Beach 87th St./Surfing After Sandy film features the Rockaway surfing community after Hurricane Sandy

Image source: Heritage Radio

We caught wind of the short film, Beach 87th St./Surfing After Sandy from the NYDN. Filmed by Jesse and Lukas Huffman in documentary style, it features the surfing community and how they were affected by Hurricane Sandy. It was filmed about 34 days after the storm.

It starts with a retelling of what things were like on October 29, 2012 from the vantage point of J. Scott Klossner, Keone Singlehurst and Beth Perkins, bungalow dwellers on Beach 87th Street. They talked of friends’ and neighbors’ homes flooding, with some residents not knowing how to swim. Things floated, and some crashed and broke. They also said they didn’t anticipate just what kind of severe damage the flood waters could cause. Here’s a screen capture of the flooding (much of the water was filled with sewage):

Image source: Beach 87th St. / Surfing After Sandy

Earlier in the film, they layed out last summer’s “them vs. us” vibe that was heavy in the area among some residents – local, experienced surfers vs. novices from places like Brooklyn. The new kids were slowly “taking over” the waves and violating all kinds of surfing etiquette, making the scene kind of stressful. That said, they saw the influx of Brooklynites as a “shot in the arm” leading them towards hope that with this “renaissance” that was happening, the City would see the Rockaways in a new light and help fix up the area. $7.1 million visited the beach last summer vs. an average of $3.4 million on prior years.

They talked about how painful it was to confront what had happened during Hurricane Sandy, after the adrenaline from the first five days had worn off, and having to come to grips with all the loss they had experienced. They realized they couldn’t rebuild alone and needed help. So who heeded their call? The surfing community, partially made up of the surfers from Williamsburg and other parts of Brooklyn. In the words of Beth Perkins, “they saved our butts.” They helped rip out soaked drywall, flooring, and helped distribute food and other necessities.

We won’t spoil the whole film, but will tell you that, apart from the interviews, the film is full of shots of the ocean, surfers, beach lovers, and quite frankly what looked like a true oasis in America’s biggest city. Lots of surf and sand, and plenty of people enjoying it, as well as the boardwalk. And also images of broken, damaged homes, and folks sifting through belongings that were destroyed by the hurricane, and people trying to figure out how to put their lives back together.

The people in the Rockaways are determined to rebuild.

Here’s an interview with Lukas Huffman, one of the filmmakers:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYq83rdx-uI]

He believes that the Rockaways will be back, through simple perserverance and love of the area.

Here’s the film.

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/56290484]

Hipsters win the hearts of Rockaway surfing community in the wake of Sandy [NYDN]