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Smithsonian Magazine, December 2014. 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Contact us for more info here. http://www.impacthuman.org/people daily 0.75 2019-06-25 http://www.impacthuman.org/contact-us daily 0.75 2019-04-19 http://www.impacthuman.org/about/partnerships daily 0.75 2019-07-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1561057039323-J8HE3VRH39JLE0XL1B0G/2019-01-16_logo_klima2020_rtansparent.png Partnerships & Coalitions https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1562087261021-03ELHKKGUH1SIJRPD6CG/wasi-logo2.jpg Partnerships & Coalitions https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1562087260764-JJYVSZACXLLHIG5O4WS5/thumbimage.php.jpg Partnerships & Coalitions http://www.impacthuman.org/miami-sea-level-rise daily 0.75 2017-03-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467824295423-ZXQEDAAGZ9KZVX1D61C5/Watson+Island+Park_at+low+tide.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Watson Island Park at Low Tide: Climate Impacts You can see the old sea wall completely submerged at low-tide, with the small building slowly succombing to the rising sea level. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467823978613-MMWDBHVHGZTVOJPRVTEW/Watson+Island+Park_Across+from+the+Port+of+Miami_at+lowtide.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Watson Island Park at Low Tide: Climate Impacts You can see the old sea wall completely submerged at low-tide, with cruise ships at the Port of Miami in the background. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467840229144-F6MAF8JA7SZXEI3UVUR9/DSCF1337.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Watson Island at Low Tide: Climate Impacts https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467840187982-NG5W3GMO40RR1VWNVRVQ/DSCF1162+%281%29.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Venetian Islands at High Tide: Climate Impacts Along many of the Venitian Islands are residential docks. Here you can see a recently built residential dock some three feet above high tide levels, while an older dock in the background is completely submerged. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467840210757-6M568AVES4R3IT74BCKM/DSCF1262+%281%29.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Deteriorating Sea Walls: Climate Impacts During high tide on a sunny day, you can see just how high the water level reaches. The water comes up just three inches away from the top of these older sea walls. There's evidence of how regular flooding has become, with water stains roughly eight inches above the existing wall. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467840212353-A6ABDTQ51SE0JFDS7R7O/DSCF1272+%281%29.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Deteriorating Sea Walls: Climate Impacts Regular floods have also caused structural issues for the older sea walls, with some of them literally crumbling into the water. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467840213440-7C6UFG7FTSDRKGB39AE7/DSCF1273+%281%29.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Deteriorating Sea Walls: Climate Impacts Miami Beach residents are preparing themselves for more floods, and sea level rise. Here an old sea wall is next to a new sea wall that's roughly three feet higher. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467840203431-QCTFAOKV9GUP9Q7Y8YRH/DSCF1208.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Indian Creek Drive: Climate Impacts At high tide, the water on the road side of Indian Creek is just inches away from spilling over the old sea wall.   https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467840198248-SZT5N0SW257EHBC1169T/DSCF1201.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Indian Creek Drive: What's At Stake Multi-million dollar homes on Indian Creek are just inches away from being inundated by flooding. What we are seeing is the water level during high tide, when there has been little rain, and it is outside of King Tide season. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467840206673-2BPWN6MKJKHSU6AD2VUJ/DSCF1239+%281%29.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Indian Creek Drive: Adapting to Climate Impacts Some properties, like this residential apartment building on Indian Creek, have raised their sea walls to protect property from storm surges, floods, and other impacts of sea level rise.   https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467840198348-46GQV6M9PKYTNEMLWJXN/DSCF1191+%281%29.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - High Tide Solutions: Adapting to Climate Impacts In many parts of Miami Beach, you'll see these "Flooding Solutions" signs from the city. Here on a small bridge over a canal, major works are being done to upgrade drainage systems and raise the canal's sea walls. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467840190952-JNH3L84RRKZP23WWCSEI/DSCF1179+%281%29.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - High Tide Solutions: Adapting to Climate Impacts https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467840194298-TU81KPZ0E1IIW9HMQLUO/DSCF1182+%281%29.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - High Tide Solutions: Adapting to Climate Impacts Many canals off Washington in Miami Beach have exceedingly low sea walls that are decades old. Today, you see buoys dot these canals with construction underway.   https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467840194456-YX1DTK4UBKGSYLU4C0KV/DSCF1189+%281%29.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - High Tide Solutions: Adapting to Climate Impacts https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467840181958-HQ8M3A2J0ZESNNYGJFWP/DSCF1149+%281%29.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Elevating Roads: Adapting to Climate Impacts On Alton Road, you can see numerous signs from the city that they are preparing for floods. Here, they are elevating the existing road by roughly five feet. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467840185522-DHT2GFAU19JMQSSUSFK9/DSCF1152.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Elevating Roads: Adapting to Climate Impacts In the background is a shop where the original road was. Today, they are constructing a new road elevated roughly five feet from the original - all in an effort to adapt to climate impacts. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467840184929-CZ13RSFAM5R85YMIXOI8/DSCF1150.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Elevating Roads: Adapting to Climate Impacts After the King Tides last year, Miami Beach has been elevating roads. This is a familiar sight along most streets off Alton Road. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467840215902-J34KJY0E7LGSO9U8DSAK/DSCF1276+%281%29.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Million Dollar Properties: What's At Stake Despite the long-term sea level rise trajectory for Miami Beach, many new, multi-million dollar homes are being constructed - right on the waterfront. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467840181620-7XD9WSTLNLBHIVWKV7MC/DSCF1130.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Million Dollar Properties: What's At Stake https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467840219562-KQIRTJ0LR7GN2DLS26UH/DSCF1280+%281%29.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Million Dollar Properties: What's At Stake Beautiful mansions and apartment buildings dot residential roads throughout the Miami Beach area. These buildings are part of what makes Miami, Miami. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467840219831-TRJX3EIL7LW07VSWOW99/DSCF1282+%281%29.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Million Dollar Properties: What's At Stake Along the Bay, you can see towering hotels and apartment buildings that span the coast. All these properties, and an entire tourism industry are at risk. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467840229572-NFUWIJE415UM88WFCWQI/DSCF1343+%281%29.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Port of Miami The Port of Miami is part of what makes the Miami area an economic powerhouse. Even this well designed island has been affected by sea level rise. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467840231448-MQP4Z0PAC6XWQYIYKBYT/DSCF1352+%281%29.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Port of Miami Peter Tamayo: [on areas of the Port that are not level] "Water gathers up in those areas, and it does create havoc... in the past decade, when we have hurricanes, and torrential rains, and storms is when we’ve encountered these problems." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467840239039-EY9GXRGE9IG5730I4X4M/DSCF1491.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Iconic Miami: What's At Stake Key Biscayne is one of the many low-lying areas that are at risk of being lost to sea level rise. Here, a mangrove and natural forest lines a bike path. Many parts of Key Biscayne have had sea walls elevated to prepare against floods, storm surges, and other impacts of sea level rise. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467840222388-4PCUQCGASPKDO3EI4TPX/DSCF1307+%281%29.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Iconic Miami: What's At Stake Here, one of the many entrances to public beaches in Miami Beach. All waterfront areas of the city could be severely affected by climate change. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467840225505-9JFS2PK8WO8WM6MOIPYE/DSCF1319.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Iconic Miami: What's At Stake https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467840232148-6N3A5U2KFQRWPHF4BLYY/DSCF1360.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Iconic Miami: What's At Stake Martha Molfetas: "What we think of, as Miami, is really a collection of small cities that make up Dade County. Areas like Miami Beach and all the various areas of Miami Beach – they’re iconic and they’re places that people come from all over the world to hang out at and have a good time. But it’s also a part of what makes Florida, Florida. When people think of Florida they think of South Beach, they think of Art Deco. They think of expensive homes, and a lot of [those things] are in the areas that are being affected right now by sea level rise." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467840234210-UCZ65RXFK0DV8KA0U8LN/DSCF1372+%281%29.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Iconic Miami: What's At Stake https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467840236990-OTM5FI8PKNHF8J1QLHRS/DSCF1374+%281%29.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Iconic Miami: What's At Stake Colonnades along Miami Beach are dotted with picturesque palm trees and curved walkways. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467840238972-O4A81MXWTFS6OHU1KKOM/IMG_4846.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Iconic Miami: What's At Stake Lively painted and designed Lifeguard Towers, like this one, are a part of what can be lost to climate change - a way of life. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467840240667-GPOIEWX3W7W18E3TZHC6/IMG_4849.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Iconic Miami: What's At Stake Miami Beach relies on tourism to fuel its local economy. As this area begins to be shaped by sea level rise, that could all be at risk. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467840240380-CKB376XVSR4KR2RR9IGW/IMG_4850.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Iconic Miami: What's At Stake From the Interview - on what could be lost to sea level rise: Kimber Kouri: "To be in South Florida means to be close to the water." Martha Molfetas: "So I guess it’s very poignant, because it is the changing of that, that ocean and seascape, that could affect how you’re able to enjoy it in the future - if you’re able to enjoy these areas in the future." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1468515905110-Y18K0Z0LXQBXSG9MNIJD/image-asset.png Miami Sea Level Rise To download our Research Brief, click on this image. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467826012231-9ZGGV7D0NG32RR51K0BX/DSCF1383.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Kimber Kouri: Interview "A lot of people see flooding in the streets and think, ‘oh it’s poor drainage’, ‘it’s a lack of infrastructure’, [or] they think it’s just antiquated systems. They don’t see that there’s a connection between what we do in the environment to these actual problems that are happening. They don’t realize that it’s a problem that yes, will affect future generations. But they think that because it’s in the future, it’s something they don’t need to concern themselves with today." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467825648767-MI6KDKYRKGURB5PHC3MH/Kimber%27s+Hands+with+flooding+image_cafe.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Kimber Kouri: Interview "It’s like Biblical times. Like you’ll be in one part of town and it’ll be just a light rain, and you’ll see that the [ground] is wet. All you have to do is turn into a neighborhood, turn into a side street and you can have your car easily water logged, that’s three feet, four feet of flooding." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467836591426-TGGF1741NHJRLQVEPSVS/DSCF1299+%281%29.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Kimber Kouri: Interview "The problem and the issue of the sea level[s] rising is a slow issue. It happens over time. But you can definitely see it; if you go down to a dock, if you go down to a waterfront area you can visually see how much the water is rising, and deterioration of the area in general. If it’s not the dock itself, or the sea walls." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467836596383-D2CZFH22SIRL359O0JDZ/DSCF1304+%281%29.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Kimber Kouri: Interview "People are always going to stay and want to live by the water, and want to enjoy these things. But they’re always going to think that it’s not going to impact them, and it’s always going to impact later generations. And they sometimes shirk responsibility. " https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467836589772-DK4ZNEKHV0TCZT36H3C5/DSCF1301+%281%29.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Kimber Kouri: Interview "As a little girl I remember people saying, ‘Venice is sinking, Venice is sinking!’ You know, Venice Italy. Yeah, that’s a problem, sure. But is it going to affect me personally in my lifetime? No. So why should people – you know, what is it going to mean to them?" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467838305755-6ILT17KW2P9YET5UH9FL/DSCF1275+%281%29.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Kimber Kouri: Interview You can see the roughly three foot difference between the old sea wall and new walls going up to protect waterfront properties. "We have climate change, climate issues, and we can’t even address them." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467837110479-4B4US58PFMUFEPDKJA5U/DSCF1134.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Kimber Kouri: Interview "I think to be a South Floridian means that you love [and] enjoy the beauty that comes with being on the water or near the water. You definitely like going to South Beach and sitting down, having a relaxing time. Knowing that you’re literally steps from the ocean. To be in South Florida means to be close to the water." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467836653559-1J92PX7X5JWAJG7SVYF3/DSCF1494.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Martha Molfetas: Interview "For me, I think it’s the most poignant of impacts of the climate towards people and places. It’s the potential to make many areas of our world go the way of Atlantis. Specifically to Miami, it’s seeing an area and a place that I was born and that I spent my summers in slowly vanish, and I wonder if in time, would my children see this place, and I don’t know the answer to that question." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467836653791-4R4F7OIKE9GRALNNULPD/DSCF1500.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Martha Molfetas: Interview "What they’ve already done and plan to do [in Miami Beach] is in the millions, and what they’ve done already is just in a small area You know, recently we had the first ever [American] climate refugees in Louisiana and the federal government paid out a sizeable chunk of money. I think it was $50 million, to help relocate 70 people – that’s 70 people. What would it cost if this area was forever changed through time? And that’s a lingering question that I continue to think of, while I was reading all the news about those first climate refugees in Louisiana – that’s 70 people! 70 people cost $50 million to save, to relocate. What is the cost for the millions of people who live here? And that answer is, we don’t know. But we need to prepare ourselves for what that cost could be, and we need to prepare ourselves for – not what the current reality is of what sea level rise is right now – but what it could be in the future." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467836651605-AYXHDBOOBDR3ZVDLR9RD/DSCF1451+%281%29.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Martha Molfetas: Interview "I think the Mayor of Miami Beach has really made a great effort to push forward positive policies – to make climate change a part of what the city is doing. But as far as what other cities in Dade County are doing, it’s just not as out there. You don’t see signs about how they’re preparing for flooding, outside of Miami Beach. This is not just an issue that’s isolated to Miami Beach. It’s an issue that is and will continue to affect people, everywhere – particularly in Florida. " https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467836691232-J0SWWZY7UXYTX2GKI6XP/DSCF1525+%281%29.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Peter Tamayo: Interview "It’s personal to me when I’m stuck in traffic, due to flooding. Cars are stranded, due to flooding. Sometimes my own car gets flooded, and the computer burns out in my own car and I have to have it towed home." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467844603008-K5VTM2NQEO733IU90FGY/DSCF1528.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Peter Tamayo: Interview "As far as the Port itself, because it’s on it’s own private island, and it was built above sea level. We haven’t really encountered much flooding. However, we have – when we get torrential rains – there are certain ground levels that aren’t [level] and are concave. Water gathers up in those areas, and it does create havoc. You know, particularly when we have containers that are laid flat on those surfaces, water unfortunately gets inside the container and ruins the merchandise." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467836957210-K9GR1FDYKUD6SN6ENE2Q/DSCF1537+%281%29.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Peter Tamayo: Interview "Particularly when we have to go into these areas to get containers for clients. You have to wait till the water subsides, before even ourselves, with our own personal trucks or work trucks. We can’t go into those areas until the water has subsided. And so everyone has to wait. Client has to wait. The truck driver picking up the cargo has to wait. We have to stay open for later hours. Particularly when these containers have to be delivered on that day, or they have to depart from the Port. So everyone has to wait, until it subsides – until the weather stops. Until the area drains out – for the safety of everyone." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467836715581-4PIQUSVJYMXC835KDM2Z/DSCF1511+%281%29.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Sophia Molfetas-Tamayo: Interview "It can affect not only our environment but [also] people living close by to those areas or even inland. I’m sure La Niña and El Niño have a lot to do with that, and of course that affects us in every way – even physically in how we feel. Sea level rising is something that has been an ecological issue that [is] worrisome. It is an economic problem, but it is an ecological problem first and foremost. I really believe it is caused by global warming." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467836715143-DWBMSUXPXC99B3WNHENI/DSCF1518+%281%29.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Sophia Molfetas Tamayo: Interview "Traffic, diving in that. Right where I live on 87th Avenue – just the other day I drove through two lakes of water, so I didn’t know if my car was going to survive... I literally cater to music and dance clients anywhere from Cutler Bay, all the way to Southwest Kendal – so we are talking about a good size area. There are days that I have to drive in the rain and the flooding is really bad. Instead of getting better it just feels like it gets worse. I have a client who comes to see me from Miami Beach. Back in March when they had high tides and the floods – she wasn’t able to come to see me because it was flooded and she couldn’t get off the island. Did that affected my pocketbook? Yes, it affected my pocket book. Sometimes I can’t make it to a client and I have to reschedule. It’s not like I can charge them, even if they paid in advance, I can’t just take that money and not show up. So I lose that week." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467837255417-89A3DX80I1F4PMSGKR4Z/DSCF1542.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise - Peter Tamayo & Sophia Molfetas-Tamayo "Our house is actually 11 feet elevated from sea level. So when it rains our cars won’t get flooded unless there’s a typhoon, but it will flood in the street. But I have noticed that in my front porch, because it’s semi-closed, that will get flooded with rain - you can see, it’s right there by my sliding door. When [there are] bad thunderstorms, that’s the only spot I worry about in my house really. I live right on the East coast, so the water is not too far from us. We also live not too far from Turkey Point, which is a nuclear power plant. I’m sure that whatever they are doing over there – I’m sure that [is] also affecting the environment we live in." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1467924467036-MS3JO2A98IQ90J17M46O/DSCF1331+%281%29.jpg Miami Sea Level Rise http://www.impacthuman.org/displacement-in-dar-es-salaam daily 0.75 2017-08-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479927336049-PBI8ISWTN2ALY0Q5OM4H/FG+BRT+Station+2.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Dar es Salaam - Bus Station Juxtaposed against the slums and informal settlements of the floodplains, one of the city’s new Bus Rapid Transit Station at sunset. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479927338678-VE9M4558LEWE1ZR6XBXG/FG+Kariakoo+Drainage.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Kariakoo Market Canals Even in areas in the midst of the city center, you can see deep open-air canals being used to drain floodwaters outside the Kariakoo Market. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479927338789-C1SF9MM5Q82GWA0IE5DK/FG+Kariakoo+Market+2.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Kariakoo Market https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479927340909-OYZSOI4QJV9IZGPH2CJ3/FG+Kariakoo+Market+3.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Kariakoo Market A beverage vendor in the Kariakoo Market. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479927343426-JHEX15XMYNLT4JZUI00D/FG+Limes.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Kariakoo Market A farmer sells his limes in the Kariakoo Market in Dar es Salaam. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479927340499-7O90BBO1VPSK0C5R3AAD/FG+Kariakoo+Street+2.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Streets and the City Outside Kariakoo Market at sunset, you can see the modern buildings that make Dar an economic hub in Sub-Saharan Africa. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479927342178-EPDTXLE2U9QEF91CUN1C/FG+Kariakoo+Street.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Kariakoo Street On Kariakoo Street, just outside Kariakoo Market, you can see the hum of city life. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479927344150-ZWSL91OOWAYRYMBNLAE0/FG+Msasani+Street.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Msasani Msasani Streets While a fair share of the streets in the center of Dar es Salaam are paved, some streets (both in the center and further outwards) are still left unpaved, like this street in Msasani Msasani. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479928145523-C6Z6R7L5BM61R293EVCJ/IMG_8018.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Skyscrapers Along the coast, you can see towering new buildings. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479928263328-UYM0RUW9Z9VZJIIDPTR4/IMG_8034.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Skyscrapers These new monoliths provide housing and offices for a growing population and economy. You can see the bay in the background. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479928420918-005Y99VA5ORD5SD2ZVB9/IMG_8058.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Daily Life in Dar Daily life in Dar – a man paints the outside of a small residential building, with the new glass and concrete skyscrapers that now dot Dar in the background. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479928369674-WQW1NNYPUX3T62TOUW9L/IMG_8048.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Getting to Market A farmer bringing fruits to market on his bicycle. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479928472904-TGF2R7NG085KYLRT7XBL/IMG_8071.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Daily Life in Dar A woman carries home food bought from a market. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479928718824-98MYMXRQMIK1AKWY2EWZ/IMG_8079.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Getting Around While many rely on public transport to get around Dar, most residing in the floodplains have to walk to get where they need to be. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479928795949-96IW2AVKBT70PY0J81JW/IMG_8085.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Port of Tanzania The sea is the lifeblood for Dar es Salaam. Communities’ livelihoods rely on it for artisanal fishing, and large companies rely on it for the transit of commerce via the Port of Tanzania. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479928796426-UGCHWL6B6FRPN4OWS97Y/IMG_8087.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Port of Tanzania The Port of Tanzania and a small fishing boat among the mangroves. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479928803304-DCEAYY209LQYQQE0UOZ0/IMG_8090.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Port of Tanzania The Port of Tanzania and a small fishing boat among the mangroves. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479928911369-P0GJBMFOP4V5QZNM9WJ0/IMG_8095.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Daily Life in Dar A roof patio in one of the large new skyscrapers that are reshaping Dar es Salaam. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479928910812-S452RCLEDJONAJMHR4AI/IMG_8097.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Daily Life in Dar Most newer buildings could virtually exist anywhere in the world, with their uniformity and air conditioners. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479928996274-O38ZZVVWHZV7RZ063VEL/IMG_8104.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Daily Life in Dar Along the coast, locals set up a small barbeque. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479929052900-HT290PIHX3SMYK28CPOF/IMG_8112.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - On the Edge of the City Some 20 feet below a newly elevated road are some informal settlements on the outskirts of Dar es Salaam. While the road may now be resilient to flooding, those residing nearby are at risk of being inundated with floodwaters from both rain and runoff from this road. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479929142629-HE9FO2CIXBN2K08IP14E/IMG_8126.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Daily Life in Dar A man carries wood home. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479929143394-VMJWJYGW0N1UMT65ZM9P/IMG_8145.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Daily Life in Dar People wait for a bus in Dar es Salaam. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479929149473-3TR2ENEA5L2SYODG81Q2/IMG_8147.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Daily Life in Dar A man works on electrical networks in the city center. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479929146274-P6SV3BIXUT68V00KF1X8/IMG_8153.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Daily Life in Dar https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479929314207-ENYOYQVJWDDHEALZ0NBL/IMG_8159.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Making a City Here you can see new construction works underway, with towering glass skyscrapers in the background. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479929314641-PX9U5U90WG52QKHNUUGZ/IMG_8173.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Construction in Dar https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479929318849-955JQLK07PMFRWTIFQAU/IMG_8193.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Daily Life in Dar A street in downtown Dar. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479929317980-WWJLEHBU7PQFS3ZWF1SC/IMG_8198.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Daily Life in Dar While construction is underway on new buildings, life goes on in Dar. You can see the new buses, part of the recently launched (Spring 2016) Bus Rapid Transit System. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479929320816-USVMXPG0HQ3NG8ADYN50/IMG_8209.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Daily Life in Dar Passersby https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479929619014-7JR6KJBZL3MQE9PCY94N/IMG_8214.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Daily Life in Dar Dar is a city in transition. You can see new modern glass skyscrapers, with older buildings in the foreground. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479929618358-G72JNIRHFZSYY1D4JXHI/IMG_8224.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Daily Life in Dar Next to new construction sites, you can see the remnants of older residential dwellings and trash. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479929626226-9GDEV4YGQGFN8DWNL60B/IMG_8233.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Daily Life in Dar A closer look at some of the debris and trash. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479929625502-JB8WIG0FK98QCGY5RYS8/IMG_8236.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Daily Life in Dar Next to construction sites, life goes on – a woman sells lunch to passersby. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479929787615-J9A4MCDYSS2FHJHBC456/IMG_8243.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Daily Life in Dar Shop fronts https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479929787729-HRZJUX5YDB3YAFB75PN5/IMG_8253.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Daily Life in Dar Shop fronts https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479929795617-527JBX7D81HZ9XPWHOZW/IMG_8257.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Daily Life in Dar Getting around in downtown Dar. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479929791726-PFT8OJRM4AC529CP89AD/IMG_8260.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Daily Life in Dar Fruit and vegetable vendors on a quiet day in Dar. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479929793847-ZZ6RVVTASOLR8EIF1IW6/IMG_8261.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Daily Life in Dar https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479929958202-1YBNHNKQU5Y98PQZVOKM/IMG_8263.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Daily Life in Dar Fruit sellers on the streets of Dar. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479929954901-UST5KVX8G1J85N8EJESI/IMG_8278.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Daily Life in Dar https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479929973293-ILIH58W9ILT7VW5WQY71/IMG_8288.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Daily Life in Dar https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479929971739-AZOZBPHWBT203B15E657/IMG_8295.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Getting Around Dar Getting around Dar: a ‘daladala’ bus and a cyclist. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479929974218-3DO4VNP5WJWHQ4ACV4UR/IMG_8304.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - The Colors of Dar https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479929982352-R8XEE72J4D5RC9JDZSEG/IMG_8312.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Kariakoo Market Outside the market, the hustle and bustle of daily life. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479929977603-XRW8X3AKPP8NKO2MU3D2/IMG_8316.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Kariakoo Market Outside Kariakoo market in Dar. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479929980582-ZR46FWZEDU4FM4FA47KM/IMG_8318.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - The Colors of Dar Daily life at Kariakoo Street, as seen from one of the many clothing markets. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479929985127-I03K7PRMC4ZMKRP7BQYR/IMG_8332.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Daily Life in Dar Kariakoo Street https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479929986069-WDJFAPZH5BJP5YT3JIJU/IMG_8333.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Daily Life in Dar https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479929987785-8U317B583XMU699596ZG/IMG_8340.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Daily Life in Dar Commuters on one of the new 'daladala' buses. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479929988642-GA9NXZW0MRWDW3DH60D2/IMG_8345.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Drainage Canals on the Edge of the City A drainage canal ouside the city center. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479929990502-LQ25BKVSLAIT73B466WM/IMG_8346.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Daily Life in Dar On dirt road outside the city center, small shops and an older residential apartment line the street. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479929991031-3IU5Y5ELYF9TQ7ZXRRVC/IMG_8351.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Daily Life in Dar Dirt roads and large puddles are a normal sight in Dar, even outside rainy season. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479929993680-ENR935AXGJF52ZSTY5Q5/IMG_8353.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Daily Life in Dar On dirt road outside the city center, small shops and an older residential apartment line the street. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479929991695-RA0GPGBTNPVBI2YQSDOL/thumb_DSC00253_1024.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Getting Around Dar Typically, only men bycycle, women usually walk or take transit, if they can. By: DS https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479929992067-ZCR9BTFFO0AABRL6A2YN/thumb_DSC00367_1024.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Daily Life in Dar Market Vendors By: DS https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479929994361-HQ0XZEB6ZIKUBWWEOS9O/thumb_DSC00368_1024.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Daily Life in Dar Market vendors, waiting for customers. By: DS https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479929994343-HOFI30LTTT5Q47CVJ8N5/thumb_IMG_4423_1024.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Daily Life in Dar Washing up without a faucet. By: DS https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479929994694-L5SJFVNWWUTZYDG2YJPL/thumb_IMG_4943_1024.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Daily Bread Bread, chapati, making in Dar. By: DS https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479929994755-2ZTEANDGJKLI27SPRCT2/thumb_IMG_4952_1024.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Daily Bread Bread, chapati, making in Dar. By: DS https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479929997304-WT6EJ7AGV47WUP2JMQDJ/thumb_IMG_4999_1024.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Daily Life in Dar Phone repairs and charging. By: DS https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479923539949-KS1HTE5IW04ZETOB44D9/05-07+Jangwani+8.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Informal Settlements in Jangwani You can see a woman carrying water. Most who reside in these areas have to do this everyday to provide their families with water. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479931216510-DGBEU3K70TXN7I537U3W/thumb_IMG_5223_1024.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Informal Settlements A tarp provides a doorway into one of the many informal settlements of Dar es Salaam. By: DS https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479923707820-RUHBQEFQQIOQ4XLH9UEU/05-07+Jangwani+11.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Informal Settlements in Jangwani https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479923435625-MDU7Y8B3CTILQF58KX2B/05-07+Jangwani+2.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Informal Settlements in Jangwani Emmanuel: “Floods have increased because we have many houses now compared to back then.”   https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479923217132-YOPF9GJP1YZF5F1U9MQY/05-07+Jangwani+5.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Protecting Property Some are using stone and debris to protect their homes from flooding. Emmanuel: “I poured debris around my house to prevent water from entering my house during floods. It is not a sustainable solution but it helps a little bit." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479923820455-A3CZR99U53XPVHFC50WS/05-07+Jangwani+13.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Protecting Property Some are using stone and debris to protect their homes from flooding. Salim: “If it rains for an hour or two hours, we know that we have to take our belongings, for example electronic stuff, outside the house.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479923820451-VT97CTH9TLYEIILFNL0W/05-07+Jangwani+12.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - The Scars of Flooding This building in Jangwani shows the scars of flooding, with flood stains reaching just below the windows, at roughly 6 feet from the ground. It is not uncommon for the water to rise over 6 feet during a flood. Farida and Habiba: “Every time it rains, this place floods and we have to run. We run to the school and mosque and stay there for a few days before we can carefully go back to our houses.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479924749012-6VY5GEMZGSB9Y3WQEKYA/19-07+Jangwani+8.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Drainage Canals in Jangwani Some of the concrete drainage canals that exist in Jangwani. Most canals are not lined with concrete or masonry. Emmanuel: “The problem we have here is infrastructure. The infrastructure in this place blocks the water and it pours into Jangwani.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479923421728-Y8O1KQZIHQL9Y7K1U82D/05-07+Jangwani+1.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Polluted Canal in Jangwani One of the many floodplain areas of Dar. On either side of the canal, you can see some of the informal settlements many have been displaced from. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479924197197-R3VE0Q2Y6S7HKNLB6Q48/05-07+Jangwani+3.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - From Jangwani to the City Center The towering buildings of Dar es Salaam, as seen from Jangwani. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479924199775-N3JEJY8X50I0A6VEPUTR/11-07+Jangwani+2.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Sport & Community in Jangwani Residents of Jangwani and adjacent areas watch a local football (soccer) match. The football club Yanga is popular and provides entertainment for Dar’s citizens. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479924566520-NWS0UCQ6VWUMVHTQ96UJ/19-07+Mchikichini+2.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Informal Settlements in Mchikichini To get to their homes, many rely on these planks of wood to cross canals in Mchikichini, another floodplain area of Dar es Salaam. Emmanuel: “We are not against the government demolishing our houses or shifting us to another area but we want the government following the procedure of giving us both land and compensation for our houses.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479924566647-1RPJZ3PA2ID110V2H9O6/19-07+Mchikichini+3.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Informal Settlements in Mchikichini These canals are a small way to redirect floodwaters. However, many use the polluted water from these canals for their daily water use. Here, you can see a man collecting water. Salim: "We heard rumours about the spray-painted X on our houses, then later people from the government put that very X on our houses, meaning that we should vacate and demolish our houses." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479924573231-LCMUJ4CJRCV5X1Y2MX2E/19-07+Mchikichini+5.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Water is Life Seli: “Canals are sometimes cleaned by the community, but are not cleaned properly because the depth of the water outlets is getting shallower with time. It requires heavy machinery which the community does not have.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479925219314-23IL5EGV8J2ROQNH8Y4T/19-07+Mchikichini+6.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Protecting Property Currently, the height of these walls is not enough to deter home flooding. Many have placed sandbags and other objects to help fortify canal walls to protect their homes. Farida and Habiba: “We stay here hoping that someone will help us so that we can move to another area as soon as possible. We are forced to stay here, because we do not have the money to build in another area.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479925443440-166Z5T9WSSGUTAORQFY8/19-07+Mchikichini+8.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Protecting Property With canal walls increasing, residents are adding steps to reach their homes. Seli: “I am not sure about other people but I have never received any aid from the government or anyone.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479925587618-X8X0GHRUH4AO8FT68OYU/19-07+Mchikichini+9.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Informal Settlements in Mchikichini https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479931218533-94CYVSRR8ACCYEFIRUUR/thumb_IMG_5222_1024.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Informal Settlements Laundry dries in an informal settlement in Dar. By: DS https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479925590501-BKBS5L8RKARTJW5KL6M4/19-07+Mchikichini+11.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Laundry in Mchikichini Laundry dries in an informal settlement in Mchikichini. Salim: "Non-governmental organisations have provided mosquito nets and clothes, and at one point the government provided land for people to move.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479925591063-MM7Z8R8G7QY61SSCNSTV/19-07+Mchikichini+12.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Canals at Lowtide At low-tide, you can see the debris these canals carry throughout Mchikichini. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479925588842-O4PEKAKF2TR8WD0S9CWZ/19-07+Mchikichini+10.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - Changes in the Landscape A man in Mchikichini shares details about how new waterways are popping up. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479926260587-OK5KLP031XCQ8APDSMG7/19-07+Mchikichini+17.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - New Drainage Systems Drainage pipes and open concrete canals. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479925593266-10DHTU85PV1KZKDR9NT3/19-07+Mchikichini+14.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - New Drainage Systems The government has put in place some large drainage pipes in Mchikichini. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1479926260712-HXKB12DCS6RNEEBTQ0ZC/19-07+Mchikichini+18.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam - New Drainage Systems Drainage pipes and open concrete canals. Seli: “This place floods every year around March and April which is when it becomes unsafe for us. We have to rent a truck to carry our stuff to another location that costs about 100,000 Tsh. Most of us only earn a few 1,000 Tsh a day so that has a large impact.” *100 Tanzanian Shingles (Tsh) is $0.05 USD. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1473449574947-HQ4FJYDNK6B3YY8GPJNX/19-07+Mchikichini+3.jpg Displacement in Dar es Salaam http://www.impacthuman.org/defining-the-issues daily 0.75 2019-04-19 http://www.impacthuman.org/what-can-i-do-to-help daily 0.75 2019-09-16 http://www.impacthuman.org/call-your-government daily 0.75 2019-04-19 http://www.impacthuman.org/sandy-a-retrospective daily 0.75 2017-12-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511811478512-BOZA8A0W2I5N5AM2MOWW/Before.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Elizabeth Murphy's Home - Before Sandy Photo by Elizabeth Murphy https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511811483127-WUUN7QTIZ9NG82LKOSGJ/8.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Elizabeth Murphy's Home - After Sandy Photo by Elizabeth Murphy https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511811484215-3Y0X883RDFS4MW61KEFJ/7.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Elizabeth Murphy's Home - After Sandy Photo by Elizabeth Murphy https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511811482194-H1866G6HLZY3INYN80UH/9.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Elizabeth Murphy's Home - After Sandy Photo by Elizabeth Murphy https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511811480724-7WM8HUFJXWP5UBRCL0IR/12.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Elizabeth Murphy's Home - After Sandy, Construction has Begun Photo by Elizabeth Murphy https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511811483068-RV8UN80VUI9MMXZ83YWB/11.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Elizabeth Murphy's Home - After Sandy, Construction has Begun Photo by Elizabeth Murphy https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511811484285-A238V3JIL4D1OWIWOAJO/6.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Elizabeth Murphy's Home - Construction Everywhere Photo by Elizabeth Murphy https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511811485285-AVDP971YM4Q78WPNUW76/3.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Elizabeth Murphy's Home - Gutted Photo by Elizabeth Murphy https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511811482260-NK1752NJOV363C340TOJ/10.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Elizabeth Murphy's Home - Gutted Photo by Elizabeth Murphy https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511811490267-4OAV3B5PPN5E05BWKLVC/26.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Elizabeth Murphy's Home - Plans for the Future Photo by Elizabeth Murphy https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511811480650-LIU669DD6JIBEXGUHHUH/19.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Elizabeth Murphy's Home - Raising the Roof Photo by Elizabeth Murphy https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511811477771-3OLB755RN7S6LQV9E8M6/frame%281%29.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Elizabeth Murphy's Home - Raising the Roof Elizabeth Murphy https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511811479605-AA30AM2Y4OR06XUNNH2T/21.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Elizabeth Murphy's Home - Raising the Roof, Almost Done Photo by Elizabeth Murphy https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511811477707-2H4M38527IHUCNLI8MNF/photo+%2817%29.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Elizabeth Murphy's Home - Nearly Rebuilt Photo by Elizabeth Murphy https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511811478513-I7L212ZCYMQFZ39C9XSM/photo+%2816%29.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Elizabeth Murphy's Home - Nearly Rebuilt Photo by Elizabeth Murphy https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511811479365-PF1DNJHGQN6JGRDTKXWW/22.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Elizabeth Murphy's Home - Nearly Done Photo by Elizabeth Murphy https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511811486651-SQE8Q8IJLUZ8M5IM8SU2/new+house.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Elizabeth Murphy's Home - After Sandy Reconstruction Photo by Elizabeth Murphy https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511811487415-8ES4TRKLCDV8EQ0KFEXH/master.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Elizabeth Murphy's Home - After Sandy Reconstruction Photo by Elizabeth Murphy https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511811488354-KQTHZY4MH2DA6KVJ0G2S/stairs.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Elizabeth Murphy's Home - New Stairs & a Whole New Floor Photo by Elizabeth Murphy https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511827590705-K1V00SNOHKRSN3VK6EN7/imgp1377_8237233227_o.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Stephen Serwin's Property - Post Storm Surge Photo by Stephen Serwin https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511827594966-7MQY3JRVPEIKJTTM6JXT/imgp1362_8237228209_o.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Stephen Serwin's Property After the Surge Receeded Photo by Stephen Serwin https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511827597770-ABAMNS0HR06D23683IFW/imgp1358_8237226177_o.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Stephen Serwin's Home - A Thin Layer of Sediment on Everything Photo by Stephen Serwin https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511830357628-Y9W5S4N4MOS3PXEKILSM/imgp1356_8238292740_o.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Stephen Serwin's Property, the Water Line Photo by Stephen Serwin https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511827603267-4NL2BKRGBJBU2RIXAJD2/imgp1342_8237218597_o.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Stephen Serwin's Property - After Sandy Photo by Stephen Serwin https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511827560908-BZ2F70M0HQXLH1XODEVJ/imgp1423_8238333746_o.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Stephen Serwin's Property - Gutted After Sandy Photo by Stephen Serwin https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511827576063-8J9WL9OQC8UTR3N5GWFW/imgp1421_8237265653_o.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Stephen Serwin's Property - Gutted After Sandy Photo by Stephen Serwin https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511827593317-ZB9SVHMUMCGZ79AKAW3F/imgp1405_8237254975_o.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Stephen Serwin - Emptying it All Out Photo by Stephen Serwin https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511827581684-SWJGAPWPER6OEC9ZMNKR/imgp1412_8237260453_o.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Stephen Serwin's Property - Everything Outside Photo by Stephen Serwin https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511827564752-TF9NP0STX323NB5BSWTA/imgp1429_8238338488_o.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Stephen Serwin's Property - Everything Outside Photo by Stephen Serwin https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511831022230-8X88HZQ2EAHX4A8CMS4X/IMG_0744.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Damage in Astoria Queens, After Sandy Damage in Astoria Queens, After Sandy Photo by Mike McFarland https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511831017213-LMOV5HY6FBM2N02W1OQM/IMG_0747.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Damage in Astoria Queens, After Sandy Photo by Mike McFarland https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511831026456-LXTZT7JEJVRXPYVM3LVD/IMG_0748.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Damage in Astoria Queens, After Sandy Photo by Mike McFarland https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511831030561-M567073TTXYRPFCQBT9W/IMG_0749.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Astoria, After Sandy Photo by Mike McFarland https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511831038085-GIK5TP5C4FGMS2P9EGBP/IMG_0750.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Damage in Astoria Queens, After Sandy Photo by Mike McFarland https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511831043628-RJACRQGH7GARRB5I9ZEZ/IMG_0751.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Astoria Tree Down, After Sandy Photo by Mike McFarland https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511759015522-BF93KHG66NRT23YFHLZ1/DSCF2806.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Verna de la Mothe: Interview "There were a lot of areas that I guess didn't realize that we were going to have such a strong impact from it. It was night time , [I was] watching all the areas on the news that were being hit and all of a sudden a big blast comes through. It was almost like a giant rush - I don't even know how to describe it." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511759019891-XNA7XGPENQIAM3B4UKOJ/DSCF2811.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Verna de la Mothe: Interview "The Sound was so horrible. It was so fast and immediate. The rush of the water coming from up the hill down slashed our a whole community, busted through a metal door in our basement - a metal door pushed in. And all of the water was forced from the manholes, they were pushed up as the water rushed down and filled up the street. I would say it wasn't even waist [deep] at the time it was shoulder height." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511759026144-DC9T8U81CAPBUKYXTIX2/DSCF2827.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Verna de la Mothe: Interview "You know, everybody in the building that I was in - it was a small five story brownstone, it's a co-op, - and we all ran downstairs to see what was going on obviously. There was no lights we look downstairs at the steps to the basement. The water is coming all the way up to the first floor. We looked down in the street where you had like eight steps like a brownstone in the front - it was coming up all the way to the top. We couldn't even leave the building. The rain the water it just looked like there was no end that it was going to stop." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511759031639-WBAVYVAXH4K3QEJR32FF/DSCF2829.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Verna de la Mothe: Interview "I was on the third floor. The whole basement was coming up to the first floor. It was so frightening that we just couldn't imagine. We just couldn't deal with or comprehend what was going on, it was so shocking and devastating. That's when I notified my family and my people and learned what's going on in their area. My mother happened to be living in Long Beach so they were in the same situation I was in. So looking for an alternative place to go, it would not have helped for me to have left my place to go to theirs in Queens - from New Jersey to Queens." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511759042685-NX64PODZH43H1NUSVDYN/DSCF2836.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Verna de la Mothe: Interview "At that time we had no choice but to wait it out until the sun comes up to see what it looks like at that point, like I said, the water was still rising. It was coming up higher and higher and all we [could] do [was] get flashlights and look to see how far the water was going to rise. I went and salvaged my transistor radios and there were people in the building that did not have one - I was lucky, fortunate to have two. So I lent them one. We all kind of took care of each other, at that time, but there was nothing we could do, period." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511759043992-6HIJIZQP9ZMRT0ZN6QA4/DSCF2840.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Verna de la Mothe: Interview "We couldn't get out of the building. We were stuck, trapped in the building. The water was contaminated on top of that. So I wasn't even trying to get out there with shoulder high water with the sewer right there that came up from above that. It was terrifying. It was something I could not believe." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511759010746-IKCN009QM7QKYKA0VAR3/DSCF2805.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Verna de la Mothe: Interview "They did not bring anybody in. People were pulling out their row boats and paddling all over the place, just to see the devastation, what's going on. There were no stores open. Hoboken is a very small town. Everything was devastated, just shut down - the whole town. Nothing was left... it took one week [for emergency response to arrive]." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511759035146-GW43GE3LKIVWQ1VIBX8G/DSCF2832.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Verna de la Mothe: Interview "Just like I said, you see what's happening in Puerto Rico and in North Carolina with the surge. The surge is something else. It's not the rain, it's not the wind, it's that surge that was so high it came over Sinatra Boulevard Park right over that and then went uphill and smashed downhill. That's when it pushed in the metal door to the basement, a thick metal door was broken in. [I] couldn't believe that, the force of that fence, the metal fence turned over. I saw refrigerators floating in the street - stuff like that - and you're wondering where did this refrigerator come from? There was a rodent problem, but after that there was no more because everything flooded, so silver lining... at least it was good for something." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511758981706-HWZK55UEIWHVA9R6UJW0/DSCF2770.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Elizabeth Murphy: Interview "I actually grew up on the water and interestingly never had anything close to a Sandy experience, which says a lot, considering that was from [and] I lived there from 1982 until 2001, my parents lived there anyway and they never got a drop of water, even in the backyard. In this day and age given what's going on with climate change, and the reality that areas that have never know storms like this are being hit regularly. I feel like there's got to be like if I can put my energy towards this issue, where would I go? What would I say? What would I do? All I just do is tell everyone that I know - get flood insurance." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511758990632-NR5K1WVN67LW9BEO9AUB/DSCF2775.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Elizabeth Murphy: Interview "Hurricane Irene had happened almost exactly a year before, it was like August of 2011 and it was predicted to be bad and we were technically in [the] evacuation zone. Clearly [we] didn't make the right choice - but we were sort of predisposed to think that there was a bit of an alarmist media created frenzy, which I think is a problem. And I think because of the severity of storms now, it's starting to become less of a problem, but I do look back on that and feel very strongly that it was hard to sort out what was a real threat and what wasn't. In any case, we were pretty sure we were going to be in for something, like I remember the weekend before Sandy, we were finally told over the weekend that you should evacuate. I think it was recommended but not mandatory. And because I was pregnant I didn't really want to sleep on someone else's floor, and the reality is, we just didn't have a lot of places to go because so many people - I mean, everybody we knew was being effected. My in-laws had major damage. My dad lives in Amityville by the water. My sister lives in Delaware." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511758990865-8068J76H9O7HP7JYZBQ5/DSCF2773.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Elizabeth Murphy: Interview "We really just felt like, there wasn't anywhere to go and we were going to be fine. Then the day of the storm... the only thing I recall seeing is this constant focus on the crane that was in the middle of the city. That was banging into a building, and that was the only coverage. I actually had a doctor's appointment and went to it and then got home. And I guess around 4 pm.. we started hearing if you're in an evacuation zone, and you didn't evacuate, you're on your own. First Responders won't be able to get to you. [Around] 7pm we still had power, we were sitting in the house, everything seemed fine and then we noticed that some of our neighbors were outside and my husband said "oh I'm going to go check it out" and all sudden the entire block went dark, because as it turns out, the town shut the power grid off to avoid fires. So he came back, and he's like "there's a lot of water in the street". And I thought wow that's weird, and by the time we looked back out it was like a river coming. So we literally grabbed 2 black contractor bags shoved as much as we could... We just grabbed what we thought we would need. Actually our next door neighbors had called and said "we can see the water and we're upstairs and we're really concerned you guys have to come over". So we did, and by the time we got outside, the water was up to my waist. I'm 5'3'', so I would say it was a couple of feet. We got upstairs in their house, and it just came pouring from both directions and at different points in the house the watermarks we're different. In this part of the house, it went up to that landing - about 4 feet" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511759005952-HLX5G0CJKZRKAM5APYA4/DSCF2779.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Elizabeth Murphy: Interview "Considering it was one floor, every wall was touched and what actually ended up being equally devastating was that the insulation pulled the water up, so we had 8 feet of mold around the perimeter of the house, so it was pretty bad. We stayed there that night. We came back in the morning and saw the damage. We tried to see if the cars would start. One of them did, which was a weird miracle, because it didn't last long and we shouldn't have driven it. Geico said "you really should not have driven that car". We were lucky it didn't catch on fire, but we didn't have a lot of options... We got to my dad's, and the issue after that was power. Because even people who had been spared the water, were anyone we knew within a reasonable distance had no power and it was cold and I'm pregnant so we kind of spent that day trying to figure out where we were going to live. The first few weeks we bounced around with whoever had room and power... So you know, the hardest parts were obviously for the kids, just the complete chaos of their routine. The kids were 6 and 4." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511759001697-RLR20L1JBITM48CZLVB5/DSCF2783.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Elizabeth Murphy: Interview "We were lucky that we had a contractor that was available and they said the first thing that we needed to do was just rip everything out, like get everything out so mold stops growing. They ripped up the floors and the walls, the insulation... But the other risk at that point was that the pipes would freeze because there is no heat and it was winter. So there was a combination of like a lot of things: cool air, hot air, a lot of things you just didn't think of... We were very fortunate with our insurance. Geico was great. FEMA was great. They all had very well organized local pop up disaster centers. There was one in our Park [and] one at a local University. Our mortgage company had a little pop up, which they had nothing to offer us. Yeah they were like "yeah you still have to pay your mortgage". I was like we aren't there and it's not even a house. So paying for a mortgage and insurance and taxes on a house that you don't live in and you're renting somewhere else. That was stressful, so we had to borrow a lot of money. It took us a long time to pay back but we were very fortunate that we had people that could lend us money and we kind of just got through it. You just kind of have to look for resources that you have." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511758793974-KVSRW0IULAIS32SIC817/DSCF1823.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Stephen Serwin: Interview "Everything was fine on the day that Sandy actually hit. Throughout the day, conditions were okay, you know there was some minor flooding on the beach, but then at around high tide in the evening, so let’s say I think it was 5:30 - 6:00 o’clock, the water started coming up in the street and you know I went outside and I looked and I went back in and I told my husband “It’s actually - there’s water in the street” and he’s like “Ah, it’s not a big deal”. And then we went back out and it was up on the sidewalk and I said, “You know we should probably go tell Jackie and Mike [who were our tenants downstairs] to come upstairs” and so we went and knocked on the door and they said yeah you’re right cuz they looked and saw it was on the sidewalk and so they went upstairs." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511758787277-DMT50DVRZZ27NF9EX9DA/DSCF1824.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Stephen Serwin: Interview "Their apartment was six inches below grade so when you stepped in you walked down two steps. And so at that point we were like “we should get the cats out.” So we started collecting the cats and we formed a little brigade and we were grabbing cats who were going like this [gesture], you know, and walking them through the water up into our apartment. And by the time we got the last cat I wading in water up to my chest and the electricity pole on our street started sparking and all the lights went out and I was like, “Okay, I’m wading in water up to my chest carrying a cat that is scratching me and I’m going to be electrocuted.” And we got into the house and you know the power was out and we just sort of all sat - oh and meanwhile our cars were going through their death knells like you know the minute the water hit the sort of panels that start the car alarms went off - so they were you know the car alarms all around the street the car alarms went off but they were sort of being drowned by the water so there was this horrible sort of deadening noise like you know car alarms dying “wah, wah, wah” you know and in the end the waters was up to the ceiling in both cars. So we lost both our cars. So we got into the house and we all just sat there shellshocked, didn’t really say much. But In the back of my mind was, I mean we were fine, we were dry upstairs but when we left the apartment the last time the refrigerator was floating, you know the water was about five and half feet deep in their apartment." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511758796299-ZM9L85B56TJCJMH23NP0/DSCF1829.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Stephen Serwin: Interview "I couldn’t really think about myself, I was thinking more about them, and we really didn’t talk much because that was the elephant in the room basically...We slept maybe three hours and then by I would say by 3 or 4am the water had receded and they were able to go downstairs and when I woke up they were already you know Jackie was sobbing, you know like all of her pictures, all of her papers, everything from her life, all of her mementos were gone." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511758804896-AU09OY079266V16RW85F/DSCF1836.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Stephen Serwin: Interview "That’s what we woke up to. And it wasn’t just us. What we realized - you know, it’s sort of like when you’re in a nightmare dream and you wake up and you’re, you think you’re okay but then you’re in another dream you know, where your dream has layers? We were walking around the neighborhood and when I realized how bad it was I was shocked. And you know we realized then that we couldn’t get out either, we had no cars, and there were sand banks everywhere adrift - the streets were full of sand dunes that had sort of been deposited by the water. Cuz the water came up both sides of the island." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511758806289-P554RVP3LE34IIJS3Z9R/DSCF1837.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Stephen Serwin: Interview "The trains weren’t running, your car was gone. No one’s cars survived, whether it was in a garage or not. So there was really no way out. And the National Guard came in right away. They were handing out those packets of food, you know the [unintelligible] water. People were living like that. So right away I could feel how we were different, you know the fact that we got rescued and we were taken to Tom’s parents’ house and our tenants like you know went somewhere else, I forget where they went, someone they knew had an empty apartment that was on a high floor so they went there. But you know, everybody was, everyone was basically shut out of habitable livings but they lived there anyway. And it was freezing, I don’t know if you remember, the week after there was a snow storm." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511758835634-WRGQFIXP8CXWAKOD4P4K/DSCF1840.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Stephen Serwin: Interview "We had to basically gut out tenants’ apartment, throw out all of their life’s possessions, put them in a pile that came to 7-feet tall by 12-feet wide and 3-feet deep. All the appliances, everything, we had to gut that apartment down to the studs and there was nothing left. And we rebuilt the entire thing right away. Like Tom went to the bank the day after the hurricane happened and he took out our entire line of credit and he deposited it in our checking account cuz he figured we might need it cuz you know banks have will shut down lines of credit, they realize, 'oh that’s Long Beach, we’re not gonna'. And so we had access to cash and we rebuilt the apartment and our tenants actually moved back in two days before Christmas. Which I’m still, to this day, I’m blown away by the fact." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511758836012-7GIWDJMLP0DKDE5DQ9XU/DSCF1841.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Stephen Serwin: Interview "Because you know, one thing I want to say, before Sandy our apartment downstairs was a legal apartment but we were sort of grandfathered in because the house was built in 1929 and now they’ve changed all the codes in the Long Beach, you couldn’t build a house, your ground floor has to basically be uninhabitable space in Long Beach so a garage or something like that and if you’re going to build new construction. You know, before Sandy, we had about 4 instances where that apartment flooded just from rain because there were several rains on Long Island that were considered 100-year rain storms like where they would get 4-5 inches an hour, you know, crazy amounts of rain, and all of Long Beach flooded a couple of times just from the rain, you know, just from these summer thunderstorms." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511758778984-MROJWFDG44V6BRI9L0UJ/DSCF1819.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Stephen Serwin: Interview "But you know I felt guilty, because you know when we talked about value and property value and things like that - I mean we had to sell the house because we’re middle class people and we would have lost all the money we put into it, but I think about those people and I wonder when the next thing’s gonna happen you know? They took out an FHA loan, they were first-time homebuyers, I think they put down 1% on the house, and you know I think, I just wonder about these policies, I wonder about all that kind of stuff, and I know that it’s easy for me to say now because I’ve extricated myself but I feel like I’ve learned a lot about the system and how there are so many things we have to start questioning." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511758862026-2AR9LGU46TIJ3Q93XOU9/DSCF1846.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Robert Kearns: Interview "It was scary. They ended up having to retreat to the top floor of the house because the first two floors got flooded. The telephone pole went down in front so they couldn't escape out the front if they needed to. The next block over was one of the blocks that burned down... So they were just trapped in the house and just hoping that they would be ok. And then all my aunts and uncles - I have like 40 family members down there, and they are all in the Rockaways... a lot of [their homes] were just in bad shape. Only one of them ended up getting condemned, but the rest of them we're just in need of massive repair." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511758862597-18O7V9KORPN1BAP0FOE4/DSCF1848.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Robert Kearns: Interview "Both sides of my family are from there. My mom is still in the house that I grew up in and that's the house that my dad grew up in. I spent my whole life out there until I moved out for college, and then I've been around Queens and stuff - but my whole family stayed down there." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511758871310-M3U8VH0AN5JD7URV0YJI/DSCF1857.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Robert Kearns: Interview "It was always a pain because [the] Rockaways have such a high water table, so any time it rained a ton... I remember when I was growing up it raining and it would be like get the wet dry vac and the sump pump because the water would be just coming through the floor. Not awful, just pick up all of the boxes and start draining it, but nothing terrible. Nobody expected that [Sandy] at all." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511758878339-KELVCV4DUEFC5QJ461KY/DSCF1858.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Robert Kearns: Interview "That was one of the most devastating things for my mom, when she had to go down and clean out all of our childhood memories and stuff like that. All of our grammar school stuff and all of that stuff and then all of the pictures from when her and my dad were together. So she was helping for a little bit and looking around and then she's like, 'I just can't - just get rid of it and I'll be upstairs'. " https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511758886257-ZBOSTL14OHWSG7Y5B5DJ/DSCF1912.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Robert Kearns: Interview "My brother is in the Marine Corps, he was in Newport at the time, at the military academy, luckily. He's the only reason we had gas, because there was no gas anywhere around here and I was driving up and down everyday and we were out of gas. So he very dangerously filled up a U-Haul trailer full of gas canisters and came down and give it to everyone in the block. And he brought down a bunch of Marines, and they did a lot of work. They took time off they were excused out of classes and stuff." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511758886143-Q34EW5T48R69J6W333BG/DSCF1901.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Robert Kearns: Interview "[At the] end of Howard Beach you start seeing water marks and stuff like that, like you can see the rail bridge from the beach in Howard Beach and Broad Channel so you could see [how] messed up it was. It wasn't completely taken out like the other rail bridge, but you could start seeing [the damage]. Then you get into Broad Channel and that's where you really started seeing the devastation. I mean, Broad Channel used to flood in a little bit of rain, everyone had to park their cars right in the middle because every street just flooded. It's completely even with the bay there so you start seeing that - one of the biggest things I saw was a boat in the second floor of a house - it was like sideways into it. That was my brother-in-law's best friend's house. Then you go over the bridge and you start to see some of it a little bit... it was all just covered in silt and sand but you could see where the bay and ocean met." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511758869840-BU1R9TQ2RSZ1ID7F7SGK/DSCF1852.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Robert Kearns: Interview "Everything that happened with everybody's insurance, and the FEMA stuff and all that was - I don't think it could have been handled worse. It took them, let's see, eleven months to get the second floor rebuilt - I guess like the main floor. The basement we just gutted... it took longer because of the mold and all of that stuff. It was constantly treating this and doing that and then there's contractors that are taking advantage and all of that stuff and then the Red Cross was a joke... [they] showed up with like a bucket, a roll of Bounty, a couple of towels. It's like "Thanks, pal. Thanks for showing up." They were of no help." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511758879103-ZL83EXC01WABRVB3GWFD/DSCF1885.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Robert Kearns: Interview "They [local government] weren't prepared... like not shoring any of that up, not properly having evacuation plans, and having completely incorrect flood zones. It was all off and they hadn't updated [it] for a very long time. And, I would say, the majority of the city agencies were neglectful... The sanitation department was really the only one that did anything. The police and fire were there, but they were a little overwhelmed and they were doing their job, but the sanitation department were really the ones who got Rockaway through it, and volunteers. It wasn't the city itself. It wasn't the Red Cross - they were complete failures." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511759054167-QD8M4IF4UNXN5ZSTKDDC/DSCF4028.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Nicole Rodill: Interview "I lived in Greenpoint when Sandy struck. I lived... at the bottom of the hill and we threw a hurricane party that night... and we got really lucky because the street came up and then came back down and so where we lived... our street didn't flood, but a block away from our apartment it was flooded... we heard a loud bang and we saw a huge flash reflecting in the window. It was the power outage of New York, it was the explosion of the main power station. We saw this huge bright light like an insane light and then we didn't lose power but we noticed that tons of power was going out and our friends were calling us that were on the other side and they were like, 'it's crazy over here'." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511759054411-BVNKWY2LQ7NALMFSRDX3/DSCF4032.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Nicole Rodill: Interview "The next day I was just watching the news and since we're surfers - I wish people listened to surfers more when it came to the weather and storms, particularly what's happening with the beaches... Many surfers I knew where like, this is going to be really bad. We were all acutely aware of how bad it was going to be, just because of everything that was coming together for the storm: the timing that it was going to hit us, high tide there was a full moon, it was like every single thing that would have made the storm worse was happening -- and Surfers pay attention to that because it's going to be great waves, but we were also like, this is going to be devastating." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511759063401-D92A42HS2RG0JRB3RMCU/DSCF4036.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Nicole Rodill: Interview "We've lived in New York for 20 years. We have probably been going to Rockaway, I would say for 16 or 17 years. And when we used to go out there the beach was pretty deep compared to how it is now. it was like a pretty good size length of beach, and there would be nobody out there - nobody. It would be completely empty. All of [the] town houses they have built near the grocery store, that just started. They were constructing those things right when we started going out there, so it was all sand. There were none of those houses. It was the boardwalk and then sand... I grew up on the Jersey Shore... in Point Pleasant Beach, so I know the devastation that can occur, and a lot of my friends in Coney Island or on the Jersey Shore that I grew up with lost their houses, lost their businesses. So I knew the bigger impact that there was going to be for people. So I went out there 2 days later with a couple of girls, basically just to see how we could help." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511759064113-CDGF6RYQETELD74LPY7U/DSCF4040.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Nicole Rodill: Interview "At the time, Occupy Wall Street had just ended so the Occupy movement started Occupy Sandy... I was superficially involved in Occupy Wall Street. I would go to marches occasionally. I wasn't living in Zuccotti Park. They really organized in a huge way in Brooklyn and in Manhattan and in Rockaway, but prior to them organizing it was just random people out there trying to help, and not everybody knew what the tools were that were needed but really quickly it became obvious that there were deficiencies in who was being helped and who wasn't being out. You know, when you go to Rockaway, after like 109th Street, it's nicer. The house get bigger, it's prettier, it's whiter. Those people had pretty much immediately Red Cross trailers. There is a really big Catholic school there that had set up a donation spot and people were coming in from everywhere. The gymnasium in that school was just full of clothes and products and that community had easy access. Their houses were destroyed there was sand everywhere. They were dumping everything out of their houses because it was all getting moldy, but if you walk below that, if you went into like 69th Street, there was nothing. There was nobody there to help. Some of those people live in high rises. They lost their electricity. They are low income. They don't have supplies. They weren't prepared, really. They lost their houses if they were in the smaller houses, and there was no government or even Occupy people there yet. It was just devastating. It kind of look like the end of the world over there; because if you did see people - they were like walking down the street with push carts trying to find anything that they could bring back to their home: food, water, batteries, whatever." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511759072723-TELJWNFHVBROAH9BJ1QC/DSCF4061.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Nicole Rodill: Interview "Me and my friends made it a point to go. We would go either to the church what Occupy had organized in Brooklyn, and load our car up with supplies, or we would go to the church and the nicer neighborhood in Rockaway and load our car up with supplies, and then we would go down to the lower income community in the 60s. Early in the day we would just pop our trunk and just give people Pampers or whatever they need, then we would go into the high rises. They were like, 25 - 20 story buildings. We would fill our backpacks up and just climb up to the top and go knocking door-to-door, asking what do you need and with a notepad making notes of who needed what, and what apartment they were in. And then we would go back to the church in the nice neighborhood and get that stuff. Some people needed medical supplies. The Red Cross had medical supplies. They were not supporting this community. It took two weeks before I saw one Red Cross van down in that community." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511759075406-PCUD470Y24036KBO3BDK/DSCF4078.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Nicole Rodill: Interview "100-percent, they didn't have the financial capacity. It's expensive to be poor. To be honest, and I hate saying this, but we would have to leave that neighborhood by 3 p.m. Because at one point there was a shooting outside of the high rises that we were in. Just as we were coming down from inside the building, and keep in mind that you are in stairwells that are pitch black. We had our headlamps on but there were some people in there that would sketch you out and you weren't sure what was going on, and then to hear that there was a shooting that happened just outside - like am I putting myself in risk. what is going on? Simultaneously there were men that would come up, big guys that would come up to us with their eyes welled in tears looking for Pampers, and you're just like what the fuck." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511759084172-4JA1UT6BZBORQHYAP2RG/DSCF4089.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Nicole Rodill: Interview Nicole looking at her partner's photo-book on Sandy and the Rockaways. "Initially you're there to give people water and Pampers, and medical supplies and that kind of stuff. And then you're there too help clean out the house. And then you're there to help do construction. Then you're there to help pull out their walls. And so that was my process. By the time I left, I had started pulling out walls. There was a really big Thanksgiving celebration down there that a church and the Occupy Movement had organized for families that didn't have their electricity back on, because it took a long time to get electricity back. Everyone is talking about Puerto Rico not getting their electricity back, and I have connections to Puerto Rico too, so we talked about Puerto Rico as being 48 or 50 days out without electricity, which is fucked up beyond belief, but Rockaway - a lot of those people were without electricity for about a month." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511759080215-U4U5LUBY2T11PCULOARX/DSCF4082.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Nicole Rodill: Interview Nicole looking at her partner's photo-book on Sandy and the Rockaways. "People are not being educated and [as] storms get worse up the East Coast, and even in traditional hurricane areas we need to be educated. It needs to be part of the conversation. The conversation needs to be, a storm season is coming have these things don't wait until the last minute. As New Yorkers we are predisposed how to say 'fuck it, it will be fine the bodega will be open', and that doesn't always happen, so after that storm, I made it a point to help my community which was Rockaway. I felt like, sure these aren't my people, like I'm not friends with these people, but I use their community, I owe them something, I need to give back." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511758893108-NBIBXNQAH6H85RCJ1VLZ/DSCF1923.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Heather Gaw: Interview "So my parents are about a mile from the beach, and they are maybe about 3 miles south of the Verrazano Bridge, but kind of the Northeast portion of Staten Island... no one in our neighborhood [evacuated], everyone stayed. The only people were a couple down from us, they were in their 80s. They left but their son stayed in the house. They only left because their kids force them to, otherwise they would have stayed. My parents and everyone have been there for 40 years, [it] had never had a flood. The only flooding you get is some rain water from the sump pump, like everyone might get." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511758893407-XRTL993ZV0B52N0BC3Z1/DSCF1954.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Heather Gaw: Interview "My father and I were watching football, drinking wine; and my mom was watching Home and Garden in the kitchen. And we heard the sump pump go, but it wasn't raining, so we were wondering where the water is coming from. So we look outside and we see water almost to our top step, which is probably about three feet or so [of] water out in the street, and people walking down. Then we started taking things, and then we went downstairs and noticed that the water was coming through the windows; because it was above the windows. So we started taking important things out of the basement: the computer, some furniture - there was some furniture down there because my parents had just had the floors redone upstairs... Then one of the windows burst. We decided that we had to put the power out, because otherwise it could start a fire. So I did it because I'm much faster than my parents. So I went downstairs and in the amount of time it took for me to get to the end of the basement, all of the windows had then burst suddenly; so I put the power off, got a little bit of a shock and at that point the entire basement was almost filled with water. So I had to pull along the rafters, and then ultimately swim under boxes and furniture to get to the stairs, because everything had started floating." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511758913323-QNWU08CJ4VH50YH5I3CX/DSCF2043.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Heather Gaw: Interview "It's the footprint of the house, and it's not a short basement. It's a full floor 8ft it filled. And then upstairs, we didn't get any water coming in the doors, but there were some parts of the house where it came through the floorboards in low dips, so we moved some stuff from upstairs to the second floor even, but it was at that point already kind of looking like it was going to stop or it would recede. So then we just went all the way to the second floor and then my dad started cracking jokes about how we had wanted to have a pool in the backyard, so now we do." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511758922977-N2OOKC1CQJZQ2EBK8MSY/DSCF2537.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Heather Gaw: Interview Heather in her parent's basement, by the power breaker. "I don't know who had it worse, me or them. Because they couldn't see me and they didn't know where I was, because at that point I had dropped the lantern and I knew where I needed to go. I had to get from A to B, and they are sitting there like, 'the basement is filled with water and we have no idea where Heather is'. My dad had my hand at one point but we couldn't move the furniture or the boxes." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511758936889-O40CLOPZGMCSHG9U4KLZ/DSCF2548.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Heather Gaw: Interview Heather in her parent's basement, by the power breaker. "[from the breaker to the door] it was 20ft. At the end it was right at the top, and I couldn't get air anymore so I yelled, 'I'm going under'. Because I knew I had to swim under, but they didn't hear me do that. He had my hand and I just let go and swam, so I don't know who had it worse. According to the electrician, because there was some water on the floor when I was walking, I said it's fine the power box is up high and I wouldn't have even been electrocuted." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511758933649-SQRNKDUT0SF47W7AV3Y5/DSCF2552.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Heather Gaw: Interview "It would cause a short in the power box and then in some instances, that can start a fire. There were fires that started that way in various parts during storms and floods. So we knew that, and I'm just happy it's was me and not one of them." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511758958683-PHRY3T81IKPOWFDT2AEP/DSCF2554.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Heather Gaw: Interview "They had just redone the floors, so they had to rip up all of the hardwood flooring and all of the sub-flooring. The whole basement was gutted. What's crazy actually is the beautiful thing about Facebook; I had posted that my brother had got us a generator maybe 3 or 4 days later, and my friend Tommy who I went to elementary school with and have not seen in 20 years, asked if I wanted him to come and wire into our houses system. I said, 'that would be nice but my basements underwater. We can't do it.' And then he responds, 'I have two sump pumps, do you want me to come over and pump you out?'" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511758947711-58WRKFAFU3FJFJQ09CCD/DSCF2564.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Heather Gaw: Interview Heather, showing us how high the water was, and at what point she had to go back underwater to swim out. "They had flood insurance because the house was still on a mortgage, at the time they were required by the bank to have flood insurance. So my next door neighbor who has owned his house outright for since 1960 something, he was the first owner. He didn't have any flood insurance, so it took a lot longer for stuff to happen for him. The storm hit in October and the house was done by February, perfectly done." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511758956445-D4IN7MG59Y1X4UTJ39MJ/DSCF2570.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Anna Gaw: Interview "By the time I got to the top of the stairs the water was all the way up the top. John grabbed her hand and it slid away and went into the water again." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511758965847-6Q4REWSWH3JVJ9ZIIFM2/DSCF2571.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Anna Gaw: Interview "Around the corner here they lifted one house. On Greeley they have lifted three houses. Well they aren't attached. It's a little difficult to lift your house when you are attached to someone else. And now I have to get a certificate of elevation, because if I don't have that, every year my flood insurance could go up from 2-13%." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511758967077-MV1JWW30FUE99V43VF1R/DSCF2574.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Anna Gaw: Interview "When we moved here, we were not in a flood zone, but three years before the storm they redid the maps and they moved the flood zone to Highland Blvd. We still had a mortgage, so we had to get flood insurance. At the time, I was really annoyed. Now I'm glad they made us take it because anybody else who didn't have flood insurance, they were really stuck." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511758979759-4NFKA944H3FBC6G4EIW3/DSCF2741.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Anna & Heather Gaw: Interview Anna Gaw: "They're supposed to be building, but I may be dead before it's done, the Army Corps of Engineers are going to be building a seawall all the way from here to Great Kills; which would make a big difference. A seawall, that would be really good." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511758974105-BANW5SYY5OPSOWYXOU58/DSCF2738.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Anna & Heather Gaw: Interview "The only time we ever got water in the basement was with the sump pump. They had put storm sewers in Greeley and raised the levels over there. Before they did that, our next door neighbor never lived here and he said that the water had come up just a little to the top of the basement window, so maybe two inches outside. But once they put the storm sewers in in the early 70s, that stopped and then there was never any water [issues] again. [I] definitely [worry about flooding]. That’s why we were only half-heartedly trying to get [my son] to buy the house next door. I do worry about it. " https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511832275338-ULPB3TOJEQ40LV99HHW5/DSCF3009.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Hoboken - The View from Pier A Park Hoboken is closer to Manhattan than a lot of areas considered a part of NYC. Here, you can see the whole skyline. Hoboken saw severe flooding and damages to buildings, flooding 1700 homes and causing $100 million in local damages. Since Sandy, the NJ state government has made plans to build for coastal resiliency via their 'Resist, Delay, Shore, Discharge' program - intended to build up coastal defenses. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511832275406-KS4RCHGXQ3CUVRMN04UK/DSCF3010.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - The View from Hoboken From the Interview | Verna de la Mothe: [Regarding the city's preparedness for future Sandy-type storms] "As a matter of fact it may even be worse. Because the water damage from Sandy has left everything in such bad shape, I don't think you could really withstand another bad surge or water - heavy heavy heavy - like we had, the infrastructure is not going to hold because of the damage. I don't see anyone fixing it." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511832308147-UQE9PH99Q4CAAPD24RBU/DSCF3013.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Hoboken - Pier A Park From the Interview | Verna de la Mothe: "Finally we see the Army with their trucks picking up the elderly men and women, and I don't know where they were taking them maybe to a shelter somewhere... we were all still waiting for the water to go down. It took at least, I would have to say, from the time that I was there, it took at least two and a half weeks for the water to go down." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511832305501-666IVNWKZ3IBSUTGQTWC/DSCF3015.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Sinatra Drive - Hoboken From the Interview | Verna de la Mothe:   "Thankfully people had a truck out there that had a generator for us to plug in our laptops and our telephones, so we could use that. And it was the only way that we could do that in the daytime. There were no lights in the street no lights anywhere. " https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511832320306-J7OL7GMQRN4OBGNN4PG3/DSCF3028.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Hoboken - Sinatra Park Sandy's storm surge soared right over this park and flooded into nearby homes and businesses. From the Interview | Verna de la Mothe: "That surge that was so high, it came over Sinatra Boulevard Park right over that and then went uphill and smashed downhill. That's when it pushed in the metal door to the basement, a thick metal door was broken in." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511832350727-Q4MR97CTSQP6NIFH9KCQ/DSCF3033.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Hoboken From the Interview | Verna de la Mothe "I was still living in it while they were redoing the basement, and I couldn't take it anymore because I thought what they were doing was a patch job. I couldn't see them coming in where whole walls for gone and just putting in cement and patching things back - that's not going to hold. That's when I realized this is not good. So the first thing I did was make arrangements to move." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511832340176-UAKTDLQX5XFAG6SSJ2QC/DSCF3043.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Hoboken - New Construction Nearly every street you walk down in Hoboken has new construction. Whether or not these works are in response to Sandy is unknown. But a bigger question is - are these projects taking into account what Sandy did and resiliency? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511832376362-MG424XN3114I52D17SRK/DSCF3045.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Hoboken - New Construction https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511832372989-0LRXF2YDCKG2N4QQ6GBX/DSCF3052.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Hoboken - New Construction From the Interview | Verna de la Mothe: "You know, everybody in the building that I was in - it was a small five story brownstone, it's a co-op, - and we all ran downstairs to see what was going on obviously. There was no lights we look downstairs at the steps to the basement. The water is coming all the way up to the first floor. We looked down in the street where you had like eight steps like a brownstone in the front - it was coming up all the way to the top. We couldn't even leave the building. The rain the water it just looked like there was no end that it was going to stop." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511832418460-YHN26H5P0M7GV0UEUDKC/DSCF3059.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Hoboken - After Sandy From the Interview | Verna de la Mothe: "Each year it became worse and more devastating and it took longer for the water to go down [after storms]. And the cement and the concrete in the street was becoming soft and they had cave-ins. Cars were being leveled and it wouldn't hold up, and that's when I realized it was going to sink, sooner or later. So I made my plans to move out of there. I said, 'I can't take another year, I can't take another storm'. I just can't do this again." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511832400171-B1DVU7F780FYN05JIRF2/DSCF3061.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Downtown Hoboken, Under Construction Currently, Hoboken is seeing a revitalization of roads and store fronts. From the Interview | Verna de la Mothe: "The streets are contaminated - we were walking in them. It's freezing. The sewage is right there on the streets, you could tell where all wet and [what] had been damaged because there was ash - that's how bad it was there was like ash all over the place. It was one of the worst things I've ever experienced in my life. Without having, I mean just washing your face in your hands and having necessities of everyday living. It's bad, it was bad." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511832418404-N7V3L6SEADZ92P20I0QJ/DSCF3064.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Downtown Hoboken https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511832441023-IV235HHJOXEU1SRY8RXW/DSCF3065.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Downtown Hoboken From the Interview | Verna de la Mothe: "Finally in the park, the Red Cross came with their trucks and we're administering chili; because they said you need protein. Because everybody was, we all were shaking because we didn't have food. We had gone down to nothing. So they were giving us water and MREs to take back. The MREs were good because they also serve as a hot water bottle also because there is no heat. At that time it was turning into November, and it was freezing. It was terrible. The MREs did work to give us nourishment plus the warmth of the hot water so it was like we were in a battleground. Looking outside at night at the people walking the streets and trying to, I don't know what. I couldn't even tell you - you didn't even care you just knew that you were inside in the night in the dark, and in the day you were out exploring looking for a place to charge your cell phone and for food." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511832434579-0Q7JF8YCB1KLOQTJNVCJ/DSCF3066.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - From Downtown to the Hudson From this vantage point, you can see all the way down to the water, putting Hoboken's vulnerability into focus. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511832444868-MZPM2XX6AYC0E5RID2HZ/DSCF3074.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Hoboken Station New Jersey's PATH train saw $300 million in damages from Sandy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511832451323-2YW522EMBXQ1VMKKKODJ/DSCF3075.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - NJ Path Train at Hoboken Station https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511832459018-TORC0UV5ZBM5K5YW5B27/DSCF3077.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Hoboken Station https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511832463399-FJ7XRORQ2U35PKA0XFFT/DSCF3078.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Hoboken - PATH Trains Hoboken Station was partially opened three months after Sandy. Fixing all the damages took months. Tunnels between NY and NJ are still being repaired today. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511832466501-KVQRW05L8S5RE9CKXM04/DSCF3080.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Hoboken - PATH Train From the Interview | Verna de la Mothe "The PATH train didn't come up until March or April and the New School supplied a bus that we met in a designated area to bring us to work." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511835753978-I5Y3YSQYCOOC38JHUKUZ/DSCF2790.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Seaford, NY Seaford was struck by the storm surge, like many other parts of southern Long Island. In the aftermath of Sandy, this small community came together to help each other rebuild. From the Interview | Elizabeth Murphy: "I cannot say enough about the Seaford School District. They worked so hard to get the kids back to normal... for the schools that didn't have power, they had them move entire classrooms to other schools with all of their desks and all of their stuff. They really were amazing. And they offered transportation to anyone who was displaced." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511835710314-P2L07DPV99KY8ZBIU3UQ/DSCF2749.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Seaford - Zombie House Before our interview started, Elizabeth drove me around her small neighborhood and pointed out this house to me, dubbing it the 'zombie house'. It was devastated by Sandy, and has now been left to sit, with black mold, snakes, or whatever else may be living inside it. She worries about her kids going near it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511835724293-ICI8740ZS5ANG0N9SOVV/DSCF2754.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Seaford - Sandy Construction Everywhere From the Interview | Elizabeth Murphy: [talking about her neighbor's damaged homes and their displacement] "I don't know how they secured the trailer, or whether it was covered, but they had one. That was a family of 7 living in a trailer and there was another family of five. For nine months, it was pretty brutal... And it was just weird, you know, the block was just pitch black for months because after the power was restored, they had to go individually to each house to have an electrician approve that the wiring was safe in terms of water damage and what not, which was great, but that took weeks." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511835723890-RJIZQ0D2Q7OHJTLMH7DU/DSCF2756.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Seaford - The Higher the Better A Sandy house in Seaford being raised to prevent future inundation, and to be compliant with new FEMA flood insurance requirements, making some homeowners raise homes anywhere from 3 to 6 feet, depending. This home is right on the canal. From the Interview | Elizabeth Murphy: "We were told over the weekend that you should evacuate. I think it was recommended but not mandatory. And because I was pregnant I didn't really want to sleep on someone else's floor... we just didn't have a lot of places to go because so many people - I mean, everybody we knew was being effected." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511835734295-678JF42E6VK1ADHKJ8BM/DSCF2761.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Canals for Miles Nearly everywhere in Seaford is a stone's throw away from the water. Elizabeth's home happens to be about 10 feet above sea level - but that didn't deter the devastating storm surge. From the Interview | Elizabeth Murphy: "Considering it was one floor, every wall was touched and what actually ended up being equally devastating was that the insulation pulled the water up, so we had 8 feet of mold around the perimeter of the house, so it was pretty bad." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511835729688-HYJL1FBG4UJPOTXRUUYC/DSCF2762.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Seaford Canal Walls Years after Sandy, you can still see some of the pitted canal walls beside homes now vacant, due to Sandy damage. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511835752755-GTXO8HJUCII3QRG2347L/DSCF2763.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Seaford Canal Walls You can see the damage, but also just how high the water table is between tides. From the Interview | Elizabeth Murphy: "The reality is this is reality. I don't know what else I mean. I've read there's a lot about you know keeping storm surge from going, they seem to be very focused on Manhattan there are a lot of backwards and forwards around barrier beaches and things that are being done to try and protect our beaches. I believe that's a good place to focus. Because that's about the only way I think you can protect these towns that are really, frankly I mean Long Beach is the barrier island, but some of these exposed parts of the South Shore is our first line of defense. You know, the ocean front is only about 10 miles south of here so it is pretty intense, but I just unfortunately believe that like all other waterfront [areas] it will continue to become eroded and pushed back." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511835746610-7PD9O6FOP6442JFJWCNU/DSCF2766.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Seaford - Sandy Houses Reborn Within this small area, there are countless Sandy Houses being reconstructed. From the Interview | Elizabeth Murphy: "Once we were at least situated, at least in the rental house that we stayed in for about 6 months, and I went back to work after I had had the baby, and the kids are in school; it started to feel like, alright we don't live here but our life is somewhat back to normal. Financially, I feel like it will have impacts for many years to come because the years, especially when I think about the fact that we were paying mortgage and rent at the same time and taking on debt you know." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511835766278-CSGI5UX6O06HUG1COZQ4/DSCF2793.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Seaford Marina A short drive from Elizabeth's home is the marina. When walking around it, you can see how some of the boardwalk is in need of replacing. Between tides, the water table rose high enough to put into question if the marina should move inland several feet. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511835764597-BQUQ8IMZKCM4Y1Q16R4E/DSCF2794.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - From Seaford Marina - Looking out into the Marsh https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511835772019-G7C6UJMZKNQGCTJIWCVT/DSCF2798.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Seaford Marina This spot definitely felt the brut of Sandy's storm surge. From the Interview | Elizabeth Murphy: "My advice to anyone who is in this area or any kind of area like this is just understand how well you're insured, and know where everything is, and get out of the house if someone tells you to leave." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511838351993-GSRKMZ3HAGUBZE0QD3O0/DSCF3085.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Long Beach Boardwalk After Sandy, Long Beach's beach and boardwalk were devastated, along with countless homes and businesses. From the Interview | Stephen Serwin: "Long Beach is an artificial island. It was made by a dredging operation in 1907. It was sort of marshland and it did have like a little - it’s more like [what] Fire Island is today with just a little spit of land, and there was a hotel there in the 19th century. And it was the first Long Island Rail Road line that went to the hotel." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511838353351-8XCTC37ECQX51V1TSX52/DSCF3088.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - From Long Beach Boardwalk You can see large boulders sitting on the beach, waiting to become a part of new jetties. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511838369539-1N5FQEJ8PMW14X57GPGF/DSCF3104.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Long Beach - From the Jetties Way out on the jetties, you can see construction cranes doing the work to rebuild and fortify all of Long Beach. An effort to rebuild what was lost to Sandy and prevent future storm surges like that in the future. From the Interview | Stephen Serwin: "The trains weren’t running, your car was gone. No one’s cars survived, whether it was in a garage or not. So there was really no way out. And the National Guard came in right away. They were handing out those packets of food, you know [MREs]. People were living like that. So right away I could feel how we were different, you know the fact that we got rescued and we were taken to Tom’s parents' house and our tenants, you know, went somewhere else. I forget where they went, someone they knew had an empty apartment that was on a high floor so they went there. But you know, everybody was, everyone was basically shut out of habitable livings but they lived there anyway. And it was freezing, I don’t know if you remember, the week after there was a snow storm." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511838401734-KKP0C1XOZB1GRJZ4VMUW/DSCF3106.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - New Jetties at Long Beach Jetties like this are constructed to protect the beach from breaking waves. They can help defend the beach from erosion and surges. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511838395942-UYS1GR55V06C63VDOT9N/DSCF3107.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Long Beach Cranes Cranes are easily spotted along Long Beach, they are either building jetties, rebuilding dunes, or doing construction on those beach front properties that line the beach. From the Interview | Stephen Serwin: "To get electricity back and get our house in order it took a month. So we were living with Tom’s parents for a month. You know, with with my dog, who was aged at that point and hard to walk and he was a very stressed out animal in the first place. I rescued him from the Brooklyn streets. At Long Beach we would do our daily walks, we were still walking through garbage and through sand banks and slicks of different chemicals, I have no idea what, you know but things that leach out of people’s houses. It was a really disturbing place to live after Hurricane Sandy." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511838407062-W3YR38MHVM72SBQXIFQM/DSCF3111.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Long Beach gets a new Beach Long Beach spent $40 million on its new boardwalk, opening it up in 2015. Other coastal resiliency efforts are still underway. The Army Corps of Engineers is spending $230 million to construct 8 jetties. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511838417086-QTWTE9P04D0RC410XX4W/DSCF3114.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Long Beach's New Beach https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511838419629-4AFLUNY9TRI6WX5XOIW4/DSCF3115.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Living on the Boardwalk A common sight in Long Beach, an apartment building off the boardwalk is still in disarray, five years later. From the Interview | Stephen Serwin: "Flood insurance, the most I think people got was $80-120,000. For catastrophic damage... You show me a house in... on Long Island where $80-120,000 can make you rebuild your whole house, because that’s what it takes. And to jack it up and do all this stuff you need to do to bring it up to code." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511838431257-UOIUHDZVK1Z0IV3C2H5R/DSCF3117.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Apartments on the Boardwalk You can see how the entire face of this building is still devastated, five years after Sandy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511838432824-ZWKDC4ANOV40PDR0158Q/DSCF3119.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Construction can’t stop the Volleyball players at Long Beach New jetties and raised dunes are being put across Long Beach to protect against future storm impacts, but the construction can’t stop the volleyball players. Coastal defenses like this can play a big role in protecting inland communities from storm surges. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511838437307-9QRKHXN1HJLZY6YRLJPX/DSCF3127.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Long Beach Sandy Houses Five years later, you can still spot Sandy houses in Long Beach. From the Interview | Stephen Serwin: "It’s sort of like when you’re in a nightmare dream and you wake up and you’re, you think you’re okay but then you’re in another dream you know, where your dream has layers? We were walking around the neighborhood and when I realized how bad it was I was shocked. And you know we realized then that we couldn’t get out either, we had no cars, and there were sand banks everywhere adrift - the streets were full of sand dunes that had sort of been deposited by the water. 'Cause the water came up both sides of the island." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511986391675-655TH61BXPV3M4MNRE35/DSCF2881.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Rockaway Bungalows These bungalows are moments from Rockaway Beach. These properties all experienced flood damage from Sandy's 12ft storm surge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511986390670-GXLRZ50V4DHR1JD7J3FE/DSCF2888.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Rockaway Bungalows You can see many bungalows still recovering post-Sandy, five years later. From the Interview | Robert Kearns "Once they finally got the boiler hooked up so they had heat, then they were staying there. Like we stayed there the first couple of nights because, though it happened a lot less than reported, there were some robberies and stuff like that. But our neighbor on one side is a police officer and on the other side is a fireman so they were around. They stuck around and made sure that once they could secure everything they came back." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511986404868-0K7GGGIAU2DLKFV0LN90/DSCF2893.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Rockaway Beach - The Boardwalk The Rockaway Beach Boardwalk was destroyed by Sandy. The Boardwalk re-opened this year, thanks to $341 million spent by the city. From the Interview | Nicole Rodill "People didn't know how close the beach was until Sandy. Like we would be on the Subway with our surfboards and people would be, people from New York, would be like, 'where are you going? Where is there a beach?' People who have lived here their whole lives and they didn't know where the beach was. " https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511986408284-CNXZ4Q480QAV4UO59P5X/DSCF2895.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Rockaway Sea Grasses You can see across the beach new sand dunes and recently planted sea grasses - intended to defend the coast from future storm surges and inland flooding. Rockaway Beach lost 1.5 million cubic yards of sand, half the sand lost to all NYC beaches. The Army Corps of Engineers is spending $400 million to rehabilitate the beach here. They also plan to spend a further $3.6 billion to add levees, sea walls, and other coastal protections. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511986449827-UXN239MJYZ7MYXU0P6YF/DSCF2897.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Rockaway Beach & Boardwalk From the Interview | Nicole Rodill: Interviewer: 'Do you think that the broader New York City area was prepared for the storm before it hit?' Nicole: "Not at all. 100 [and] 20% not at all. Not even just the people. The government was not prepared. What happened in Staten Island really makes me mad like in an insane way, like almost as mad as I feel about what's going on in Puerto Rico right now." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511986454340-ITJL5HDIU2VZ7H8LK9ZN/DSCF2900.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Rockaway Beach From the Interview | Nicole Rodill: "I'm not a weather person. I'm not an emergency management person. I'm not even a good surfer, but I know enough that if this is an island in the middle of this area that already has water currents that are coming through it that is built up - that is not a natural land mass. Make a fucking prediction about what is going to happen there. Come on, use a little bit of common sense, and nobody did. The people on the island were not prepared. The mayor of New York was not prepared. The governor of New York was not prepared. And I remember watching the news the day of Sandy thinking holy shit... people are going to die." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511986519582-3SSZLUHUTB8UR7TS4XG5/DSCF2908.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Rockaway Beach Everywhere, you can see new fortifications in the works, all intended to protect the coast from future inundation and storm surges. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511986571137-YHSZ2JFGFRKIIAYSZT7Y/DSCF2912.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Rockaway Beach: The Wheatfield When walking around the boardwalk at Rockaway Beach, it looks like you're stepping into a Van Gogh painting. It looks like a wheatfield, thanks to efforts to rebuild the dunes and reintroduce sand-loving grasses that can help fortify this beach community from future storms. The Rockaways lost 1.5 million cubic yards of sand from Hurricane Sandy, half the total sand lost to NYC's beaches. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511986608036-PPBI7MXGN8EN0975R80U/DSCF2914.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Rockaway Beach & Boardwalk https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511986593248-ET6IWDC48WXPHJRCNMMC/DSCF2918.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Rockaway Beach Here, you can see new steps leading down to the beach that can be used for events. All a part of the rebuilding of the boardwalk. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511986690669-J5P992G0F3HZU9TGER91/DSCF2922.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Rockaways - High-Rises You can see high-rises like this just steps from the boardwalk. Many living in these buildings were trapped for days without power. From the Interview | Nicole Rodill: "We have been going to Rockaway for 16 or 17 years, and when we used to go out there [it was] a pretty good size length of beach, and there would be nobody out there. All of [the] town houses they have built, that just started... it was all sand... It's expensive to be poor. To be honest, and I hate saying this, but we would have to leave that neighborhood by 3pm, because at one point there was a shooting outside of the high rises that we were in. Just as we were coming down from inside the building, and keep in mind that you are in stairwells that are pitch black. We had our headlamps on but there were some people in there that would sketch you out and you weren't sure what was going on, and then to hear that there was a shooting. Simultaneously there were men that would come up, big guys that would come up to us with their eyes welled in tears looking for Pampers, and you're just like, what the fuck." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511986681335-AT1BDTAAV1W3RS9W6P90/DSCF2927.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Beyond the Boardwalk Here on the roadside of the boardwalk, you can see how they've increased both the boardwalk and dunes by about ten feet. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511986720770-DLD3RIGOC4JBWGLSKDXG/DSCF2932.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Abandoned Rockaways A common sight in the Rockaways are these abandoned homes with roof or other damage. Walking past them, you can smell the mold from the roadside. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511986755272-6S7LTSULXGZOTMEF79AW/DSCF2948.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Abandoned Rockaways - One Part Living Art, One Part Unsafe Some homes out in the Rockaways have signs from city programs aiding rehabilitation; many others have been left - abandoned and condemned. From the Interview | Robert Kearns "They [local government] weren't prepared... like not shoring any of that up, not properly having evacuation plans, and having completely incorrect flood zones. It was all off and they hadn't updated [it] for a very long time. And, I would say, the majority of the city agencies were neglectful... The sanitation department was really the only one that did anything. The police and fire were there, but they were a little overwhelmed and they were doing their job, but the sanitation department were really the ones who got Rockaway through it, and volunteers. It wasn't the city itself. It wasn't the Red Cross - they were complete failures." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511986778737-FJKVE7XFUQ2IER0ZDPDD/DSCF2953.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Abandoned Rockaways From the Interview | Robert Kearns "And the federal government too, was so far behind. FEMA was countering every claim and all this stuff. And I remember when I lived in Westchester, we had a terrible flood there in 2007. We lost the first floor of our house and it was so shortly after Katrina that FEMA just sent out money. We put in claims for like clothes and moving costs and they just cut me a check for like $1200. That's more than some people got for their house damage. They were reacting, trying to make it a PR thing and then this when it was a real emergency, some of the [FEMA] claims were paying out at like $800 to replace entire homes." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511986775747-255EH7TMIAKERJMSC9F7/DSCF2963.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] The Rockaways saw whole lines of track completely swept into the sea. After one-year of MTA repairs costing $200 million, the A-line was finally back up and running. This left many unable to go to work and behind on bills, long after Sandy. From the Interview | Nicole Rodill: "The fight that the mayor and the governor are having right now over NYC Subways right now is BS, just get it done. Guess what? Storms are going to keep coming and the Subway system is going to keep deteriorating; and so just get it done before the next storm happens... Initially you're there to give people water and Pampers, and medical supplies and that kind of stuff. And then you're there to help clean out the house. And then you're there to help do construction. Then you're there to help pull out their walls. And so that was my process. By the time I left, I had started pulling out walls." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511986803909-I7N1Y5W0PELVZHVUO9HB/DSCF2969.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Rockaways - Main Street From the Interview | Robert Kearns: "[My family] didn't ever consider leaving. Like we talked about it a bit. It is kind of the way the world is going, the sea levels are definitely rising. The world is definitely getting warmer. Having grown up there their entire lives, they are kind of set on staying and saying "we are going to rebuild. It's going to be better than it was. We're going to keep going." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511992210761-AR74PDO5D24LVDSN3Z1V/DSCF2984.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Broad Channel Just a short bus ride over the bridge from the Rockaways is neighboring Broad Channel. This community sits along a thin strip of land, and was severely damaged by Sandy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511992222957-GKFD75IJUOX50WYIX9T2/DSCF2983.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Broad Channel A common site now are homes being raised and rehabilitated post-Sandy via the NYC Build It Back initiative. Currently, this program has helped over 10,000 homeowners rebuild their homes, and has raised 1,400 homes to meet new FEMA standards. Many of those homes can be spotted all over Broad Channel. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511992223538-RSSAG6U75N03Y4EJ2PDU/DSCF2985.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Broad Channel From the Interview | Robert Kearns "[At the] end of Howard Beach you start seeing water marks and stuff like that, like you can see the rail bridge from the beach in Howard Beach and Broad Channel so you could see [how] messed up it was. It wasn't completely taken out like the other rail bridge, but you could start seeing [the damage]. Then you get into Broad Channel and that's where you really started seeing the devastation." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511992246985-G3T8QBC2014WYNLC0HBA/DSCF2987.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Broad Channel - Still Under Construction We saw countless homes still being rebuilt, raised, or completely empty lots where homes once stood. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511992236108-L0CURDNNZSJMFP84DEZQ/DSCF2989.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Raising Homes in Broad Channel From the Interview | Robert Kearns   "I mean, Broad Channel used to flood in a little bit of rain, everyone had to park their cars right in the middle because every street just flooded. It's completely even with the bay there so you start seeing that - one of the biggest things I saw was a boat in the second floor of a house - it was like sideways into it. That was my brother-in-law's best friend's house. Then you go over the bridge and you start to see some of it a little bit... it was all just covered in silt and sand but you could see where the bay and ocean met." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511992249979-QJIKSBQTMYG5FN1EXV0H/DSCF2990.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Build it Back - Broad Channel Meanwhile in neighboring Broad Channel, a common site now are homes being raised and rehabilitated post-Sandy via the NYC Build It Back initiative. Currently, this program has helped over 10,000 homeowners rebuild their homes, and has raised 1,400 homes to meet new FEMA standards. Many of those homes can be spotted all over Broad Channel. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511992289953-AMQIRGGIRRP2O1WC991N/DSCF3003.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Build it Back - Broad Channel Construction, everywhere. Here you can see a home being completely rebuilt and raised. You can see the water off in the distance, putting into view just how devastated this home was before Build It Back. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511992267941-RSBXFR2NG3N0WISMWN2M/DSCF2995.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Sunset over Broad Channel https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511999248487-N8Y83NFGQ95NW4L4TSLT/DSCF2580.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Staten Island - Build it Back A frequent sight in Staten Island are the NYC Build It Back signs at construction sites. Build It Back only helps homeowners rebuild after all other types of disaster aid has been exhausted. Many homes are still left abandoned, or homeowners are left paying out of pocket for repairs. From the Interview | Anna Gaw: "When we moved here, we were not in a flood zone, but three years before the storm they redid the maps and they moved the flood zone to Highland Blvd. We still had a mortgage, so we had to get flood insurance. At the time, I was really annoyed. Now I'm glad they made us take it because anybody else who didn't have flood insurance, they were really stuck." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511999247987-PYW6X4XJ54QXN3M1BSQC/DSCF2582.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Staten Island: Rebuilding, 5 Years Later From the Interview | Heather Gaw: "The only time I ever remember water in my lifetime was, I think it would have been Gloria. I might have been in the second or third grade at that time. Our house was fine but the one part of Highland Boulevard by us that always floods, even with a heavy rain. There were kids boogie boarding when the buses would drive by, but it was still not that high. I mean, you could walk. We were not anticipating it. We we're watching TV." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511999295096-TG9E6WXQEP64MPDCKC35/DSCF2594.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Rebuilt from the Ground Up This house just by Cedar Grove Beach is being completely rebuilt without any living space on the ground floor. Many homes are being raised like this in NYC's coastal areas, now that FEMA has expanded their flood maps to include an additional 35,000 buildings, bringing the total to 67,000 at-risk properties. From the Interview | Anna Gaw: "Around the corner here they lifted one house. On Greeley they have lifted three houses. Well they aren't attached. It's a little difficult to lift your house when you are attached to someone else. And now I have to get a certificate of elevation, because if I don't have that, every year my flood insurance could go up from 2-13%." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511999279543-CRRLUJRY1HV7ORVUMWQ6/DSCF2591.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Staten Island: Rebuilt from the Ground Up https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511999320532-VAPT84Y96YL050PCUEQ0/DSCF2596.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Staten Island | Cedar Grove Beach This little beach has had serious dune restoration post Sandy. In the background, you can see how the entrance to the beach has a large dune with a protected walking path to use for getting to the beach. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511999336072-8BHWFASW785FPQMGDBQY/DSCF2601.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Staten Island | Cedar Grove Beach Sand dunes and coastal rebuilding are everywhere in Staten Island. Unlike some of the other locations we went to, everywhere in Staten Island looks like the dunes and sea grasses have been there forever. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511999377625-ZMJABJGWGQEZM0ZEXVKW/DSCF2617.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Cedar Grove Beach + Verrazano Bridge This entire beach was devastated by Sandy. Off in the distance, you can see the Verrazano Bridge, the road link from Staten Island to Brooklyn. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511999387767-GRV0DY5L28V5XBW7G5L7/DSCF2639.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Cedar Grove Beach From the Interview | Heather Gaw: "My parents are about a mile from the beach, and they are maybe about 3 miles south of the Verrazano Bridge, but kind of the Northeast portion of Staten Island... no one in our neighborhood [evacuated], everyone stayed. The only people were a couple down from us, they were in their 80s. They left but their son stayed in the house. They only left because their kids forced them to, otherwise they would have stayed. My parents and everyone have been there for 40 years, [it] had never had a flood. The only flooding you get is some rain water from the sump pump, like everyone might get." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511999403963-J3HARQ9ZXK573PTTH3B7/DSCF2642.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Staten Island - The Marina by Great Kills Harbor From the Interview | Anna Gaw: "They're supposed to be building, but I may be dead before it's done, the Army Corps of Engineers are going to be building a seawall all the way from here to Great Kills; which would make a big difference. A seawall, that would be really good." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511999419908-UM5C05LF3XY8P3GJS4R4/DSCF2662.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Staten Island - Hylan Blvd & the Marina This road was overtaken by Sandy's 12ft storm surge, flushing roads and homes with salt water. From the Interview | Heather Gaw: "It was right at the top and I couldn't get air anymore, so I yelled "I'm Going Under" because I knew I had to swim under. But they didn't hear me do that. He had my hand and I just let go and swam, so I don't know who had it worse. According to the electrician, because there was some water on the floor when I was walking, I said it's fine the power box is up high and I wouldn't have even been electrocuted. And he pointed out, but where are the outlets?" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511999421258-RRFHQAQGL4ROSUYKP46V/DSCF2664.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Staten Island Parks & Rec Here you can see a parks and rec soccer field, adjacent to the new concrete FDR Boardwalk https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511999426378-N7K0R3VITNRP2GRVPHTL/DSCF2668.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - FDR Boardwalk This boardwalk has been entirely rebuilt. To the right, you can see tons of sand creating a wall between the boardwalk and the ocean. All part of new coastal defense works underway post-Sandy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511999445724-BRL516DTG7E2Q1L77WQU/DSCF2677.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Staten Island | FDR Beach https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511999458578-1YEK6S0AL0HJO3B5CS8I/DSCF2686.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Building up the Dunes Today, Staten Island's beaches are lined with 10ft+ high sand dunes, covered in sea grasses. Efforts like these add serious resiliency to coastal areas, more than sea walls or other defenses. Plants with roots ground the sand and protect coastal areas from surges. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511999482704-TTGLJ7EFNN1823OP74LQ/DSCF2687.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - FDR Boardwalk Heather Gaw, our interviewee, and Heather O'Brien, our Director of Events walk along FDR Boardwalk. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511999476724-57IABK6AWVVIGQZJCY10/DSCF2694.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Building up the Dunes in Staten Island From the Interview | Heather Gaw: "Maybe we expected a foot of water for a mile from the beach. We’re not oceanfront property. But in terms of the aftermath of the planning, some of the planned buyback programs that have been put forth I think are good, especially in the oceanfront properties. I don’t think we got… maybe we got a little bit of the attention nationally… we didn’t get Brad Pitt coming down to build a music village but we also didn’t have the damage that they had." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511999496488-D7J5ORVEBEWWDN2U9OQ3/DSCF2697.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Staten Island Beaches Walking along FDR Boardwalk from Midland Beach to South Beach, you can see how new coastal defenses are up. Dunes are 10-15 feet higher than they were before Sandy, and have lush sea grasses intended to fortify the coast from the next storm surge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511999493207-55NG2Z11HFFP3ERNF5D9/DSCF2722.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - FDR Beach & the Verrazano Bridge The entire coastline of Staten Island was inundated by flooding. Today, the state of New York is even buying people's properties to tear them down and let the land go back to nature - in the hopes of creating natural coastal buffer zones and defenses for future storm surges. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512002848726-EF1D8057FXOX8RYXW1LS/DSCF2054.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Bowling Green Station Since Sandy, Bowling Green Station has had major flooding fortifications put in - as part of MTA's 'Fix & Fortify' project. This station was completely flooded by Sandy's storm surge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512002889539-0U67QILAZG2FYDO4VDWR/DSCF2062.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Subway: Bowling Green https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512002906302-TGZCU4BMMJDV8X84ENR1/DSCF2064.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Bowling Green https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512002933633-D8SQWY7WQV0G08JZP701/DSCF2068.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Lower Manhattan | Fearless Girl This whole area suffered flood damage due to Sandy's storm surge. Walking around today, it's almost as if nothing happened. Five years later, everything looks like it's back to normal - unlike many of the areas included here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512002942287-JY28PP7U5KJ22TFN15WU/DSCF2074.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - NY Stock Exchange The NY Stock Exchange closed for two consecutive days after Sandy struck, the first time the NYSE closed due to weather since 1888. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512002973029-EXJB76GNEOC8FS4ZRTXE/DSCF2083.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Federal Hall Lower Manhattan is littered with historic monuments, like Federal Hall. These are some of the places that could be lost to future storms. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512003022097-VMIJ5V33K6E5U6H70C4Q/DSCF2085.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - The Wall at Wall Street Wall Street used to have an actual 12 ft tall wall that was built by 17th Century Dutch settlers to keep Native Americans out. Perhaps in the future, we'll be building walls like that to protect us from sea level rise. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512003024449-0K8LS5R9W911UGTWH3J9/DSCF2091.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Broad Street Station This Subway Station was also devastated by Sandy. Like Bowling Green, it too is undergoing flood protection efforts via NYC's 'Fix & Fortify' program. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512003059783-DKD8G6OV8QKLMJ6771AV/DSCF2104.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Trinity Church + Ice Cream Man Peering through the never-ending construction, you can see yet another historic site at risk to sea level rise, Trinity Church. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512003076284-ZUS02T0N7J094RLPGKVW/DSCF2114.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Trinity Church & Hamilton One of our presidents, Alexander Hamilton, is buried here at Trinity Church. Yet another monument at risk to future floods and sea level rise. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512003046254-MV1VJOQ8MICBWT9Q1ZL1/DSCF2107.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Wall Street Station Nearly every lower-Manhattan Station was struck by Sandy's surge, and saw severe flooding that left control panels unserviceable and left millions in the NYC-area unable to get to work. Wall Street Station is also having flood mitigation work done via Fix & Fortify. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512003084247-KLLDTBV6MODHNGNL0BNF/DSCF2120.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Rector Street Station Through Fix & Fortify, this station is having flood mitigation work done. During Sandy, this station was filled with water. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512003091556-H9OP21D3LZR6CW7RDKFX/DSCF2122.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Charging Bull, Lower Manhattan https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512003120310-FSER6J3ZDUWRKOF6D7DV/DSCF2132.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Battery Tunnel During Sandy, this tunnel was flooded with 100 million gallons of water, leaving severe damage in its wake. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512003127402-N71CJTSFG9F2R8XV4FHL/DSCF2139.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Statue of Liberty, This Way Battery Park was a marsh after Sandy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512003143750-N64WHS80TI31DV6OW1NC/DSCF2144.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Battery Park Sandy's surge aided by the higher than normal tide flooded the boardwalk and the surrounding area. Today, it looks like all that never happened. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512003154213-4FDKA608LSPDGNSKINZI/DSCF2146.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Pier A Harbor Sandy left her mark on Pier A Harbor, causing $40 million in damages. It took three years for it to re-open. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512003170254-T8CVENM7O1KSO1R984F0/DSCF2155.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Robert Wagner Park Sun-Baked Like the Battery, this entire coastal area was flooded by Sandy. Today, people are sunbathing and picnicking here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512003202039-TGJKKJIB5Y4QEWK3SM9N/DSCF2163.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - The Battery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512003193462-R7V3PGKS1AL9VXP2GN2A/DSCF2166.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - The Battery Bikeway https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512003224162-5J90SSFD7GBWA1T3DH33/DSCF2173.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - More Monuments at Risk This and countless other monuments and historic places are at risk to future storm surges, flooding, and sea level rise. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512003220954-DL8SOTJNR93FLJE2EH6E/DSCF2176.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - The Battery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512003256010-H571NG70TX7UNF3SV6WA/DSCF2178.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Battery Park https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512003242411-PH3XNULOY5N7GS345ISR/DSCF2183.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Staten Island Ferry This lifeline for people in Staten Island was disrupted for only five days, but were still severely damaged by Sandy. $190 million was spent on two new ferries and flood defenses for both the Manhattan and the Staten Island sides of the ferry line. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512003281237-SVF5SNWZZ22WNMK1RTYU/DSCF2195.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Staten Island Ferry Terminal https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512003298587-NJ2FYX6IT1LJCW5BX561/DSCF2227.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Inside the Staten Island Ferry Terminal, Looking out at the Old South Ferry Station https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512003251845-0IIKVWRDSORC2E4EVVJY/DSCF2190.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - The New x's 2 South Ferry Station The new South Ferry station had 15 million gallons of water flood into it, and only recently reopened after $340 million worth of post-Sandy repairs. Uniquely, the new South Ferry Station was only three years old when Sandy hit; thanks to $545 million in post 9/11 recovery funds. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512003263463-LPZ3CFC5YTGMC8SDO6O1/DSCF2192.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - South Ferry Station + Whitehall Station https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512003284364-36AWU8562X4STYEOZGCF/DSCF2209.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - South Ferry Station https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512003290695-R3RBS4LLFYZQLYJ7UE84/DSCF2219.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - South Ferry Station https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512003273174-FXLDNBXNWCDXAVMBPXVY/DSCF2204.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - On the Waterfront Between the Staten Island Ferry and the Old South Ferry Station, you can see just how close the water comes up, at low tide - putting the magnitude of flooding seen here into sharp focus. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512003298400-K63CNK5EDWSWWZ4BS4YK/DSCF2235.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Pier 11 Wall Street After Sandy shut down the Subway and closed Tunnels, people were relying on ferries. Weeks following Sandy, the NYC Department of Transit expanded ferry services. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512008550280-3LBEAXSO3Z69BP4I8NII/DSCF2325.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Atlantic Avenue Tunnels Since Sandy, MTA is shoreing up all tunnels, including the LIRR tunnels at Atlantic Avenue Station through a network-wide $9.7 million system upgrade. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512011863919-D6O77VFYV1PKHSGE3596/DSCF2238.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - The Ferry to Red Hook From here, you can see the NY & NJ Port Authority, a major artery of commerce for the NYC area. This infrastructure is also under threat. Sandy's surge reached 13-14 ft here, damaging 2,000 shipping containers, electrical systems, and other vital infrastructure. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512011874110-98JUANBD31EK5E93TTEJ/DSCF2239.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Red Hook / Atlantic Basin The Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn is surrounded on three sides by water. When Sandy struck, it left debris and damaged buildings - even washing boats onto streets. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512011890938-LEZO598QA3QUJ2WVEW5D/DSCF2252.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Red Hook Walking along the waterfront, you can see the industrial past of Red Hook. Many of these buildings were inundated by Sandy's storm surge. All of Red Hook was within the mandatory evacuation zone for Sandy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512013114767-PNDVPNDQWTGJWJP8BWIK/DSCF2270.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Red Hook Bungalows Walking towards Beard Street, which was like a river after Sandy, you can spot the occasional block of small bungalows. Properties like these were damaged by Sandy's surge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512011993998-8USWOXBNLKHV7BMY8CBL/DSCF2311.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Red Hook - Clearing the Lot Post home demolition, a lot being cleared in Red Hook post-Sandy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512011949031-SEAPN1AKOMAQ5932GL3N/DSCF2292.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - The View from Red Hook From Conover Street, you can see the Statue of Liberty at sunset. This entire street was inundated with flooding, and also saw wind damage from Sandy. $100 million is being spent on flood and coastal defenses for this one community. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512011968233-AIAVPM80GYOBLQFQGZAG/DSCF2300.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Red Hook Coastal Properties https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512011983885-HQFCE6284XL3JP5D6G5F/DSCF2305.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Red Hook https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512015566776-715UCD8L05XD38SE9041/DSCF2367.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Coney Island Infamous now for both Houdini and Sandy. Aerial photos of Coney Island rides washed up into the beach are what most remember about Sandy. $48 million was spent to add sand and sand dunes to Coney Island's beach. $108 million was spent to repair and protect public housing in Coney Island that was damaged by Sandy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512015739227-GITMCVWPF63Z3KN098N6/DSCF2490.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Coney Island Beach https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512015587571-E8EHNXR6DKKY6QIX8TLL/DSCF2375.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Coney Island Beach https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512015607504-UWB0GYZGVU3FL7G0ZJWS/DSCF2379.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Coney Island Boardwalk There has been a lot of political back and forth on how best to repair Coney Island's boardwalk. Wood or concrete, that is the question. Currently, Coney Island's boardwalk has primarily had patch work done. Locals want to keep it wooden. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512015634921-MNOU2QYE38TYDLUKVFSC/DSCF2382.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Coney Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512015630452-KK3ECW1ERNH6CORYZRLX/DSCF2384.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Coney Island - Wonder Wheel Like all of coastal NYC, Coney Island is vulnerable to sea level rise, storm surges, and flooding. Considering how badly Sandy damaged this community and all of NYC, one has to question if what is being done is enough. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512015648217-PUEY9AAL08IA5H9375Y1/DSCF2388.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Beachgoers at Coney Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512015676458-MR8XB34M1G908M4R53XV/DSCF2405.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Coney Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512015670170-ME1SJJYZK8R74JO6TP6E/DSCF2402.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - The Pier at Coney Island The seven foot storm surge here devastated electrical systems and washed away amusements from the pier. Today the rides are all on the Boardwalk. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512015702818-FMDJU7K7FZYWH3CHU9V4/DSCF2419.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Coney Island - The View from the New Pier https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512015694893-RFJFQ57LPA6WRICBJ8MN/DSCF2436.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Coney Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512015719897-LN2YMRGK7MZQ9P6XLDPU/DSCF2437.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Coney Island's Pier It cost $3.4 million in federal funds to repair the Steeplechase Pier - Coney Island's Pier. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512015719151-0XZRVIF3CH7W1LOX7ZLP/DSCF2474.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Coney Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512015737723-CBUC7N2XMMF5GE4RB8U3/DSCF2480.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Coney Island Amusements After Sandy, it cost businesses a total of $5.5 million to fix amusements like the Cyclone and Wonder Wheel at Coney Island. Not to mention, the thousands of families displaced in Coney Island by Sandy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1512015753467-NSU9QK9NY9UP4S9MO44K/DSCF2501.JPG Sandy: [A Retrospective] - Coney Island's Cyclone https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1511758240300-OQ3VUC9CN6DT2WZTNJS4/DSCF2722+%281%29.jpg Sandy: [A Retrospective] http://www.impacthuman.org/sign-the-impact-pledge daily 0.75 2018-04-22 http://www.impacthuman.org/privacy-policy daily 0.75 2018-06-07 http://www.impacthuman.org/another-summer-lost-algae-and-red-tide-blooms-in-fort-myers daily 0.75 2019-07-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538523016807-Q3GVKBA23IKEUE48GAZN/DSCF5038.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Ken Cranor: Interview "I was just talking with another glass blower fellow, turtle activist if you will, and she works with the Turtle Time people. On the beach and monitoring daily the turtles and what not. She said that the signs in Lee County, just the other day when she went, they were all turned sideways. So that you don't see it from the street level. You have to walk up and be on the beach level to see it. She thought that was quite odd that they were turned that way instead of like in Naples they are all posted really well. Where people can see them. I think that it’s being downplayed. In my opinion. There's not much that's actually being done. Until just recently. We just recently started getting the news really heavy about the no fishing... it feels like the more they got the word out there the faster we could make changes and the less impact we're going to have both on our environment and ultimately our economy. I guess there's more money in the cause than there is the solution. It would appear." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538523009274-Q77FT4OFS072JU6RRHR5/DSCF5044.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Ken Cranor: Interview "I started thinking about what I could do as an artist to bring something to bring awareness to it. I have thought of what's the most common, probably the most ideal thing that people would recognize. Most people dig turtles. We'll make some turtles, and turtles are greatly affected by it. That was the big thing. I'm a big beach goer, all my life I'd go to the beach and I’d watch the turtle do their whole thing, their nesting and everything. Seeing that affect it so greatly here in numbers, about four hundred dead turtles, you know that we have counted here locally. I've been searching for an item, a totem, for people to come together and focus on, and that was the turtle. It’s something that would be attainable for people, for everybody, and unisex and all that, everybody could see it. It's not about the turtles exactly, it’s about everything. It’s about the entire environment. To me that's what what I do it for." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538523026626-26BPVLK3FUO8L0Q96JXY/DSCF5048.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Ken Cranor: Interview "We started doing the turtles here about 3 months ago actually. With the onset of kind of a panic feeling from what's going on. I thought hey, this is a good time to get it going and talk with Conservancy, and Collier County, we got it going with them to where we can have them in their gift shop, that's where the money’s going right now. Is to the Conservancy." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538523034535-W115D1UWOJGSVLZ53XP4/DSCF5050.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Ken Cranor: Interview "Going to the beach and talking to the shop owners and encouraging them to participate and they are like, 'hey I don't have the money to put out right now, I'll be lucky if people come through the door today'. So businesses are really suffering, on a large level. One of the marinas that we stopped at they said they just sold the business as a result of the impact. He said he couldn't keep it going." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538523048228-KPKW53X3FIPXN51IIR73/DSCF5054.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Ken Cranor: Interview Ken made some glass turtles while we were there. Ken: "[In the] three years that I've observed. Like exponentially seems like each year it’s just like wow. A whole tenfold of last years hit. I think there's a certain amount of residents are like, 'oh this is what happens'. 'Oh red tide'. They use that name, red tide, like it’s the old red tide. We always grew up with the red tide, you know it was there for a couple days and then it was gone. Hell you could go swimming in it. To be honest, and I never was affected. I never got sick, it burned my eyes a little bit more than the normal salt water, that's when I was growing up here, Collier County. Here recently it’s a lot worse than that. Your eyes burn you get sick, I guess there's flesh eating bacteria, possible along with it." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538523044990-9AZY7TDFUK64GR1NN31H/DSCF5059.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Ken Cranor: Interview "It just doesn't appear like there is enough happening. You would think with the pictures you see on Facebook and the pictures you see on the news, and the report they did on the local news here just last week, they went several miles offshore, and it was just dead zone. Complete dead zone, no fish, big turtles, big big 100 year-old sea turtles floating. So it’s almost an apocalyptic feeling. Like it's the end of days kind of feeling when you see your environment, your local environment, just as far as the eye can see dead fish. Then you hear that's it’s all the way to Sarasota, and all the way down to Marco and Points South. You start to wonder, what's literally going on here, and what does need to happen, and why isn't the local government doing more?" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538523066853-3SX2KMD4GVYPW645DAKB/DSCF5071.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Ken Cranor: Interview "As far as mitigation it’s just stopping it at the source. I think that's really what it is. It's biting the bullet, and changing. For years, nobody wants to talk about, as far as, its like big oil - biting the bullet and accepting that we need to use clean energy. For everybody's benefit. I think it’s the same thing with [this]. Politically I don't want to hurt people. Financially, or whatever so I don't want to say names, but the big corporations that are dumping stuff into the Lake, that are creating these algae problems. The science is pretty simple I think, as far as [fertilizer] goes in, you get a massive algae bloom, the algae bloom happens, and then suffocates the life. Other bacteria start to mutate and change from there." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538523058345-13MVKC4J7UJ3MIF4KADJ/DSCF5074.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Ken Cranor: Interview Martha: "Moving forward, do you feel like this has changed whether you see yourself here long term?" Ken: "To be honest, I'm a native. I have thought about whether, what will I do if it gets worse." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538523066227-RFD0WTEXJDYVRS2JN57X/DSCF5079.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Ken Cranor: Interview "I think that most people realize that it’s an issue and it needs to be dealt with. It's just organizing that and seeing how that's going into action and playing out. If something gets done then things just should hopefully start getting better, but if they don't then it’s just going to get worse. Then you're going to have a lot of migration away from the area. People that just don't want to deal with it." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538523073626-UNTRH3JTX4HB8XHRZ1LA/DSCF5080.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Ken Cranor: Interview Here are some of Ken’s creations in his studio, some different turtle ideas he may add to ‘Welcome to Turtle Island’. Ken: "Its’ diffidently brought more concerns for me personally. You know, what can I do to help a political movement or to bring that to some type of awareness in that realm as well as the people. It seems like these days it’s two different things rather than what we all agreed on that it would be, the people. If we don't have clean water, if we don't have a livable environment, we're done for. It’s not just about turtles or the fish. Those are just another reflection of us. It’s all us." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538523088818-TEHXQHXMF2PMILMK0BI5/DSCF5083.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Ken Cranor: Interview Ken is a glass artist, you can see many of the creations he’s made being sold here at the Treasure Chest. Ken: "I think it’s really important that we all start to realize that it starts with us. It starts with what were doing. It starts with what kind of plastics are we using. What kind of environmental changes can we make personally. And then working up to political changes and whatever we can influence." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538523100779-5U6D5XLBH11C0YU6SCRI/DSCF4799.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Sanibel Island This is the main parking lot for going to see the Sanibel Lighthouse. It was nearly empty on Labor Day Saturday. In fact, the parking was free. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538523173723-YK3G7INPLH0A4F831A9K/DSCF4841.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Sanibel Island Normally it would cost $5 per hour to park here. For the last few months, fees have been waived in light of the red tide crisis. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538523167734-L3ZJJUX8OEPO8IWK3UCV/DSCF4829.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Sanibel Island Lighthouse Just below this Lighthouse, are several sea turtle nests. Like other marine life, sea turtles have seen massive casualties. As if mid-September, Lee County had collected 1,700 tons of marine dead fish, turtles, and other marine life. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538523134587-XFZM8XO7EPPVLQ22ZFWQ/DSCF4815.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Sanibel Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538523124362-XT717V20IRFQS0OTK8DN/DSCF4817.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Sanibel Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538523140106-16RKSBAFE9R2IX8LCVBZ/DSCF4828.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Sanibel Island You can see the deep red waters hugging the beach. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538523194866-PTPI0VZ5RIN5L2WIHB7K/DSCF4842.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Sanibel Island: Mangroves at the J.N. Ding National Wildlife Refuge While walking along some of the mangrove boardwalks in Sanibel’s J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge, this neon orange-yellow water was a common site, also caused by the rush of nutrients and bacteria from Lake Okeechobee. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538523230163-GV5EE0JWYUFJJEH0391Z/DSCF4843.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Sanibel Island: Mangroves at the J.N. Ding National Wildlife Refuge Mangrove systems are equally impacted by this pollution crisis. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538521182516-24CDWIZSQ6HB2B631FAJ/DSCF4698.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Roxanne Goettsch: Interview "To me, it started to change. There's a place over on Sanibel that I go, it's kind of like a private little beach. You can only have just a few cars parked there, so there's not a whole lot of people down there. And I had taken some pictures on my daughter's birthday, and it was clear blue. Well then about three weeks later I went down there, and totally not the same. It was cloudy and red, and you didn't see near as many people or fish. I got dolphins swimming, and this was just earlier... [by the] early part of June." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538521182260-00WHJTP849M3879SBJQ3/DSCF4702.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Sanibel Island: Causeway Island Park Martha: "Have you seen any posted warnings or notices?" Roxanne: "Uh-huh, I just saw the one down there. It talks about red tide." Martha: "When did you notice those going up?" Roxanne: "I just noticed it today. I don't know when they started doing that, but I don't know. He was still here. I don't know if he just put that up, or if it's been here." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538521193642-XIB91N0NTDGZB37TBIUA/DSCF4703.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Roxanne Goettsch: Interview "Because they're not here, there's no one here to take. So that's a big, huge impact on my life and, you know, the way I'm able to do things. I can't fill up every day, cause normally I would fill up every day. Now, I don't need to fill up every day cause I don't drive anywhere. There's no riders; it's sad... Last night, just to stay helping out, I ate down there at the beach, at Fort Myers Beach, cause there's no one there. There's no one at Yo! Taco. It used to be packed, I mean 20 people standing there eating tacos. There was me, and another couple, and that was it." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538521202663-2OYOFMNYRQNTY4K0BGUH/DSCF4709.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Roxanne Goettsch: Interview "Right away. And it's just gotten worse. I went through my statements, and I was making, ya know, at least $600 a week, just on rides. And now, I'm lucky, I made $31 last night. And I did 9 hours, $31 on a Friday night... I was down on Fort Myers beach, I came back through Naples, and I got one ride, and it was $2.36. And you don't see anybody down there." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538521252086-KPFK93RFYJZ88HK3ESQ7/DSCF4712.JPG Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Roxanne Goettsch: Interview "I've picked up a couple Uber Eats, at a place called Sushi Sushi. There were two people in there when I went and picked up the food. And I said, you know, I parked where normally there's a zillion cars, well now they give parking away. You don't have to pay to park down there. And he told me, the bar manager said, at that time, in August, by August last year they had $90,000 in parking dollars. At that same day, they had $20,000. It's insane, it's impacting everything.... It's just, I think... There's a little valet guy that works at Shucker's, the cottage. He's not there on Friday night. He's normally there, and I mean he's like directing traffic. He's gone. You don't see the normal people that are at, like at Lani Kai, you know, parking cars. They're gone. There was nobody standing there. It's like, where are they all? Well, they're home." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538521244898-WJ1PFIDCE7MOM5HALCCH/DSCF4718.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Roxanne Goettsch: Interview "On Wednesdays, the food bank, goes to Fort Myers Beach and gives out food. They go down there and they help people out, you know? That's how bad it's become. And I know, I know it's just gonna get worse, and that just scares me. Because I'm afraid they're gonna close businesses down, and they're supposed to open a great big Margaritaville Hotel. You know, like Jimmy Buffett. I don't see that happening when they say it's gonna happen. I think that's going to be on a standstill." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538521261854-C204A6Q0V5NSN176S3L1/DSCF4728.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Sanibel Island: Causeway Island Park Some people have left flowers out of respect for the marine life being killed by all this. Roxanne: "I moved here in February, because I wanted the ocean, I wanted the sun, I wanted palm trees and being able to go to the beach whenever I wanted to. And now, I don't go to the beach when I want to, because I'm scared I'm gonna get sick, I'm gonna see dead fish. You know, it's sad. It makes you want to cry. The other day I was crying just by watching the stuff that happens. I mean, I can't imagine living on a canal. You know, in Cape Coral. I just couldn't imagine that. I would leave, I would leave. If it doesn't change by February, I probably will. I'm gonna give it a year. And I said I'd give it a year just to see if I could make it through the hurricanes. This is a huge hurricane, this is worse than a hurricane." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538521294068-U6EY2QOP69VOO16D3CNT/DSCF4731.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Sanibel Island: Causeway Island Park Roxanne: "I'll tell you that I'm not real big politically, and I won't tell you who I voted for. But I will tell you, and I hope you do quote this if you do, I voted for clean water. That's what I voted for. And I want that, and I think the government, as you know Rick Scott had gotten... And I don't know if anyone else talks about him, gotten a lot of money to fix ten years ago... I don't think they're doing what they need to do. Absolutely not. I don't know how the Corps of Engineers can go home at night, after they released, and still keep releasing, knowing what's happening." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538521275053-NAV6WL8EVM66KNO2WTWQ/DSCF4736.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Sanibel Island: Causeway Island Park Roxanne: "How do you sleep, knowing that you're killing animals, businesses, people? You know, you're losing the economy. People are selling their homes, for less than what they're worth." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538521293582-3DZRARBPW16FJ68AYM2B/DSCF4739.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Sanibel Island: Causeway Island Park Dead fish were still a common site, though after many months now of red tide’s and algae blooms; fewer fish make it to shore. There just isn’t as much life in the water anymore. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538521306415-4NCXG05O9D1OIJ52R9LI/DSCF4743.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Sanibel Island: Causeway Island Park https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538521317743-DSWUC95N8OSFTKM60SE2/DSCF4745.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Sanibel Island: Causeway Island Park Roxanne: "When I drive across here, you see people everywhere. You see people out there swimming. I'm shocked there's this many boats. But you see people swimming, you know, walking their dogs, and fishing down there on the causeway. Well you know where they fish. They haven't been there in three months." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538521334323-P8LFJZRVL3FDUVTDCODA/DSCF4740.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Sanibel Island: Causeway Island Park You can see how reddish brown the water is here from the red tide. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538521340522-8SR6DVXI7J5GBTDM5LWA/DSCF4749.JPG Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Sanibel Island: Causeway Island Park Underneath this sign post, is a small paper sign, letting people know about the red tide. You can almost miss it if you’re not looking for it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538521343369-6HZGOGX5AV1FZCZLUMEV/DSCF4751.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Red Tide Notice: Causeway Island Park https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538521365114-53GLFT2V8H02ELXQCXN6/DSCF4752.JPG Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Sanibel Island: Causeway Island Park Labor Day Weekend, we’re the only ones here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538521355452-L2S5MGJ8WBM90ZIOYWG7/DSCF4755.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Sanibel Island: Causeway Island Park Roxanne: "Fix the dam, come up with another solution besides dumping that out. I know everyone says Big Sugar is to blame; we're all to blame. I don't have a yard where I fertilize, but that's still my responsibility to be clean to everything out here. And it is a lot of everybody's fault, not just Big Sugar, it's everybody. We need to learn how to fertilize our yards and do it the right way.... The thing that I've always said when I first learned about this is, "Why?" I've worked with engineers in the past, and they're very smart people... I know the Corps of Engineers is different than what I work with, but still they're engineers. Why can't they come up with something? They're very smart, why can't they come up with some kind of filtering system, or something to fix that water before it gets released?" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538521382027-WZQUJF0K8B4EZ2L9XZJZ/DSCF4761.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Sanibel Island: Causeway Island Park Roxanne: "I want to bring my family, my daughter and her kids and her husband here. I want to bring them here in December. For Christmas, to enjoy the water and that's not happening. I'm not having my grand babies swim in this, no way. Absolutely not. Like In February it was crystal clear water. Yeah, then I'd have them here [then], but not now. No way. No. It scares me. I would hate to think the stuff that would happen." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538521381664-6NRXUWQ5RK5394MPP8NQ/DSCF4764.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Sanibel Island: Causeway Island Park From the road, you can smell the toxicity in the air. Once you get to the beach, it’s just a sea of red, lined with dead fish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538521398118-JBYXMP4UY6ED3JGGNOJV/DSCF4767.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Sanibel Island: Causeway Island Park Roxanne: "Somebody left this shelling group I'm on because it's too political. Well we gotta have a little bit, or we're not gonna get anywhere. We can all talk as much as we want but we do need to have somebody backing up our clean water. And I hope that happens in November, I really, really do... We need something done; we need some change in a very bad way." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538521415927-O2ELNPFR0CCSFXYNL48Q/DSCF4769.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Sanibel Island: Causeway Island Park Staff Attorney for Save the Manatee, Anne Harvey Holbrook: "Both red tide and other harmful algal blooms kill wide swaths of seagrass, reducing available manatee habitat in the future, and these blooms may have extremely far-reaching effects." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538521412458-OS1Q6H4GRB2KXB6AHVH4/DSCF4771.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Sanibel Island: Causeway Island Park https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538521442678-CVE59CGAFSUKNXCBPBNS/DSCF4772.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Sanibel Island: Causeway Island Park Fish 6-12 inches long dot the shoreline. Staff Attorney for Save the Manatee, Anne Harvey Holbrook: "Florida has naturally oligotrophic (low-nutrient) waters. In terms of biogeochemistry, most of Florida’s waters should retain their natural clarity. It is the water clarity and lack of algae that has allowed Florida’s seagrass and coral reef ecosystems to thrive in the past. The vast majority of nutrients in Florida’s waters have an anthropogenic source." [meaning - we are the cause of this] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538521424190-475N8RGBUTEG0OCRE5VS/DSCF4774.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Sanibel Island: Causeway Island Park https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538521433793-FI5GJ3AYOMOLMKA22RDC/DSCF4776.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Sanibel Island: Causeway Island Park Recently washed up, dead fish, at Sanibel Island. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538521442462-NAGK8L08ZJIBRJZSRJJV/DSCF4793.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Sanibel Island: Causeway Island Park Beyond the rocks, you can see just how red the water is on this side of the island. Staff Attorney for Save the Manatee, Anne Harvey Holbrook: "The primary drivers behind the especially catastrophic impacts of this red tide are land-based nutrients that create a vicious cycle: red tide enters nearshore environments where nutrients from Florida’s rivers fuel the bloom, which kills sea life, which decomposes and releases more nutrients into the water to feed more red tide. With continued poor management of Florida’s land and water resources, we are likely to see more lost summers like this one where cyanobacteria and red tide kill sea life, drive away tourism, and pose risk to human health." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538521462794-4EWLLT2A93EMRQ48S9ZJ/DSCF4794.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Sanibel Island: Causeway Island Park Beyond the rocks, you can see just how red the water is on this side of the island. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538525840202-LVTU225919OIF421SSUR/DSCF4903.JPG Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Downtown Fort Myers: Centennial Park https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538525812550-OVJLR1FQMFVG1B7WXP2B/DSCF4909.JPG Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Downtown Fort Myers: Centennial Park The whole park was nearly empty on Labor Day Sunday. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538525830260-ZQKCK3P9KUMNBAUZF1LK/DSCF4912.JPG Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Downtown Fort Myers: Centennial Park You can see the bridge that takes you to Sanibel from here, overlooking the Caloosahatchee River. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538525842414-PJ5MLL94CKYH66BOPA6S/DSCF4915.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Downtown Fort Myers: Centennial Park Ducks are hanging out by this pier. Beyond it, is a very reddish brown Caloosahatchee River. This is the tributary the Army Corps of Engineers has been using to discharge polluted freshwater from Lake Okeechobee. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538525852991-88X0P0CEBZ4X5R5HKROA/DSCF4921.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Downtown Fort Myers: Centennial Park https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538525878732-VLNQ9KJMDW68KM8UHAHR/DSCF4917.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Downtown Fort Myers: Centennial Park https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538525868272-J33TEL123NJFH2XEE3OL/DSCF4922.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Downtown Fort Myers: Centennial Park https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538525879047-GYVBHDFAM1IBUC83X7MY/DSCF4931.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Historic Downtown Fort Myers Many businesses were open, though from looking down these blocks, it looks like everything is closed. Some locals made it a point to go to these businesses, but overall, businesses are hurting here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538525977950-4D6GQBFSF887888BWZTA/DSCF4932.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Historic Downtown Fort Myers https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538525890682-OSF41K72QAY85G51KLQZ/DSCF4936.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Historic Downtown Fort Myers https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538525935345-W3G2SUTWE559J9XSX8D3/DSCF4937.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Protest Signs While traversing through various areas, we would occasionally come across these protest signs - calling on local government to do something different about those Lake Okeechobee discharges. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538525935024-OH57I6S15KSB1RN8ZF5A/DSCF4941.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Protest Signs https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527249465-CTJDRP31XDQ5Z5Y7Q0PD/DSCF5093.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Tatiana Martinez: Interview "We just thought 'okay, something unusual', but we weren't alarmed. We didn't really feel like it was anything to be alarmed about. I mean, I had recalled hearing stories about things like that, I didn't connect it to what was going on in Stuart until I started reading more about Lake Okeechobee and the water releases, and then all of a sudden I started to think about new stories [from] two years ago when I was living in Fort Lauderdale, and then it was like, 'wait a minute, is this what they were talking about?'" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527238361-YFMXEPYQNPLQB3UO8GCQ/DSCF5099.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Tatiana Martinez: Interview "We started to see the green water more and more... And then I saw a video that was filmed by one of the guys that's part of the Captains For Clean Waters and he had an airplane literally go from down the river, from the Caloosahatchee from the locks there, and did the whole thing, and I was like 'holy shit he's like flying over Fort Myers right now.' And I think that's when it hit home, because up until then I was like, 'maybe it's just going to be a thing up there, I'm not with that worry yet' and when I started to see from the sky the footage of the water and then I [realized] I really need to start paying attention to this because this is concerning…. then the deaths of the animals started, and then it feels like it literally happened. And it did, but when I think about it, it was like the last because we're in September now so its been like a good six months, five months. But that five months maybe the first two and a half, three, were discovery. Just kind of understanding and paying attention but not fully immersed in it." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527202926-F74JNB22OWTPWX49JG9F/DSCF5086.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Cape Coral: Jaycee Park Tatiana: "I had party at my house on the fourth of July with some friends from work and stuff, and we live on the water, and I thought: even then we were like 'we'll take the boat out and watch the fireworks,' like it wasn't a second thought to it. But we knew about it even at that time, it's just the more I started to hear about the possibility of this and then smelling it, I think that was another thing. Your senses, once its more than one sense that realizes it, it becomes even more real so its like you're smelling it, you're seeing it and I was like, 'okay, now you're getting more confirmation that this is poisonous because you're seeing death as part of it'. So it's like all these connections start to come together and then all of a sudden it was like, is this, am I like surrounded by something that's completely toxic? Like I don't even know what to think anymore." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527212962-OIJEM34WMTXHW4LGRIRE/DSCF5089.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Cape Coral: Jaycee Park Tatiana: "The Army Corps of Engineers were here in Cape Coral. I think it was in early July to mid-July, and I feel like if I wasn't paying attention I wouldn't have known she was here. And they did the meeting at like 12:30 on a weekday, so its like, who the hell is going to make it then? Everyone's working and I almost took the day off, but then I heard that it got so packed they weren't allowing people to get in anyway." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527254977-LIW9HEMSMZ3VK6KODFYP/DSCF5107.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Cape Coral: Jaycee Park Tatiana: “My son started coughing probably about a month ago, and I didn't really think anything of it and it just wasn't getting any better. And I thought, 'okay, he's a kid, there's nothing unusual about a kid having a cough'. He also started daycare so I was like, 'alright, this cough is not going away', so we took him to the doctor. The doctor said he has an ear infection, okay no problem. We put him on amoxicillin for ten days and nothing. Maybe I'm a little annoyed by that so we take him back to the doctor. Doctor said, this time I wanted to take him because I wanted to talk to the doctor and kind of see if she said anything about if its related to environmental factors that could possibly be contributing to it, or maybe not allowing him to heal properly, I don't know. So when I asked her I was like 'what do you think about the cyanobacteria?' She was very dismissive about it... so now so he's going on almost well, 20 days in antibiotics straight, and he's still coughing and he got sick on top of it." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527229308-QULCXKOYVL9R5LOD4NE1/DSCF5094.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Tatiana Martinez: Interview "My concern now is that if he doesn't get better, I'm kind of like on the thought frame of like, I have no real answers from the doctor. I feel like they can't say one thing definitely or not, so what's the next step? Is it to get him on some kind of nebulizer? Something like that? I mean, if its an ear infection then why isn't it clearing up? I just don't know what the next step is. If it gets to something that severe then I feel like my next step to protect my son would be to take him out of this environment to see if its an environmental factor that's causing it. And if it is, then we just got to go. I can't, out of everything the most important thing is my son, so I can't subject him to something... I'm literally talking about walking away from our dream home and potentially... I said to my husband last night, because I don't think he thinks that I'm serious. I said, 'you really have to come to grips with the idea', because I was talking to his mom yesterday and she was in South Carolina, that if he doesn't get better soon we may just pick up and go even if it’s just for a week or two just so I can see if he gets better." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527267100-OOFWUSCU31S2H4KOH8Y1/DSCF5110.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Tatiana Martinez: Interview Tatiana showed us photos with green algae lapping at the edge of the park. Tatiana": “We literally live on a house on the water, and we cannot get on our boat. I look at it every day, and I like want to cry. Because I'm like, ugh that's nice. I wish we could go on the boat." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527280662-8DETM7FJ5JRYLONRR75A/DSCF5128.JPG Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Tatiana Martinez: Interview Tatiana showed us photos of the canals by her home. Tatiana: "From what I understand, Rick Scott has done badly in terms of water management. He, to my understanding, had defunded about $700 [million] from water management. It seems to me like the priorities in Florida are not focused on environmental issues, they're focused on tourism, they're focused on development, and they're focused on economic growth. But not the preservation of what sustains this place that we call paradise. You can't do one and not the other, you can't have all this growth, you can't have all these people, you can't maintain this type of pollution that we're giving into this environment without thinking about the adverse effects that we're having towards the animals and birds and trees and everything. Everything has to have a balance. It's out of wack." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527264785-8D0MEPBXC9ZUT5ONRPGU/DSCF5112.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Tatiana Martinez: Interview "I don't think I could go through this another summer. It has been emotionally draining, physically, emotionally like, no. I don't think I could do it. I think everybody wants clean water, I think everybody wants to feel safe, I think everybody wants to know that future generations will be able to live here and love the things that they loved as well. It's not about race or religion or politics, it's about sustaining life." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527311226-4ED23I5MXTO7YF9G690K/DSCF5129.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Cape Coral Canals Tatiana: “There's been no information from the city, from the health department, from Lee Health, nothing. I feel like they have a responsibility to tell people, 'if you want to stay here, fine, but here's what you could be possibly subjected to'." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527305052-XJTNL68XJX7DRH9G5DOG/DSCF5132.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Cape Coral Canals Tatiana: “They created this unnatural system where the water releases from Lake Okeechobee are being leaked out through the Port St. Lucie River and the Caloosahatchee River and that now everybody says 'big sugar, big sugar, that there's all this farmland south and they're using... there's farmland north, there's farmland south, they say they keep the water levels at Lake Okeechobee higher because the drought season they try and keep the water levels in case there's a need for that. But then people are saying that there's also money that's being given to them by big sugar because they need it for watering their crops and if they don't have it, then they get into a bad situation." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527333037-ZLAAM5VP09Y766EJRRWY/DSCF5134.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Cape Coral Canals Tatiana: "What I think an immediate thing could be is, bring down the water levels to more where they were naturally at Lake Okeechobee so that you don't have this overgrowth and natural sea grasses can grow. Grasses in the Lake can grow that filtrate the systems and allow the sun, just let nature do its job like it’s supposed to. Stop making these man-made things. When the Army Corps of Engineers was here she herself said, they were like why are the water levels so high? You guys had us on a drought during winter you said we couldn't water our lawns and all of this and you wouldn't release the water, but now you're releasing all this water, why? And she's like, well based on NOAA's prediction on what the weather was going to be like and we were supposed to have untimely dryness or drought, but its not happening like that so now we have too much water. So bad management, bad accountability, not enough attention, not enough information, people, there's just not a strong infrastructure here for environmental policies and information. And not only that, but the human effect. They haven't talked about the effects of what these aerosols potentially could do." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527328178-65DS8ZIC7GPZGMH1192B/DSCF5135.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Cape Coral Canals Staff Attorney for Save the Manatee, Anne Harvey Holbrook: “We hope that, if there is a silver lining to be found, it is that the public at large now has a better understanding of these harmful algae bloom events and their long-term causes and consequences, and will as a result be more engaged in resolving Florida’s nutrient pollution problems going forward." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527357138-V5Z3ZMH989K9B2VROSQM/DSCF5137.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Cape Coral Canals https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527340515-UF533ZLA1ZL5SBIY8I6K/DSCF5139.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Cape Coral Canals Here you can see a close up of that blue-green algae that is inundating the canals and small waterways of Cape Coral. The smell in these areas is unbearable, and the long term health impacts of the gasses emitted are not entirely known. It is known to cause health impacts like: stomach aches, diarrhea, respiratory issues, fatigue, skin sores, muscle and joint pain, and many other health problems for people in regular contact with the cyanobacteria, aka: blue-green / green algae. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527350132-V2QF8ME4CJ5UL1CK4K9P/DSCF5140.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Cape Coral Canals Mallory Clancy, licensed Professional Civil Engineer: "I am not aware of any degradation or physical impacts to stormwater infrastructure caused by Red Tide (Karenia brevis) in the ocean or Blue-Green Algae (Cyanobacteria) in the Caloosahatchee. However, the blue-green algae has so overtaken slower-moving portions of the Caloosahatchee that I'm sure municipalities bordering the river are having to redirect a lot of resources (labor, time, equipment) to responding to complaints and therefore could be seeing delays to regular maintenance. I do not know of any City/County efforts to do anything about red-tide. The tourism industry has definitely suffered as many events have been cancelled or moved, and I know we personally have not visited the beach or any beach-side businesses." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527359589-P1OTZQ5PD12ITLGVU8S7/DSCF5141.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Cape Coral Canals https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527391007-L8S0D8VOQH8VS3H5EK18/DSCF5147.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Cape Coral Canals https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527392165-E125HS5YUOQDALA0OZKO/DSCF5153.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Cape Coral Canals https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538521941611-ZT9XH9VQRHMJGE1KT2UD/DSCF4943.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Brian David: Interview Brian being interviewed by Michelle Chasteen, our Director of Communications. Brian: "Basically June 3rd when they opened the gates. May 31st our water was actually starting to look pretty decent, clean, could see the bottom in three, four feet. Make out your edges of your grass flats and your sand holes. They opened it on June 1st and by June 3rd it was over. It was back to what you see black water. Then the red tide blooms came, and it's been going on ever since." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538521946897-D1T59NSHEI143DD5SXMJ/DSCF4946.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Brian David: Interview "It's gotten worse. They started dumping more water last Friday. They actually opened it up more and dumped it more. These fish out here, these are not from the original red tide. These all died within the last couple of days or they wouldn't be floating. All the ones from the original already done sunk and they're on the bottom rotting, which that's what fuels the brown tide or the brown algae." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538521960344-Q71NQZ0BJL6892KDE7XL/DSCF4948.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Brian David: Interview Brian throwing a frisbie to his dog, he won’t let her go in the water anymore. Brian: "I wouldn't let my dog. She grew up on this water. All the time we go out to the sandbars on low tide and I let her run, and swim, and throw a ball. We haven't been able to do that since June, since they started this, because I won't let her get in this water. I don't want to get in this water. Nobody should be in this water right now, because they don't even know what's in it. That's the scary part. They won't tell you what it causes. They've kind of hinted around, but they won't come out and tell you. They won't close the beaches. FWC, just a couple days ago, closed snook and red fish to catch and release only. I did that starting the 4th of July myself. Told all my customers we're catch and release. That's it. We can't keep fish. They should have done it almost two months ago. They just now closed it. The whole federal government, state government has completely, completely dropped the ball on this whole situation. They want to stick their heads in the sand and well, if we actually address it, then we have to do something about it." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538521987077-T1FIBVTSOD3PSQSTHW5W/DSCF4949.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Brian David: Interview Martha: "You've already kind of alluded to this a bit, you've spent so much of your life on the water. What makes these recent algae blooms and red tides so different in your opinion?" Brian: "The extent, the severity. I've seen red tide numerous times. That's not anything new to me, but to have it span 150 miles of coastline just on one coast, not counting what it's done on the east coast. You're talking area from basically Naples to Tampa Bay. You're talking out 10 to 20 miles, which accumulates to an area about 3,000 square miles of toxic dead water. That's not normal. That's not natural. That is pure environmental pollution at its finest. This isn't grass clippings, and leaky septic tanks, I'm sorry, it's not. This is straight out industrial pollution. In order to cause this type and severity of damage, this is straight out industrial... You've got to remember almost 10 years ago, we voted to buy that land back. It sat on the governor's desk and he didn't sign it, and it expired. If we would have bought that land, and would have started these projects then, we wouldn't have this problem now. The natural watershed is north to south. The Everglades are drying up, the river grass is dying and drying up, but they won't send it south because there's sugar fields in the way. What's more important? Sugarcane or millions of people's human health and safety?" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538521979690-VMMLRJ8NRTG4RC1C1I7A/DSCF4954.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Brian David: Interview Brian on his dock, you can see how brown the water is behind him. Brian: "The east coast, they shut down Bathtub Beach and a few other beaches there around Stuart. Over here, business as usual. I still see blue crabbers out there pulling their blue crab traps. To me that's a concern. I wouldn't want to eat anything. I mean, there's a dead horseshoe crab right down there right now. Horseshoe crabs have been around since the dinosaurs. When they start dying, they live on the bottom. They're not in the water, they're on the bottom…. Labor Day weekend you go to the beaches on Monday, you won't see nobody. I mean Labor Day weekend, there should be not a spot at that boat ramp. Any boat ramp around should just be packed, always is. I honestly try to stay off the water because it's a mad house out there. You drive around and look at the boat ramps, there's nobody out there. The beaches, there ain't nobody either." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538521990642-22ZOYHYWROJXKGBR98GT/DSCF4955.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Brian David: Interview "You're talking over 400 sea turtles. That's just what they've counted. How many more are dead out there? Some of these turtles that washed up on the beaches dead were over 100 years old. I'm kind of soft on the turtle, but I like the turtles. I think they're phenomenal. An animal that's over 100 years old and you just killed it for what? For another dollar in your pocket? Come on. I thought, and this is the part where I'm just beside myself. I thought as a species, and a country, we had evolved past destroying our own environment for the sake of money. It's ridiculous. You can't eat money. You can't drink money. You can't breathe money. Those are the three things that I've had taken away in the last two months. My air quality, my water quality, and my livelihood, which is my fish. There is none out there. If they are out there, they're floating on top just like those." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538522000390-UREITUGQ0SEWKQXRB4LJ/DSCF4958.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Brian's Canal Here you can see just how brown the water has become in Brian’s backyard, you can even see some of the freshwater green algae that has drifted into the area, thanks to the Lake Okeechobee discharges. Staff Attorney for Save the Manatee, Anne Holbrook: “In addition to the “green slime” outbreaks from the Lake Okeechobee discharges, separate harmful algal blooms are recurring in the Indian River Lagoon and in springs systems statewide." *** Brian: "About five, six years ago when the water started consistently staying brown and black and getting very, very nasty and smelly. This isn't rocket science. Our governor deregulated all the water quality, cut their budget by $700,000,000 a year. Gutted the EPA Clean Water Act. A few years later, look what we have. It's not rocket science what happened here. Everybody wants to point fingers, to be honest with you at this point, I don't care. It needs to be fixed. I'm not worried about who to put the blame on. Let's fix it first. The way to fix it is to dig a ditch straight through the sugar fields, right to the river, or grass right where the water belongs." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538522011200-4X5KG14SM6IVBUAQ06W7/DSCF4961.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Brian's Canal This is Brian's backyard. The canal he relies on for his business went from clear blue in June - to this. Brian: "Are you kidding me? We're greatest country in the world, and we can't dig a ditch. I mean seriously. I mean we dug the Panama Canal in what the '30s? Dug a ditch across a whole country. How long did that? Just under three years to dig a ditch across the whole country, but yet we can’t dig a ditch from Lake Okeechobee through the sugar fields. There’s nothing down there, it’s just sugar fields. Dig a big ditch. They sure found a way to dig a ditch from there to the Caloosahatchee, and straighten the Caloosahatchee and dump it down here. But they can’t dig a ditch south." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538522022445-COK8QT9TWMZUCAEGU907/DSCF4963.JPG Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Brian's Canal Looking down the canal from Brian’s dock, it’s all brown water, with dead floating marine life. Brian: "There's numerous pump stations along the south end they use to pump the water in their fields and then back into the Lake. And see, in there lies another issue where the Army Corps of Engineers has been catering to big-sugar water needs, leaving the lake high in the dry season when they should be lowering it down, so it can accommodate the summer rains and not have to dump like this. So they leave it higher in the winter to make sure big-sugar has enough water to grow their sugar. And then now come rainy season, 'oh, well we got to dump it'.“ https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538522032832-LHUGDQWVLVSLV6NDFDH4/DSCF4964.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Brian's Canal "You dig a ditch, and you feed the river grass that's starving for water right now. Number two, build a water treatment on the Caloosahatchee, on both sides. The water goes through the water-treatment plant before it goes down the river. That would work too. We have that technology. We are in 2018. We can build a water-treatment facility to treat water and clean it... for five or six years [it's been happening], it's just this year has just been extremely ... I've never seen anything like it, never thought I'd see anything like this in my lifetime. Never thought I'd see this or even have to deal with this. I might be out of business next year." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538522032522-UV90S30HV89BMHXD4EKA/DSCF4972.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Brian David: Interview Martha: "As somebody who's on the water as a fisher-person, what are some of the areas that you used to go to all the time that now you just wouldn't even think of going to?" Brian: "Everything, basically from Naples to Tampa is dead. There's patches where the water's a little cleaner, and that's where a few fish are. But everyday it moves because tide and wind and now ... So, you have no idea where any fish are, if you're going to find any fish, if you're going to find any clean water. Just from my local knowledge, I have a little area where there's a little bit of clean water that's been staying somewhat consistent that I was running my trips around the first of July in, and was catching a few fish here and there. But it wasn't nothing to brag about, just catching a few fish and showing them a good time." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538522054586-MREZX0MDI0L9AX6K1JPB/DSCF4989.JPG Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Brian David: Interview "I'll be honest with you. I have a little bit of faith, but next season will tell the tale. If I don't get any business next season, then yeah, I'm going to have to go somewhere else. It's just the bottom line. Like I said, if they're not going to fix this, the fishing's already been wiped out. Even if they stop dumping tomorrow, which they're not, they say they're going to dump for another two or three more months; it's going to be years before things come back. And that's only if we actually do something, which I really don't think they're going to. Because I've seen this before. It gets bad just to the point where ... and then they stop dumping, and it cleans up a little bit, and then they dump some more." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538522086578-EIZHKL57ECX0E94I2IZF/DSCF4994.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Matlatcha Canals Brian: "Now this year, they haven't cared. They've just opened the toxic locks, and just let it flow. This is what has caused the nightmare that I call my life now. There was about four days I couldn't come out of my house. You would immediately feel like you're going to throw up within minutes, within minutes. I live on the water to enjoy the water, not to be poisoned by it. And unfortunately, I can't do nothing at this point. I just have to sit and wait and see what happens. Is my phone going to ring in November when it normally starts? Is it not? I don't know. What do I do if it doesn't. I don't know. This is all I've done for 14 years. It's all gone." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538522098819-PO3WOAD2FCG5DJ9J9ZWY/DSCF4997.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Matlatcha Canals Brian: “Social media's the main way, it's the only thing that's been pushing this issue. There's been very little national media coverage, and even that has been scripted. Yeah, I've listened to one, ‘oh, it's naturally-occurring red tide.’ This is nothing natural. Are you kidding me? Naturally occurring to try to downplay it." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538522098149-F8H4KFH3JR02342LAQ7E/DSCF4999.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Matlatcha Canals Martha: "All the discharges are basically like throwing gasoline on the fire." Brian: "Well, just what you said, perfect example. They're basically throwing gas on the fire. That's why it's grown so big. You keep dumping billions of gallons an hour of nutrient-rich, fertilized water, what do you think's going to happen when it hits a plant. What is algae? It's a plant. You throw fertilizer on it, it's going to grow. And they continue to dump and continue to dump and continue to dump, and it has just grown bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger. And it's just a coincidence that right in the middle is the Caloosahatchee River. Both ways, we are right in the middle. Well gee, wouldn't that be the source? Yeah, makes sense. Common sense is not very common any more." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538522110498-ZMDNN9FXAWH7WKOYAI6W/DSCF5006.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Matlatcha: Boat Ramp at the Community Park Despite the red tide, some people were taking their boats out on Labor Day Weekend in Matlatcha. The parking area was about half full, on a day where it should have been bursting with boat owners jockeying to get on the water. Brian: “It's a double-edged sword. You have to talk about it to get it out there and get this fixed. But in the same turn, by talking about it and getting it out there, I'm cutting off my nose to spite my face because I'm probably not going to get any business next year. So the people that are downplaying it, they're no better than the people that are accepting the bribe money. Because you're basically destroying the environment for money. Yes, I need business. I need money. I have to pay my bills. But I'm not going to do it at the cost of my passion, my livelihood, my lifestyle. Being a fishing guide is not a career. It's a lifestyle. We do it because we love it. I've had that completely taken away from me." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538522120576-NX4NQS3S4FTXOBU3BTJ4/DSCF5009.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Matlatcha Michelle: "Do you feel like there's any political recourse for the public officials that have abandoned the community?" Brian: "Yeah, I think they should get thrown in jail." Martha: "Just like what happened in Flint." Brian: "Yeah, this is worse than Flint. This makes Flint look like minute. Yeah, I understand it's their drinking water, but just as far as the amount, the volume, the size of it; you're talking three to four thousand square miles of red tide and toxic water. That's immense area, immense area." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538522138742-4UJOCRSJ6KY07H78W1QB/DSCF5012.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Matlatcha Brian: "The amount of death that has gone on this year, there's blood in that water. That water might as well be red right there because the amount of death this year has been unprecedented, never seen before. Never in the history, as far as I'm aware of, anywhere in the world has a whale shark washed up on a beach dead. Number one, that's an endangered species -- federally endangered, not Florida endangered. Federally-endangered species washed up dead. You know what they did with it? They dug a hole in the beach and buried it. Are you kidding me? And FWC, our own state, Fish and Wildlife Conservation, what conservation are they practicing? They're sending officers to the beaches at 3:30 in the morning to pick up the dead fish before the people get there so they don't see it. Really? That's how you handle this instead of stepping... it's sad." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538522134604-4GN5TNWKSGJHTC4283JR/DSCF5013.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Matlatcha Brian: "Dig a ditch south. Fix the problem. 'Oh, well you have to go across 41 and 75.' Okay. You build a bridge. How many bridges are in the state of Florida? You can't build a bridge over the river, 75 and 41? How many road projects are going on right now out here. They don't want to." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538522154264-UUB3GSRMNN38OTHYQU56/DSCF5018.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Matlatcha: Red Water Everywhere here, the water is reddish brown, you don’t see any fish anywhere, unless they are washed ashore. Brian: "That's the only thing getting any truth out there is people posting and sharing it, getting it more out there. The national news isn't doing anything. State government isn't doing anything. Federal government isn't doing anything. Bottom line, who does this fall down to? Who's in charge of the Army Corps of Engineers?" Martha: "The Army." Brian: "Who's in charge of the Army?" Martha: "The President." Brian: "There you go. This is what really boggles my mind is that he obviously must not be thinking about running again because you don't win the presidential election without the state of Florida. It doesn't happen. If you don't get Florida, you're not winning. I know a lot of people that voted for him that are just disgusted with him right now. His complete lack of leadership over this issue is very disturbing, very disturbing. This isn't like, 'meh', one-third of our coast is dead." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538522166268-W8UBO1P1N546OT6QOU9X/DSCF5029.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Matlatcha: Boat Ramp at the Community Park Normally this would be clear blue Caribbean-esqu water, now it’s tinged a deep red. Brian: "It's time to address it. Yeah, it's bad. You know, people, ‘well, you live on the water’. You know what? I don't put a drop of fertilizer on this yard, not one drop. You don't really need to. If you live on the water, you shouldn't fertilize. It should be illegal. I agree with that. We do have to step it up. Everybody that lives on the water has to step it up. Stop fertilizing. But here's the thing: the blue-green algae grows in freshwater. You can go down there and look at it. It's all over my canal. That's straight out of Lake Okeechobee. It didn't grow here. We are, just like the Army Corps said, collateral damage. A good buddy of mine was at that meeting and asked them, 'knowing what is in the water, how can you continue to send it?' And her answer, 'I have nowhere else to put it.' That's your answer, ‘I have nowhere else to send it’? So you're going to put millions of people's health in jeopardy. See, but they do have somewhere to send it. They just won't." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538522175324-ZC3VYD8BZTC2TS5ESXB7/DSCF5035.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Matlatcha Businesses https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538522478075-OKT8E4K7C2J3OPHKRNB4/DSCF4678.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Matanzas Pass Preserve | Estero Bay Across the street from Fort Myers Beach, you can see a vast system of mangroves that go out onto Estero Bay. It’s one of the many areas impacted by this crisis. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538522344613-XF2XKWXUHQETDXP74DQN/DSCF4647.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Matanzas Pass Preserve | Estero Bay In the mangroves, you can see yellow highlighted water, tainted from the onslaught of algae and red tide that has flushed into the area. Brian: "There's four locks right now on the south side that are closed that could be opened flushing water south. But they won't do it because of some endangered sparrow bird. Are you kidding me? Once again, a little bird versus millions of peoples' health. Well, it's not about the bird. That's their loophole." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538522355829-38MQG2MX9MU2EAVE1BO9/DSCF4649.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Matanzas Pass Preserve | Estero Bay Brian: "It's just eerie. You go out here, there's no birds, there's no bait, there's no fishing. You just go off Dynamite Dock, and you just look over the side, and there'd be sheepshead and mangrove snapper. You might see a snook swim by. There's mullet jumping, swimming in. Manatees and dolphins, every few days, would be in here. Now, they're gone. They're gone." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538522393229-IFO7XIFR05LJMQIK385J/DSCF4650.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Matanzas Pass Preserve | Estero Bay Brian: "You've got to remember, it's not just this year. I've seen it decline over the last three years." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538522366584-29C05Z5MA2WBQF6UFY9U/DSCF4651.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Matanzas Pass Preserve | Estero Bay One of the many boardwalks through the mangroves. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538522393697-1M81H3O5YAWFIEI30B1O/DSCF4659.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Matanzas Pass Preserve | Estero Bay https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538522405833-2QJFT18H4D9SPPAQQL7H/DSCF4662.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Estero Bay Brian: "I fish people from all over the world, New Zealand, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, England. All over the country, people come to Florida. We're the fishing capital of the world. But one third of our coast is dead with no fish. But we're the fishing capital of the world. Oh, so one company can make some money? Or maybe a few? No. That's not how it goes. You got to look no further than our governor. He did this." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538522437056-XP2GHD4UKYG1LZG44QB2/DSCF4669.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Estero Bay Brian: "How many people retired, took their life savings to move down here, buy a house and this and that, and now this is what their retirement is? Death and toxic water and getting sick and... There's people that are having babies that can't take their baby home because they live too close to the water, and it's toxic for the baby to go back to the house." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538522450167-J8W6SDKSHBKANQIFAZG6/DSCF4670.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Estero Bay Brian: "They're being run out of their own homes in America. People are being run out of their homes by toxic pollution, and it's like nobody... 'it's not in my backyard, so I don't care'." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538520328565-MI0623K86GRRQJUPWCMT/DSCF4587.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Donna Sellers: Interview “I have been so severely ill for like a month now, every time I come back here I'm sick again. And then I leave for a week and I'm okay, and then I come back and it's like the symptoms will just come like that and then they can just go like that.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538520378678-RY8F2UFGVFU4JQB33VEI/DSCF4602.JPG Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Donna Sellers: Interview "I'm being affected and seeing all this death, it's traumatizing. It is so traumatizing. And we're all reaching out to people and agencies, and they're just blowing us off. I mean, I called the poison control, and they didn't even recommend for me to go anywhere. I told them I felt poisoned and they just took my number. And that kind of blew me away, because I've never had to call poison control and the fact that I did, with a legitimate report. I was just like, 'it doesn't matter.'… I'm going to North Carolina just to get away and detox myself and I'm gonna go get tested for this, the special test to see if we are, have neural toxins in our body, because those are the symptoms I am having and it's scary." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538520336096-GGZIJ4Y4HD9W50L41ABA/DSCF4604.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Donna Sellers: Interview Donna: “At first, I didn't put it together. And then, being that I am gone for a week and here for a week, after a couple of weeks, and then of course seeing everything on social media and feeling the way I felt, I was like, "There's more to this. It's not just I don't feel well." I mean, it's extreme fatigue. There's days I'm in bed, I can't even get out of bed. My muscles, my legs hurt so bad. And I mean, I have literally cried out to god in my house because I can't take it. My muscles hurt so bad." Martha: "It's not like you have arthritis or anything like that?" Donna: "I don't have, I am totally healthy. I don't have cholesterol, heart problems, pressure problems, sinus problems, nothing." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538520350779-XXBT7GX4L39CX9KODAGR/DSCF4612.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Fort Myers Beach Donna: “Why is no one addressing this on a national level and trying to help us? Not just give businesses loans. Why are they not closing the beaches? My guests call me, I tell them. If you're asking me for my opinion, I don't feel it's safe. I'm not giving nobody medical advice. I believe that it's toxic here. Why are you not testing the air, the sand, the water? Why are you trying to convince people to come to the beach when you have all these people saying how sick they are. This is Labor Day weekend.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538520399567-EOOIMXF0LZ1PNAOKYD0X/DSCF4616.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Donna Sellers: Interview "The past month, all my bills are overdue, so I probably worked 10, 15, pushing 20 hours a week for the last month." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538520425203-SSIGPDMM4APFLGVQXACI/DSCF4620.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - New Red Tide Notices: Fort Myers Beach https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538520406684-ZBH15F567P7H6MZCJIIC/DSCF4624.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Donna Sellers: Interview "I warned some of my guests and I said that I don't have ... I'm not qualified in any type of doctor or scientist or any of those fields, but please don't go in the water. Because that's on us. It's like yes, we all need tourism money, but at the end of the day, as a human being, what is more important? Someone's life or you to make money? I would rather go broke and bankrupt, than to not warm someone. And that's what hurts me and is bothering so many of us. Especially when you're going through it yourself. Not to mention the traumatization of all the dead fish. All these protected and endangered species and they're just getting dumped in the dumpster. But yet if we touch them, we're going to jail. Like, I don't understand it. I just don't understand it." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538520415198-PC2PKBWXOMP7FXG3EHY3/DSCF4626.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Fort Myers Beach: Green Sand The sand at Fort Myers Beach is tinted green, from the green algae that has hit this area. Donna: “I have no appetite and just different things. My fingers are going numb. My toes are going numb. My tongue is going numb. So yeah, it is. It's just weird. That's why I'm gonna go to North Carolina, because I feel like I'll get tested and I won't have biased people taking my story and I think I need to let another state know." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538520424430-MESM86QT3S07X0IKUO3B/DSCF4628.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Fort Myers Beach: Green Sand Donna: “Across the street, there was a supermarket and that's where they have been ... Well, of course not now, but that's where they've been kind of meeting all the trucks and all the beach cleanup people. I go over there to eat my lunch and I sit under that tree in my car, and that's my little lunch break spot. So, I've been able to witness them bringing the carts down and having just regular people that they hired for I think like eight dollars an hour to go and clean up the mess. You know, they have people in Cape Coral, scientists go in and test the water and they got hazmat suits on. But the reporter and the pregnant lady [are OK] ... Why do you need to be protected like that and the other people don't?" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538520432183-57ZSCF7PN4AUP1LNX7I8/DSCF4630.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Fort Myers Beach Donna: “It's a constant stomachache. Like it doesn't go away, the pain in your stomach. And that is just all over I'm seeing that... It's pretty drastic that I have to get in my car and drive to North Carolina right now." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538520459453-5D79APC43MTJJSXF63WS/DSCF4635.JPG Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Fort Myers Beach: Green Sand https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538520443464-QLMG0CIXX9QB2GWY2X5L/DSCF4638.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Fort Myers Beach: Green Sand Donna: "I have a cleaning business here and a homemade jam business, and I'm definitely going to turn in my license for my jam business. I don't want to continue that, and I really believe that ... I thought I was gonna restart my life here after my, I'm going through a divorce. And I don't want to stay in a poisoned state. If this is the reality of what we're gonna have to live with, I'm out. Michelle: "Are you talking to friends and neighbors here about this situation? What are other people kind of feeling?" Donna: "A lot of people, some people are wanting to leave. Some people want to stay. They've lived here all their lives, but it's like I told my sister, I was like, "I love you, sis," and we're kind of together because she took me in after I went through this... But I'm like, "Sis, I love you, but I'm not staying here." I'm not. I'm gonna go and I'm gonna come back so my coworkers can go on their vacation, but I have to seriously make plans, because I'm not going to stay here." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538520468313-468QKQAATXD3GSRLG61V/DSCF4642.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Fort Myers Beach: Labor Day Weekend Donna: "It's not The Sunshine State to me right now... I had a lady from Canada contact me last night, and said that her and so many of her friends come down here in two months, and she asked me my opinion and I told her how I felt. I would much rather ruin your vacation than you get sick. The health of your family is more important to me than whether the hotel can make money... It's hard. Because Florida does live off of the tourism.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538520740711-N46GEX5TN5363FJKWX5F/DSCF4686.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Fort Myers Beach: Lynn Hall Beach Park Donna: "It's bad in Cape Coral, the canals where I live. I went to pick mangoes last week and it was just... I didn't even want to pick them when I saw that green algae. We got a tomato plant growing out there, and I won't even eat them because they were all coming up beautiful and now they're all... it's the air. 'Cause they were beautiful tomatoes. We had to throw two away yesterday, and I said, 'We don't even need to eat them.' I don't want to eat them." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538520751483-OXY6MTRBTP3MQ1CGXU88/DSCF4687.JPG Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Fort Myers Beach: Lynn Hall Beach Park Donna: “We wouldn't be able to stay on and make it. Just supporting each other, look. What if it was just us here? This is what it looks like…This hotel owner is refunding everyone's money, no questions asked. Nothing, just giving you your money back. He's honoring all of the guests and their cancellations and refunding all the money." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527555025-2LZ1B1G47G1SSY2TF79Y/DSCF5165.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Lake Okeechobee: John Stretch Park In the 1930’s, the Army Corps of Engineers surrounded Lake Okeechobee with a large earthen dam, aka: the Herbert Hoover Dike, with various locks controlling the flow of water in and out of the lake. This is the lock that controls the flow of water into the Miami Canal, which flows into the Miami River, and right into the downtown Miami. It is not currently being used to control the flow of water out of Lake Okeechobee, but it was one of the few we could get up close to, to see how this system works. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527563332-ZPS0QBF131XRF08EPJ79/DSCF5166.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Lake Okeechobee: John Stretch Park Right now, the Army Corps of Engineers is only utilizing the locks for the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee Rivers - allowing nutrient rich and bacteria laden water to enter into the waterways and estuaries in the Fort Myers area, and Stuart, Florida. Now both coasts are affected by this pollution in the form of a devastating red tide. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527573247-D1UO1HUPHA4UBLPDH2KW/DSCF5167.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Lake Okeechobee: John Stretch Park Staff Attorney for Save the Manatee, Anne Holbrook: "US Army Corps of engineers could mitigate the cyanobacterial blooms on the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie Rivers by ceasing releases of contaminated water from Lake Okeechobee. However, that does nothing to ultimately address the root problems of why the water in the Lake is polluted in the first place. The sugar growers in the Everglades Agricultural Area have been using the lake for irrigation and then backpumping fertilizer-laden water into the lake. Moreover many of the rivers and springs in North and Central Florida drain to the lake, depositing nutrients from all around the state. The sources of these nutrients are many, and overall policy for land and water management need to change from a culture of deregulation to one of environmental protection to truly address the underlying causes of Florida’s harmful algae problem." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527591403-3I3R8BUB8XY3ZJ2Z2GWN/DSCF5171.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Lake Okeechobee: John Stretch Park You can see some of the heavy duty machinery used to manage the flow of water. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527613838-GJ4S083P8XWYT2EPBAPH/DSCF5176.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Everglades Agricultural Area Before 1948, this whole area was sawgrass, and served as a vital part of the Everglades watershed system - accounting for 27% of the historic Everglades. Having a total area of 700,000 square miles, 500,000 square miles is currently used for sugar farming. The entire Everglades Agricultural Area was established as a means of protecting the ecosystem in conjunction with agriculture - with 15 canals and 25 water control structures, managed by the South Florida Water Management District. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527606847-KXW4MIUHMSZAC8HJFKCA/DSCF5180.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Everglades Agricultural Area The Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) rests where the ‘river of grass’ or Everglades, used to begin. Today, runoff from agriculture businesses in the EAA is ending up in Lake Okeechobee. The water has no way to flow south as nature intended, and is too polluted to go to the Everglades without being treated. Instead, this polluted and nutrient rich water is being sent down the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie Rivers - feeding naturally occurring red tide with nutrient rich water, and sending freshwater blue-green algae into saltwater ecosystems. The damage seen in Fort Myers is a direct result of what’s happening here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527645502-AOWY2MFZVF6SX0CDGOR6/DSCF5181.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Everglades Agricultural Area https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527650528-X35ZDXDMSSRWW84FFWT3/DSCF5202.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Everglades Agricultural Area Sugar crops on a winding road through the EAA. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527624243-M69G6SGR7H5228FZT0VZ/DSCF5182.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Everglades Agricultural Area Sugarcane https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527632949-91ONP0C39IELY87XR52D/DSCF5195.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Everglades Agricultural Area Sugarcane https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527640679-4KQFDK3LZMNELFRAYSHH/DSCF5201.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Everglades Agricultural Area Mallory Clancy, licensed Professional Civil Engineer: “Municipalities and construction operations that discharge stormwater into a Water of the State are regulated by the NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Program) and they are required to apply for a permit and take steps to reduce their discharge of nutrients through implementing a Stormwater Management Plan and reporting on it every year. So, when able financially and technologically, they can devote resources to reducing the nutrients that get into the system (through fertilizer ordinances, pet-waste education etc.) and in filtrating or treating the ones that do (through building stormwater infrastructure). As for the releases of Lake Okeechobee water that occurs every year, that issue is more complicated. I believe that issue is a combination of all of the nutrients getting into the Lake, and the fact that their are regulated releases from the Lake into the Caloosahatchee. The regulated releases are necessary now because of how the hydrology of that region has been altered over time to prevent flooding around the Lake. The nutrients getting into the lake are being regulated by FDEP similarly to the NPDES program mentioned above, but it's a long game and there are many people who discharge into the lake being held accountable for what goes in.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527656642-HS53C5B6V1E1DR8DS3CA/DSCF5212.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Everglades Agricultural Area https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527660471-2ESSH5A2QKVIAA5SGYPR/DSCF5214.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Herbert Hoover Dike This is the large earthen dam that surrounds Lake Okeechobee. You can walk along it at some sections, or drive beside it on Highway-27. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527677509-4FH1RPC89KSTJ9KGKP5L/DSCF5217.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Pahokee, Florida Pahokee is one of many small towns along the Everglades. Many of the people who live in Pahokee and neighboring towns work in the Everglades Agricultural Area. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527667476-WVH1SC33M3UB32Z56Y5K/DSCF5219.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Pahokee City Park This is one of many parks that surround Lake Okeechobee. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527699664-057HNTAFKLN4RCVB2FJM/DSCF5230.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Lake Okeechobee: Canal Point Lake Okeechobee is the second largest freshwater lake in America. What has happened to this majestic place is unfathomable. What is worse, is that the pollution wrought here has impacted millions of Floridians, accounting for over one-third of the state - and growing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527697884-GCI66CARXGFDO6VMHNFN/DSCF5233.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Lake Okeechobee: Canal Point https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527706950-QDOME9TQML2WP22GESGV/DSCF5236.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Lake Okeechobee: Canal Point Mallory Clancy, licensed Professional Civil Engineer: "As an engineer, my impression is that there is not an easy one-time solution but that many, small changes in the ways municipalities approach water quality will make a difference overtime. I see the policies being put into place like permitting... and attempting to hold municipalities accountable for their discharges almost making it more difficult for those small governments to put money towards the projects themselves because they have to devote so many resources to meeting permit requirements. I think the solution is for citizens to request green infrastructure solutions and vote for people who prioritize environmental issues. Slowly if the Board members of our communities choose green and sustainable development, we can prevent future pollutants being added to our waterbodies and focus on retrofitting existing polluters to reduce their impacts. It's a long game, but I see the desire there. We need more proof of green projects providing financial benefits to those who implement them and then we'll start turning the developers and municipalities to prioritize green and sustainable development." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527722106-SI84KG02OXFP28AB0XR1/DSCF5242.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Lake Okeechobee: Canal Point This is the lock for the West Palm Beach Canal, that flows into Palm Beach. Like the Miami Lock, this is not currently in use, but we were able to get up close to show how these lock systems work. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527733884-HTSDYNFTUOCCWONKEP1I/DSCF5245.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Lake Okeechobee: Canal Point An access road to the lock allows you to drive or walk right up to it. From the top, you can look out onto the canal, and you can see the large lock doors holding the water at bay. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527730454-A86RNIA460QZYHZSXAJ7/DSCF5247.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Lake Okeechobee: Canal Point https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527758134-042Y39OUC01FHS7SLA24/DSCF5250.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Lake Okeechobee: Canal Point Beyond the mess of concrete and steel, you can see the West Palm Beach Canal. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527742530-41AFOKRW4WAKCHTODR6M/DSCF5252.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Lake Okeechobee: Canal Point The lock system. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527752055-WJ8C3IGMVP2TE82FFTGY/DSCF5254.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Lake Okeechobee: Canal Point The West Palm Beach Canal https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527775749-3ET4PIX5WKWWSTZ30Q36/DSCF5262.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Lake Okeechobee: Canal Point That small waterway coming out of the Lake is flowing directly into the lock here at Canal Point. Currently, there is no filtration system at these lock outflow points. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538527785788-LEP54X0YE46RIHFH0ABJ/DSCF5268.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers - Lake Okeechobee: Canal Point There were many locals here, a few of them were taking their horses along the Herbert Hoover Dike. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1538931460656-PT8Q1SE67WZMUH9D5068/DSCF5147.jpg Another Summer Lost: Algae and Red Tide Blooms in Fort Myers http://www.impacthuman.org/cape-towns-drought-water-scarcity daily 0.75 2019-04-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555627215236-CSBJIJDALXAHWI18TYHW/fullsizeoutput_3b40.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Cape Town: The Coastal Highway https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555627204224-2Z6OFFPPVJGCAJSZU335/fullsizeoutput_3b29.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Cape Town: The Coastal Highway https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555627172206-ALOJSL7QR7OK4TKRAMK1/fullsizeoutput_3b27.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Cape Town: The Coastal Highway Here you can see an homage to Nelson Mandela (Madiba) along the Coastal Highway. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555627196631-QUOS4G5TQJ75ZBARSJZH/fullsizeoutput_3b32.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Cape Town: Water Crisis Notice https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555627198428-USOAUMV4XTCV8C7GKK1Y/fullsizeoutput_3b33.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Cape Town: Water Crisis Notice https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555627212658-642695JGZISP4RP5XRJO/fullsizeoutput_3b3f.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Cape Town: Water Crisis Notice Private businesses are also placing notices to encourage water-saving measures. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555627215710-WAC2NZ80W12M45ESYNAI/fullsizeoutput_3b44.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Cape Town: Water Crisis Notice https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555627206225-LAM98SIQYP58RQYACUBS/fullsizeoutput_3b3a.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Cape Town: From the Table Mountain Cable Car https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555627208009-A8WB0K4OVPHAJ2J3G9A7/fullsizeoutput_3b3d.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Cape Town: Table Bay https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555627213807-Y5NRLV534EKVNSCVK25M/fullsizeoutput_3b3e.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Cape Town: Table Mountain https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555627215145-FQN7U2HWBTELRCF9JQ28/fullsizeoutput_3b41.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Cape Town https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555627215786-LXTP38NEDVZ7OP9SWR2T/fullsizeoutput_3b43.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Cape Town https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555627189051-GYHCDHQORDCA98Q3WPGT/fullsizeoutput_3b2b.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Cape Town https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555627190971-PXAQEKLM34OLDJJNP33W/fullsizeoutput_3b2c.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Cape Town https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555627193915-K58IJ26F64PC8FX3KGE0/fullsizeoutput_3b2e.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Cape Town: Camps Bay https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555627195637-G5Z71NE4RVKWSVYLK7CE/fullsizeoutput_3b30.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Cape Town https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555627200673-JSIY26P3XM04QR3TV1WQ/fullsizeoutput_3b34.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Cape Town: Boulders Beach https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555627202314-T8CLAMS191FEWXNXMC6H/fullsizeoutput_3b36.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Cape Town: Boulders Beach Penguins https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555627204100-WAAVGQAMZ48F7HK482JN/fullsizeoutput_3b37.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Cape Town: Boulders Beach Penguins https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555629013786-35ZSEL5KADJUN7479IVB/fullsizeoutput_3b48.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Hout Bay https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555629016791-EIAM5B12TURNB0EZEXYK/fullsizeoutput_3b49.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Hout Bay https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555629019567-N5U81OXH388VIVXTTL44/fullsizeoutput_3b4d.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Hout Bay https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555629031945-I3OJIXSAZOQQ0MFBMCVY/fullsizeoutput_3b50.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Hout Bay https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555533937630-ALFBDAJ7Q8CJVSFHJK5O/fullsizeoutput_3a58.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Sikilele Dimbela: Interview Sikilele Dimbela owns a cafe in Khayelitsha, Cape Town's largest Township. He describes how the possibility of a severe water crisis was well-known. “The conversation about the water crisis is not a new conversation in South Africa.... its been quite some time, knowing about it that it’s something that we will face in the future.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555533916810-GEQNDDFBPND1GB4CGDLR/fullsizeoutput_3a57.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Sikilele Dimbela: Interview Before moving to his current house, he and his family lived in a part of the Township where they had to collect water from a standpipe on a daily basis. “We used to go to a tap, that would cater for many people… you’d be in the queue with your bucket, 25 liter bottle, and you’d just collect water from there.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555533929326-JM501YL4J6FGYKLAH95V/fullsizeoutput_3a55.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Sikilele Dimbela: Interview Sikilele is a community leader and understands first-hand the impacts of water shortages on Khayelitsha and other areas of Cape Town like it, where people do not have security of tenure nor access to many basic services. ”Water is a human basic right to have. Everyone should have access to water.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555533937570-Z30YMRA33LXBTV3WLKQW/fullsizeoutput_3a53.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Sikilele Dimbela: Interview Khayelitsha and other Townships use a fraction of the City's water resources. People who live there rarely come close to using the amount of water dictated by the restrictions. “We’ve been living under Day Zero all of our lives. When you are talking about [the] township, there [is] not enough water....we don’t even get to 50 liters a day.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555533939072-P2HEHE38R2S1KNRJNI54/fullsizeoutput_3a52.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Khayelitsha: Inside Siki's Coffee Even though Sikilele's business hasn't been directly affected by water restrictions, many people's livelihoods have, especially those who, for lack of other employment opportunities, run local car washes. And they haven't been helped to find alternatives. ”My problem with that was that they were not being advised and being equipped.. .For that person, they are making ends meet. That’s their daily job. So how about you come up with some creative ways of empowering them.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555533949340-9Y9TBEUUUB8N5FF6ZGAF/fullsizeoutput_3a4f.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Sikilele Dimbela: Interview Sikilele wants the City to leverage technology better to solve the water crisis; and he wants the people of Khayelitsha to benefit from this as well. “We need technology right now... we are all in that conversation of how do we take part, how do we bring transformation and technology in our communities.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555533943420-G9KGZV9L4JGVROOD00WS/fullsizeoutput_3a50.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Sikilele Dimbela: Interview Siki aims to inspire and empower creatives and entrepreneurs in the Township, and often hosts events and meetings at his coffee shop. He has a strong message for Government and wishes Cape Town’s government would do the same. ”What I would love to see from the City is to actually come into these communities... engage with people who are living in Khayelitsha. And hear what people are saying in Khayelitsha would like to happen.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555542761265-66XLVYFDQ8JXHPJLJSWQ/fullsizeoutput_3ad3.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Bradley Fryer: Interview Bradley is an exercise therapist who lives in Stellenbosch and works from home. He is keenly aware of the water crisis. “From about four to five years ago already there were people saying, ‘look, this is something that we really need to take notice of'… For the last three to four years there’s been a steady decline in your usual winter rainfall that we’ve had.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555542769398-8LKFPWWWGV6BCLY2HXZE/fullsizeoutput_3ad5.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Bradley Fryer: Interview His day-to-day life has been affected by the water crisis and can only use 50 liters of water a day. “The City of Cape Town now has various levels of water restrictions... our current restrictions, we are limited to 50 liters per person per day of water through the municipal sources. If you are using more water than what you should be there are significant fines that cost from that sense to try to mitigate people using more water than what they should be.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555542839356-XDCWWIIZ5G986PB1ZW1Z/fullsizeoutput_3af3.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Stellenbosch: Green Fields and Mountains Even though Stellenbosch is located outside the Cape Town Metro area, it is still affected by the restriction. It is an area that relies heavily on agriculture, particularly vineyards and tourism, two industries direct affected by the water restrictions. “The economical impact that it had on the city from a tourism perspective last year was massive.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555542774243-CI48G2FGHR55G4XO2MEK/fullsizeoutput_3ad7.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Bradley Fryer: Interview Bradley is positive about living with only 50 liters of water a day, and has found it easy to reduce his consumption. “It’s become a norm, and what has surprised me the most is how as a household it’s actually fairly simple.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555542800727-UQNGTTMICKIHA7SY9FI0/fullsizeoutput_3ae4.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Bradley Fryer: Interview Bradley believes there are many strategies to reduce water, as he is doing in his household, but the important part is whether people are actually implementing them. “You can reduce water pressure, you can reduce the amount of water, so there are plenty of strategies available. So it’s certainly, by no means, it’s not difficult to find strategies to help reduce your water usage. It’s just a case of whether people are actually doing it and implementing it.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555542792635-XRW130PKCMTKEOX2SRRI/fullsizeoutput_3ae0.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Bradley Fryer: Interview Bradley's household has two people. “There are two people that are living here, we are able to use less than 50 litres of water per person per day – so under 100 litres per day… and that includes: washing, washing clothes, washing dishes, flushing [the] toilet, all of that.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555542813500-SPZX208H2ZPO12S1WVC5/fullsizeoutput_3ae7.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Bradley Fryer: Interview Bradley talked in more details about the techniques they use to save water. In the kitchen they use a five liter bucket in their sink to monitor their usage of water while washing dishes. “I fill up around about five liters in the morning of soapy water, then wash the dishes and once the water gets to the point where you’re not actually cleaning the dishes anymore, then I’d stack the dishes and use that water to rinse the dishes off, then discard the water into the garden… then in the evening again refill up with soapy water and wash those dishes, and then use it to rinse off… you’re never really using more than ten litres.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555542806854-GVAGD6FF7839T16CVVFU/fullsizeoutput_3aea.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Stellenbosch: Bradley's Bathroom They have reduced the length of their showers and employ a number of water reuse strategies. “We’ve got a 90-second shower rule. I’ve managed to get a shower down to under a minute… from your shower collect grey water in a bucket that gets used for flushing toilet.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555542801206-CX4DKTQRHWIZB0IQ2ICJ/fullsizeoutput_3ae1.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Bradley Fryer: Interview Even with all these different measures in place to reduce their water consumption, Bradley has found the change a profound learning experience. “What has been the biggest eye opener for me is why do I need more than 50 liters?” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555542765293-ZXGR3LM2TA3F0WIDH4K7/fullsizeoutput_3ace.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Stellenbosch: Notices in Bradley's Bathroom Bradley has also put up signs in his bathroom to remind clients to reduce their water consumption. He believes it is one way he can contribute from a business perspective. “From a business perspective you are actually doing something to mitigate the impact of the water shortage.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555542838145-L1P6Q7AARPP0KI7KH7EA/fullsizeoutput_3aec.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Stellenbosch: Bradley's Bathroom Even though this may be more effort, using hand sanitizer saves significant amount of water. “You have to go to the shop to buy hand sanitizer more often than usual but the amount of times people are running a tap to wet their hands, and the tap keeps running while they're rolling the soap in their hands and it’s running.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555542755603-PAZWTSK2F3RK0LAQZ0R0/fullsizeoutput_3ad2.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Stellenbosch: Notices in Bradley's Bathroom Bradley thinks the signs have had a real impact on his clients' awareness. “It creates awareness for people that are maybe not that aware of what’s going on. I find it hard to believe they wouldn’t be aware, but for those to just kind of think twice.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555542781991-VEQ04OSRS5VEHMTKOW8C/fullsizeoutput_3adb.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Bradley Fryer: Interview Bradley is mindful of the future and doesn't think restrictions should be lifted. “Technically speaking the dam levels are at a point now where they could ease restrictions but I think from a mindset perspective I would hope that they would stay in place.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555542786997-0WK3PAI3ORFSYSM5KLA9/fullsizeoutput_3add.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Bradley Fryer: Interview Bradley talked about the impact Day Zero would have had on him and his housemate, and how they would manage going to work with the need to go collect water from designated points. “If it had got to Day Zero where the water system was completely shut off, you were limited to 25 liters of water per person per day, which you had to go and collect from certain collection points… It was a somewhat scary proposition, but if this is something that we have to do and we’re going to have to live with, you’ve got to make it work.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555542837988-9C1LGY1IOCSPZXYNRZ9D/fullsizeoutput_3af1.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Bradley Fryer: Interview While the City has taken measures to alleviate the crisis, he is also worried about the ecological impact of some of these measures. “There are desalination plants being built all over the Western Cape… but what ecological impact does that have going forward? If you factor in global warming and climate change together with the potential changes in the ecosystems within the oceans, where the desalination plants are being built, what impact is that going to have?” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555542824945-XNJIVUYYSVUWE2FDGVEJ/fullsizeoutput_3aed.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Bradley Fryer: Interview Bradley is mindful of the impact that climate change has had and is going to have on Cape Town. He believes the city needs to start thinking differently about how it uses its resources to prepare for the future. “Twenty-five years ago you would never have thought that we’d be in this position now. What’s to say that in 50-years time things aren’t going to be going full circle again. It’s a case of being mindful of how you use those resources, and water is just one of them… it’s a mindset shift that I think everyone could benefit from.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555541746810-RE5V3OHJF0Q0KNVJOBXI/fullsizeoutput_3a7c.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Dr Kevin Winter: Interview Kevin has been aware of water issues in Cape Town since the 1980s when he was a student at the University of Cape Town (UCT). Since then, the problem has recurred and small adjustments have been made to adapt. “This thing goes back a long time in terms of all the shortages. When I was at UCT here studying in the 1980s we were always told that by the early-90s Cape Town would be facing a water crisis.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555541714604-QPDSW1Z2FDG41TOT7AWV/fullsizeoutput_3a7e.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Dr Kevin Winter: Interview Since the most recent crisis began, the City has taken steps to reduce its use of water. But Kevin points out this was from a very high starting point. “We’ve saved 60% of the water we were using then. But we were using water very lavishly.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555541724653-UM10JQMP661LCXQ2UNW4/fullsizeoutput_3a82.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Dr Kevin Winter: Interview October is a critical period as it is the end of Cape Town's hydrological year, where dam levels need to sustain them through the next summer. Kevin believes the City's water levels are no better than when the first signs of the crisis unfolded. “We are no better than when we came to the end of 2015 in terms of storage levels.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555541740826-M42XP12M49563DV1BZD0/fullsizeoutput_3a86.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Dr Kevin Winter: Interview Kevin is working with the City government to improve their water management. He believes they have gotten much better at using data to inform their decisions and improve systems. “The things that have changed have been improved management of water, and a massive improvement of our water management treatment in the City of Cape Town.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555541753153-PFKD0FE3BSJDY4RKUT4F/fullsizeoutput_3b58.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Dr Kevin Winter: Interview Despite this Kevin believes the City is far too focused on managing the supply of water rather than the overall cycle of water use, including: quality, waste water management, and equity of distribution. “The City has struggled to get to deal with issues of equity, issues of environment and ecology. Those are the things that are poorly addressed - of building community capacity for instance, citizen capacity. Those are the things you have to do if you’re going to look to the water long-term fix.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555541792517-2GO6ATSD82MQKVQAHBIO/fullsizeoutput_3a92.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Cape Town: The Coastal Highway Every year, Kevin runs the "Penninsula paddle," a canoe ride through the City's canals, to raise awareness about the quality of water in Cape Town. He believes the canals are key to understanding the health of the city. It goes through some of the most under-serviced areas and toughest places to live in Cape Town. “The whole conversation has got to shift to quality, and the drainage aspect and to know that it creates living conditions that are unpleasant, unsafe, unhealthy.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555541768158-AQPQS5TBAME8ZD1UQZP4/fullsizeoutput_3a90.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Dr Kevin Winter: Interview Kevin talks about the economic impacts of the water crisis. They have been keenly felt across all sectors, including at the university, which has experienced a drop off of student numbers. “Investors and tourists and students within the university here from overseas who want to do courses here are reluctant… And the losses in the Western Cape agricultural sector have been high. Among others there are estimates that guess that between 30-50,000 jobs have been lost since October last year [2017] in the agricultural industry.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555541789429-8U3QPQIHK85B746JN8VY/fullsizeoutput_3a94.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Cape Town: The Central Business District Kevin says the City has funneled a lot of money into public awareness campaigns, but much more can be done. “A compact city that is more efficient in its transport and its water systems and energy systems is going to change the City of Cape Town.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555541784843-J2QTR7M7EG1M2F1LBP9F/fullsizeoutput_3a8e.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Dr Kevin Winter: Interview Kevin believes that the way individuals and communities use water is key to solving the crisis. “[The crisis] will be solved by community involvement, by governance systems which are very different to the ones we are currently involved in, and one has to say an economic system which is very radically different if we are going to look to long-term generational involvement in water management, in resource management.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555544584325-FO6LNYHMXTR13PB5F5WR/fullsizeoutput_3a9b.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Deon Smit: Interview Deon Smit delivers water to a hospice outside of Cape Town. He has been a water activist since 2005. “I’ve been involved with it since 2005. Because that’s when the first water restrictions in Cape Town came into effect. Although everyone seems to have forgotten about it. But the problem with that, it’s like any law there’s no use bringing something in if you can’t police it.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555544565721-DP2Z45O7ENRU58YURVFG/fullsizeoutput_3a9e.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Western Cape: Bottles of Water Donated to a Hospice Deon delivers water all over the Western Cape to farming communities and not-for-profit organizations. “Wherever the need is then we will go... Since February [2018] we have distributed about 150,000 liters of water.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555544573779-NSRNKR6R96NUA9Y1UX8K/fullsizeoutput_3aa1.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Western Cape: Storage Facility at Hospice In this hospice, the water delivered is stored in shipping containers until it is ready to be used. Aside from his humanitarian work, he recognizes the scale of the problem. “This is a very long-term problem.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555544577940-3RQR7195HFY4YXPP4C6N/fullsizeoutput_3aa3.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Deon Smit: Interview Deon set up South African Water Warrior in February 2018. “The dam levels were going down, and people were still abusing the water, not realizing.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555544584250-I6HKK4KMJ40M2XMJLSOE/fullsizeoutput_3aa6.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Deon Smit: Interview Deon believes the City Government can be doing much more to help save water, including improving the way buildings use water. “There’s a couple of things that I feel the City can do better. Besides policing the public, from their side. One big thing that comes up time and again, is when they approve new building plans, they should include a grey water system. That will make a hell of a difference.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555544587638-CC9PD8QQIW265UZ9QFGK/fullsizeoutput_3aaa.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Deon Smit: Interview Deon believes the City Government can start by saving water in their own buildings. “The City [government] in their own buildings are wasting water. They are not even adapting their own buildings, and making changes there to save water. Which is a major problem.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555544587386-Y9VQ8D5XQ9HC0C124RQ5/fullsizeoutput_3ab0.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Deon Smit: Interview Deon has seen many positive changes in the way people are aware of their water consumption, since the beginning of the crisis, and doesn't think the restriction levels should change. “Changes have taken place, the thing is to keep people, to keep on doing it. Don’t go back to our normal old ways. And I say ‘our’ because I was also guilty. So yes, we can do it. We’ve done it. We’ve prevented the Day Zero… the public have done it. And it shows what can be done if we stand together.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555544590250-A83JQCUBV8QPTUS2LS11/fullsizeoutput_3ab2.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Deon Smit: Interview Deon has seen many positive changes in the way people are aware of their water consumption since the beginning of the crisis and doesn't think the restriction levels should change. “We are coping, we have proved that we can get along with 50 liters a day per person. So why do you want to go change it now. Because the minute you change it, it’s going to go back to square one.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555537162973-KX9X3XG2NDRKUZDDB7GE/fullsizeoutput_3abd.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Carl Buckle: Interview Since the rain stopped, farmers have had to adopt alternative strategies. Carl is now doing seed production, which relies on drip irrigation and uses less water, but he has had to get rid of nearly all his animals, since they were no longer able to feed them. “We had 150 sheep, now we’ve got 25 left. The 25 that we’ve kept is basically just so we have stock. If it does rain and it does pick up we can actually start again. The goats went from 75 goats to six… We just had to get rid of them as time went by, because there’s nothing worse that sitting watching a hungry animal. It’s terrible.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555537173718-CMHG8TZTAU0B2GORTS8E/fullsizeoutput_3aba.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Klein Karoo: Prins River Valley Carl Buckle owns a farm in the Prins River Valley between Ladysmith and Montagu. The fields all used to be used for growing alfalfa, a plant used for animal feed. The farmers in the area have never seen anything like this before. “I’ve been here seven years. But a lot of people in the valley have been here for 25-30 years. So, just by listening to other people in the area, no one has seen a drought like this.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555537186019-BPKW1JWKXZ87TGBXMK61/fullsizeoutput_3ac1.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Carl Buckle: Interview Even seed production can be precarious because of the drought. The ecosystem needed to sustain agriculture has been seriously affected. “We didn’t have a harvest because it was so dry we actually lost our bees. We had bee farmers come put their hives down for pollination. The bees actually left.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555537193666-0687TAEN7EPIJUUZCR81/fullsizeoutput_3ac3.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Carl Buckle: Interview Many families like Carl's are now in the position of having to decide whether they sell their farms or carry on. “It’s very stressful because our income opportunities are drying up on the farm. It’s a question of are we going to stop farming completely and just sit on the stoop and wait until it rains again... We are a bit stuck at the moment. It’s got to the point where we have to stick around and stay and try to make it work.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555537207373-II4X0X4BYHJA21OQ2NZQ/fullsizeoutput_3ac5.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Klein Karoo: Dry River Bed It hasn't rained in the Prins River Valley in four years. Farmers rely on the river to irrigate their fields. “The dam has been dry for two and half years already.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555537198374-RBYQUX5IZ19JYBHAT54W/fullsizeoutput_3ac8.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Klein Karoo: Road from Carl's Property Farmers are relying on boreholes, but even these are drying up. “We are now busy emptying our last borehole. So three are dry already. This is a new one we’ve drilled now.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555537197073-MURUW3UVSLJ4Z7N1I55T/fullsizeoutput_3ac7.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Klein Karoo: Carl's Farm Of the few animals left of the farm are Carl's dog, Dana. “Because there’s absolutely no point in these circumstances trying to keep so many animals alive with the cost of feed, because the feed cost just went – lucerne [alfalfa] was 900 Rand a ton and it turned at about 3850 Rand a ton.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555537152796-A4I35YQG73EV181JPNGK/fullsizeoutput_3ab8.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Klein Karoo: Prins River Valley https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555539083949-DL4XOUF0H71YCOP2APMJ/fullsizeoutput_3b02.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Andrew Sokolic: Interview Andrew lives on a 20 hectare farm in the Klein Karoo that used to be fed by a river that ran at the bottom of the property. There has been no water in the river since 2014. “The only water on the smallholding is the river, that runs down there. It’s been dry for four years because of the drought.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555539248970-KCNHLG27MYDUPASZEL5V/fullsizeoutput_3b17.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Klein Karoo: Andrew's Fields The fields on Andrew's properties used to grow a plant locals call lucerne [alfalfa] that the animals ate. It was maintained by regular rainfall. “I’ve got no water to grow it.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555539152929-A3MI6YMI889LE8ZSWNL6/fullsizeoutput_3b0f.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Andrew Sokolic: Interview Andrew began drilling boreholes on his property when the river dried up. “I was forced to drill a borehole, about three and a half years ago; because we were waiting and waiting and the river wouldn’t flow.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555539185269-9HTHANVZS1N21KNXPNWR/fullsizeoutput_3b11.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Klein Karoo: Andrew's Borehole This borehole lasted for a few months before it dried up. “We found water which lasted for another maybe two months but then that dried up, so I was forced to drill another borehole.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555539202506-8Q6RTCJ909XZ6SYGFKWT/fullsizeoutput_3b12.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Andrew Sokolic: Interview Boreholes are an expensive means to getting water and unfortunately, Andrew found that the water in his boreholes was turning salty. “Boreholes aren’t cheap. We drilled one along this road. It’s about 100 meters deep and we found a lot of water, but it’s all salt water. It’s all salt.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555539062687-0KV76RI93DN2X4BL1XSF/fullsizeoutput_3afa.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Andrew Sokolic: Interview Andrew invested in a reverse osmosis machine to deal with the salt water coming from the boreholes. But this has its own challenges. “The problem is with this system, is that it makes water so slowly… and I didn’t have enough power in my solar system to run the pump for that long.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555539245810-019FUKRBO0VQG0H9APFT/fullsizeoutput_3b1e.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Klain Karoo: Andrew's Fields The 1,000 liter tank Andrew uses to collect water from his neighbor. Behind the tank you can see his barren fields. “It was much easier for me to get a 1,000 litres every day in the tank from a neighbour.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555539243430-A2NH0ZHP704NMRBAWLNL/fullsizeoutput_3b1d.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Klein Karoo: Main Road in Plaithus While most of the farms on the right hand side of this road have no water, Andrew's neighbor on the left has an abundance which he sells to local farmers. “He’s so lucky to have all that water. Because no one else’s got it, except for him.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555539134696-I45EHHYBWV0YV54CVDDZ/fullsizeoutput_3b0c.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Klein Karoo: Road to Andrew's Farm https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555539103370-V9YPE06RKB5N7C979HGS/fullsizeoutput_3b07.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Andrew Sokolic: Interview Andrew in front of his water tanks. “If I’m alone, 1,000 liters will last me about four days. That’s because I’m sharing with animals.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555539117664-QVYPUZNA5O67TNATMKMH/fullsizeoutput_3b0a.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Klein Karoo: Pigs on Andrew's Farm Andrew and his girlfriend now rear only pigs and sheep on their farm. They previously had cows, but couldn't look after them and were relying on a neighbor for help. “My neighbour kindly let me put the cows there for about six months. But eventually I said look I can’t – they’re my cows – I can’t carry on using your land.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555539196983-ARD0ZWTU3WP3AIU01X4B/fullsizeoutput_3b15.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Klein Karoo: Sheep on Andrew's Farm Andrew and his girlfriend would like to rear more sheep, but they need a lot of space and food - both of which require more water. “Sheep farming is good money, but the thing is you’ve got to put in to take out. So at the moment the feed is costing me more than all of the money I’m generating from selling pigs at auction or the sheep.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555539216825-KSNWXV8X7LN0Z0691Q8O/fullsizeoutput_3b16.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Klein Karoo: Road to Andrew's Farm Growing feed in the fields is essential to being able to rear the animals. And to do this they need water. “We want to grow these fields but I need the borehole to work.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555539162521-3VOCRF8ZQ72DC9TDNAGN/fullsizeoutput_3b0d.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Klein Karoo: Andrew's Fields Growing feed in the fields is essential to being able to rear the animals. And to do this they need water. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555539086941-X0VWJHI4RWE0Y7CEQAMB/fullsizeoutput_3afe.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Andrew Sokolic: Interview Andrew moved to the Klein Karoo ten years ago. He compares his life there to Cape Town. “You could go there and open that tap and not even think about it if the water’s coming out, and you can drink it. Out here, every time I open up a tap I worry. I’ve got to think, how much water is left in the tank and how long will it last for? And is it clean water?” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555539240091-ZMK4RQO476MU4EKWCA1P/fullsizeoutput_3b1b.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Klein Karoo: Andrew's House Andrew lives totally of grid and also has three water collection tanks behind his house. These provide drinking water for him and his dogs, and can keep them going for up to a year. “I went through a period of eight months without a drop of rain falling here and I still had about a third of my tanks full. So I know that I can go for about a year with drinking water.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555539228207-ZEGJJWM7MKYTSU9ZP7DG/fullsizeoutput_3b19.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Klein Karoo: Andrew's House Andrew's house is completely off-grid, and he installs solar panels for a living. The solar panels run all the electricity in his house and the pumps needed to bring the water up out of the boreholes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555539125135-O9IMEIRY572XOKNNMUXD/fullsizeoutput_3b06.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Andrew Sokolic: Interview Andrew started the Water Shedding Facebook group in 2016 because he was worried about future water security. The group now allows people to share information about water levels in their areas and advice on dealing with the crisis. “I could see there was a drought going on, and I thought, hang on this can seriously affect big urban cities with millions of people because they’ve got basically the same set up that I’ve got but on a much grander scale.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555539073607-YRZ5QHUTAJQMW030SHGN/fullsizeoutput_3afb.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Andrew Sokolic: Interview Andrew talked about the impact that the water crisis has had on people's awareness. “They’re all aware now of what it is – it’s a scarce resource and they have to look after it.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555535706806-MEVE1OON6M2PAAI6J1B5/fullsizeoutput_3a60.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Natalya Nesbit: Interview Natalya and her partner moved to the Klein Karoo four years ago. Since then it hasn't rained. “We’re about to lose everything because of the drought.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555535695158-CY2TL5VF3T22LC8M8JMY/fullsizeoutput_3a65.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Natalya Nesbit: Interview Owning a farm was a dream of theirs, and they made sure to fully consider the financial implications based on historic rainfall patterns, but that didn't forecast for them what the future would hold. “We both wanted this. So it was a life dream that’s turned into a disastrous nightmare.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555535701850-VRYXURI5RQIZKOCBF3JH/fullsizeoutput_3a67.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Natalya Nesbit: Interview The year they moved to the farm they had some unexpected costs due to the condition of the property. They needed to spend money feeding animals and restoring the fields to get things up and running. When the rain didn't come they had to start borrowing from the bank to feed the animals. “When we had to start borrowing money from the bank, it’s almost like you know you can’t pay it back unless things turns around weather-wise, but if you don’t take the money how are you going to pay your staff, and feed the sheep? So you do it and you keep thinking, and you just keep praying.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555535709315-INJW6VDKFD57F9YORVH6/fullsizeoutput_3a6b.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Natalya Nesbit: Interview Each year became increasingly difficult, and they kept getting farther into debt because the rain never came, and they couldn't afford to dig and run a borehole. “Within three years it's totally crippled us. Literally because of the water.“ https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555535721118-0DYO9JAM7D478W7M23K9/fullsizeoutput_3a6d.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Natalya Nesbit: Interview Without rain and the ability to grow produce, it feels like an impossible situation to maintain the farm. They had to start getting rid of their animals. The whole community has been affected. ”The next door neighbors lost their cows because actually the SPCA came and took them away because they were skin and bone.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555535715514-PE2YNQPGNQJP33OYST8O/fullsizeoutput_3a6f.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Klein Karoo: Natalya's Vegetable Garden Even the wild animals are suffering from the drought. Her cabbages are regularly being eaten by rabbits and other wildlife. “It’s awful to see the cattle, because they are all starving to death.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555535720650-GM5M099WPXA9EEOADQCY/fullsizeoutput_3a70.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Natalya Nesbit: Interview From no fault of their own, they are about to lose everything. “It’s been a belittling, humiliating, in some cases destroying experience.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555535730257-JPSFROJE0HKG7OX5ASRW/fullsizeoutput_3a72.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Klein Karoo: Natalya's Vegetable Garden Despite the dry conditions, there is very little help from any level of government. “I know that there’s not much that can be done – you have to wait for the rain... But the government needs to step in with regards to the farmers.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555535735484-YC4O21IZF9J12HXSSUK0/fullsizeoutput_3a73.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Klein Karoo: Natalya's Hens Natalya's hens are one of the last sources of income she has. Her produce supply business has been affected by drought and the country's poor economics. “It impacts my whole business because the farmers are struggling to supply... What little they can produce, is getting more expensive; because they have to buy feed and things like that, that they never used to have to do before, which affects their prices, which affects the consumers. So it is such a vicious circle that I see everyday.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555535731699-BNOZQNC2B51EMFEJ5WGU/fullsizeoutput_3a75.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity - Klein Karoo: Natalya's House & Hound Natalya believes that all the farmers in the area should be working together to fix this problem. “This is when you should all stand together.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56995d94a2bab8378c7e057b/1555447532885-L2T64IXX4FIEI8PAJ4SH/image5+%283%29.jpeg Cape Town's Drought & Water Scarcity