Lido Beach and Long Beach are communities on one of the barrier islands on Long Island’s south shore in Nassau County, NY. They were devastated by super storm Sandy last October. Property damage was extensive, businesses were destroyed and disrupted and some island residents,more than four months after the storm, are still living in public shelters. Relief agencies such as All Hands Volunteers are still hard at work helping to restore and rebuild the area.
Barbara and I spent the weekend visiting my sister whose home was substantially damaged by the storm. We were awed by the extent of the damage to the community, but more impressed by the resilience of the local residents. They, understanding the dangers, have chosen to live by the sea and have directed their energy to rebuilding and restoring what the have lost.
Much of the beach was lost to Sandy, but surfers and dreamers still visit on a late Winter day.
The world famous Long Beach boardwalk was destroyed by Sandy. Here, the new boardwalk is under construction.
And, always, music.
Al Hands volunteers, including Karen Sherman and Brian Luster (R), prepare to enter a mold filled home in Long Beach.




So sorry to learn about your sister’s home Marty. Thank you for sharing about All Hands Volunteer. Great photos as always.
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It’s not just the ocean side and the boardwalk that were hit by Sandy. Karen and I have been working on houses on the bay side of Long Beach. This part of town tends to be overlooked by the media reporting on the storm and its effects.
The house behind us in the picture belongs to the director of the Long Beach Martin Luther King Center, which is a place where kids can go after school to get some hot food and participate in activities. He is only just now starting to work on his own home because he has been spending all his time helping his neighbors with their homes.
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Tough conditions for the folks on Lido Beach. My potter Dave Matthew’s brother has a home a block from the water on neighboring Long Beach, and still has no phone service since Hurricane Sandy (10/29/12). I grew up farther east in Nassau County, and never saw anything even close to this kind of devastation.
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Thanks for the update on Long Beach. I grew up in Gloucester and when I took my first job after college, I moved to Long Beach. (It suited a young single woman living away from home for the 1st time perfectly). My little apartment was beach front – around the corner from the friendly boardwalk.
I wish them the very best…I’m confident the community will thrive again. Best Wishes
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I am from Long Island originally and my heart breaks for all of those people and also everywhere that get devastating effects from these storms. These are really good people that go in and help. I wish we would hear more about how everyone can help. Even those victims of Katryna are still in need of help.
Thanks to all the good samaritans who donate their time. Your kindness will return to you.
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I have a cousin on Long Beach. There is a group of kids that are collecting bottle caps to create murals to add some color and life after hurricane sandy…
http://lbkids.org/Public_Art.html
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