John Morris, of Astoria, rests Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012 on what’s left of the Rockaway Beach Boardwalk after helping clean out the homes of other Rockaway residents, including his cousin’s down the block. Superstorm Sandy, coupled with high tide, brought seawater racing through the whole town from the Atlantic Ocean to Jamaica Bay, and almost two weeks later, residents were still cleaning up the mess left behind. “Send us a Tide truck,” Morris said, describing the struggles for people to keep clean in the area. He said it was easier to get donated new clothes than to clean the ones he was wearing, with power and most services out for the entire area. Photo by Wasim Ahmad.
Add in a generous helping of sand – everywhere – and much the same can be said for Rockaway, N.Y., after Superstorm Sandy roared through almost two weeks ago.
Frank Gombos, a 32-year Rockaway resident sits Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012 outside his apartment building on what’s left of the Rockaway Beach Boardwalk. Gombos decided to ride out Superstorm Sandy by watching the beach from the lobby of his building, and he said that two waves caused the damage to the boardwalk – the first one loosening it from its cement moorings, and the second one tossing it against the side of his building. Photo by Wasim Ahmad.
Resident Frank Gombos, a 32-year resident of the Rockaways said he saw the whole thing happen from the lobby of his building over looking the water. He watched, he said, as the first major wave brought on by high tide and fierce winds shook the boardwalk from its supports, and then again as the next wave pushed it into his building. He stayed when most others evacuated.
Rockaway is on a peninsula just south of Brooklyn, bordered on the north by Jamaica Bay and on the south by the Atlantic Ocean. Were it not for the large sand piles and sanitation trucks blocking the way, you can drive the entire north-south portion of the area in about 5 minutes.
Rockaway residents Claire Conti and Meaghan McHugh sit Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012 on what’s left of the Rockaway Beach Boardwalk. Photo by Wasim Ahmad.
The area is still without power. Relief workers pour in to deliver food, clothes and supplies to Rockaway residents. St. Francis de Sales Parish in the neighboring Belle Harbor community has become a makeshift relief center, offering food, clothing and a warming tent where people can get recovery information.
Team Rubicon, a volunteer organization comprised of veterans pairing with civilians, helps pass out supplies to residents in Rockaway, N.Y. on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012. Superstorm Sandy, coupled with high tide, brought seawater racing through the whole town from the Atlantic Ocean to Jamaica Bay, and almost two weeks later, residents were still cleaning up the mess left behind. For more information, or to volunteer for Team Rubicon, go to www.teamrubiconusa.org. Photo by Wasim Ahmad.
And then there’s Jenn Ward and Lisa Schmid. The pair came in from Franklin Square and Oceanside and offered residents trays of home-made food. They weren’t with any group; They just wanted to help.
As daylight wanes, though, relief workers board buses and leave. Generators crank to life and the hum of of hundreds of these lifelines fill the town at night – it’s the only way anyone is getting power at all, though to get the gas to run the generators requires a trip into Brooklyn; A dicey proposition when, at times, you have to wait an hour just to travel the five miles.
Covering the story
School of Journalism students walk along the devastated Rockaway Beach on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012. Photo by Wasim Ahmad.
I started with putting things into perspective – each of us had childhood homes where we learned to walk, had many photos taken, raised a brother or sister, shared family meals. These destroyed homes that the students and I were seeing – each one – was that for the people we talked to. It’s a fact that every journalist needs to be aware of while out there telling stories.
This wasn’t the time to joke around, or take a goofy facebook photo.
To the students’ credit, no one did. Several of them told me they didn’t realize how bad Sandy really was until they saw it firsthand here. Living on campus, you’d think a few trees fell down and that was it. Even for those who walked a bit off campus, seeing a few downed power lines and trees don’t compare to seeing destruction on the level of Rockaway.
Every time, I think whatever I’ve seen before should prepare me for what I’m about to see. I thought that covering massive, town-eradicating floods in Binghamton would prepare me. It did not. I thought seeing Roxbury before this would prepare me. I thought Lindenhurst was as bad as it gets. The truth is, nothing can prepare you for seeing destruction on this level in your backyard, in places where you grew up, took your first steps and shared meals with your family.
And seeing this, I hope, spurred the students to action when it comes to covering Sandy’s aftermath. Getting the stories from Rockaway out to the world is one of the many, many things the area needs right now.
Some more photos from the day (and see the students’ work here: Photos from Nick Batson, Jessica Stallone, Jodie Mann and Rebecca Tapio).
Clean-up volunteers with Team Rubicon Brandon Johnson and Zan Goodman, both of Brooklyn sit Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012 on what’s left of the Rockaway Beach Boardwalk. Superstorm Sandy, coupled with high tide, brought seawater racing through the whole town from the Atlantic Ocean to Jamaica Bay, and almost two weeks later, residents were still cleaning up the mess left behind. For more information, or to volunteer for Team Rubicon, go to www.teamrubiconusa.org. Photo by Wasim Ahmad.
The Rockaway Beach boardwalk lies in a twisted heap Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012. Superstorm Sandy, coupled with high tide, brought seawater racing through the whole town from the Atlantic Ocean to Jamaica Bay, and almost two weeks later, residents were still cleaning up the mess left behind, incuding a completely destroyed boardwalk. Photo by Wasim Ahmad.
Crews clear out debris from the strees Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012 in Rockaway, N.Y. Superstorm Sandy, coupled with high tide, brought seawater racing through the whole town from the Atlantic Ocean to Jamaica Bay, and almost two weeks later, residents were still cleaning up the mess left behind. Photo by Wasim Ahmad.
Rockaway, N.Y. residents, volunteers and visitors wander the beach in the town on Nov. 11, 2012. Superstorm Sandy, coupled with high tide, brought seawater racing through the whole town from the Atlantic Ocean to Jamaica Bay, and almost two weeks later, residents were still cleaning up the mess left behind, incuding a completely destroyed boardwalk. Photo by Wasim Ahmad.
An American flag is seen in the reflection of a wrecked Toyota Camry on Rockaway Beach Boulevard in Rockaway, N.Y. Superstorm Sandy, coupled with high tide, brought seawater racing through the whole town from the Atlantic Ocean to Jamaica Bay, and almost two weeks later, residents were still cleaning up the mess left behind. Photo by Wasim Ahmad.
The Ocean Promenade building on the beach in Rockaway, N.Y. sits empty and boarded up on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012. Superstorm Sandy, coupled with high tide, brought seawater racing through the whole town from the Atlantic Ocean to Jamaica Bay, and almost two weeks later, residents were still cleaning up the mess left behind. Photo by Wasim Ahmad.
Rockaway, N.Y. residents, volunteers and visitors wander the beach in the town on Nov. 11, 2012. Superstorm Sandy, coupled with high tide, brought seawater racing through the whole town from the Atlantic Ocean to Jamaica Bay, and almost two weeks later, residents were still cleaning up the mess left behind, incuding a completely destroyed boardwalk. Photo by Wasim Ahmad.
Rockaway residents Jacob Papagiannakis and Brian Geoghegan sit Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012 on what’s left of the Rockaway Beach Boardwalk. Superstorm Sandy, coupled with high tide, brought seawater racing through the whole town from the Atlantic Ocean to Jamaica Bay, and almost two weeks later, residents were still cleaning up the mess left behind. Photo by Wasim Ahmad.