Fearing Another Sandy, Neighbors Brace For Hurricane Joaquin

Three years after Superstorm Sandy battered their communities, residents near Sheepshead Bay are anxiously tracking a new tropical storm that could reach the Northeast early next week.

Hurricane Joaquin’s intensity exploded Thursday afternoon as it collided with the Bahamas. The storm’s winds reached more than 130 mph and it was quickly upgraded to a Category 4 hurricane — three classifications higher than Sandy when it was in the same area, according to the Weather Channel.

The storm’s path is still uncertain. Forecasts show it’s likely to swing east and miss the the U.S. mainland, but Joaquin could still drench the East Coast with heavy rain and may cause coastal flooding. Some Brooklyn residents are not taking chances when it comes to preparing for the storm.

Doreen Garson, Chief of the Gerritsen Beach Fire Department and member of the local Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), said she is preparing sandbags to stack in front of the relief center at 43 Seba Avenue, across the street from the fire house. She’s also stocking the center with coffee, water, and information pamphlets about how to plan for a storm.

“Right now, I’m in hurricane mode,” she said. “I’m always ready for the worst. And that is what I’m preparing for.”

For some, the announcement that another tropical storm brewing in the Atlantic could strike New York brings back frightful memories of Sandy’s devastation.

“I just ordered four lanterns and dozens of batteries. I’m so overwhelmed thinking about Sandy again,” said Pat Singer, director of the Brighton Neighborhood Association. “Sandy brought the water up nine feet in front of my building. I remember seeing those cars nosing into the building across the street from me. The image just gives me chills.”

Singer has brought officials from the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) down to Brighton several times to meet with her group, but the meetings have caused her to question the effectiveness of the city’s response plan.

“We’re not ready. We’re still in the same position we were three years ago,” she said. “At the last meeting, we asked people: If you got notice within 48 hours, would you go? What shocked me was that only two people raised their hands. Because everybody else said they had no place to go. This government has got to do more.”

A spokesperson for OEM said the agency is closely monitoring the storm’s progress and is prepared to activate a response plan in all five boroughs.

“We currently have multiple agencies ready to assist us in setting up task forces, planning, and putting things in place to prepare for the potential impact of this storm,” the spokesperson said.

OEM is urging New Yorkers to prepare an evacuation plan in case the storm should veer west. The agency encourages residents in flood zones to reach out to friends and family who can take them in, or locate their evacuation center by calling 311 or visiting the OEM website. People should also prepare a “go bag,” which includes first aid, food, cash, and other supplies.

The closest evacuation center for Sheepshead Bay, Brighton Beach, Gerritsen, and Manhattan Beach is Franklin D. Roosevelt High School at 5800 20th Avenue.

On Emmons Avenue, where Sandy’s storm surge tossed boats ashore and smashed through storefronts and homes, at least one charter boat captain is scrambling to ready his ships for Joaquin.

“I don’t have time to talk right now. I’m crawling under the dock and tying lines,” Captain Dan Lind, owner of the Golden Sunshine and Ranger VI, said during a brief phone conversation. “After Sandy, the boat was the driest thing my family owned. All our houses were under water.”

“This ain’t the first storm and it won’t be the last one. We’re getting ready, and getting the boats in the best shape we can,” he said.

Richard Arneman, who works on the Ranger VI and is a member of the Plumb Beach Civic Association and Community Board 15, said he worries whether his neighborhood can withstand another major hurricane.

“A lot of people in the bay just gave up after Sandy. With all the red tape, with the FEMA, and Build it Back and everything, they just had enough. They just threw in the towel and a lot of people never came back,” he said. “There’s still a lot of vacant houses in the courtyards off Emmons Avenue. There’s blocks and blocks of empty houses.”