Senator Sanders Hosts Sandy Recovery & Remembrance Walk + Disaster Prep Class

State Senator James Sanders Jr. (D-Rochdale Village, Far Rockaway) held his Annual Hurricane Sandy Remembrance and Recovery Walk on Friday, which began with a ceremony at Rockaway Beach. It marked four years since the superstorm tore through the area, flooding streets and destroying homes, and was an opportunity for residents and community leaders to come together and reflect on all that has been accomplished and to look ahead towards the tasks that remain. The walk was followed by a disaster preparedness training course at Battalion Pentecostal Assembly Church in Arverne.

“Every year we come together to remember the sacrifices that have been made to repair the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy,” Sanders said. “Although we have taken many steps forward, there are people who are still suffering. Many have been displaced. Many are still living in shelters. So part of our mission here today is to let them know that they have not been forgotten. We will continue to work together until everyone is made whole. We will remain strong, vigilant and unified as we move forward.”

Despite the bitter cold, attendees stood on the boardwalk near Beach 67^th Street, where they prayed, held hands, sang, and spoke of the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

“It has been four years since Sandy, but for many of us it seems like yesterday,” Dr. Ed Williams, CEO of Ready Rockaway, said. “There is so much that has to be done in this community. One thing that we recognize is that recovery is just one aspect of it, but until we begin understand the scientific preparedness necessary for resiliency, we will experience the same thing we did with the devastation of Hurricane Sandy. That is why it is critical that every organization in Rockaway come together and work together.”

Deborah Star Reed, Chairwoman and Founder of the Rockaway Bay Coastal Association For a Resilient Waterfront, expressed similar sentiments. “We must remember what we went through,” she said. “We must not forget how many people are still being affected by it, even emotionally and mentally. I am tired, but I cannot give up this fight, because until we get the entire bay shored up and until we get everyone on the same page, we are going to have reoccurrences with more danger and more loss of property.”

There was a moment of silence to remember all those who perished as a result of the superstorm as well as for those whose homes had been destroyed.

“We remember the families, those who have lost loved ones,” Pastor David Cockfield of Battalion Pentecostal Assembly Church, said as he prayed with those in attendance, asking them to hold hands, forming a circle of unity. “We remember this storm and how difficult it was. We remember those who are homeless. There was so much devastation.”

Members of the youth choir from Battalion led attendees in singing “Lift Every Voice, and Sing.” It was followed by an inspirational mime performance by Kendell Flanders of the Joshua Generation Mimers group from Battalion to the gospel song “Your Love,” by William Murphy.

“It is about the renewing of our minds,” Flanders said of his performance. “God is always with us no matter what. Even though we went through Hurricane Sandy, God’s love has always been with us.”

After the ceremony at the beach, attendees walked through the streets carrying a banner that read, “The Rockaway Community Welcomes You,” along with a wreath of flowers bearing the words remembrance and recovery. It was followed by a Citizen Preparedness Corps Training Program co-sponsored by Sanders, Governor Andrew Cuomo and Queens’ elected officials.

Some 250 people registered for the two-hour class, which gives residents the tools and resources to prepare for any type of disaster, respond accordingly and recover as quickly as possible. Each of them received a certificate of completion and an emergency preparedness "to go" bag, containing items such as a pocket radio, duct tape, first aid kit, flashlight, batteries, a respirator, a plastic drop cloth, emergency purified drinking water, safety goggles, and a survival food pack. They were also given a pocket-sized preparedness guide.