Slow return to normalcy following Hurricane Sandy

Uprooted trees, the grind of generators and streets littered with debris. The clean-up following Hurricane Sandy has proven more troublesome than the brief event itself.

I made my way to Red Hook, Brooklyn, today to help pass out army food rations at Coffey Park. Like most low-lying areas in New York, the area is still without gas, water, food and power.20121101IMG_4013

Residents dragged muddy possessions from their basements to the street like ants building a mound. Swollen bookshelves, broken crockery, potted plants, dirt-stained carpet and rotting food scraps, the stench reminding me of a rubbish dump. One woman, huddled by a candle in the dark of her laundromat, came forward with a brilliant smile when we offered her food and water.

The pre-production for my 16mm short film MONKEYWRENCH has also been affected. With the main connective hub of the lower-Manhattan subway inactive, traveling around the city to gather props and check locations has been impossible. We decided to push the shoot back to the 10th & 11th November to allow both the city and many of our cast and crew members to recuperate.

Across New York City, tunnels, subway-lines and interstate trains have been crippled. A minimum of three people per car is mandatory to cross the East River bridges.

I’ve noticed a slight change in activity in my area of Williamsburg, and it’s not just the storm-saluting Halloween costumes: people dressed as such as sandbags, sporting Miami Hurricanes caps and perms to make Olivia Newton-John’s Sandy Olsson proud. Without the L train running in to Manhattan, people shop and socialize locally, increasing the pedestrian traffic and the sense of a village.

Here are photos from today’s outing in Red Hook!

Favorite Links to Hurricane Sandy

Sirens ring through ghost-town streets. Car alarms sound. And the gusts of wind through the trees grow stronger.

I’ve heard the term “bunkering down” so many times on the telly I’ve had to turn it off. The same way “inundated” gets exhausted during flood coverage.

Here are some of my favorite links to keeping up with Hurricane Sandy:

  1. This Google Crisis Map tracks the storm and has fun features to turn on and off: http://crisislanding.appspot.com/crisismap/2012-sandy
  2. Pictures from NBC News, updated every hour or so: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49560895/displaymode/1247?beginSlide=1
  3. The NYC hurricane zone map, with mandatory evacuation from Zone A (I’m in the clear!): http://project.wnyc.org/news-maps/hurricane-zones/hurricane-zones.html
  4. NYC skyline photograph from the New York Times, updated every 60 seconds: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/10/28/nyregion/nyt-webcam.html?smid=fb-nytimes
  5. Memes! Every event gotta have memes: http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/events/2012-hurricane-sandy

Stay safe!