For the last few weeks, I keep coming back to Rockaway, the isolated neighborhood in Queens that was all but virtually destroyed by Hurricane Sandy. Being there is a strange experience. It’s scary, sad, amusing, astonishing, enlightening and depressing, all at the same time. I’ve never seen anything like this ever before. I felt different and forever changed when I went there for the fist time and I cannot stop coming back. It feels like I would be betraying those in the community if I don’t come back. So I continue to go there with my camera, walk on the beach, talk to people, talk to kids, talk to contractors. Everyone has a story, everyone wants to share it. I listen. I ask questions. I ask if I can help. They are proud. They act strong. They make jokes. They let me photograph their houses. They ask me to photograph them in front of their houses. I photograph them. They ask me for photographs. I give them photographs.
I live in Manhattan and it feels like we all, most of us, have forgotten about the Hurricane. We have moved on with our lives. We go to work. We take subways. We go home… We have a home! We have heat, food, electricity, the Internet, TV, supermarkets… Our lives are back on track. But, not so long ago, Hurricane Sandy consumed our lives. We listened about it on the radio, read about it in newspapers, and watched it on TV. Sandy was in almost every conversation at home, work and at school. Still we forgot about it as fast as it came. We made it through the storm and went back to our routine. However, for the people living in the Rockaways the challenges and struggles have just begun.
The utter devastation in the Rockaways is very real. Homes are fully or partially destroyed. The flood damage has made almost every house inhabitable. There is still no power. No heat. No electricity. There are not enough professional contractors to meet the demands. Property values are unknown and potentially worthless. People are under serious health risks and emotional duress. And the list goes on… Overall the present condition and future of the Rockaways remain fragile and uncertain. If nothing else, I hope that my photographs can raise some sense of awareness and responsibility because help is still needed now, tomorrow, and until they can move on.
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FOOK YAH