THE ROCKAWAYS
Days before Halloween 2012, Hurricane Sandy arrived to the shorelines of New Jersey and New York and completely devastated coastlines of communities. One month after Hurricane Sandy hit, I immersed myself for a weekend in the community of Belle Harbor in The Rockaways. I walked the beaches, talked to the residents, froze in homes still without heat, slept on the floor, ate in the FEMA tents, and used the portable bathrooms because most homes were still without proper plumbing. What I found was a community in recovery, united in the purpose of rebuilding. Extended families lived within blocks of each other, and all intended to build where they were planted. No plans to move, only plans to continue, together. A community on the sea.
