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NYC Recovers From Sandy
While most of New York City was on its way to recovery in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, harder-hit areas, including Jones Beach Park near Wantagh, N.Y., were still assessing storm damage more than a week after the superstorm’s Oct. 29 landfall.
Sandy inflicted substantial, widespread damage on the park, destroying a boardwalk, undermining roadways and flooding the park’s administration building. With few staff on hand during the off-season, damage estimates to
“The VIP boardwalk is gone and the area’s deck and floors are ruined,” longtime park director Susan Guliani told Wantagh-Seaford’s Patch. “The main orchestra was flooded almost three-quarters of the way up and a lot of debris has deposited. The tunnel that connects the front stage to the back stage was also flooded nearly to the ceiling.”
Guliani added that park officials will work “diligently” to restore the Live Nation-operated shed in time for the 2013 season.
“It’s a very important part of Jones Beach and the Long Island and New York City communities,” she said. “I think a lot of resources will have to be put in in order to get it up and running by next summer but it’s important it gets done.”
New York City’s entertainment industry continues recovering from a virtual shutdown thanks to Sandy, with power restored to most of midtown Nov. 5. A damaged crane dangling perilously over the streets near Radio City Music Hall and Carnegie Hall was also secured, enabling both venues to get back to business.
Carnegie Hall announced Nov. 4 that planned concerts would resume once utilities were fully restored, though some performances were postponed until January.
While several clubs and theatres postponed concerts, most were back online within a week.
The reporting of weekly grosses of Broadway theaters was delayed by a day because of the storm. Many downtown off-Broadway theaters – which were dark for days longer than Broadway theaters – offered discounted tickets to lure back audiences.
Music venues, including the Bowery Ballroom were mostly up and running by the weekend following Sandy’s Oct. 29 landfall, with many clubs and artists adding relief fundraising to their itineraries.
At the Bowery Ballroom, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion donated a portion of ticket sales Nov. 3 to the Red Cross and hurricane relief.
“The Blues Explosion has lived in downtown Manhattan for many years and it means a lot to us to be among the first bands playing after the storm,” the band posted to its website, adding they were “coming to bring their healing power to downtown Manhattan.”
In Atlantic City, casino resorts were getting back up to speed after being closed for inspection by state gaming officials. Caesars Entertainment, which operates several venues in the city, opened up a “Sandy Hotline” to assist employees in need of food, clothing and temporary housing.