IndexBefore the StormAfter the StormRockaway Beach SolidarityAs a little piece of paradise for those living in New York City, Rockaway Beach, Queens, is a vibrant, close-knit community on the outskirts of the noise of the city. All year round, regardless of the temperature outside, the small city is always full of locals and New Yorkers. When it gets warm and sunny, the long stretch of beaches fills with tourists and locals, looking to enjoy their little piece of sunshine. The city's getaway neighborhood is a paradise for surfers and artists. The main attraction, the boardwalk, lined with old wood and rusty nails, is also lined with bars, restaurants, art exhibits and more. Because many of the businesses are locally owned, the owners take pride in their livelihood and their community. Unfortunately, in late October 2012, this quiet town was hit by a superstorm, destroying much of what locals knew as normal. Hurricane Sandy represented a monumental interference in the daily lives of Rockaway Beach residents. Homes were destroyed, waves reached more than five feet above sea level, animals and pets disappeared, their beloved boardwalk destroyed. Everything these citizens knew and loved about their city had long since disappeared or was currently disappearing. I will investigate the ongoing reconstruction and rehabilitation of Rockaway Beach and the surrounding areas of Queens, New York, following Superstorm Hurricane Sandy, along with the solidarity and progress made by citizens to rebuild their city. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay More than four years after superstorm Hurricane Sandy, Rockaway Beach residents are still recovering. Homes are still being evacuated, citizens are still displaced into motels and government housing, and widespread damage has rocked neighborhoods, leaving massive debris in streets, parks and public facilities. When the storm finally stopped raging, the destruction spread throughout the area. Businesses and homes completely ruined with many pieces scattered across the city itself, and many were forced from their buildings, left to fend for themselves. With no electricity, heat or hot water in any that were lucky enough to remain standing, it was completely habitable. Customers were forced to come together to solve what may be the biggest challenge Rockaway Beach has faced: recovery. Although already a city devoted to its neighbors, residents had to step out of their comfort zone and express their unity in their determination to rebuild their beloved community. Solidarity spread among citizens and new community groups, activism and economic progress emerged from a disaster that devastated their city. In 2016, I volunteered throughout April with AmeriCorps and St. Bernard's Project to help rebuild homes in Rockaway Beach. I was able to familiarize myself with the difficulties and disasters that the residents were experiencing. As the years pass, fewer and fewer volunteers come to help the cause, as most would think there is no more work to be done. The neighborhood, Rockaway Beach, was a close-knit, quiet and peaceful community, made up of people who lived and grew up in the same house. The stories I heard on my trip always started out uplifting and warm: those of memories on the beach, on the boardwalk, and in all the family-run shops along the busy streets. These stories, unfortunately,they end with terrifying stories of cars floating down streets flooded with eight feet of water, houses with water pouring through windows, and hundreds of people swimming with their family and what things could stand to get wet. Years after the storm, the boardwalk is still in pieces, hundreds of residents are still displaced and paying rent/mortgages on their homes, people are still walking the streets, and businesses and storefronts are abandoned. Homes and buildings aren't rebuilt for fear of another storm, so the local economy suffers, driving away even more potential buyers. I returned to Rockaway Beach on April 28, which was a rainy day and not warm enough to attract beachgoers. Prior to my visit, I had received contact information for supervisors and coordinators I had worked with in the past. After contacting them I was able to make appointments to meet them at their headquarters. Unfortunately, only one was available for an interview the day I arrived. Zach Chaney, who is the volunteer coordinator for Friends of Rockaway, was available and allowed me to reflect for a couple of hours. He was great to talk to and very knowledgeable about the history of Rockaway Beach and its citizens. He also, coincidentally, is a Rockaway Beach resident and lived there during the storm, so he was able to tell me about his experiences firsthand. Since I couldn't talk to other members of the organization, I just had to get a perspective on how they worked. Along with his perspective, I have a very clear memory of my time there and my experiences with the local citizens and businesses. Much of the damage was very memorable and it was moving to experience it first hand. Before the Storm Rockaway Beach is a particularly low-cost place to live, with rents on average lower than those in more expensive areas (like Manhattan), and offering the opportunity to live in a home. Although much of the population is Caucasian, the unemployment rate can range from 2 to 14 percent. This may be due to the average age approaching fifty, assuming that many residents are retired or disabled and unable to work (Nycopendata.org, 2013). Many older people migrate to towns like Rockaway Beach to open small businesses and live a relaxing life. After the storm, the population declined, the median age decreased, and the unemployment rate increased by nearly a third (Nycopendat.org, 2015). “Before Hurricane Sandy,” Zach Chaney recalls, “it was a lively, vibrant place. Artists loved it here. Lots of scenery to absorb and there were always people to talk to. The winters were quieter, but you never felt alone.” The construction of the buildings and the waterfront were old and decrepit, but that did not stop tourists and residents from enjoying their time in the neighborhood. Many people living in the neighborhood were uninformed or couldn't afford it, but most residents didn't have flood insurance before 2012. Most thought federal disaster aid was capable of distributing money in the event of a natural disaster. Unfortunately, this is usually never the case. Federal aid is often in the form of short-term government loans for which the homeowner is fully responsible (FEMA, 2014). By not predicting the hurricane's speed, it caught homeowners by surprise, and many didn't have the time or money to purchase expensive insurance (let alone the 30-day waiting period after paying for the policy). After the StormWhen Hurricane Sandy hit, many many of these homes and businesses were ruined. The storm interrupted lifepeace that many people who moved here aspired to. Causing millions of dollars in damage, many were forced to challenge the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, in hopes of repairing or replacing what they had lost. Many citizens rent apartments month-to-month in hopes that their permanent homes will be financed and rebuilt. When I returned to Rockaway Beach, I hung out with my interviewee and we discussed the aftermath of the storm. He reassured me that even after a natural disaster and numerous deaths, the community remained strong. According to him there has never been a loss of hope or a change in the general attitude of the residents. People were still visiting the beach, although covered in debris, and continued to walk along what was left of the boardwalk. Citizens would gather on porches and in public areas to discuss the future and their hopes for the neighborhood after the disaster. When Hurricane Sandy's storm surge finally ended, destruction was widespread throughout the area. Businesses and homes were completely ruined and many of the pieces scattered across the city itself, many were forced out of their buildings and left to fend for themselves. As of April 2017, much of Rockaway Beach has been restored. For years, homeowners and businesses have struggled to keep their doors open and avoid displacement. Nearly two years after the disaster, homes, shops and the famous boardwalk continued to be demolished and in need of reconstruction. Due to complex and extensive government paperwork, the paperwork to repair these buildings can take a long time and be delayed by other small cases. While the city worked hard to keep the community together, it was difficult and citizens have been frustrated ever since. Nearly three years after the storm's devastation, there remained scattered debris, collapsed homes and areas of Rockaway Beach still untouched by FEMA or the local government. Walking around the city gave me an eerie feeling, almost as if the storm had just hit yesterday. Only a few restaurants were active, the parks were still empty and covered in ruined playground equipment, and the locals looked gloomy. Rockaway Beach Solidarity Supporters were forced to band together to solve what may be the biggest challenge Rockaway Beach has faced: recovery. Although already a city devoted to its neighbors, residents had to step out of their comfort zone and express their unity in their determination to rebuild their beloved community. Solidarity spread among citizens and new community groups, activism and economic progress emerged from a disaster that devastated their city. Every year, Rockaway Beach hosts a Hurricane Sandy recovery walk. This walk helps raise money to assist the city and state with storm repairs. Every year since 2013, the walk has raised thousands of dollars that are continually used to help neighbors and public facilities. The march is mainly attended by families and friends of those who were missing or seriously injured during the storm. It is nicknamed the “Remembrance and Recovery” walk for Sandy (Ross, Slattery 2016). When I returned to Rockaway Beach this month, I was amazed. The community was full of people and the boardwalk was crowded again. Walking along the boardwalk, I noticed that the empty businesses and shattered windows were all repaired and the sites filled with new, locally owned businesses. Coffee shops, cafes and art exhibitions once again lined the waterfront. There were bright, colorful lights along the buildings and intricate works of art that.