Mastodon

Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes

  • Saturday / December 8, 2012
Sleeping-With-The-Fishes

Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes

Sonny: What the hell is this?

Clemenza: It’s a Sicilian message. It means Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes.

Dialogue from The Godfather

It may not have been a Sicilian message, but it was as brutal a message as Mario Puzo might have painted in the Godfather. Another assassin struck, and the east coast was its unwilling mark. Sandy was the henchman and the eastern seaboard was Luca. And sadly, all too much of New York and New Jersey now sleeps with the fishes.

None of my pre-Sandy readiness could have prepared me for such brutality, such devastation. When I awoke that Tuesday morning October 30th at 7:00 AM, it was quiet, uneasily quiet. No howling wind, no rain, no train whistles, not even car sounds. It was spooky. I got out of bed and looked out the window. The sky was still gray, but you could see it was clearing. That thug – Sandy – had come and gone in the night. Thankfully, with the help of earplugs, I slept through her menacing howl. Upon waking, I still had no electric. I wasn’t really counting on it. But it sure would have been nice!

I decided immediately to get dressed, eat something, grab my camera, and go see  if my city was indeed in ruins. Without electric, there was not hot water to shower with, even though my heat and hot water come from the same gas-fired on demand system, it takes a spark of electric to ignite the warming flames. I also realised I had no cell phone service. So much for modern technology. I got dressed, grabbed a few crunch bars, a bottle of water, my camera, and decided to take my car and drive around.

Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes

 
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 02

 

Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 03

Got around the block to Sunset Ave and Bond Street and I pulled over. Bond Street was flooded. There were trees down all around. Sunset Lake had overflown its banks, and receded during the night leaving fish stranded in puddles and on the street to die. It was an odd sight to behold — fish out of water. It’s one of those things you’d never think of — fish as storm casualties. But there they were. They looked so helpless, so hopeless, stranded in puddles, awaiting their fate. Doing what fish do — swimming. And stressing. If fish can stress.

Within that same area there were some huge trees down, luckily none had hit houses, yet.

 

Hurricane Sandy Aftermath: Sunset & Bond
01 of 10 - Hurricane Sandy - Sunset & Bond

01 of 10 - Hurricane Sandy - Sunset & Bond

02 of 10 - Hurricane Sandy - Sunset & Bond

02 of 10 - Hurricane Sandy - Sunset & Bond

03 of 10 - Hurricane Sandy - Sunset & Bond

03 of 10 - Hurricane Sandy - Sunset & Bond

04 of 10 - Hurricane Sandy - Sunset & Bond

04 of 10 - Hurricane Sandy - Sunset & Bond

05 of 10 - Hurricane Sandy - Sunset & Bond

05 of 10 - Hurricane Sandy - Sunset & Bond

06 of 10 - Hurricane Sandy - Sunset & Bond

06 of 10 - Hurricane Sandy - Sunset & Bond

07 of 10 - Hurricane Sandy - Sunset & Bond

07 of 10 - Hurricane Sandy - Sunset & Bond

08 of 10 - Hurricane Sandy - Sunset & Bond

08 of 10 - Hurricane Sandy - Sunset & Bond

09 of 10 - Hurricane Sandy - Sunset & Bond

09 of 10 - Hurricane Sandy - Sunset & Bond

10 of 10 - Hurricane Sandy - Sunset & Bond

10 of 10 - Hurricane Sandy - Sunset & Bond

Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 1
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 2
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 3
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 4
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 5
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 6
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 7
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 8
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 9
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 10

 

 

Ocean-Ave-@-4th-After2

 

 

Ocean-Ave-@-4th-Before2

Next I started traveling east up Sunset toward the boardwalk. Before I got to Kingsley Ave I realized it would be easier for me to just leave my car and do the rest of my journey by foot. I parked around Kingsley and 5th Ave and started walking towards the boardwalk.

I don’t know why I expected to see more damage than I did. Not to say there wasn’t any, there certainly was. But somehow fish in the street and downed trees didn’t seem like much. Mind you, I had not seen the news or any other areas for days. But so far, my sense was, Asbury was spared.

As I moved towards Kingsley the police presence was abundant. There was some flooding around Kingsley and Sunset, but not much else. And you couldn’t really tell if the flooding was leaf clogged storm drains or the Atlantic doing a little traveling.

 

Hurricane Sandy Aftermath: Sunset & Kingsley
01 od 07 - Hurricane Sandy - Sunset & Kingsley

01 od 07 - Hurricane Sandy - Sunset & Kingsley

02 od 07 - Hurricane Sandy - Sunset & Kingsley

02 od 07 - Hurricane Sandy - Sunset & Kingsley

03 od 07 - Hurricane Sandy - Sunset & Kingsley

03 od 07 - Hurricane Sandy - Sunset & Kingsley

04 od 07 - Hurricane Sandy - Sunset & Kingsley

04 od 07 - Hurricane Sandy - Sunset & Kingsley

05 od 07 - Hurricane Sandy - Sunset & Kingsley

05 od 07 - Hurricane Sandy - Sunset & Kingsley

06 od 07 - Hurricane Sandy - Sunset & Kingsley

06 od 07 - Hurricane Sandy - Sunset & Kingsley

07 od 07 - Hurricane Sandy - Sunset & Kingsley

07 od 07 - Hurricane Sandy - Sunset & Kingsley

Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 11
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 12
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 13
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 14
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 15
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 16
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 17

 

It wasn’t until I hit Ocean Ave I saw the ravages of Sandy. It looked like, what I can only imagine a war zone might look like. Sand covering the street, as if a sand-bomb exploded. Sand bags lying willy nilly all over the street, having been moved by great currents of water. My heart slowly sank. The emotion of what had happened was starting to set in. The shock and awe of it all, literally. What was once a vibrant seashore town only a few months earlier, was turned into a disaster in a matter of hours.

As I walked along Ocean Ave I could hear police and other first responders telling people to get off Ocean Ave and move towards Kingsley. Hearing that, I just walked like I was moving towards Kingsley but stayed on Ocean Ave taking pictures as fast as I could. At one point I was able to walk up onto the boardwalk. I was at Ocean and 4th, right next to Madam Marie’s. I raised my camera photographed Madam Marie’s and then looking south down the boardwalk started snapping, in rapid succession, as many frames as I could as I turned to look north up the boardwalk towards Convention Hall.

All the while I can hear a policeman on his car bullhorn telling me to leave. At one point he got out of the car and started walking towards me. Knowing I had to leave, I turned and started walking towards him. He asked, “didn’t you hear me?” No, I said, with my hood up and wind in my ears … couldn’t hear you … sorry. He then told me to get to Kingsley … NOW! Being the jerk … I mean the diligent photographer I am … I kept walking towards the Stone Pony taking photos as I went, still on Ocean Ave. At one point I even photographed a policeman motioning me to move off Ocean Ave. Yeah … right.
 

Hurricane Sandy Aftermath: Ocean Ave & Boardwalk
01 of 19 - Hurricane Sandy - Ocean Ave & The Boardwalk

01 of 19 - Hurricane Sandy - Ocean Ave & The Boardwalk

02 of 19 - Hurricane Sandy - Ocean Ave & The Boardwalk

02 of 19 - Hurricane Sandy - Ocean Ave & The Boardwalk

03 of 19 - Hurricane Sandy - Ocean Ave & The Boardwalk

03 of 19 - Hurricane Sandy - Ocean Ave & The Boardwalk

04 of 19 - Hurricane Sandy - Ocean Ave & The Boardwalk

04 of 19 - Hurricane Sandy - Ocean Ave & The Boardwalk

05 of 19 - Hurricane Sandy - Ocean Ave & The Boardwalk

05 of 19 - Hurricane Sandy - Ocean Ave & The Boardwalk

06 of 19 - Hurricane Sandy - Ocean Ave & The Boardwalk

06 of 19 - Hurricane Sandy - Ocean Ave & The Boardwalk

07 of 19 - Hurricane Sandy - Ocean Ave & The Boardwalk

07 of 19 - Hurricane Sandy - Ocean Ave & The Boardwalk

08 of 19 - Hurricane Sandy - Ocean Ave & The Boardwalk

08 of 19 - Hurricane Sandy - Ocean Ave & The Boardwalk

09 of 19 - Hurricane Sandy - Ocean Ave & The Boardwalk

09 of 19 - Hurricane Sandy - Ocean Ave & The Boardwalk

10 of 19 - Hurricane Sandy - Ocean Ave & The Boardwalk

10 of 19 - Hurricane Sandy - Ocean Ave & The Boardwalk

11 of 19 - Hurricane Sandy - Ocean Ave & The Boardwalk

11 of 19 - Hurricane Sandy - Ocean Ave & The Boardwalk

12 of 19 - Hurricane Sandy - Ocean Ave & The Boardwalk

12 of 19 - Hurricane Sandy - Ocean Ave & The Boardwalk

13 of 19 - Hurricane Sandy - Ocean Ave & The Boardwalk

13 of 19 - Hurricane Sandy - Ocean Ave & The Boardwalk

14 of 19 - Hurricane Sandy - Ocean Ave & The Boardwalk

14 of 19 - Hurricane Sandy - Ocean Ave & The Boardwalk

15 of 19 - Hurricane Sandy - Ocean Ave & The Boardwalk

15 of 19 - Hurricane Sandy - Ocean Ave & The Boardwalk

16 of 19 - Hurricane Sandy - Ocean Ave & The Boardwalk

16 of 19 - Hurricane Sandy - Ocean Ave & The Boardwalk

17 of 19 - Hurricane Sandy - Ocean Ave & The Boardwalk

17 of 19 - Hurricane Sandy - Ocean Ave & The Boardwalk

18 of 19 - Hurricane Sandy - Ocean Ave & The Boardwalk

18 of 19 - Hurricane Sandy - Ocean Ave & The Boardwalk

19 of 19 - Hurricane Sandy - Ocean Ave & The Boardwalk

19 of 19 - Hurricane Sandy - Ocean Ave & The Boardwalk

Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 18
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 19
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 20
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 21
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 22
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 23
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 24
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 25
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 26
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 27
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 28
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 29
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 30
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 31
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 32
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 33
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 34
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 35
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 36

 
On some level I was relieved. I thought that things would be so much worse than they were. For the most part, as far as my eyes could see, the boardwalk was mostly intact. The only visible damage was a bit of railing and boardwalk ripped up and displaced. The children’s beach playground pushed and twisted like a pretzel into the boardwalk. Stores being flooded. Loss of merchandise and livelihood. But I know in hindsight, we were extremely lucky. The entire boardwalk could have been pummeled and washed away … to sleep with the fishes, like so many towns both north and south of us. The businesses that lined the boardwalk could be completely gone. Yes there was still physical destruction … but nowhere near what could have been. The most spectacular thing I encountered, was the Crepe Shop being lifted from it roost on the Boardwalk and floated, pushed, shoved, to its new resting place, several hundred feet across Ocean Ave. But even in Sandy’s furry it still remained upright. Maybe a fitting metaphor for Asbury Park itself.
 

Hurricane Sandy Aftermath: On The Way Back Home
01 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

01 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

02 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

02 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

03 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

03 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

04 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

04 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

05 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

05 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

06 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

06 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

07 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

07 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

08 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

08 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

09 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

09 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

10 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

10 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

11 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

11 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

12 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

12 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

13 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

13 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

14 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

14 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

15 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

15 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

16 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

16 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

17 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

17 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

18 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

18 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

19 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

19 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

20 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

20 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

21 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

21 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

22 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

22 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

23 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

23 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

24 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

24 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

25 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

25 of 25 - Hurricane Sandy - On The Way Back Home

Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 37
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 38
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 39
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 40
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 41
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 42
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 43
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 44
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 45
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 46
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 47
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 48
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 49
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 50
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 51
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 52
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 53
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 54
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 55
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 56
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 57
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 58
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 59
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 60
Hurricane Sandy: Sleeping With The Fishes 61

 
As I continued walking toward Main Street down 1st Ave, more downed trees, more debris, a little siding missing from a house, and even more downed trees. But no homes leveled beyond repair. A smashed glass window on an empty storefront on Main Street. But nothing gut wrenchingly catastrophic. I realize statements like these are relative. As I walked back to my car I realized … in the scheme of things, Asbury Park did come through this determined and upright.

It was time to see how the rest of the world fared.

Post Navigation
Tags:
Avatar

Joe Streno

artist . musician . photographer . retired apple computer consultant . residing on planet earth with his two cats rudie, & rocco & living to tell tales about it

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments