About 100 people gathered for a candlelit vigil at the West Hamilton Beach Volunteer Fire Department Monday night. Kate Bubacz/The Forum Newsgroup
“I want to thank everyone in uniform that helped us,” state Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach) says to a crowd of about 100 people gathered in the parking lot of the West Hamilton Beach Volunteer Fire Department. To commemorate the first anniversary of Hurricane Sandy, and to thank everyone who was involved with the recovery, Addabbo and the Hamilton Beach Civic Association held a candlelit interfaith vigil Monday night.
“Ordinary people on the 28th were extraordinary on the 29th,” the senator continued, in reference to how quickly events on Oct. 29, 2012 changed the town. The statement especially resonated for the volunteer firefighters.
“If we weren’t here, two people wouldn’t be,” Jonah Cohen, the chief of the volunteer firefighters, says when asked about his departments role in the storm. With a crew of 11 firefighters who were on duty during Sandy itself, they responded to over 20 calls. The final call of the night was the rescue of two women and two dogs from a one-story house that had four feet of water in it. At that point, there was little high ground left in the area, so the women were brought to the firehouse for the night.
WHBVFD Chief Jonah Cohen recalled the devastation of Sandy and discussed the crucial role his volunteers played in keeping residents safe during, and after, the storm.
The firehouse itself was not spared the wrath of Sandy however. On Oct. 29, 2012, one ambulance and two fire trucks were ruined from the salt water, leaving the chief with only one spare ambulance that was working.
“Even if we had moved the vehicles, there’s no guarantee they would have survived,” Cohen says. “No one knew where the water was going to go.”
Roger Gendron, of the Hamilton Beach Civic Association, recounts the morning after the storm, receiving a call from Addabbo, who asked what was needed for his town.
“I responded with a rambling list,” Gendron says. “And Joe said, ‘One step at a time.’”
Step by step, the neighborhood was put back together. Fire equipment was sent from Mississippi, Georgia and Pennsylvania. The firehouse was set up as a central supply center for the neighborhood, distributing food and cleaning supplies to anyone who needed it for the next three months.
“It was great to see neighbor helping neighbor,” Gendron says.
During the storm, the firehouse was set up as a central supply center for the neighborhood.
Still, Addabbo acknowledges the fear and anger that still exist in the community, the frustration with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and insurance, and the constant recovery – the toll that one year of stress has taken. He thanks the other local politicians, including Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park), who sent a representative.
Gina Stetz, an area resident, is asked to speak about her experience in the storm.
“I stayed with my father and mother, who refused to leave. The water came up, and I lay on the couch and said, ‘God, I’m ready’. I was peaceful as can be. Then my husband said ‘the water’s going down!’ and I said ‘Thank God, You didn’t want me yet.’”
Everyone laughs in appreciation, in relief that the damage was not worse.
In the candlelight, Addabbo asks everyone to take a moment of silence for Rose Faggiano, the only known death in Howard Beach from Hurricane Sandy. She was discovered in her home, where she apparently drowned during the storm.
The moment is concluded with a prayer and “God Bless America”. The spell of the vigil breaks as candles are collected and exchanged for cookies and coffee. Kids begin running around the parking lot and adults catch up with neighbors in the well-lit but empty fire hall.
When asked about any closing remarks about the storm, Cohen is succinct in his message: “Let us not go through that again.”
By Kate Bubacz
