E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
David Friedman / NBC News
Betty Vetterick, above, stands outside her devastated beachfront summer home in Rockaway Point, N.Y., on Friday. Vetterick and her husband Dick drove from their winter home in Akron, Ohio, to see the damage Superstorm Sandy caused to the house her family has owned for 42 or 43 years. They found the structure shifted several feet off its foundation by the storm surge, teetering at odd angles and with very few salvageable items inside. Still Vetterick is hopeful her family and the community will bounce back, saying it's a "wonderful community and everbody stands up for everybody. We'll make it, but it's going to be a long, hard pull."
Below, linens and dishes, open to the elements and in a listing cupboard, survived the devastation of the Vettericks' home. More images from the devastation and clean-up in Rockaway Point and Breezy Point appear below.
David Friedman / NBC News
David Friedman / NBC News
David Friedman / NBC News
A snapshot found among the debris.
David Friedman / NBC News
Men work with a chainsaw to clear debris from a footpath.
David Friedman / NBC News
A child's toy truck among the debris.
David Friedman / NBC News
Superstorm Sandy's flood waters are pumped back to the beach from the Wedge section of Breezy Point, where more than 100 homes burned in the height of the storm.
David Friedman / NBC News
A house along the edge of the burned-out Wedge section.
David Friedman / NBC News
Leave a Comment:
My heart goes out to all of you! Thank you Father above for the help you all have, and I ask that more is on the way. And whomever decided to use black/white/sepia for these pictures...outstanding choice! You all are not alone. You are in many thousands of prayers! I wish I was there...I would be one to be turned away...but...I wouldn't allow that to happen. I'd be doing whatever it took to help you all get back on your feet.
Please people when you look at these pictures and see the devastation don't talk about how other disaster relief did not include free gas or how they are getting free money from your taxes. This is a level of devastation that is incomprehensible. They tried to prepare for this storm but it did even more damage then was forecast. How do you prepare for a storm the likes of which none of us have ever seen. Did people deserve help in Katrina hit? Of course they did. Did they deserve help when Ike hit? Of course they did. But this is different. You cannot possibly know what any of these people are experiencing in the most densely populated part of the United States. Let them get the help that they are being offered after all they have paid their fair share of taxes just like you. Wish them peace or prayers or whatever you can. Donate to the Red Cross if you so desire. But if you have nothing good to say then just don't say anything because negativity and judgement is not what these people need or deserve right now.
Donate to the Salvation Army. Ask any veteran.
I'm all for tax dollars to make a dyke wall around the NYC/Long Island area just like they have in Amsterdam, Netherlands. This type of wipeout shouldn't happen in the richest country in the world who also has the best engineers.
Scientists a few years back warned this would happen when they saw the currents shift in the ocean coupled with other factors. People did not believe it could after many false alarms as storms continued to develop and march off to the east instead of coming inland. All it takes is one and the way beachfront propery is through the roof in the affected areas where will they build the dikes? Rich folks with property on the ocean are not going to want that to happen. Now as to the recovery we can see progress. It is going to be slow and some are going to hate that fact but everythng is being done that can be in order to get people back to as normal as it can be. Of course there will be many who are too impatient to stand progress that is not immediate but they must as this is new ground we are walking on. Myself i have sent money to three organizations of my choice that I know will funnel the majority of that meny to the assistance of the people in need. My city sent 200 linesmen to the area to help restore power which now I hear at least in NYC is almost back. A message to those up there who are suffering help each other share what you have with other until this is righted.
BEAUTIFUL and HEART WRENCHING PICTURES ALL AT THE SAME TIME.
My heart goes out to these people,I feel so bad for them.Looking at these pictures is a punch in the gut, a reminder of the Black and White Pictures from the Flood of 1955.
I wish these people the best and I'll pray for them.
I KNOW THEY WILL COME BACK BETTER THAN EVER! GOD BLESS!
Every year we have tornados Hurricanes Floods wildfires and we always recover. Americans are great at recovering from anything and this will be both a lesson and a triumph in the end.
Their good photos except I feel like I'm in the Matrix with the grey/green hue...The pictures were emotional and powerful by themselves without the photographer adding a filter...
Hey, Im from NJ. These are all rich people that never had to wait more than 5 minutes for a fuel tank, do not know what it is to be without food or get shot for your next meal. They do not know what working in a basement for 3.00 per is, they do not know what living without heat, water and electricity for months feels like. They will be more than OK. Get used to it, America has changed !
All rich people? The people on Staten Island are not rich. Sure some people lost their summer homes but there are many that lost their only home. This storm affected all of the Burroughs not just the ones with money. Yes, there are a lot of rich people in these areas but there are a lot a lot of poor people. The people of Breezy Point are police and firefighters for the most part and they are far from rich.
The blow is softened alittle to look at summer homes where no one lived....but some were being rented and everyone homeless has my utmost support. Nature doesn't care who's rich or not. The Rich are not better than or Safe either and Nature has no Privileged Class. I do hope the most needy get help first. Thats the way it should be. The least get first in line. Those who have the most wait and help out while they are waiting.
I am sorry for all those who have suffered from Sandy's wrath. I do feel that the main focus should be on those who lost their primary residence, not their summer home. My niece, her husband and two small children have been without power since Sandy hit. Luckily, her in-laws home was not damaged and has power. She considers herself fortunate as they have a safe, warm place and she can get to work (she is an ER nurse). Where I live in Michigan we have power outages in the dead of winter and a 5 to 7 day period without power is not odd. So help is coming but what the victims might consider priority one might be lower on the utility groups' list.
I agree with with you losing a summer home is not the same thing as losing your only home and all your possessions. I grew up right on Lake Michigan and I know the winters you are talking about. 10 feet of lake effect snow and ice with no power for days. I would still not compare any of my worst days to what the people hit hardest by this storm are experiencing because after the thaw we always had a home to go back to. These people don't have that chance right now.
Come on now, I can do without these monotone black and white type photos. Give me the color photos and stop over dramatizing a situation that is already bad as it is.
... or at least put your camera down and help out with the clean up. You're not fooling me.
I think it is terrible that these people have lost everything, however I guess that is the risk and price you have to pay for living so close to the ocean. I just hope that the government does not have to foot the bill to pay for these people insurance.
i'am a contractor for 23 years i wanna come down and help, alot of people here in michigan told me the people in n.y & n.j dont want outsiders doing any type of work there, cause its takeing work away from there states, and that anyone that came to help from other states the people in newyork&newjersey were throwing objects at them, and shouted get out of our state! your takeing our jobs!
DON'T COME if you BELIEVE what some nut case in Michigan is telling you.
If you are a licensed contractor, get in touch with a church or community group. in the towns that are under duress, ..and find out from them if you can be of help.
I think you have been had.
It is not the people in Michigan saying that, it is the rwnjs repeating breibart stories as the gospel. People are trying to turn this into a partisan hate fest instead of putting aside ALL politics and doing what they can to help people in need. Anyone trying to turn this into a political or union bashing event should be publicly shamed.
So much hate, from so many people, when there is so much need for unity in the face of this devastation. Do what you can to physically or financially help, and dismiss people who are trying to add even more hate into this country than is already there.
The stories of them turning away people that are there to help have been completely false. They are not turning away non-union power workers that have come in from other states. That is just partisan falsehoods as usual. However, they are most likely not ready for outsiders to come in and help just yet (except for the power companies) because they have a whole lot of people to worry about with no where to go as it is they usually don't want to add to that with people coming in from all over the country with no where to stay as well. Once they get power back on and really start the clean-up they will be in need of skilled and unskilled labor to begin rebuilding.
Have your pastor contact pastors of your faith in NY and NJ and they will find you a place to go to help.
Professional Photography gone the Instagram hipstomatic way. Apparently now any monkey can make artys photos.
I'd like to see you try. You're a dolt.
LOU what is the matter whith you?
I am a 1%er. Just tack this 50 billion on my tab. Have Obama send me the bill?
Even in times of turmoil idiots still get to post their anti Obama crap.
I just hope FEMA does to these people, what they have been doing to the people in the South after a hurricane floods...
The same areas flooded after Hazel - 1954 and several other modern hurricanes, Irene - 2011, etc.
1. These areas should be redesignated as in a 100+year flood zone. - A residence may be constructed in the 100-year flood zone but the elevation of any living space must be above the 100-year flood zone mark.
2. Or at WORST a FLOOD ZONE, where - NO REBUILDING allowed and no flood insurance issued...
3. Last year they spent $350,000+USD to help prevent flooding in this area. Ha! Ha!
4. Now we have people wanting to build a $10+Billion dike across NYC Harbor. Ha! Ha!
FEMA - DO YOU JOB!!! Redesignate the flood zones and force the people out. Just like you have done across the country...
after hurricane andrew...dade county imposed new standards onto construction in all of florida...those same standards should be adopted into this region...if all is to be rebuilt, it should be to those 100+ year flood standards as well as to new elevation standards. furthermore all homes in the flood and wind zone should be glued, screwed and strapped to prevent further disasters like this to happen at such magnitude.
I don't think you'll get much of an argument on that, common sense to build on piers if your land is only several feet above sea level. Probably cheaper too in the long run, especially if climate change is for real, which there also shouldn't be much of an argument. By the way, nice photos. Sorta like the depression era photography that keeps that era alive and reminds us of what bad policy can do.
It is sad those people lost what they did, but. What part of "MANDATORY" do they not understand.? Not a single home was built on pilings. On the Gulf Coast 99.9% of homes built on the water are on pilings. We we hear the word mandatory, we leave. People up in NJ had over 12 days to prepare. Did anyone buy gas, did anyone get cash from the ATM.? NO, and that's why they are in the shape they're in now. Common sense goes a Hell of a long way folks. Now you're expecting a Nor'easter, anyone getting ready for this one.? You were told 5 days ago, and counting.!!!
I'm sorry for what everyone has lost, but I'm not quite feeling the empathy for these summer homes and for the people who drove from Ohio to check out the vacation retreat as I do for those who are still in places like Staten Island who haven't even had heat and water yet and are scrounging for food.
You want to do a story, how about the generators and heaters from the closed down marathon tent that were trucked off and not used for the victims of Sandy?
Only a pitiful few of them were, while others were merely stored and sit idle as storm victims, many of them elderly and sick, sit cold and without electricity to run oxygen machines, waiting for the cold snap that is coming.
Another huge heating machine was placed in a hospital was not turned on.
These pictures will make a nice coffee table book, but it's not the real story.
I wondered what happened to the generators, bottled water, marathon clothing, and food that was already set up. What happened to the tents, cell phones, loud speakers? Were they distributed by the mayor to those who needed it?
After reading the comments and knowing the area shown, these are not rich people the community of Breezy Point was built by New York City cops and Fireman, as far as evacuating their homes they did and still approximately 100 homes burned. Did everyone evacuate probably not however, there will always be a small percentage of people who do not listen. As far as gas, well with the temperatures being in the forties and fifties people need gas for generators and do have to go to work. So before anyone judges please get the facts.
That is why I made my post all the way up there at post 2. In any bad hurricane you are going to have rich people that lose there beachfront property. That is a given. The real story is about those that aren't rich. The Breezy point people just keep getting hit over and over. This is the same neighborhood that lost 69 firefighters and police on 9-11 and got hit by a plane crash in the middle of their neighborhood in 2009. At last count I think they had lost 111 homes at least to fire. There is nothing that anyone could do to stop it weather they had been home or not. They were helpless to put this fire out and had to stand by and watch their very own homes burn. I cannot even imagine how horrible it had to be as fireman were forced to watch their very own neighborhood go up in flames.
You are correct in saying that there is always going to be people that don't follow the mandatory evacuation order. Happens in every storm, people think they can fight with Mother Nature and win only to find out that is not the case because Mother Nature is a tough lady. Another reason people don't evacuate is because of their pets. But you also get a lot of elderly that don't want to leave their homes to go to a emergency shelter that is not equipped for their needs.
Now though people need the gas to keep their generators going and to get back home or at least to what is left of their homes. They want to get back and see if their houses were spared and salvage anything they can. They don't want to be in a shelter long term and who can blame them.
I do wonder about Staten Island. Why were so many still there? Did no one choose to evacuate? They were clearly in the line of fire but there were so many on TV that did not seem to have left the island.
My heart goes out to all of them and I know they will get through this but it will take time and it is going to be especially difficult since the winter months are upon us.
STOP all FOREIGN AID IMMEIATELY...America needs to talk care of it's own people. Don't see any other country offering help. KEEP OUR FOREIGN MONEY HOME!!!!
Where is Obama and all the aid he promised?
Maybe this is an opportunity to make good on all the "shovel ready jobs" that he promised in the first 4 years that never materialized.....
It is always good to see a community come together for good. We need a President to bring this Country together
It is truly disgusting how Obama does so little to help.
Now that he has been re-elected, he does not need to pretend to care about these people.
Hope everything will work out OK for all those who have lost their homes and family members in this great tragedy.