The Battle for Breezy Point

When Hurricane Sandy struck Breezy Point on October 29, 2012 our quiet oceanfront neighborhood was shattered by winds and waves which swept away hundreds of homes. Over a hundred more were burned when one of the largest residential fires in New York City history erupted. Firefighters from the Roxbury, Rockaway Point, and Point Breeze volunteer fire departments remained on duty throughout the storm. Cut off from the rest of New York City, they fought side-by-side in waist deep floodwater to contain the fire which threatened to consume their community. In the weeks after Sandy our actions became world-wide news and an inspiration for the massive recovery effort which followed. Organizations such as Gut 'n Pump, Operation Blessing, Habitat for Humanity, Camp Rockne and thousands of volunteers from across the country came together to save what we could of our storm ravaged homes and start along the long road to rebuilding Breezy Point. This is our story.