This month marks 10 years since Hurricane Sandy devastated Red Hook. Initially, I couldn’t remember all of the details but I did remember that school was canceled for a week. That says a lot because we were lucky to get one day off, even for blizzards. Fortunately, I’ve been able to look through all of the 2012 editions of the Star-Revue which not only captured what living through Sandy was like, but also what Red Hook itself was like 10 years ago.
When looking through the bound volumes of the paper here at the office, one of the first things that caught my attention was the food guide. While a lot of places have left since then, it’s great to see Mark’s Pizza, F & M Cafe, Baked, and Steve’s Authentic Key Lime Pie still thriving. It would be tough for me to imagine the neighborhood without them and it’s nice to see that they’ve survived both Sandy and the pandemic.
Another piece that I found interesting was by Reg Flowers. In his story, he said, “A block party is a radical act. It is. It requires organizing neighbors, going door-to-door, and building a base of support. Most impressively a block party confronts the status quo which says that streets are for driving and parking cars, not for our people and festivals… Community gardens are another example of taking radical action.”
I was just talking with a friend about the importance of these types of events, especially with so many of them taking place virtually now. I’m glad some are turning back into live events. These start to make a neighborhood feel like a community again.
It’s also interesting looking back at the stories from 10 years ago, knowing what we know now. One story mentioned the never-ending backlog of repairs needed at the Red Hook Houses (in a story written before Sandy.) I wrote a similar story a couple of years ago and saw for myself that the conditions in some of the apartments were terrible. There have been some positive developments but progress always seems to come slowly and Sandy made those issues so much worse.
There were also stories about confrontations between civilians and the police, especially over the controversial stop-and-frisk policy which was still used by police officers in 2012.
There was a letter from Khary Bekka, who was one of three teenagers involved in a gang-related shooting that resulted in the death of PS 15 principal, Patrick Daly, when he was hit by a stray bullet. Bekka was sentenced to more than 20 years in prison.
“I wish to start off with making an open apology to the Daly family and Red Hook Community…I now write this letter as a man on a social mission to serve my community as well as humanity itself…My social work has already started here in prison as I have taken steps to earn a diploma in Psychology/Social Work.”
Now, 10 years later, Bekka has stayed true to his word and since being released from prison he has volunteered and worked to help the Red Hook community.
In a few lighter pieces, it was cool reading about the Red Hook Initiative (RHI) and the Red Hook Art Project (RHAP) from 10 years ago and seeing what the organizations were doing then with the knowledge that they’re still going strong today.
Of course, Sandy drew a solid line through the year. Reading through the paper showed just how devastating it was.
Stories from October of 2012 reveal a somewhat eerie feeling as Red Hook and much of the rest of New York City felt empty right before the storm. Everyone was waiting to see how bad it would be. As I read in the paper:
“Water hurdled over the banks at the foot of Van Brunt, before catching up with the water that crossed over the Cruise Terminal. Red Hook’s main strip held water several feet high from the piers all the way past Hamilton Avenue. The flooding submerged streets from the east and west including the low-income houses as well as Valentino Pier.”
“We saw a shattered doorway and the garbage strewn around the lobby of the Fairway apartments. A stairwell to a basement [at Sunny’s Bar] was full of water with leaves and garbage floating on top… Cars that usually neatly lined the streets were pushed out of parking spaces and into weird angles. Many owners had opened their hoods and frantically attempted to salvage the ruins… By Thursday, with power still off in the neighborhood, and temperatures beginning to dip, realization began to set in. People were beginning to experience real need and discomfort-in some cases, life-threatening.”
After surviving the initial storm, everyone started to help each other. Those who were more fortunate helped those who were hit the hardest. Fort Defiance’s Saint John hosted an afternoon barbecue that not only fed people but helped to lift their spirits. There was also a New Orlean style street parade to give people a break from the stress and frustration they were dealing with.
“Volunteers from all over came to the Miccio Center and assisted with organizing massive donations and set up a gymnasium with shopping bags full of necessities.”
Sandy brought out the best in the community because it forced everyone to do their part and help each other out. Although it was a horrible experience in so many ways, I think it also brought people closer together. Red Hook has come a long way in 10 years and the tough times have only made the community stronger.
