New York area marks 2nd anniversary of Superstorm Sandy
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Officials and residents in towns throughout coastal areas of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are taking stock of the recovery from Superstorm Sandy on the second anniversary of the killer storm.
Residents of coastal neighborhoods battered two years ago will mark the day in ways both public and private, remembering the fierce floodwaters that destroyed their livelihoods but also the communities that came together to help each other pull through.
The day stirs up frightening memories for people who survived the waves and wind that lashed their homes.
Sandy made landfall at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 29, 2012, sending floodwaters pouring across the densely populated barrier islands of Long Island and the Jersey shore. In New York City, the storm surge hit nearly 14 feet, swamping the city's subway and commuter rail tunnels and knocking out power to the southern third of Manhattan. The storm was blamed for at least 181 deaths in the U.S. - including 68 in New York and 71 in New Jersey - and property damages estimated at $65 billion.
New York City
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio joined his wife, Chirlane McCray, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and other elected officials to work with Habitat for Humanity at a storm-damaged home in Coney Island. Later, de Blasio and elected officials attended the Light the Shore Anniversary of the storm at 4 p.m. on the Boardwalk on Staten Island.
The waterfront at Midland Beach was transformed into a glowing memorial of electric candles to honor neighbors who perished in the storm Wednesday night.
In that borough, many have just recently returned home while others have yet to rebuild. Sandy killed 23 people on Staten Island, and there are still plenty of reminders of the storm. Wallboard and debris are piled on front lawns, bungalows are covered in plywood, and "Restricted Use" signs are plastered on many front doors. Areas like Oakwood Beach are slowly becoming a ghost town. It is boarded up, abandoned, and here and there, there are signs of terrible grief. The government is now buying out the area, and so far, 50 homes have been demolished and another 200 bought, with more than $112 million spent.
In Rockaway's Breezy Point, many residents continue the struggle to recover. Two years ago, the beautiful beach town was almost wiped off the map by flood and fire as more than 350 homes were destroyed. But residents say they are not just returning and rebuilding, but coming back stronger. And Wednesday marked a major milestone for the neighborhood, with the reopening of the iconic restaurant Kennedy's, which has been in the area since 1980 but was nearly swallowed by Sandy.
New Jersey
U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro and federal officials toured a flood-ravaged neighborhood near Raritan Bay in Union Beach where many residents are still struggling to rebuild. Andrea Kassimatis held her 6-month-old daughter as she described living with four other relatives in a 37-foot trailer next to a partially built home.
"It's been a rough and grueling process," she said. "You feel like your government has forgotten you."
Kassimatis has received a $150,000 rebuilding grant from New Jersey but only got a third of what her flood insurance policy was supposed to pay - a common refrain up and down the coast.
"Don't believe what you have from a flood insurance policy," she warned. "Because what you're sold is not what you're going to get."
She voiced her complaints to Castro, New Jersey's two U.S. senators, Robert Menendez and Cory Booker, and Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., all of whom said more "accountability and transparency" is needed in Sandy aid distribution. At an event in Perth Amboy, state Senate President Steve Sweeney said, "People still aren't getting the answers they deserve."
In the afternoon, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie visited the revitalized business area in Belmar, the first Jersey shore community to rebuild its boardwalk after Sandy. When he was heckled by a man critical of his handling of Superstorm Sandy recovery, he told the man: "Sit down and shut up."
The man, Jim Keady, began heckling Christie about the pace of storm recovery and interrupted the governor's speech on several occasions. After trying to brush the man off, Christie yelled back the man didn't know what he was talking about and was just showing off for the news cameras. Keady founded a group called Finish The Job, which is critical of the pace of rebuilding assistance in New Jersey. Christie defended the recovery but added more people still need help.
Long Island
Communities across Long Island continue to recover, even two years later. Long Beach suffered massive damage during the storm, and while there has been a lot of rebuilding, it has happened for some at a snail's pace. Surrounded by ocean and bay, the area is still marked with the scars.
Barbara Haggerty thought that her home might have escaped the worst of the damage, until she stepped inside.
"I've never seen anything like that," she said. "When I walked in the house, it didn't look that bad. But everything was wet. We had to throw everything out."
A lot of rebuilding is evident in Long Beach, but the recovery has been painstakingly slow for some homeowners, as they've run into trouble with regulations.
"I had to gut the whole house, do the house all over again, and after I did all that, the state came in and said I have to raise the house," homeowner Patrick Hirsch said. "It was a requirement...The state was going to reimburse us for that money, but we're still waiting for the money."
As you can imagine, raising a house isn't cheap, especially after these homeowners had already drained their wallets rebuilding.
Connecticut
Governor Dannel P. Malloy released the following statement on the second anniversary of Superstorm Sandy:
"Our state continues to recover, but there's more work to do. In the months that have passed since Superstorm Sandy, Tropical Storm Irene and the October Nor'easter of 2011, we have taken steps to make sure our state can weather the effects of climate change. We've created the nation's first microgrid program, providing town centers with the capability of sustaining power during large-scale outages. We're holding utility companies accountable by imposing penalties on them if they don't take proper precautions or if they don't restore service in a timely manner.
"We're investing millions in hardening infrastructure along our shoreline to protect from future flooding, especially along our transportation system. We've created Shore Up CT to help shoreline residents who are subject to coastal flooding elevate their homes and businesses from future severe weather, filling a funding gap left by federal programs. We've designated thousands of acres of forest along our shoreline as open space, preserving the land in perpetuity and acting as a coastal buffer against storm waters. And, working with our Congressional delegation, we've secured hundreds of millions to help communities in need rebuild.
"Without question, there is more work to do. But we are making progress, and we're committed to seeing this through to the end."
