October 29th, 2014
Between the Bridges in Broad Channel
by
Peter J. Mahon
2 Years Later In Broad Channel The Band Plays On!
Two years ago on the evening of October 29th, 2012, a freak of nature by the name of Sandy gave birth to a 10+ foot storm surge from the swollen pregnant belly of Jamaica Bay which quickly rolled up the east and west sides of Broad Channel onto Cross Bay Boulevard on top of a 5.3 foot high tide. Watching incredulously, in awestruck silence, we saw the waters of the bay quickly lay claim to our small town against the backdrop of a dark night intermittently made brilliant with the flashes of exploding electrical transformers and short circuited power lines.
When the sun rose on the morning of Tuesday, October 30th, those of us who chose to remain during the storm slowly emerged from our homes and surveyed the devastation that had enveloped us overnight. We stood together, dumbstruck, as the realization that our worst fears had come to pass. The wind driven waters of Jamaica Bay had risen and transformed our small community of Broad Channel into a watter sotted wasteland without power, heat, communication, transportation, fuel, sanitation, food, habitable living space, emergency services, post office, churches or school. Then, less than 48 hours later, just to add insult to injury, we were struck by a nor’easter which dropped some two inches of snow and ice on the street making an already miserable situation even worse.
The following days, weeks, and months found us all consumed with the myriad and incredibly difficult tasks at hand in attempting to get our homes back to a semblance of habitability while dealing with the complexities of FEMA, the impersonal, slow to react and less than caring attitudes of our flood insurance companies and the reluctance on the part of our banks to disperse such funds when they finally received the checks.
Two years later, although serious issues still face many of our residents, there is no doubt that our community of Broad Channel has made great strides in recovering from this disaster. And we did it together, as we always do.
We realized that not only had we suffered incredible individual losses, the very real possibility existed that we had also lost what all of us hold most dear, that which keeps us anchored to our island community – our town. Together, we found that to be completely unacceptable.
Together we shared laughter, tears, frustration, elation, sorrow, hope, despair, food, drink, showers, towels, soap, clothes, tools and much more.
Together we helped each other slowly repair and make whole what this terrible storm had torn asunder.
Together we endured this nightmare and came away from that experience with a new sense of rebirth, hope and community spirit.
Together we celebrated and shared Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday meals.
Together we showed the entire world that Broad Channel is no featureless town to be easily rubbed off the map, cast aside and forgotten.
Somebody once remarked to me that the night Sandy ravaged our town was the night the music died for Broad Channel. Two years later we still proudly stand together as proof that, here in Broad Channel, the band plays on.
Broad Channel - why would anyone want to live anywhere else?
Contact Information: email rtbetweenthebridges@gmail.com or call/text 347-226-1293
Now its time to band together to go after the insurance companies, FEMA, etc. who want to add more insult to injury to increase flood insurance premiums that to many, had never filed a claim before. They are trying to push the middle class families out of their homes. Homes that to many have been in their families for generations. Where did all the money go that was paid by the homeowners, for years. Lets take a good look at the insurance companies, bonuses. And who supported them. Sandy was an act of God to make us all aware of Biggett Waters attack on the families who reside by the sea. It's time to get our neighbors back home and join forces in an even larger fight, don't just sit back and wait get involved, support the cause.
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