Photograph © Elise Swain
"The
entirety of the NYC Transit system shut down at around 7pm on the Sunday night
before Hurricane Sandy was schedule to strike the northeast. That Sunday, Manhattan residents working in
the city tried frantically to leave work early to make it to their home without
the use of public transit. Later that
night photographs of a deserted Grand Central Station started to circulate on
the Internet. College dorm rooms across
the city started monitoring the students’ whereabouts. Those of us who wished to venture out into the
night, were made to fill out a sign out sheet.
I stated the reason of my exit as, “photographic purposes.” I was greeted with a New York City I had
never seen before."
"Late
Monday night, a huge explosion lit up the sky from the 14th Street
Con Edison power plant, etching the sky with the last traces of light that
lower Manhattan would see for 5 nights. Having stocked up on candles, most homes enjoyed the first night,
picking up a book and reading by candle light before going to bed. As soon as the extent of the damage was
realized, businesses and colleges shut down the remainder of the week, panic began to set in. The effects of not having power were
significant. Small tasks, such as going
outside became an ordeal when faced with walking up and down fifteen flights of
stairs because of no working elevators.
A great exodus from Lower Manhattan began to occur. People ventured by bike, by foot, or by cab
to friend’s unaffected houses or apartments in surrounding areas. Manhattan at night became terrifying. No traffic lights created a free-for-all at
most busy intersections for those still on the roads. Small bars opened up with help from
generators, and filled up slowly with various characters that happened to
linger in the city."
"By Saturday, most affected areas had power and
running water restored. Businesses reopened. Classes were scheduled to resume on Monday. Manhattan collectively sighed with relief,
and reflected on how comparatively easy our experience was to those who lost
their homes and neighborhoods. We will
no doubt remember the powerful effects of this storm for a long time
to come."–Elise Swain
Photograph © Tina Rivosecchi
Photograph © Tina Rivosecchi
"After the storm calmed down, the East Village was left with nothing but darkness and the sounds of blaring sirens. The city below 34th Street was a dead zone, completely dark after
sundown and eerily quiet. It was the kind of atmosphere where you might
imagine the zombie apocalypse erupting."–Tina Rivosecchi
Hurricane Sandy, Carlstadt, N.J. Photograph © Alexis Adam
"The power went out while eating dinner, illuminating the house with only L.E.D. flashlights. Being without power for a week, the atmosphere in my home changed drastically; it felt surreal."–Alexis Adam
Photograph © Frankie Torres
"Known as the city that never sleeps, New York is a very active city, full of people from many diverse backgrounds. There's always something happening and people outside, even in the middle of the night. Except for when Hurricane Sandy came passing through her destructive path. It seemed as if Manhattan stood still. The streets were empty. One of the most visited places in the United States, Times Square, was as deserted as a ghost town.
View more images here captured by Marine Veteran and Photographer,
Frankie Torres right before and right after Hurricane Sandy in New York City
"–
Frankie Torres
Photograph © Lia Schryver
Photograph © Lia Schryver
"While most inhabitants of New York State were preparing for a torrential hurricane two weeks ago, in Albany, the sun was continuously shining and the sky was a consistent shade of blue; not even a a handful of raindrops touched the ground. Considering that Sandy wreaked havoc in much of lower New York State, I did not take for granted the beautiful weather..."–Lia Schryver
Photograph © Kaitlyn Nissen
"Life in my home state of Iowa during Sandy"–Kaitlyn Nissen
+ + +
Inspired by a talk given to my sophomore students in the BFA Photography program at the
School of Visual Arts by James Estrin, Co-Editor of the NY Times Lens Blog, I gave an assignment to
create a documentary or editorial blogpost through
slides or video. We knew a storm was heading towards New York, but no one had any idea Hurricane Sandy would black-out downtown Manhattan where many of the students dorms are located and schools would be closed for a couple of weeks. Part II, above, is an excerpt of the work of the students who focused on Hurricane Sandy. Part I here.
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