Apres Le Deluge

i had an opportunity to visit Fire Island

~ and stay overnight ~ this past weekend

~ it was also a chance to view the damage

~ resulting from Hurricane Sandy

~ which battered the island last Halloween, October 31st

the night before i arrived ~ Thursday, April 25th

~ had been a full moon ~ which remained beautiful

~ through the next evening ~ Friday

~

below :: the (almost) full moon reflects off a very dark ocean

the next morning ~ Saturday, April 27th

~ was brilliant and even felt a bit warm

~ so ~ armed with my trusty Samsung cell-phone

~ off i went ~ to explore the local environs

~ 
the beach was significantly shortened
~ from its usual width ~ of 30 to 40 yards 

with waves now breaking ~ only 10 meters or less 

~ from the steps of the rebuilt stairs 

~

altho extensive repair work was evident everywhere

~ there is still much to be done

~

it was sad to see how much of the sand 

had been lost to the waves

~ i presume some of it is seasonal

~ but there was an awful lot of beach missing 

~

~

i liked the repair job done on these steps

~ i guess it makes the beach more accessible

~ altho ~ i wouldn't want to whip down that ramp

~ on a golfcart ~ and hit the sand with any speed

~ it would likely catapult you over to the Isle of Wight

~

~

everywhere ~ you could see the 'new wood' 

~ joined to what was still standing after the storm

~

the 'replacement' wood had a slight greenish tinge
~ that stood out ~ against the more aged lumber

~

~

it was rare to see planks missing from the boardwalks

~ throughout the entire community
~

i understand that boardwalk repair
~ was a very high post-Sandy priority

~ because the little electric carts, mini-trucks and motorized dollies

~ are the primary means of cargo transport around the island 

~~

~ so ~ the first thing that had to be done

~ was to fix "the broken roads"

~ which, in turn, allowed the necessary flow of materiel

~

most of that work was already complete
the break above was one of only a very few exceptions

~ altho the damaged planks were lying around ~ everywhere

~    

anyone who has visited Fire Island

~ knows that deer populate the few 'wilderness' areas

~

there were still a good number there ~ this weekend

~ altho ~ how they survived that terrible storm

~ on this tiny little spit of sand ~ with very little available shelter

~ is another one of nature's many mysteries

~

~

fortunately ~ the Belvedere came thru the storm

~ relatively unscathed ~ considering it sits on the Bay side

~ nevertheless ~ there was still quite a bit of damage
~ and it's now undergoing extensive repairs 

~

~ but ~ at least ~ my favorite summer place is still there
~ and will open in time for the season !!!
~

  

~

from every indication i could see

~ the damage done to the interiors of the homes

~ must have been quite extensive
altho the damage was far greater on the northern Bay-side
~
the high dunes apparently saved a great number of folks
~ on the ocean side ~ which took the brunt of the winds
~ 

while i presume ~ some pre-season, Spring cleaning is inevitable

~ what i saw ~ was well beyond the usual 'repair and replace' scene
~ almost every home i passed ~ had piles of damaged household items

~

~

the destruction i saw ~ was significant and widespread

~ i remember thinking that everything but the kitchen sink

~ was stacked up and awaiting the garbage carts

~ then ~ sadly ~ i even spotted a kitchen sink

~ 

~

the homes along the Bay ~ were particularly hard hit

~ as the Bay simply rose up ~ several feet

~ and engulfed entire properties

~ some of which ~ appeared to be no longer habitable

~

~

i woke up Saturday morning

~ to the sound of songbirds, hammers and electric saws

~ and ~ while there are still very few folks out there

~ everyone was seriously engaged in cleaning up

~ tossing out ~ and/or repairing what was damaged

~

there are still infrequent ferry crossings

~ and the dock was unusually quiet

~ the entire time i was there

~

~

when a boat did dock on the pier

~ inevitably ~ it was filled with new refrigerators ~ stoves ~ tables

~ and skids upon skids of fresh lumber

~

~

and so ~ it begins again

~ an endless cycle

~

Mother Nature is the Queen of Fire Island

~ she shakes her head

~ and rattles her loins

 ~ she rolls ~ and troubles ~ the water

~ with a mighty, mighty roar

~

~

   

~

" And it came to pass in the six-hundredth and first year,

in the first month,

the first day of the month,

the waters were dried up from off the earth

and Noah removed the covering from the ark,

and looked, and ~ Behold !!

~ the face of the ground was dry. "

                     

                        ~ Genesis  8:13

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