Occupy Wall Street & Local Community Provide Thanksgiving Feast at St. Mark’s Church

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On Thursday several hundred people showed up at the church in lower Manhattan to enjoy a holiday feast provided by affiliates of Occupy Wall Street, as well as church members and people in the nearby communities.

The idea was advertised to provide relief for victims of Hurricane Sandy, but organiser Jessica Alfreds said “there’s a lot of people in this neighbourhood who just on a regular day have a hard time coming up with three meals a day,” including the homeless, who made up a good portion of the visitors in the afternoon. Among the Sandy survivors was a widow  in her 70s from the Ukraine named Jenny, a resident of Brighton Beach and US resident since 1992. Unable to return to her apartment since the evacuation by police last month, she has been living with friends in a temporary space. Jenny’s apartment building, which was featured in the NY Daily News is contaminated with a “toxic brew” of fuel and seawater, and this was as of the article’s printing on November 18 (see here).

Not only is she among the most vulnerable, but she has few options available to her. “It’s too dangerous to come back,” Jenny said of the building. Te Daily News headline called it “Stinkiest building in Brooklyn,” and it had “nauseating fumes” that cause people to “gag,” which can lead to a whole host of health problems. To add to that is the fact he building remains without heat or electricity. Though initially unaware of the meal, she was asked to go inside by a woman on the street. After sitting down to eat, she said of the Thanksgiving meal, “I’m so thankful up to tears there’s an event.”  This is not the only disaster Jenny has lived through. Jenny is a survivor of the German and Soviet occupations of Ukraine during and after WWII, and she was present in Ukraine when the Chernobyl nuclear reactor exploded, spewing radioactive isotopes into the atmosphere in 1986. Jenny does not know where she will go on Sunday once the family she is staying with has to leave, but left the church with a bitter-sweet smile, hoping for better days.

Among the numerous volunteers, including a number of them who met organisers for the first time as they delivered food from as far away as Long Island, was Deb from Queens, who brought along her two young daughters, Rachel and Arielle. They had carpooled with five other people to deliver blankets, three of which were paid for with funds of Deb’s friend in Canada who was eager to help. When taking a much needed break and to have a bite to eat, one of the girls said the food was “nice” and that she “love[s] helping people.” And help feed a number of people they did.

The church, once the former property of the last Dutch governor of New Amsterdam Peter Stuyvesant and home to his final resting place, saw at least several hundred people get fed, including a number of African Americans – and Mr. Stuyvesant might be rolling in his grave if he knew the church was serving free black people, himself a slave owner and no friend of Africans. How things have changed. Those who were there expressed a sense of solidarity and community surprising to some as it was the first time many had met each other. When governor of New York, Daniel Thompkins asked the legislature to outlaw slavery by 1827 in a gradual way, which was acted upon and made law. He lies in the same churchyard, not far from Mr. Stuyvesant – the former a reminder of the way things once were and the latter a voice for change in some ways that people from Occupy might admire. As what is left of Occupy strives to help the less fortunate and the poor, he sheer diversity of the crowd is a testament to the sort of change that is already taking place from helping survivors in Read Hook or Far Rockaway to just average people on the street in Manhattan, including doing so at great personal risk as they are constantly exposed to a mix of toxic dust, asbestos, lead paint, gypsum and a host of other contaminants. This is the change the government and NGO’s like the Red Cross have largely failed to bring.

Staff Reporter

Civis Journal

My Fox NY Inaccurately Reported on the pro-Gaza Protest at Times Square

This man, taken into custody by police, was thrown to the ground by police when witnesses said he appeared to resist arrest. Though Fox News NY claims this protest “remained peaceful,” he lay in a pool of his own blood, some of it covering his face. Taken at Times Square on Sunday, November 18, 2012 at the barricades in front of the pro-Palestinian rally on support of Gaza.

A group of Palestinians and their supporters, including Jewish members of the group NKUSA, held a rally in Times Square on Sunday afternoon to protest Israeli attacks on Gaza and to show solidarity with Palestinians. A group of pro-Israeli supporters set themselves up directly across the street from the Palestinians, but they moved further away when tensions grew, insults were traded and violence looked like it might ensue. At some points it did, though you would not know it if  you listened to Fox News or others stations that covered the event.

At about 4:30 pm two men in support of the Israeli went into the middle of the street next to the police barricades, approached the Palestinian group and began to taunt them. A small number of men from the pro-Palestinian side jumped over the barricade, and a fight quickly ensued, according to Andrew Wright, an independent journalist and eyewitness of the event. Police nearby formed a ring around the men, making it extremely difficult to tell which side threw the first punch.

At least three men were put in handcuffs and arrested by police, two of whom had visible flags or other markings identifying them with the Palestinian side, including the man in the pictures with a bloodied face. It was not clear if one of the three men arrested at the scene was from the pro-Israeli side, as police physically blocked journalists from taking pictures and forced them to leave the area.

In a video report posted on the My Fox NY News website, posted just after the protest, entitled “NYC reaction to conflict in Middle East,” reporter Stacey Delikat claimed that “those demonstrations in Time Square did remain peaceful.” (fast forward to 02:03 in the video) This is simply incorrect. Ms. Delikat should have been aware of the violence because in the same report she says that police told My Fox News NY, the company for which she filed her report, that they “are expecting more [protests by pro-Palestinian supporters] like them in the coming weeks.”

A man with markings that appeared to identify him with the pro-Palestinian side of the rally was tackled by police after eyewitnesses said he had resisted arrest when police tried to break up a fight between Jews and Palestinians in Times Square on Sunday, November 18, 2012. Police handled him pretty roughly, and can be seen pushing his head into the pavement.

Ms. Delikat also mentioned that “earlier today there was a heavy police presence in Times Square.” Might the “heave police presence” have something to do with the tensions the two groups have due to the escalating violence in Gaza? Her video focused instead efforts of peace between Israelis and Palestinians in New York, which is real but is not the whole story as the pictures make clear.

AM New York, a free daily that is given to people as they enter the subways on their way to work, also covered the same protest. Their article by Sheila Feeney, entitled “Pro and anti Israel demonstrators both rally in Times Square,” says “It was unclear if any arrests were made in connection with the demonstrations yesterday.” It looked pretty clear to those on the scene that at least three men were detained, put in handcuffs and taken away by police. Two independent journalists are on record saying they saw these men being arrested. Details about what happened to them afterwards have not been reported publicly, but eyewitnesses said the man with the bloodied face had tried to resist arrest, which was why he was tackled by police. Was there not at least one arrest then?

PressTV, which is an Iranian station, filed a video report by Hank Flynn entitled “New Yorkers urge Israel to end war on Gaza.” It too failed to mention violence at the NYC protest in its report either, though they had been seen in the area round the time of the violence filming by reporter Andrews, cited earlier.

When contacted and shown a copy of the photos, the Associated Press said “Unfortunately the photos have lost their news value – they arrived a day after the protest,” and was not interested in publishing them. Fox NY News could not be reached for comment, and the managing editor at AM New York was unable to be reached, even though he was called several times. PressTV’s offices are in Iran, with no local number listed on their website.

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Not only was there violence at the protest, but from the very beginning of the rally at 2:40 pm, there was a lot of tension and events looked like they might easily get out of control, at least until the two groups were separated by police to an even greater distance. One man in the pro-Palestinian group made threatening gestures towards the Israeli side early on in the protest, first giving the middle finger and then putting his hand in the shape of gun and doing a mock shooting.

Additionally, several people from the pro-Israeli side were observed walking over to Jewish members in support of the Palestinian side, saying inaudible words in Hebrew and, in at least one case, spitting on Jewish members of NKUSA, according to Mr. Wright. It is no wonder the police had to separate the groups, and there had to be a “heavy police presence.” The majority of people on both sides were non-violent, including 50 or so members of the pro-Israeli and several hundred members of the pro-Palestinian side, but there were violent incidents and clear signs of threats. Is it accurate to claim the rallies were “peaceful”?
Megacast News

Midland Beach’s Dust Plume a Health Hazard to area Residents and Workers

These sanitation workers, removing rubbish and debris on November 4th had no masks to protect their lungs from potentially harmful dust.

The removal of debris from homes is certainly welcome to the residents whose homes had to be gutted after Hurricane Sandy immersed entire basements and even engulfed the first floors with seawater. The risk of physical harm from improper removal of hazardous materials, however, is a real and serious threat the local government authorities appear to be doing absolutely nothing about, even though it is aware of the potential risks to people’s health.

There is, first of all, the risk to of exposure to gypsum, crystalline silica (connected with silicosis) and mica (connected with pneumoconiosisa), common materials used in the construction of drywall used to cover walls in the majority of American homes. Each of these materials is a potential hazard if inhaled.

Then there is the problem of lead paint, used in many homes before the 1970’s. A number of the homes in the Midland Beach area were constructed when lead paint was still in use, and it is reasonable to assume that at least some of them had lead paint on their walls or ceilings when Sandy struck. With the mass removal of drywall and other building materials from these homes – literally just ripped out of the homes and dumped on the lawn, sidewalk and street – one has to wonder at the level of contaminants are being released into the air. It is not a question of if there are contaminants, but one of how much toxic materials are being released. As drywall is broken apart, the paint on it can crumble and turn to dust, which is easily   released into the air people have to breathe.

These marines have no visible respiratory protection, putting them to potentially toxic dust.

In addition, a good number of the people removing the materials are not trained professionals, but homeowners, military personnel and volunteers eager to help those in need. Of the dozens upon dozens of residents our journalists observed removing debris in their walks through the Midland Beach area, at least a 20% had no masks at all, while the majority wore cheap white masks that can be purchased in any hardware shop. Unfortunately these masks offer insufficient protection from dust particles. Less than a pitiful handful were observed wearing masks that could even be considered appropriate for such an environment, which might not have been enough to deal with the dust cloud on November 6th that pervaded the air like an infectious fog.

Even those who are not directly involved in the removal of debris are at risk, such as people passing by, drivers or even volunteers helping distribute supplies. First responders are at risk as well. Virtually none of the police, military or Red Cross workers that our journalists observed had respirators or masks on of any sort (there were a few Red Cross workers with inadequate masks). Marines sent to Staten Island, for example, were photographed by the NY Post removing debris without any respiratory protection. In the same news report sanitation workers have on masks, though they appear to be the inappropriate white masks many residents were using. Even worse, on Sunday one of our reporters saw numerous sanitation crews removing debris and rubbish with no masks at all.

In a pamphlet produced by the New York State Health Department for Environmental Health for homeowners entitled “What Homeowners Need to Know about Lead Paint,” it recommends they keep pregnant women and children away from chipped paint or dust, and that most work on lead paint- as directed by federal law – should done by EPA-certified contractors (2502 1/2003). There certainty are professionals doing work in the Midland Beach area, but there are some who have taken it upon themselves to remove debris on their own.

In addition to the aforementioned, there is the concern about asbestos in the air. In an article dealing with this very topic, the Huffington Post highlighted the dangers residents may be facing in an article published on November 3rd (here). It cited Linda Reinstein  of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Association who said, “The collateral damage will be untold for decades,” which is sometimes the length of time exposure can lead to sickness. And since no amount of asbestos exposure is considered safe, it is difficult to know how much exposure will cause cancer. What doctors do agree on, though, is that is vital to limit exposure to asbestos as much as possible. How can residents, workers and people passing through the area on their way to work avoid airborne dust particles that may include asbestos, lead, gypsum, silicia or other toxic dust? What actions have the city, state and federal agencies taken to warn people on Staten Island of the potential hazards? Based on what our journalists saw last week and especially on Wednesday afternoon with a construction vehicle crushing debris and drywall and releasing all sorts of dust into the air, it would appear the answer is absolutely nothing. After so many frist responders and residents in the World Trade Centre area after September 11, 2001 were exposed to toxic dust and the many possibly related deaths and sicknesses (some estimate 1000 deaths), what excuse is there on the part of the authorities not to take the necessary precautions to safeguard the population?

The longer large amounts of dust are released into the air – such as on Wednesday – people’s health is going to be at risk, to say nothing of those removing debris or touching harmful material. It is difficult to see how terrible air quality is in itself not a serious hazard to people’s health. One of our journalists, for example, who visited the area on Wednesday for just a few minutes is already experiencing respiratory problems, including irritation, shortness of breath and difficulty breathing. There was nothing the authorities could do to stop Hurricane Sandy. But there are many things the authorities could have done to prevent this dust cloud, and there are things they can do to prevent it from coming back as removal work continues. This is entirely preventible, but the lessons of 9/11/01 at ground zero and the Staten Island landfill seem to be forgotten. The residents, workers and volunteers will bear the brunt of any toxic dust in the years to come, and can rest assured that their elected officials did little to prevent them and their children from being exposed to possible health hazards in the air.

Civis Journal

People in the Midland Beach area Residents of Staten Island May Be Exposed to Toxic Dust

This picture was taken at Midland Beach at the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Father Capodano Boulevard on Sunday, November 4th. Journalists with Civis Journal reported no unusual air quality problems. However, when visiting the same area on Tuesday, November 6th our crew immediately felt unsafe and had to cancel their trip due to possible health concerns over the highly visible presence of dust.

Whilst going down to visit the Midland Beach area that was affected by Hurricane Sandy, one journalist and a photographer had to cut short their intended trip when they saw what appeared to be excessive dust clouds in the air. As they approached Lincoln Ave and Father Capodano Boulevard it looked as if there were sand in the air. Upon closer inspection they witnessed a sanitation or rubbish removal crew piling debris from houses in large container to be hauled away. One walked about to take pictures while the other went back to his staging area to get face masks. On his return the pair attached the masks and limited themselves to only 10 minutes of photography due to the fact the dust particles in the air were intense.

Whilst they could not say for certain that all of the dust was from the debris being crushed and carted away, there is evidence to believe that most of it is. For one thing there was plenty of sand in the area on Sunday when two journalists visited the area but they did not report any unusual dust in the air. There was no widespread collection of debris in one central location, though there were sanitation trucks carting off debris in small amounts. A number of people on the streets were wearing masks on Tuesday while these journalists observed a far lower number doing the same last Sunday.

If the dust is due to the removal of materials then it is important to consider the possible ramification on residents’ health: older homes – of which there are a number in the area – contain asbestos, which if disturbed or removed in an improper manner has links with cancer. Other materials, which may not be as harmful – such as gypsum used in Sheetrock – are not good to inhale and might lead to respiratory problems.

When the World Trade Centre building were destroyed on September 11, 2001 many first responders and residents in the area became sick and developed a number of symptoms many attribute to the release of toxic debris in the area. There were concerns at the time that the air quality was unsafe and that more needed to be done to protect workers and residents. What measures are being taken to measure, record and monitor the air quality in the Midland Beach area today? The answer to that question is of no small importance to the workers, volunteers and residents of the area. With the knowledge we have gained from past errors, is it not reasonable to seek protective measures to avoid the possible exposure of people to potentially dangerous materials?
Civis Journal

Images of Midland Beach, the Damage of Hurricane Sandy and the Relief Efforts.

A boy holds a doll at the Midland Beach relief centre on Staten Island. Families and residents searched for supplies like food, water and clothing after Hurricane Sandy hit the area.

Hurricane Sandy brought this car to rest on a wall of a house on Father Capodano Blvd.

A child stands next to his father in the freezing wind on Sunday, November 5 at the relief centre at Midland Beach.

This container came to rest on top of two cars after Hurricane Sandy brought it there. Oceanside Avenue and Sand Land, in the South Beach section of Staten Island.

The remains of a Ford Mustang at Midland Beach on Staten Island, which was wrecked in Hurricane Sandy.

This is what remains of a street off of Father Capodano Blvd near Midland Beach on Staten Island. Residents and relief workers walked by the area after Hurricane Sandy hit NYC.

This family looks at baby formula at the Midland Beach relief centre on Staten Island.

Residents on Father Capodano Road emptied the contents of their homes in front after Hurricane Sandy poured water as high as the ceilings of the first apartments. This was a hard hit area by the storm, and residents have many difficult days ahead.

This Ford Explorer rests in the car park at Midland Beach.

Young adults going through clothes at the Midland Beach relief centre on Staten Island.

Food, water and household items piled up at a makeshift relief centre set up apparently by citizens at Ocenaside Avenue and Buel Avenue, close to Midland Beach.

This house, located on Quincy Avenue, was moved off its foundation by Hurricane Sandy on the left across the street where it came to rest.

Residents queue up for petrol at the Midland Beach relief centre on Staten Island.

A man walks away from the gas tanker after a two hour wait on Sunday, November 5th at the relief station at Miller Field.

These men offered food to residents and relief workers off Father Capodano Road and Cherokee. Families and residents received supplies like food & water after Hurricane Sandy hit the area. These volunteers have filled in where government agencies have not.

A hot dog truck lies on its side near Father Capodano Road and Iona Street.

This is how the streets off Father Capodano Road look in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

Volunteers organise clothes at the Midland Beach relief centre on Staten Island.

Two women going through blankets at the Midland Beach relief centre on Staten Island. Families and residents searched for supplies like food, water and clothing after Hurricane Sandy hit the area.

A woman looking for clothes at the Midland Beach relief centre on Staten Island. Families and residents searched for supplies like food, water and clothing after Hurricane Sandy hit the area.

The yacht, the Mooeak, washed up on Midland Beach during Hurricane Sandy.

A child asks for something to be put in his bowl at the Midland Beach relief centre on Staten Island.

These images were taken on Sunday, November 5th at or near the Midland Beach area of Staten Island, one of the three devastated sections of the island. Hurricane Sandy caused the damage seen, and these are the relief efforts to assist residents. There are boats washed up onshore, destroyed houses and a general feeling a war zone in these areas.

Staten Island’s Recovery after Hurricane Sandy

<p><a href=”http://vimeo.com/52768558″>Staten Island’s Recovery after Hurricane Sandy</a> from <a href=”http://vimeo.com/user14475086″>Civis Journal</a> on <a href=”http://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a&gt;.</p>

Civis Journal news went to Staten Island and met with residents as they stood in line to buy fuel, attempted to get relief supplies and deal with the aftermath and recovery of Hurricane Sandy.

Pictures of Staten Island’s Recovery after Hurricane Sandy

Scenes at Miller Field as the Red Cross, National Guard and FEMA workers began to distribute good to local Staten Island residents on Friday, November 2.

These people waited for hours to get gas.

This woman sifted through clothes a Miller Field.

These men worked to unload a truck.

Volunteers spent hours sorting goods at Miller Field.

 

 

 

Staten Island Ignored Until Friday

A large container from a nearby hall washed up on the lawn of a woman a short distance from Miller Field. Water rose 2 metres, destroyed her car and damaged her home.

When residents of Staten Island left their homes to survey the damage after hurricane Sandy, they found they were mostly on their own. Numerous people all across the island complained to journalists about a lack of power, Con Ed repair crews, gasoline, government help and a list of other items.
It was apparent, said many residents, that Staten Island was “forgotten” or “ignored,” which they said was typical of the way NYC treated them. In the New Dorp section lines for petrol stretched from Hylan Boulevard and New Dorp Lane all along Miller Field, with drivers waiting over two hours. Most standing in line seemed in good cheer, though those in vehicles were more likely to be upset. And they had good reason to be. On Friday afternoon, several days after the storm, only a handful of gas stations were open on the island, yet thousands of people were in desperate need to find petrol for a generator – tens of thousands are still without power – or for their cars. With the SI Ferry only being restored as of Friday afternoon, the only way for residents to get to work in other boroughs was to drive; with little or no petrol in other boroughs or NJ, people became very concerned and were willing to stand in the cold wind for as long as it took.

Others were in even worse shape. For those residents just to the side of Miller Field on streets like Weed Avenue, they have been spending most of their time cleaning out what remains of their homes. On street after street in front of house after house residents deposited the former contents of their homes. Couches, sofas, refrigerators, stoves, washing machines, chairs, records, military uniforms – anything and everything one could imagine was awaiting the sanitation. No worries. Since many of the streets remain flooded, it looks like they may have to wait even longer before their rubbish can be collected. And the homeowners are not happy about their situation. Some told stories of swimming in the flood waters of their basements, just able to get out in time before being swept away. They told stories of people they knew personally who did not make it.

A short distance away is Miller Field, where this afternoon the Red Cross, National Guard soldiers, officials from FEMA  are based. Volunteers from as far away as Florida, Indiana and Arkansas drove up to assist; many are sleeping in shelters or factories. They donated their time and energy to help total strangers, and spent the afternoon – along with other volunteers who have been on the scene longer, such as Wheaton Van Lines –  sorting through and trying to pass out clothing, food and other essentials. Just five minutes away on New Dorp Lane local residents complained about the Red Cross’s failure to assist people, seemingly unaware they were operating a stone’s throw away.

Journalists on the scene witnessed more volunteer and emergency workers than Staten Island residents at Miller Field this afternoon, all of which makes one ask what the purpose of the press conference that Janet Napolitano attended was all about.  After all, residents we spoke were eager to have the media cover the problems and show the extent of the damage. Of all the American networks, few bothered to pay any attention to Staten Island until the Guardian of London and even Al Jazeera made them look like they were not doing their jobs. That a TV network based in Qatar can do better coverage than TV stations with permanent offices 12 miles away in Manhattan is just one of many reasons why residents felt they were completely ignored by their own people. Add to this the difficulties: not only are a good portion of the residents without power, some roads are blocked, some streets are flooded, families go without basics; there are those with no petrol for generators or cars, and with no train service 42nd street in Manhattan or connections to Manhattan from downtown Brooklyn, tens of thousands simply have no way of getting to work.
To be sure it is not as bad as Haiti, the Caribbean nation which has lost 51 people in Hurricane Sandy. However, Staten Island has lost 20 people to date, making it the area with the highest casualties in the United States. Having a press conference, taking a few photos and handing out food to a few people when the majority do not even know where to go for relief makes this look like nothing more than a media staged event – at least this is what some local residents said. Staten Islanders did not appear to be fooled, though they were grateful for the sincere efforts by the volunteers and workers. What they were asking was, “Where were they on Tuesday when we needed help?” and “Why does the mayor of NY want to have a marathon in the middle of this disaster?” Needless to say, a lot of people remain in need of real help.
Civis Journal

 

The Aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in NYC

This is a special presentation by a group of journalists who travelled to the outer reaches of NYC to see how the less developed parts are dealing with the storm on October 30th and 31st. They show a small part of the difficulties facing residents of NYC’s most isolated borough, Staten Island. Many residents are still without electricity, and several of the elderly complained of the difficulties staying warm or the effect the cold could have on their medical conditions.
In some of the photos there is a complete lack of order as cars race through streets without traffic signals or police to direct traffic. In the areas with working signals, traffic is more normalm however.  It is also possible to see downed wires hanging right onto sidewalks, the middle of the street and in the open with no cordons or warnings at all. One street off Hylan Boulevard that has extensive damage was cordoned off (Jefferson), but crews have yet to begin work. A reported saw a Con Ed van pull up, take a look at it and then speed off.

Few people were out walking the roads, though there were a number of residents removing debris from their property and trying to pump out flooded basements. During the day our journalists witnessed no trick or treaters, though there were at least a few in the afternoon.
Motorists had to drive around for miles just to find a gas station with electricity. The few open stations were mobbed with drivers willing to wait a half an hour or more to fill a tank, a reminder of what should be done before a storm arrives. Others went to supermarkets just to find some of the frozen sections cordoned off due to spoilage of food in the areas without electricity.

Whilst there were some rude drivers, there were also a large number of people showing concern for neighbours and total strangers. Most people our journalists spoke to indicated a desire to find relatives, check on their loved ones, get supplies or get to work – a daunting task without the SI Ferry, SI Rail or regular bus service (though some bus service is up and running).

NOTE: Click on pictures to enlarge.

Downed tree on Richmond Road near Farrell High School on Staten Island, another sign of the destruction brought on by Hurricane Sandy.

This part of South Railroad Avenue is cordoned off as utility poles lie on the ground and extend over the gate of the Staten Island Railway. Hurricane Sandy caused so much damage to the area that when a Con Ed van drove up to the area to inspect it, its driver sped off a few seconds later.

This wire hangs in the walkway off a street in New Dorp. Hurricane Sandy left a number of potentially hazardous situations for residents on Staten Island.

This fallen tree damaged a house near Hylan Boulevard. A number of large trees fell in the area after Hurricane Sandy hit Staten Island.

This flooded street is on the south shore of Staten Island where residents complained of power shortages, flooding and being without heat after Hurricane Sandy brought in its waves of destruction.

This street, located nearby, shows some of the flooding residents have to endure. Many lost all of their belongings, and a greater number are without electricity. These residents in the New Dorp section of Staten Island saw power outages and major flooding to their homes, with many losing everything they owned.

This street has partially submerged cars. In the background is is possible to see flooded homes off of New Dorp Lane. This was typical of a number of streets near Miller Field on Staten Island after Hurricane Sandy hit the area.

Parts of Hylan Boulevard are flooded as police set up blocks in a vain attempt to prevent motorists to drive through the water. Despite being about half a metre deep, some in 4X4’s tried to get across. This street had flooding in a number of areas after Hurricane Sandy flooded hundreds, possibly thousands of nearby homes.

The cars on the right waiting for petrol near the Staten Island Expressway. Motorists had to wait about half an hour, but this was one of the only stations open for miles. Hurricane Sandy saw line for gas residents said they had not seen since the 1970s, with two plus hour waits in most places (the majority had no electric or petrol at all).

Wires hanging into the street with traffic and people going by. This street, Duer Lane, is in the Silver Lake section of Staten Island, which saw minimal damage after Hurricane Sandy devastated nearby areas.

A child rides his bike between a fallen tree and downed wires near the Snug Harbor section of Staten Island. Damage like this was typical after Hurricane Sandy hit the area.

A large tree on its side after Hurricane Sandy hit this part of Staten Island.

Hurricane Sandy left wire hanging in the middle of the street near Snug Harbour as cars and people by. This street was open to traffic on Staten Island despite any possible hazards.

This tree lies on its side after Hurricane Sandy hit this part of Staten Island, leaving the sidewalk ruined.

This tree made the street impassable in the New Dorp area of Staten Island after Hurricane Sandy hit the island.

The sidewalk broke apart under the weight of the tree as it fell. This is how a number of trees looked after Hurricane Sandy hit Staten Island.

This sidewalk is about two metres high and the road is impassable, with residents saying they are trying to stay warm, a difficult task without electricity. This is in the West Brighton area of Staten Island, which saw damage from Hurricane Sandy.

This tree simply snapped in half due to Hurricane Sandy hitting Staten Island.

This tree, in falling, brought up the entire sidewalk and landed on a house in West Brighton. Hurricane Sandy felled a number of trees in this area of Staten Island.

This house in West Brighton had a huge tree fall on it after Hurricane Sandy hit Staten Island and damaged the area.

A house damaged by a tree that fell on it as a result of Hurricane Sandy. It is in the West Brighton section of Staten Island.

This tree caused extensive damage to this car when it fell on it during Hurricane Sandy. This car is in the West Brighton section of Staten Island.

A downed tree that lifted up a sidewalk with residents chatting nearby in West Brighton on Staten Island, taken just after Hurricane Sandy devastated the area.

A resident uses a generator for electricity because in many areas service has not yet been restored. This home is in the New Dorp section of Staten Island, taken just after Hurricane Sandy left its damage in the area.