All Rights Reserved Patrick Vincent McPeak In collaboration with Rich Kid Records® 2013 © First Edition Printed and bound in Philadelphia, PA
Hell or high water
Whether or not you were personally affected by Superstorm Sandy in late October of 2012, everyone across the country heard about the devastating effects. More importantly, we heard the stories out of New York City and New Jersey about the heroes of the storm. Not only were there a few heroes those days, there are so many people that are still being heroic. This book was made with a purpose. Not only was the purpose to serve the people of New Jersey but to show the world that these people are some of the toughest on the face of this Earth. The Superstorm may have broken boardwalks, destroyed homes, taken the prized beaches but New Jersey would not take this disaster laying down. New Jersey, a state full of those who refuse to be broken and continue to push forward as they return their state to its former glory. For it is not overnight that the state of New Jersey will be rebuilt, but it will be rebuilt. I can promise you this. I’ve spent my childhood there and I refuse to believe that the people of New Jersey will ever give up. Not only not give up hope for a bright future but never give up being just that, proud to be from New Jersey. I will leave this introduction with a quote from the Governor that took the storm’s wreckage by the throat and guided New Jersey through one of the worst natural disasters in American history.
“Man, America couldn’t take New Jersey’s toughness before this. After this? We’re gonna be hell on wheels.” -Governor Chris Christie. -Patrick Vincent McPeak
Hell or high water
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Cutlines
A house lies destroyed in the first month of 2013. Previously the house was battered by stray boats and the sea. (HOLGATE/LONG BEACH ISLAND)
Sand that was washed inland from the beaches was piled onto the southern tip of Long Beach Island. Heavy machinary was used to pile the sand almost 30 feet high. (HOLGATE/LONG BEACH ISLAND)
A sign displays a part of the beach where it became illegal to dump sand. (HOLGATE/LONG BEACH ISLAND)
Many residents of Holgate still have not returned since the storm. (HOLGATE/LONG BEACH ISLAND)
A bulldozer grades the sand that was piled up by high surf and wind. (HOLGATE/LONG BEACH ISLAND)
A backhoe from a local contruction company takes a break from demolishing a ruined house in Holgate. (HOLGATE/LONG BEACH ISLAND)
The skyline of Atlantic City can be viewed from the top of the sand pile on the southern tip of Long Beach Island. (HOLGATE/LONG BEACH ISLAND)
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An oil bottle floats in stagnant sea water that built up in a beached sports boat. Stray and sunken boats posed a huge threat to the economy and the enviroment. (HOLGATE/LONG BEACH ISLAND)
Many houses were pushed off their foundation causing the floor to sink in spots. Many residents will have to start from scratch since their houses were condemned. (HOLGATE/LONG BEACH ISLAND)
A trailer home in the Beach Haven Inlent lies rocked back off of it’s foundation. (BEACH HAVEN/LONG BEACH ISLAND)
Spray paint was used to identify which houses were from which lots since a lot of them were shifted around as the coean met the bay. (BEACH HAVEN/LONG BEACH ISLAND)
A detail of a smaller identification painting. (BEACH HAVEN/LONG BEACH ISLAND)
The beaches of Long Beach Island were completely changed by extremely accellerated erosion. (BEACH HAVEN/LONG BEACH ISLAND)
With sand being most of the foundation to houses in Beach Haven, a lot of them were washed away to their pylons. (BEACH HAVEN/LONG BEACH ISLAND)
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A brand new washing machine sits filled with sand under a house after the floor collapsed. (BEACH HAVEN/LONG BEACH ISLAND)
Charlotte Jacobson stands atop newly formed dunes that were washed around due to high seas. (BEACH HAVEN/LONG BEACH ISLAND) Many residents were upset that the city refused to build up the dunes as the storm grew closer. The high seas and winds causes massive damage to beach front homes. (BEACH HAVEN/LONG BEACH ISLAND)
Controlling the pick up of trash and debris was one of the tasks assigned to FEMA by many of the boroughs of Long Beach Island. (BEACH HAVEN/LONG BEACH ISLAND)
A common sight on the islands was seeing torn of siding. The combination of high winds and the torrent of sea water ripped most of it from houses. (BEACH HAVEN/LONG BEACH ISLAND)
Many residents were forced to clean out everything they had stored in their summer homes. (BEACH HAVEN/LONG BEACH ISLAND)
The iconic image of the Jet Star Roller Coaster that has been submerged after the pier collapsed. (SEASIDE HEIGHTS/OCEAN COUNTY)
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Many Seaside restaurants were forced to close after taking structural damage. Thankfully, many familiar grub spots will open again for the summer season.
The sign of the Island Cafe proudly displays that Sandy would not stop them from opening this summer. (SEASIDE HEIGHTS/OCEAN COUNTY) The famous Sky Lift attraction withstood the storm but will most likely not be in operation this summer since the city still has a long way to go working on the boards. (SEASIDE HEIGHTS/OCEAN COUNTY)
Ortley Beach was another section of Seaside Heights that was hit particularly hard. (SEASIDE HEIGHTS/OCEAN COUNTY)
Houses along the beach on Amberjack Avenue had many of their beach facing walls completely blown in by high surf. (SEASIDE HEIGHTS/OCEAN COUNTY)
Windows along Amberjack Avenue were also blown out by high winds and heavy surf. (SEASIDE HEIGHTS/OCEAN COUNTY)
A chunk of concrete from a tall structure lays untouched on the remnants of the Funtown Pier in Seaside Heights. (SEASIDE HEIGHTS/OCEAN COUNTY)
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Micah Rasmussen, Bill Wells and Andrew Maykuth survey construction on the boardwalk of Seaside Heights. (SEASIDE HEIGHTS/OCEAN COUNTY)
A forklift from a local construction company sits on the old concrete pad of Funtown Pier. (SEASIDE HEIGHTS/OCEAN COUNTY) A once famous and well loved summer attraction, the Funtown Pier has a long way to go before it is ready for summer tourists. Although some of the boardwalk is open many of the rides and games will not be featured this summer. (SEASIDE HEIGHTS/OCEAN COUNTY)
The T-Rex of Funtown Pier still rules his domain. Similar to the way the original dinosaurs died out, this lucky chap has survived a natural disaster. (SEASIDE HEIGHTS/OCEAN COUNTY)
Benches and other debris that were effective destroyed by the hurricane still sit on the boardwalk waiting for the city to restore them. (SEASIDE HEIGHTS/OCEAN COUNTY)
Bill Mamagona operates an air tamping machine to pack down the sand on a recently replaced natural gas service. (SEASIDE HEIGHTS/OCEAN COUNTY)
Another beach front house on Amberjack Avenue has had it’s siding completely torn off by high surf. (SEASIDE HEIGHTS/OCEAN COUNTY)
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Another sad day for Seaside beach goers. The ferris wheel of Funtown Pier is very close to joining the Jet Star rollercoaster in the Atlantic Ocean. (SEASIDE HEIGHTS/OCEAN COUNTY)
The ferris wheel is in discussion for a removal before the pier collapses and removal would become ultimately more complicated. (SEASIDE HEIGHTS/OCEAN COUNTY) Workers of New Jersey Natural Gas company replace a natural gas service at the curb of Rich Douglas’s Point Pleasant home. Douglas has been thankful that NJNG has waived a lot of the costs of work because he lost everything in the storm. (SEASIDE HEIGHTS/OCEAN COUNTY)
Micah Rasmussen, Andrew Maykuth and Bill Wells survey the gas work being done on Rich Douglas’s Point Pleasant home. (SEASIDE HEIGHTS/OCEAN COUNTY)
Sand is still piled along empty streets in Seaside Heights. The Sand Park Parking Lot is adjacent to the now famous “Jersey Shore” house from the MTV reality show. (SEASIDE HEIGHTS/OCEAN COUNTY)
Plates and cups still remain in the cabinets of an Ortley Beach house after the outer walls had collapsed. (SEASIDE HEIGHTS/OCEAN COUNTY)
Heavy construction equipment helps remove piled up sand on the streets of downtown Seaside Heights. (SEASIDE HEIGHTS/OCEAN COUNTY) hell or high water
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A tagged gas meter sits unused on Amberjack Avenue. If the resident wants their gas service restored they could bring the tag to the gas company and have them restore service. (SEASIDE HEIGHTS/OCEAN COUNTY)
A view of the construction on the boardwalk. “The Corner” is known for it’s wide selection of deep fried treats like the famous oreos and deep fried bananas. (SEASIDE HEIGHTS/OCEAN COUNTY)
Even the breaks between buildings had been filled up with sand as the surf washed it all up on shore.(SEASIDE HEIGHTS/OCEAN COUNTY)
Brand new pylons were installed into the sand in late March in Seaside’s effort to restore their world famous boardwalk. (SEASIDE HEIGHTS/OCEAN COUNTY)
The sign welcoming guests to the Funtown Pier still stands after most of the boardwalk was destroyed by high winds and the rising tides. (SEASIDE HEIGHTS/OCEAN COUNTY)
A car still remains destroyed after waves crashed over it during the height of the storm. Many permanent residents lost multiple vehicles since a lot of the island was underwater. (SEASIDE HEIGHTS/OCEAN COUNTY)
Although looting was a massive problem right after the storm hit, vandalism was also something local police had to worry about. (SEASIDE HEIGHTS/OCEAN COUNTY)
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One of the more affulent neighborhoods on the island of Seaside, Mantoloking took the most damage out of any town in New Jersey. (MANTOLOKING/OCEAN COUNTY)
A once luxurious abode rests on the brink of collapse on the beach in Mantoloking. (MANTOLOKING/OCEAN COUNTY)
A lot of random debris has been found all along the beaches including items like this refridgerator in Mantoloking. (MANTOLOKING/OCEAN COUNTY)
Many houses suffered the same fate as this one on Ocean Avenue. Losing its entire first floor to surf damaged, the residents will have to build a new home from the ground up. (MANTOLOKING/OCEAN COUNTY)
A garage is completely filled to the top with sand that had washed in from the beach. (MANTOLOKING/OCEAN COUNTY)
A once glorious steam paddle boat, the Belle Miracle Ann, has suffered the worst fate, being grounded by Hurricane Sandy. (SOMERS POINT/ATLANTIC COUNTY)
A Coast Gaurd ship patrols the waters around Cape May. (CAPE MAY COURTHOUSE/ATLANTIC COUNTY)
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Tire tracks from heavy machinary used to move sand lined the prized beaches of Atlantic City. (ATLANTIC CITY/ATLANTIC COUNTY)
Sand covers the top of a community mailbox after water levels reached alarming rates in Brigantine. (BRIGANTINE/ATLANTIC COUNTY)
The towering glass and concrete pillars of the Uptown Atlantic City casinos were mainly untouched by the devestating effects of the hurricane. (UPTOWN ATLANTIC CITY/ATLANTIC COUNTY) Sand completely covers the floor of the enclosed parking complex of the Sandcastle Condominiums in Brigantine. (BRIGANTINE/ATLANTIC COUNTY)
A piece of beach furniture sits alone in the sand covered lobby of the condemned Sandcastle Condominiums in Brigantine. (BRIGANTINE/ATLANTIC COUNTY)
The paddle of the Belle Miracle Ann sits to rust after being grounded unintentionally by the storm. (SOMERS POINT/ATLANTIC COUNTY)
Both varnish and paint have become familiar sights and smells to those who wanted to rebuild. (CAPE MAY COURTHOUSE/ATLANTIC COUNTY)
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Reeds blow in the wind during a cool March day in Port Norris, NJ. A large research town for shellfish, Port Norris’s economy was hit hard by the storm. (PORT NORRIS/CUMBERLAND COUNTY)
Empty pylons of old pier sit unused in Port Norris, NJ. (PORT NORRIS/CUMBERLAND COUNTY)
A panoramic view of the inlet in Brigantine (BRIGANTINE/ATLANTIC COUNTY)
Jakub P. Susul chills out on a beach in Sea Isle City in the last summer before his untimely death. (SEA ISLE CITY/CAPE MAY COUNTY)
Old Barney. (BARNEGAT/LONG BEACH ISLAND)
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