L.E.S. Lillian Wald Aftermath

Hurricane Sandy was an awakening experience of survival.  Wasn't expecting a disastrous storm since last years hurricane Irene's storm wasn't that brutal.  The night before the storm we received a mandatory evacuation letter from Mayor Bloomberg.  I still wasn't planning on leaving my house until throughout the night police kept repeating on megaphones around my buildings to evacuate by 7pm the next day.

(Photography by Destiny Mata)

My mom went into survival mode and bordered our windows with our mattresses:

& finally my mom, uncle, ri, and I finally evacuated:

Throughout the earlier part of the day seemed like a normal rainy day drizzling no harsh winds checked out the pier along the FDR Drive where there was caution tape up but people still mobbed over the bridge to checkout the storm:

Calm before the storm:

Ended up in greenpoint brooklyn where I saw the Con Edison explode from across the river.  These are some photos of the black out & only the Con Ed building had power:

Blackout photo of Lower Manhattan I took from Greenpoint, Brooklyn:

After hiding out in Brooklyn for 2 days I finally ventured out, walked the Williamsburg bridge to find out what happened to my neighborhood.  Here are some photos of the aftermath of Lillian Wald Houses:

(Tenants walking home along side a hose pumping water out of the basement of my building)

(NYCHA workers putting up caution tape up because of fallen trees)

(Graffiti on the front of my building)

(NYCHA maintenance worker exiting my building)

(My neighbor bringing home a supply of water)

(Reflections)