Breezy Point, 11/18/12

Salvaged Silverware @ Breezy Point, 11/18/12

Breezy Point    11/18/12

Last Sunday, I spent the day @ Breezy again with my sister. Jim and Casey came along this time. I woke early and made the sandwiches. Took them along with homemade Wowie Cake cupcakes (if you want this recipe for the simplest, most-delicious cake ever—just ask!), chips and water. The ride in was easy; not much traffic on this Sunday in November. Upon arrival, I could tell that things felt different.

On my first visit, which was about 2 weeks after the storm, the temperature was in the 60’s, the sun was out and there was a real sense of high-energy in the air.  People were everywhere: home owners, relief groups, volunteers, neighbors and friends. Everyone was happy to be alive, even though the neighborhoods were still covered in mounds of debris. Piles so high, sometimes you almost couldn’t see the damaged home behind them. Wet sheet rock and insulation, appliances, toys, clothing, pots and pans, file cabinets, mattresses—all out on the street waiting to be picked up and taken some place else. There seemed to be a lot of noise and activity everywhere. The background noise at the time consisted of the sound of gas-powered generators and the back-up warning beep on big trucks, as well as the low hum of conversation everywhere.  And the smells: salt water, a-slight-almost-imperceptible smell of mold and, the delicious smells of cooked food. There were free food stands all around the neighborhood: ribs, hot dogs, chicken soup and coffee. And mostly, there was a strong, vibrant sense of the human spirit; each person you met had it and shared it through conversation & hugs, smiles & tears or even just a slight nod.

Allstate Deluxe Homeowners Policy, Breezy Point, 11/18/12

It was different this visit. Nearly 3 weeks after the storm, now 10 degrees colder than the week before, the skies were overcast and a slight, stiff wind was coming off the ocean. Most of the enormous debris piles were gone. This was a relief to see because the piles are really depressing. When they run down the street, and you turn a corner and then they run down that street—that is really depressing. So now the piles are gone, and there, standing everywhere, are the exposed, destroyed homes of the inhabitants. 

There was still a lot of activity, but there wasn’t the sense of high energy that had been present and there were not as many people around. I think that the adrenaline has run off and now the long, hard climb of recovery lies ahead. In times of danger and calamity, we roll into survival mode and do whatever it takes to get the job done. However, at some point, we crash from that.

So on this day, Jim repaired the garage door that had been pushed off its track by the water. He also worked on pumping out the basement and dug a deeper trench to carry the water away. Casey swept up endless piles of dust and dirt, helped move furniture and was a sincere, giving volunteer—something that I find very impressive in teenagers. Lula arrived from NOLA, home for Thanksgiving break. This was her first time at the house since the storm….heart-breaking.

FDNY's Finest @ Breezy Point, 11/18/12

We fed the sandwiches and cupcakes to neighbors and FDNY volunteers. We left again at 3:00. There is no electricity, so you have to leave before dark. But you want to leave earlier than that because of the mass exodus from Breezy & the Rockaways. I have heard people say that it took them 3 hours just to get out of Breezy.

My emotional response from doing this work is interesting to experience. I find myself describing the situation to friends, and then I get choked up when describing a random, damaged almost beyond recognition, photograph of a child in a snowsuit that I found in Ann’s backyard. We do not know what child this is or which house the photo traveled from when it landed in Ann’s yard. The random, lost bits of people’s lives are what make me the most verklempt. I get teary and words catch in my throat. The losses are significant. 

I will continue, however, to Expect Good Things....

You can see the entire Breezy Point, 11/18/12 Photo Album on my FB page HERE.