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| Image courtesy Wikipedia. Author: Hybirdd |
At least 285 people were killed along the path of the storm
in seven countries. In the United States, where media organizations and some
U.S. government agencies nicknamed the hurricane "Superstorm Sandy,"
the storm affected 24 states, including the entire eastern seaboard. The most
severe damage occurred in New Jersey and New York, when the storm surge hit New
York City on October 29, flooding streets, tunnels and subway lines, and cutting
power in and around the city. Damage in the US was estimated at over US$71
billion.
Six months after Hurricane Sandy made landfall in Cuba, and worked its way up
the east coast of the United States to New York City and beyond, devastating
coastal communities in its path, little if anything is heard about the ongoing
recovery efforts still underway in these coastal communities. In New York City
for example, vast stretches of beach front along the Atlantic reaches of Staten
Island and Coney Island in particular still look much like they did soon after
the storm struck.
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| Clipping from amNY... |
While I don’t have a complete list of locations and
infrastructure that are still closed or under repair, six months after Sandy,
the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Immigration Museum remain off the
tourist circuit. The Statue of Liberty is due to open by July 4, but no date
has been set for the reopening of Ellis Island.
Of the numerous subway stations and tunnels that were
flooded by the almost 14 foot storm surge, the new South Ferry
station seems to have suffered the most, when 15 million gallons of salt water
poured into it, causing around US$600 million in damage. In response, the old
108-year-old South Ferry station has been reopened while the new station is
repaired―a process that may take as long as two or three years!
To my knowledge, the one remaining subway line to be
affected by Hurricane Sandy is the A-train. This currently runs as far as the
Howard Beach station, with free shuttle buses operating non-stop between this
station, and Far Rockaway-Mott Avenue. I assume, rail service is also affected
at the other end of the Rockaways, at Rockaway Park Beach. More information
about this service can be found at the MTA.INFO site…
Elsewhere along the coast, work is continuing apace to get
New York’s beaches ready for the 2013 summer season. Despite being one of the
worst affected areas, Coney Island is already open for business―or most of it
anyway. The main outlet for Nathan’s Famous, a Coney Island business famous
for its hotdogs, and for the annual hotdog eating contest they run remains
closed, although its other branch location on Boardwalk West is open.
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| Photo: M.T.A. / Patrick Cashin / via Wikipedia |
The
nearby New York Aquarium at Coney Island was flooded, and will have a limited
opening this spring, but there is no timetable for the re-opening of Nathan’s.
Meanwhile, Rockaway beach and Jacob Riis Park should be open by May 25
(Memorial Weekend), but it looks like Fort Tilden will be closed for the summer.
And then there is one of my favourite New York City locations―the South Street
Seaport area around Pier 17. After a long day walking the streets of lower
Manhattan, I have spent many a warm summer evening relaxing and taking in the
sights and sounds around the South Street Seaport.
The viewing ‘decks’ of the shopping mall on Pier 17 provide
some of the nicest views of the Brooklyn Bridge―especially if you time your
visit to coincide with the magic hour or two around sunset. Then the view and
the wonderful photographic opportunities are unbeatable. Sadly, though, not
only did the South Street Seaport Museum suffer extensive damage, but the Pier
17 area itself was badly affected by the storm.
Negotiations are currently underway with the Howard Hughes
Corporation (which owns the Pier 17 area), to build a modern shopping mall,
incorporating a rooftop garden and concert area, and other facilities. I can’t
say I am excited by the new design for the building which features copious
amounts of glass, and seems out of place at a ‘seaport’ location, but
maintaining the seaport there is better than having yet another skyscraper
dominating the skyline at the foot of Manhattan.
In the meantime, I understand the current shopping facilities at Pier 17 will continue to operate as best they can through summer 2013, until construction of the new building commences later this year.
I am sure the above is just a small part of what remains to
be done to repair and replace damage caused by Hurricane Sandy in the New York
City area. But I hope it serves as a reminder that although the news cycle has
moved on, thousands of people along the whole length of Sandy’s path are still
dealing with the aftermath of the storm every day, and will continue to do so for
many years.
