Rockaway Beach and Riis Park Swallowed By Atlantic Ocean - Hurricane Sandy

Last night, when I finally went to bed after the power went out, filled with worry about how my parents, my brothers, my grandmother, and all my friends would fare in the midst of Hurricane Sandy, I could not help but think about friends of mine living out on the Rockaway and Long Beach Peninsulas, particularly since this is where the hurricane was expected to cause the greatest amount of destruction.

Hurricane Sandy lived up to all her billing and then some.

I mean New York City remains shut down, and in reality power is out all over the place, Wall Street and Downtown are shut down .... power is out in nearly 5 million homes (mine included), there is not public transportation (which sucks for many) . . . but none of this compares to what happened to those individuals living in Rockaway, Breezy Poing, and Long Beach.

I ventured into Rockaway and Riis Park a few hours ago.  These are the photos and video I took.

In the aftermath of the brunt of Hurricane Sandy's massive storm on the New York metropolitan area, I had a chance to get out and take some video footage of Rockaway Beach and Riis Park.

                                                             Watch The Video 

Last night the Atlantic Ocean and it's 7 to 10 foot swells roared past the sand beach, crashed into and destroyed the concrete or brick sea walls, and then continued toward Jamaica Bay.  As it did, with the streets drowning with the Atlantic - some areas of Riis and Rockaway had water levels as high as 9 feet high - anything and everything that got in its way was destroyed. 

Combining this devastation that clearly has destroyed an enormous amount of homes is the tragedy that occurred last night in Breezy Point, Queens - where at least 80 homes burnt to ash in wake of a wind-fueled electric fire.

                                                     View The Photographs 

The destruction that hit this beautiful peninsula of Queens was tremendous.  In the coming days there will be an assortment of fundraisers to help those that have lost so much.   Please do what you can to help others.