No Warning

1/4 Hurricane Sandy experiences from Canarsie, Brooklyn

(A flooded parking lot to the left is a part of Seaview Estates condominium which was badly damaged by Hurricane Sandy)

Steve who is not African-American and who decided not to give his last name has lived in the Seaview Estates condominium for eight years. His unit is on the first level and it directly faces the inlet from Jamaica Bay that stretches into Canarsie. This is how he remembers the night of October 29th.

“I stayed because Hurricane Irene didn’t do anything major over here and that was supposed to be worst. But by the time the first tide came at eight in the morinig, I knew this was going to be different. The water had already reached the top of the pillars [that dots the bay wall along the back of Seaside Estates.]

When the water started to come onto the balcony, I started sweeping it away but it just kept coming. Around 8 o’clock that night, the second tide came and that was the one that did us in. Next thing I know there’s water coming through my front door. That’s when I tried to leave.

When I got to the front of the building water was everywhere. It was about waist deep by then. My neighbors were yelling ‘Go back inside, you can’t make it.”

Everything receded by 10 PM. The thing is this area could have been saved. If someone had warned us we could’ve bought sand bags and been prepared. We were forgotten. I’m humble because it could’ve been worst. I just lost stuff that’s replaceable.”

According to Steve’s neighbors the underground garage of Seaside Estates flooded within forty five minutes of the second tide and ruined about 200 cars. Five days later the garage is still partially filled with water. Due to the shortage of gas, the hired contractors say its difficult for them to take away large quantities of water at one time.