day there are hundreds living in “temporary
housing” many of whom have been waiting
for the financial aid and resources the federal government assured the would be
coming in short order. A year is not “soon”
by anyone’s calculations. To walk this long stretch of barrier islands and
beachfront communities from Coney Island to Breezy Point, Laurelton to Far
Rockaway and points in between is to walk through what had been tightly knit
neighborhoods were generations of New Yorker’s were raided and had been raising
their children until Sandy forever altered their lives and reality. A
ferry ride from Battery Park to Staten Island will show the same horrific
chaotic landscape of torn houses, broken trees and scars left behind by the
storm surge that crested there and raced inward sucking away so many homes and
cars as that angry crest receded.
Lives were lost in that storm
and many lives saved by the heroics of neighbors, friends, civil servants and
strangers. Many lives remain in shambled
disarray due to the inability of the federal government to live up to its
promises. Ironically many of the most
vocal opponents of federal aid for the damaged coasts of New York and New
Jersey have since come hat in hand before their Congressional colleagues
seeking similar aid for their home districts in the wake of floods, fires and tornadoes. These senators and congressmen
represent the worst of the worst and that they can lambast Sandy’s victims
while pleading for help for their own constituents is the height of hypocrisy and
immorality. But that is all we can
expect from Washington DC. New York City
alone sends far more revenue to Washington than it will ever receive in return.
The NYC Metropolitan Area collectively
sends more revenue to Washington than all of Colorado, Oklahoma, Arkansas,
Louisiana and Texas combined yet New Yorkers are viewed with contempt by the
legislators in Washington? That is a
stunning fact and a very telling statement as to the rabid partisanship that
defines our do nothing Congress.
But the strange politics of
Washington are not the story. No. The story is of individuals and collective resilience,
tenacity and character. It is a story of
neighborhoods where the small homes are passed down through generations. These communities are home to many Members of
Service of the FDNY and NYPD as well as tradesman, construction workers and
teachers, just to list a few. They are
and have always been blue collar in the best sense of that term. Their blue collar-ness is seen in their
strength of character and body, in their ability to stand back up after being
blindsided and bowled over.
Those who have been able to
have rebuilt while, far too many wait for the promised assistance from FEMA to
start the rebuilding process. Still
others will never be able to return for whatever practical reasons have cast
them adrift long after the storm subsided.
Sandy dealt wicked blows to our City but, as always, we have stood back
up and are stronger for the fight.
Many stories of heartache and
heroism became known after the storm; many more will remain anonymously in the
hearts and minds of those touched by the courage and grace of others.
The Far Rockaway branch of the
Long Island Railroad is just a short siding-like jog from the Main Lines that
carry commuters from the more affluent communities in Nassau and Suffolk
Counties. Traveling west back into Manhattan
after changing at the hub in Jamaica Queens there are fewer and fewer reminders
of the great storm that smashed as she made landfall one year ago tonight. Arriving at the end of the line in Penn
Station that places such as The Rockaways and Fire Island are part of the same
City seems odd. Although surrounded by
water on all side New Yorkers seem to give little thought to our maritime past,
our rich history as a port of call for immigrants, freighters, oilers and
passenger ships. We are a City like many
others born of a seafaring past. Every
now and then the remnants of tropical depression will die a slow death over our
City; sometimes, especially at this time of year, meteorological conditions
will combine to create a potent Nor’easter , a cold air mass from Canada
collides with the remaining force of a tropical storm that hugs the coastline
as it moves north and drenches our City.
It is at that particular time
of the year that the early morning air carries the scent of the salty water of
our rivers and Bay. The cool Autumn air
takes away the smog and grit from the recently receded Summer and the salt
scent is welcome; but it is a harbinger of what is to come next. Winter will be upon us shortly and the salt
will be captured by the frigid waters that will often coalesce into chunks of ice. On this day in particular we are reminded of
our precarious perch on the coastal edge of a country that spans far to the
west of us. On this special day of
remembering we are all mindful of our neighbor to the east, the expansive
Atlantic Ocean and the fury she can unleash.
To all of those lost, taken by the sea and surf,
By the fires and storms fury,
Rest In Peace
and
For all those who survived and are still coping
With the hardships Sandy left behind
Our thoughts and Prayers are with you all.
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/hurricane-sandy/hurricane-sandy-year-rockaways-article-1.1494222
http://abcnews.go.com/US/jersey-residents-waiting-hurricane-sandy-rebuilding-money/story?id=20371933
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