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Photos: Gerritsen Beach Was Destroyed By Sandy, Too
By
Jen Chung
Published Nov 1, 2012
Modified Nov 1, 2012
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By
Jen Chung
Published Nov 1, 2012
Modified Nov 1, 2012
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Many areas of the city—especially Breezy Point, Queens and Staten Island—suffered mightily during the Hurricane Sandy, but there are some smaller pockets that are begging for attention to their plight. Like Gerritsen Beach in Brooklyn. A reader pointed out, "All the cars and ground floors [of homes] were under 6-8 feet of water. It was Zone B; residents were told not to evacuate."
The reader added, "The damage isn't as photogenic as Coney or the Rockaways, so no news coverage," though there is "a floating bar from the Rockways that ended up
in the middle of the street." There was no heat or power, and the neighborhood's volunteer fire department did what it could do.
GerritsenBeach.net wrote, "Update: Most of the beach is flooded, people are pumping out... Share your pumps, CHECK ON ALL OF YOUR NEIGHBORS!" and "MOST IF NOT ALL of the OLD Section was flooded. MOST IF NOT ALL of the NEW Section was flooded... MULTIPLE CAR FIRES. 1 HOUSE FIRE" The Brooklyn Ink has an in-depth article:
Unlike zone A areas like Coney Island where mandatory evacuations began on Sunday afternoon, Gerritsen Beach was listed as a zone B area with only a potential for flooding, leaving most residents... to stay in their homes and wait out the storm...
Even those who thought they were well-prepared for Sandy’s arrival like Fred Swensen, who lives along the waterside in Landis Court, found himself at the mercy of an unrelenting flow of water. Swensen, who works in the Department of Sanitation doing building maintenance, was wheeling gas for a generator to run three electric pumps he has in his flooded basement.
Aside from firefighters in the area who were responding to a call about odors of gas in the area and a suspected gas line break, many of the residents were carrying out pumping and debris-clearing efforts on their own-borrowing and lending electric generators and pumps from one another.
Swensen had prepared sandbags and other blockades to stem the flow of water but was surprised at the severity of the flooding which almost began to pour into his first floor.
WCBS 2 made it out there today, and they found frustration. One resident said, "If they thought the Belt Parkway was gonna hold back a surge... Guess what? They were wrong."
Tagged
brooklyn
devastation
flooding
gerritsen beach
hurricane sandy
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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