Someone with whom I’m very close just came back from doing relief work in parts of Queens, NY that were devastated by Hurricane Sandy. Here is his account–followed by his shocking photographs and first-hand captions:
“I just spent several days in the Rockaways and Breezy Point helping people clean out and pump out what is left of their homes. In most case people lost everything. And relief is getting to them very slowly. While people in lower Manhattan were celebrating like it was New Year’s Eve when the lights went on (according to the press), thousands suffered in the cold completely forgotten. In the 3 days I was there I did not see a single relief agency–meaning Red Cross or Salvation Army. Plenty of cops and firemen and FEMA making the rounds doing inspections, but no real help besides friends and family. It was the worst disaster I have ever seen and I have been around the block. Keep these people in your thoughts and prayers.”
“People are shoveling out of their driveways, basements and houses. It is almost like snow, but it doesn’t melt; it just piles up.”
“A car forced under a partly collapsed house.”
“Someone’s home right on the beach in Bell Harbor. It was completely destroyed by the waves.”
“The following three photos are all from the Breezy Point Fire. These people lost everything and many were uninsured.”
“A car that floated into this position because water was so high.”
“What’s left of a Breezy Point home caught in fire.”
“Downed Tree On East Broadway in the Lower East Side.”