Hurricane Sandy on Staten Island: Then and now
It’s been nearly six years since Hurricane Sandy descended on the New York borough of Staten Island. The storm killed 43 people in the city; 23 of those deaths occurred on Staten Island. Ten people died on the east-central coast of the island. The storm surge also destroyed neighborhoods across the island. Over the years, some Staten Islanders have rebuilt their homes and reinvested in their communities, returning to a sense of normalcy. Yahoo News recently returned to various sites that were photographed in the immediate aftermath of the storm. These side-by-side images show the burden Staten island carried but also the borough’s resiliency. (Michael Walsh/Yahoo News)
Photography by Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News
Read by Michael Walsh: Life after Sandy: How New York prepares for the next superstorm ?
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Drag the slider across each pair of images to see changes in the Staten Island landscape.
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Graham Beach, Staten Island
2012: Damage caused by Hurricane Sandy is seen in the Graham Beach section of Staten Island, N.Y., on Nov. 4, 2018. (Photo: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
2018: A home that has been renovated at 33 Iona St. still stands five years after Hurricane Sandy in the Graham Beach section of Staten Island, N.Y, on April 28, 2018. (Photo: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
2018: The empty lot at 663 Seaver Ave. in the Graham Beach section of Staten Island, N.Y., on May 26, 2018. (Photo: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
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Graham Beach, Staten Island
2012: Several vehicles shuffled around by Hurricane Sandy sit in a lot in the Graham Beach section of Staten Island, N.Y., on Nov. 4, 2012. (Photo: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
2018: The empty lot on Graham Blvd. in the Graham Beach section of Staten Island, N.Y., on May 26, 2018. (Photo: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
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Graham Beach, Staten Island
2012: A deck from a nearby restaurant sits in the middle of the street in the Graham Beach section of Staten Island, N.Y., on Nov. 4, 2012. (Photo: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
2018: The empty lot on Seaver Ave. in the Graham Beach section of Staten Island, N.Y. on May 26, 2018. (Photo: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
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Graham Beach, Staten Island
2012: A vehicle sits on a fence on the side of a home that was ripped off its foundation and rotated by currents from Hurricane Sandy in the Graham Beach section of Staten Island, N.Y., on Nov. 4, 2012. (Photo: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
2018: The empty lot at 569 Quincy Ave. in the Ocean Breeze section of Staten Island, N.Y., on April 28, 2018, five years after Hurricane Sandy pounded the area. (Photo: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
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Graham Beach, Staten Island
2012: Homes and vehicles damaged by Hurricane Sandy are seen the Graham Beach section of Staten Island, N.Y., on Nov. 4, 2012. (Photo: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
2018: The empty lot on Slater Blvd. in the Graham Beach section of Staten Island, N.Y. ,on May 26, 2018. (Photo: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
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Graham Beach, Staten Island
2012: A home red-tagged by FEMA with excessive damage by Hurricane Sandy is seen in the Graham Beach section of Staten Island, N.Y., on Nov. 4, 2012. (Photo: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
2018: The fenced empty lot on Seaver Ave. in the Graham Beach section of Staten Island, N.Y., on May 26, 2018. (Photo: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
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New Dorp, Staten Island
2012: Storm debris from Hurricane Sandy fills a yard in the New Dorp section of Staten Island, N.Y., on Nov. 3, 2012. (Photo: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
2018: The empty lot at 82 Cedar Grove Ave. in the New Dorp section of Staten Island, N.Y., on May 26, 2018. (Photo: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
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New Dorp, Staten Island
2012: The remnants of a home destroyed by Hurricane Sandy are seen in the New Dorp section of Staten Island, N.Y., on Nov. 3, 2012. (Photo: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
2018: The empty lot at 70 Cedar Grove Ave. in the New Dorp section of Staten Island, N.Y., on May 26, 2018. (Photo: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
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Ocean Breeze, Staten Island
2012: Storm damage from Hurricane Sandy fills a yard in the Ocean Breeze section of Staten Island, N.Y., on Nov. 3, 2012. (Photo: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
2018: The empty lot on Quincy Ave. in the Ocean Breeze section of Staten Island, N.Y., on May 26, 2018, more than five years after Hurricane Sandy pounded the area. (Photo: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
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Ocean Breeze, Staten Island
2012: The home of James Rossi, 85, who was found dead in the backyard of his Quincy Ave. home in the Ocean Breeze section of Staten Island, N.Y., on Nov. 3, 2012. (Photo: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
2018: The site is now vacant lot in the Ocean Breeze section of Staten Island, N.Y. on May 26, 2018, five years after Hurricane Sandy pounded the area. There is a memorial down the street for Rossi and Ella Norris, who also died during Sandy. (Photo: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
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Ocean Breeze, Staten Island
2012: A boat sits in a yard with debris on Liberty Ave. in the Ocean Breeze section of Staten Island, N.Y., on Nov. 3, 2012. (Photo: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
2018: The debris is cleared as well the home on Liberty Ave. Ocean Breeze section of Staten Island, N.Y., on May 26, 2018, more than five years after Hurricane Sandy pounded the area. (Photo: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
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Ocean Breeze, Staten Island
2012: Damaged homes are seen on Liberty Ave. in the Ocean Breeze section of Staten Island, N.Y., on Nov. 3, 2012. (Photo: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
2018: Today there are several vacant lots and renovated homes in the Ocean Breeze section of Staten Island, N.Y., on May 26, 2018, more than five years after Hurricane Sandy pounded the area. (Photo: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
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Ocean Breeze, Staten Island
2012: Debris fills a yard at 569 Quincy Ave. in Ocean Breeze on Staten Island, N.Y. , on Nov. 4, 2012, just days Hurricane Sandy pounded the area. (Photo: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
2018: The empty lot at 569 Quincy Ave. in the Ocean Breeze section of Staten Island, N.Y., on April 28, 2018, five years after Hurricane Sandy pounded the area. (Photo: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
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Oakwood Beach, Staten Island
2013: The remains of a residence at 88 Fox Beach Ave. are seen in the Oakwood of Staten Island on Oct. 17, 2013. Most of the neighborhood is empty, with just a few residents staying in area. (Photo: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
2018: The empty lot at now at the site of 88 Foxbeach Ave. in the Oakwood of Staten Island on April 28, 2018. (Photo: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
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Oakwood Beach, Staten Island
2013: A home with restrictions is seen at at 71 Tarlton St. in the Oakwood Beach section of Staten Island on Oct. 17, 2013. (Photo: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
2018: The empty lot is seen at the former site of 71 Tarlton St. in the Oakwood section of Staten Island, N.Y., on May 26, 2018. (Photo: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
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Oakwood Beach, Staten Island
2013: A boarded-up house at 134 Tarlton St. in the Oakwood section of Staten Island on Oct. 17, 2013. The house was is a short walk from beach, and surprisingly stood strong currents. The interior is visible from outside and has been gutted. (Photo: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
2018: The empty lot sits where a home once stood at 134 Tarlton St. in the Oakwood section of Staten Island, N.Y., on May 26, 2018. (Photo: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
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Oakwood Beach, Staten Island
2013: The appearance of the abandoned house at 224 Fox Lane has not changed in the last year in the Oakwood section of Staten Island on Oct. 17, 2013. No one is living in the house and it does not appear the owners will return. (Photo: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
2018: The empty lot at the former site of a home at 224 Fox Lane in the Oakwood section of Staten Island, N.Y., on May 26, 2018. (Photo: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
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Oakwood Beach, Staten Island
2013: Adjoining homes at 84 and 86 Foxbeach Ave. in the Oakwood Beach section of Staten Island on Oct. 17, 2013. (Photo: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
2018: An empty lot is seen at the former site of 84 Foxbeach Ave. in the Oakwood section of Staten Island, N.Y., on May 26, 2018. (Photo: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
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Oakwood Beach, Staten Island
2013: A boarded-up house at 136 Foxbeach Ave. in the Oakwood of Staten Island on Oct. 17, 2013. The community is quiet and filled with smell of mildew and decay. (Photo: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
2018: The empty lot at 136 Foxbeach Ave. in the Oakwood section of Staten Island, N.Y., on May 26, 2018. (Photo: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News)
