“Fighting for the territory with the ocean the city has to be prepared for losses”

A lot has been said about the devastating hurricane Sandy that stroked the east coast of the United States. However, eyewitness account of what has happened is more valuable than any media report.

When did you first hear about Sandy?

“The first news of the approaching hurricane I received from Moscow, from my wife Katia who went there.”

How often do such hurricanes happen in New York?

“Hurricanes of such magnitude are fortunately rare, too many factors have to coincide: the landfall, the cyclone intensity, the onset of cold front, the height of the tide. Americans say that something similar happened in 1821, 1893, and in 1935. However, weaker cyclones and storms (although not less dangerous) are not rare for New York. They also say that starting from 1995 natural disasters of various scales became more often.”

Have you had any fear or desire to escape far away?

“No, I had no fear. But it seemed really stupid to remain near the agitated ocean when mandatory evacuation was announced. Luckily, we now have a traditional refuge in relatively safe altitude of Bay Ridge in a home of our friends. I was more concerned about my workshop located in the Red Hook a block away from the Upper Gulf.”

What was the overall emotional atmosphere in the city?

“There was no panic, but there also was no shortage of exaggerated gaiety and rumors. I’ve once heard on a bus that ‘municipal authorities have their interest in mandatory evacuation.’ No wonder our city is often called Gotham (fictional city from comics about Batman very similar to New York).”

What measures were taken by the authorities?

“The local authorities opened 76 shelters in the all five city districts. Classes in all schools were cancelled in advance, all outdoor work was banned, all the tunnels were closed, and the subway system stopped working for that time. They also closed the Stock Exchange. All TV and radio channels reported the latest news and warnings for evacuation and about the monstrous nature of Sandy. We must pay tribute to the accuracy of forecasts. The telephone companies were constantly sending warning messages.”

How did people react? Did everyone take the warnings seriously?

“New York residents, being a model of diversity, reacted accordingly: some shopped like crazy in supermarkets, others drank beer and laughed at evacuating neighbors, and still others have no place to evacuate to. TV reporters showed our Turkish coffee shop on the waterfront of the Sheep’s Head Bay, the owners of which have promised not to close until the last visitor left. This area belonged to the evacuation Zone A, which means that the evacuation was mandatory. It is known that at the time of the notorious hurricane in 1821 the storm time reached the heights of four meters in only one hour. I also heard from people things like: ‘I have survived the war and the earthquake in Kyiv, I will easily survive a hurricane and flood. Water won’t reach up to the sixth floor.’ Others said: ‘Americans always panic.’”

What was the beginning of the hurricane like?

“It all started with impressive television shots of destruction in New Jersey. Meanwhile, hostile whirlwinds started to gather above the city creating a disturbing prelude which did not promise anything positive. At seven o’clock in the evening of Monday [October 29. – Author] metropolitan transport was stopped. Wind gradually increased. This entire crescendo lasted for about a day and at dust on Tuesday it all resolved with a culminating forte-fortissimo wind blowing. Then ocean joined the show. Water rose rapidly and relentlessly in the darkness. This was the time when the first but firm notes of panic were heard.”

When the storm reached its peak where were you? What were you doing?

“Fortunately, when the hurricane reached its peak I was sitting in front of TV set in a warm apartment after a gourmet dinner in a company of friends. The whole horror element for us was the impressive howling wind outside and the cinematic effects of news reports. A few times our chairs and the sofa were shaken so that we could feel it (and this was a 70-year-old brick six-stored house). Outside the window we could hear the sound of different objects blown by the wind. TV news showed implausibly catastrophic views: water rushes onto the railway station in Hoboken in New Jersey; water floods the September 11 Memorial, forming a giant waterfall; busy movement of muddy waves at the ocean crossroads of Lower Manhattan; inaccessible fires in Cape Breeze on Rockaway Beach. Reporters were constantly on air (some reporters were cut off from their car for a long time and would be left hungry for a long time, if some people would not bring them some cheese and fruit). At the peak of the storm we were instructed to stay at home. TV reports showed rescuers taking out residents who got caught by the storm in the evacuation zone.”

Has the flooding reach your home? What were the consequences?

“My home on the Sheep’s Head Bay was in the Zone A. Ocean took up the garage and storage rooms in the basement, as well as the lobby and ground floor of the apartment building and did not go away for a whole day. The house still (after over a week) has no electricity and no heating. Night temperatures are close to 0 Celsius. Staircases are dark. There are many old people living in this building. There are also some pets there. Stores in the neighborhood are either torn up or stand without light. We need food, drinking water, and warm clothes.”

If to think about this hurricane as a series of episodes – flashbacks, which one do you remember the most?

“Night waterfalls in the pit of the September 11 Memorial. Irritation of one of the TV reporters towards the stubborn people who stayed in the dangerous zone and emergency workers had to rescue them in darkness and bad weather risking their own lives. And the two pictures of consequences: the boat in the street a block away from my workshop and the ocean; yacht without mast thrown over the pedestrian bridge above the Sheep’s Head Bay.”

Why after all New York was struck so badly?

“There is no surprise in this. The city is located on islands and the Atlantic Ocean is a harsh neighbor, when it gets involved into atmospheric infighting the consequences are inevitably disappointing. The further the eye of the storm goes, the less significant the consequences are. Although, much depends on the presence of specific conditions.”

What are the areas that were affected the most?

“The most affected areas are the low-lying coastal islands. Rockaway Spit suffered on Long Island, Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach, Sheep’s Head Bay, and Red Hook. Hurricane hit hard on Lower Manhattan, the east coast of the Staten Island, and the coastal part of Bronx.”

Were the rescuing and the emergency measures conducted well? This question is particularly relevant in the light of terrible losses in the former Soviet Union during less dramatic cataclysms.

“Given the area of the city and magnitude of the damages, the authorities worked quite smoothly, although we will probably find out more about the consistency of their work somewhat later. A lot was done by the communities. Many citizens selflessly clean the city and take care of those of its residents, who are in miserable situation. Refusal of Mayor Bloomberg to engage National Guard patrols seemed to be a negative moment: cases of looting and robbery worry people who live in the most disadvantaged areas and who have no light at the moment. However, National Guard has been actively involved in the restoration work and assisting victims (food delivery, etc.). It is surprising that there is no municipal aid in some especially affected areas, such as, for example, the Sheep’s Head Bay.”

You mentioned looting…

“It happens here and there. The longer there is no electricity in those areas, the bolder the looters become. However, they, for the most part, are the representatives of specific sectors of society, whose feast comes during times of suffering of other social strata.”

In your opinion, how long will it take for New York to recover?

“In my opinion, in a year the wound will heal. But the scar will remain.”

In such, as you said, harsh neighboring what cataclysms are most dangerous for New York?

“Any cataclysm with lingering effects could harm the city. I think the most dangerous thing for New York is social cataclysms.”

Can we say that New York, given the place of its location, is a constant challenge to the nature disasters?

“Any city, as a man-made environment is a challenge to nature. And such gigantic organism as New York, which has a complex infrastructure and is located on the verge of nature elements, is especially vulnerable. Fighting for the territory with the ocean the city has to be prepared for counter-attacks and losses. In this light, its glass towers and fragile coastal homes may easily seem like a challenge to nature.”