Barrier Islands After Sandy-Long Beach, NY

Well, my quest to see the barriers islands along the south shore of Long Island, NY continues. I went by Long Beach 30 days after #sandy. Like most places the whole oceanfront and properties up to 2 blocks north got a beating. The board walk extends along about 2 miles or so along the Atlantic and many large buildings occupy the area with many renovated into nice living apartments and condos over the years. The boardwalk is a favorite of mine to bike ride off season to get some fresh air and see who else is about enjoying the scenery. A buddy of mine lives in one of theses buildings and is now staying with a friend in Manhattan because he is so depressed by the wreckage. He was fortunate living on the 9th floor and did not lose possessions but his building did not have elevator or electric for three weeks.Long Beach got hit hard. Just yesterday dead cars were still being removed, a huge mountain of sand is being amassed due to contamination, and household debris grows daily as people still clean out their homes and businesses.
There are the regular daily visits of curiosity seekers that drive up with cameras strung around their neck taking photos of the twisted boardwalk, dangling garbage cans and small signs of rebuilding here and there. One can hear the sighs of concern and amazement as they peer under the collapsed boardwalk and out to the ocean where before walls of sand obscured the same view. In the background you can see big work trucks, bulldozers and contractors still removing feet of sand from the roads and parking lots which held some cars buried 6 feet of sand. Now you can see the profile of surfers back in their favorite rips along the beach. For them, the ocean is a place of comfort and challenge. Many of these surf rats live in the area  and will go back home after catching some waves and sift through years old collections of stuff and continue the painful task of selecting the few salvageable to keep as memories of days past.They are reconciled to the whims of nature and live many others along the Mid-Atlantic, muddle through the despair, pain eventually building back what they once had. The flying of the American flag is a testament to their belief in our ideals of facing challenges and overcoming them.