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163-648: The Rockaway Beach and Boardwalk is a public park in Rockaway, Queens , New York, composed of the 170-acre (69 ha) Rockaway Beach and the adjacent 5.5-mile (8.9 km) Rockaway Boardwalk . The beach runs from Beach 9th Street in Far Rockaway to Beach 149th Street in Neponsit , a distance of 7 miles (11 km). The boardwalk , a concrete deck, runs from Beach 9th Street to Beach 126th Street in Rockaway Park , at

326-451: A 10-minute walk , provides multiple benefits. A park is an area of open space provided for recreational use, usually owned and maintained by a local government. Grass is typically kept short to discourage insect pests and to allow for the enjoyment of picnics and sporting activities. Trees are chosen for their beauty and to provide shade , with an increasing emphasis on reducing an urban heat island effect. Some early parks include

489-481: A post-tropical cyclone with hurricane-force winds. Sandy continued drifting inland for another few days while gradually weakening, until it was absorbed by another approaching extratropical storm on November 2. In Jamaica , winds left 70 percent of residents without electricity, blew roofs off buildings, killed one person, and caused about $ 100 million (equivalent to $ 133 million in 2023) in damage. Sandy's outer bands brought flooding to Haiti , killing

652-657: A ridge to the north. Low wind shear and warm waters allowed for strengthening, and the system was named Tropical Storm Sandy late on October 22. Early on October 24, an eye began developing, and it was moving steadily northward due to an approaching trough . Later that day, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) upgraded Sandy to hurricane status about 65 mi (105 km) south of Kingston, Jamaica. At about 1900 UTC that day, Sandy made landfall near Kingston with winds of about 85 mph (137 km/h). Just offshore Cuba, Sandy rapidly intensified to

815-553: A tropical wave in the western Caribbean Sea on October 22, quickly strengthened, and was upgraded to Tropical Storm Sandy six hours later. Sandy moved slowly northward toward the Greater Antilles and gradually intensified. On October 24, Sandy became a hurricane, made landfall near Kingston, Jamaica , re-emerged a few hours later into the Caribbean Sea and strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane. On October 25, Sandy hit Cuba as

978-588: A $ 4 billion project to flood-proof the Rockaways. The city conducted a study in November 2017, finding that despite the erosion, the beach was wider than at almost any other time in the previous century. Despite this, the beach between Beach 91st and 102nd Streets was temporarily closed at the start of the summer season in May 2018, with reopening not expected for several years. A small portion between Beach 96th and 98th Streets

1141-467: A Category 3 hurricane, then weakened to a Category 1 hurricane. Early on October 26, Sandy moved through the Bahamas. On October 27, Sandy briefly weakened to a tropical storm and then strengthened back to a Category 1 hurricane. Early on October 29, Sandy curved west-northwest (the "left turn" or "left hook") and then moved ashore near Brigantine, New Jersey , just to the northeast of Atlantic City , as

1304-431: A Category 3 hurricane, with sustained winds at 115 mph (185 km/h) and a minimum central pressure of 954 millibars (28.2 inHg), and at that intensity, Sandy made landfall just west of Santiago de Cuba at 0525 UTC on October 25. Operationally, Sandy was assessed to have peaked as a high-end Category 2 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (180 km/h). After Sandy exited Cuba,

1467-419: A Pre-Landfall Emergency Declaration for Massachusetts. Several shelters were opened, and many schools were closed. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority shut down all services on the afternoon of October 29. On October 28, Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin , New Hampshire Governor John Lynch , and Maine 's Governor Paul LePage all declared states of emergency. The National Weather Service issued

1630-504: A beach improvement project on the Rockaway peninsula in June 1925. The Queens borough president 's office started soliciting bids to build "bulkheads, groynes, jetties and breakwaters" and to add sand to the southern shore of the Rockaway peninsula between Beach 59th and 109th Streets. The Gahagen Realty Company submitted a low bid and received a $ 1.26 million contract for the work. The boardwalk

1793-563: A boardwalk as well, connecting Jacob Riis Park at Beach 148th Street to Edgemere. Several groups collaborated to acquire land on the waterfront, and by 1923, the civic groups had acquired almost all waterfront land in Arverne between Beach 59th and 75th Streets. The city planned an "experimental boardwalk" between these streets, following the model of the Riegelmann Boardwalk at Coney Island . Queens borough engineers considered three options:

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1956-654: A boardwalk extension to their communities. By early 1923, the city had passed resolutions to acquire title to the shore between Beach 59th and 75th Streets in Arverne, and between Beach 126th and 149th Streets in Neponsit and Belle Harbor. It was also in the process of acquiring title between Beach 25th and 59th Streets in Edgemere and Far Rockaway, and between Beach 75th and 109th Streets in Hammels, Hollands, and Seaside. The New York City Board of Estimate appropriated $ 8 million for

2119-525: A boardwalk without a road, one with a wide parkway, and one with a narrow parkway. The city government also sent engineers around the world to look at other boardwalks' designs, as it intended to build the world's longest boardwalk along the Rockaway shore. The city government had started constructing a concrete boardwalk on city-owned land in Rockaway Park, between Beach 109th and 126th Streets, by 1922. The boardwalk in Rockaway Park, which opened in May 1923,

2282-455: A campaign stop with former President Bill Clinton in Virginia scheduled for October 29, as well as a trip to Colorado Springs, Colorado , the next day because of the impending storm. On October 26, Mayor of Washington, D.C. Vincent Gray declared a state of emergency, which President Obama signed on October 28. The United States Office of Personnel Management announced federal offices in

2445-662: A computer model built on power outage data from previous hurricanes, conservatively forecast that 10 million customers along the Eastern Seaboard would lose power from the storm. Through regional offices in Atlanta , Philadelphia , New York City , and Boston , the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) monitored Sandy, closely coordinating with state and tribal emergency management partners in Florida and

2608-552: A good chance of receiving gale -force winds, flooding, heavy rain and possibly snow early in the week of October 28 from an unusual hybrid of Hurricane Sandy and a winter storm producing a Fujiwhara effect . Government weather forecasters said there was a 90% chance that the East Coast would be impacted by the storm. Jim Cisco of the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center coined the term "Frankenstorm", as Sandy

2771-431: A kink in the jet stream, causing it to double back on itself off the East Coast. Sandy was caught up in this southeasterly flow, taking the storm on an unusual northwest path. The blocking pattern over Greenland also stalled an Arctic front which combined with the cyclone. Mark Fischetti of Scientific American said that the jet stream's unusual shape was caused by the melting of Arctic ice . Trenberth said that while

2934-457: A massive boardwalk two years later, stretching across most of the Rockaway peninsula's southern shore. The city government completed the sections between Beach 19th and 109th Streets in three phases between 1928 and 1930. The concrete boardwalk from Beach 9th Street to Beach 19th Street was completed in 1963. After Hurricane Sandy destroyed much of the boardwalk in 2012, it was rebuilt in several phases through 2017. The park has been maintained by

3097-488: A negative North Atlantic Oscillation and a blocking anticyclone were in place, the null hypothesis remained that this was just the natural variability of weather. Sea level at New York and along the New Jersey coast has increased by nearly 12 inches (30 cm) over the last hundred years, which contributed to the storm surge . One group of scientists estimated that the anthropogenic (human activity-driven) climate change

3260-561: A popular area for seaside hotels starting in the 1830s, with the first resort being founded at Far Rockaway in 1835. Many resorts were situated on Rockaway Beach along the southern side of the peninsula. The peninsula's popularity grew in the 1880s with the construction of the Long Island Rail Road 's Rockaway Beach Branch to Long Island City and Flatbush Terminal (now Atlantic Terminal ), which facilitated population growth. Several disconnected sections of boardwalk were built along

3423-536: A potential environmental threat. The Maryland Transit Administration canceled all service for October 29 and 30. The cancellations applied to buses, light rail, and Amtrak and MARC train service. On October 29, six shelters opened in Baltimore , and early voting was canceled for the day. Maryland Insurance Commissioner Therese M. Goldsmith activated an emergency regulation requiring pharmacies to refill prescriptions regardless of their last refill date. On October 29,

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3586-473: A record gale-force wind diameter of over 1,150 miles (1,850 km), and an unusually low central barometric pressure of 940 mbar, possibly due to the very large size of the system. This pressure set records for many cities across the Northeastern United States for the lowest pressures ever observed. The convection diminished while the hurricane accelerated toward the New Jersey coast, and

3749-521: A seating area between Beach 92nd and Beach 94th Streets. Two of the three remaining projects also faced the beach: a recreational area with volleyball courts at Shore Front Parkway and Beach 77th Street, and another playground at Beach 98th Street. A new amphitheater between Beach 94th and Beach 95th Streets opened the same month. The park was the inspiration for the Ramones ' 1977 song " Rockaway Beach ". The song, on their 1977 album Rocket to Russia , became

3912-558: A state of disaster emergency for the city to go into effect at 5 a.m. October 29. Electric utilities in the state brought in crews and equipment from other states such as New Mexico , Texas , and Oklahoma , to assist with restoration efforts. Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a statewide state of emergency and asked for a pre-disaster declaration on October 26, which President Obama signed later that day. By October 27, major carriers canceled all flights into and out of JFK , LaGuardia , and Newark-Liberty airports, and Metro North and

4075-558: A state of emergency ahead of storm on October 29. Up to 2 to 3 feet (0.61 to 0.91 m) of snow was forecast for mountainous areas of the state. In Great Smoky Mountains National Park , in Tennessee, several inches of snow led to the closure of a major route through the park on Sunday, October 28, and again, after a brief reopening, on Monday, October 29, 2012. The Canadian Hurricane Centre issued its first preliminary statement for Hurricane Sandy on October 25 from Southern Ontario to

4238-637: A state of emergency on October 26. By the following day, Smith Island residents were evacuated with the assistance of the Maryland Natural Resources Police, Dorchester County opened two shelters for those in flood prone areas, and Ocean City initiated Phase I of their Emergency Operations Plan. Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. put workers on standby and made plans to bring in crews from other states. On October 28, President Obama declared an emergency in Maryland and signed an order authorizing

4401-699: A storm warning for Lake Huron on October 29 that called for wave heights of 26 feet (7.9 m), and possibly as high as 38 feet (12 m). Lake Michigan waves were expected to reach 19 feet (5.8 m), with a potential of 33 feet (10 m) on October 30. Flood warnings were issued in Chicago on October 29, where wave heights were expected to reach 18 to 23 feet (5.5 to 7.0 m) in Cook County and 25 feet (7.6 m) in northwest Indiana . Gale warnings were issued for Lake Michigan and Green Bay in Wisconsin until

4564-651: A total of 75 people, causing food shortages, and leaving about 200,000 homeless; the hurricane also caused two deaths in the Dominican Republic . In Puerto Rico , one man was swept away by a swollen river. In Cuba, there was extensive coastal flooding and wind damage inland, destroying some 15,000 homes, killing 11, and causing $ 2 billion (equivalent to $ 2.65 billion in 2023) in damage. Sandy caused two deaths and an estimated $ 700 million (equivalent to $ 929 million in 2023) in damage in The Bahamas . In

4727-703: A tropical storm watch was issued from the mouth of the Savannah River in South Carolina to Oregon Inlet , North Carolina, including Pamlico Sound . Twelve hours later, the portion of the tropical storm watch from the Santee River in South Carolina to Duck, North Carolina , including Pamlico Sound, was upgraded to a warning. Governor of North Carolina Beverly Perdue declared a state of emergency for 38 eastern counties on October 26, which took effect on

4890-439: A tropical storm, Sandy re-intensified into a Category 1 hurricane, and on October 28, an eye began redeveloping. The storm moved around an upper-level low over the eastern United States and also to the southwest of a ridge over Atlantic Canada , turning it to the northwest. Sandy briefly re-intensified to Category 2 intensity on the morning of October 29, around which time it had become an extremely large hurricane, with

5053-417: A two-day closure for the storm. More than 1,500 FEMA personnel were along the East Coast working to support disaster preparedness and response operations, including search and rescue, situational awareness, communications and logistical support. In addition, 28 teams containing 294 FEMA Corps members were pre-staged to support Sandy responders. Three federal urban search and rescue task forces were positioned in

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5216-579: A wind gust of 63 mph (101 km/h). One person died from falling off his roof while attempting to fix a window shutter in the Lyford Cay area on New Providence. Another died in the Queen's Cove area on Grand Bahama Island where he drowned after the sea surge trapped him in his apartment. Portions of the Bahamas lost power or cellular service, including an islandwide power outage on Bimini . Five homes were severely damaged near Williams's Town. Overall damage in

5379-690: Is a piping plover habitat and, since 1996, has been closed to the public from April to August of each year. Rockaway Beach is the only one of New York City's beaches that sees significant surf, and all 7.5 miles (12.1 km) of the beach are patrolled. In 2005, The New York Times reported that of 1,000 lifeguards hired for the city's beaches, 500 of them worked on Rockaway Beach. The beaches are generally most utilized from Memorial Day in May to Labor Day in September. The city's only legal surfing beaches are also along Rockaway Beach, between Beach 67th and 69th Streets and between Beach 87th and 92nd Streets. On

5542-487: Is also on the boardwalk. On Shore Front Drive, there are a series of decorative bus shelters designed for the 1939 New York World's Fair . The shelters contain aquatic-themed murals designed by Esther A. Grillo and installed in 1997. At Beach 116th Street, there is also a memorial to the victims of American Airlines Flight 587 , which crashed into the Rockaway peninsula in 2001 and killed 265 people. The memorial, designed by Dominican artist Freddy Rodríguez and Situ Studio,

5705-457: The Beach 25th Street and Beach 67th Street stations. The planks were originally made of several different woods such as "Angelique, teak, pine, ipe, Cumaru and greenheart", according to The New York Times . However, most of the wooden boardwalk was destroyed during Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The wooden boardwalk was ultimately entirely replaced with concrete. When originally planned, the boardwalk

5868-864: The Canadian Maritimes , with the potential for heavy rain and strong winds. On October 29, Environment Canada issued severe wind warnings for the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Valley corridor, from Southwestern Ontario as far as Quebec City. On October 30, Environment Canada issued storm surge warnings along the mouth of the St. Lawrence River. Rainfall warnings were issued for the Charlevoix region in Quebec, as well as for several counties in New Brunswick , and Nova Scotia , where about 2 to 3 inches (51 to 76 mm) of rain

6031-971: The Chesapeake Bay Bridge over the Chesapeake Bay and the Millard E. Tydings Memorial Bridge and Thomas J. Hatem Memorial Bridge over the Susquehanna River were closed to traffic in the midday hours. On October 28, Governor Markell declared a state of emergency, with coastal areas of Sussex County evacuated. In preparation for the storm, the Delaware Department of Transportation suspended some weekend construction projects, removed traffic cones and barrels from construction sites, and removed several span-wire overhead signs in Sussex County. Delaware Route 1 through Delaware Seashore State Park

6194-540: The Government of Haiti issued a tropical storm watch for Haiti. By late October 23, it was modified to a tropical storm warning. The Government of Cuba posted a hurricane watch for the Cuban Provinces of Camagüey , Granma , Guantánamo , Holguín , Las Tunas , and Santiago de Cuba at 1500 UTC on October 23. Only three hours later, the hurricane watch was switched to a hurricane warning. The Government of

6357-986: The L.F. Wade International Airport . The strongest winds were recorded on October 29: sustained winds reached 37 mph (60 km/h) and gusts peaked at 58 mph (93 km/h), which produced scattered minor damage. A total of 24 U.S. states were in some way affected by Sandy. The hurricane caused tens of billions of dollars in damage in the United States, destroyed thousands of homes, left millions without electric service, and caused 71 direct deaths in nine states, including 49 in New York, 10 in New Jersey, 3 in Connecticut, 2 each in Pennsylvania and Maryland, and 1 each in New Hampshire, Virginia and West Virginia. There were also 2 direct deaths from Sandy in U.S. coastal waters in

6520-547: The La Alameda de Hércules , in Seville , a promenaded public mall, urban garden and park built in 1574, within the historic center of Seville. The Városliget ( City Park ) in the City of Pest , what is today Budapest, Hungary , was a city property when afforestation started in the middle of the 18th century, from the 1790s with the clear aim to create a public park. Between 1799 and 1805 it

6683-798: The Long Island Rail Road suspended service. The Tappan Zee Bridge was closed, and later the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel and Holland Tunnel were also closed. On Long Island, an evacuation was ordered for South Shore , including areas south of Sunrise Highway , north of Route 25A , and in elevations of less than 16 feet (4.9 m) above sea level on the North Shore . In Suffolk County , mandatory evacuations were ordered for residents of Fire Island and six towns. Most schools closed in Nassau and Suffolk counties on October 29. New York City began taking precautions on October 26. Governor Cuomo ordered

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6846-596: The National Guard to activate 630 personnel ahead of the storm. Republican Party presidential candidate Mitt Romney canceled campaign appearances scheduled for October 28 in Virginia Beach, Virginia , and New Hampshire October 30 because of Sandy. Vice President Joe Biden canceled his appearance on October 27 in Virginia Beach and an October 29 campaign event in New Hampshire. President Barack Obama canceled

7009-810: The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation since 1938. It is policed by the New York City Parks Enforcement Patrol . The Rockaway Beach and Boardwalk, operated by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks), run parallel on the Rockaway peninsula from Beach 9th Street in the east, within Far Rockaway , to Beach 126th Street in the west, within Rockaway Park . The beach and boardwalk are parallel to Beach Front Road from Beach 59th to Beach 73rd Street, and are parallel to Shore Front Parkway from Beach 73rd to Beach 108th Street. The beach continues west to Beach 149th Street in Neponsit , where it connects with

7172-563: The New York Supreme Court in June 1931. The fourth section of the boardwalk, east of Beach 21st Street, was delayed because tidal conditions would prevent the city from building a boardwalk east of Beach 14th Street without having to acquire significant space inland. City authorities considered ending the boardwalk at Beach 14th Street instead, but property owners in Far Rockaway refused, stating that they were entitled to benefit from

7335-530: The Q52 SBS and Q53 SBS buses. The Rockaway Beach and Boardwalk is also largely within walking distance to several stations on the New York City Subway 's IND Rockaway Line . The central section of the park is served by the A and ​ S trains between the Beach 90th Street and Rockaway Park–Beach 116th Street stations, while the eastern section is served by the A train between

7498-641: The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) started preparing a hurricane-protection and water-purification project for the Rockaways. A plank replacement project, commenced in 1975, was stopped later that year due to the city's 1975 fiscal crisis . Work on the plank replacement restarted in 1977 as part of a $ 19 million investment in parks citywide. During the late 20th century, the boardwalk also became known for dangerous incidents, including wild dog attacks. A large segment in Edgemere and Arverne abutted vacant lots, which were still extant during

7661-602: The Village of Yorkville Park in Toronto , which won an award from the American Society of Landscape Architects. Parks are sometimes made out of oddly shaped areas of land, much like the vacant lots that often become city neighborhood parks. Linked parks may form a greenbelt . There is a form of an urban park in the UK (officially called a "recreation ground", but commonly called a "rec" by

7824-453: The Washington, D.C. area would be closed to the public on October 29–30. In addition, Washington D.C. Metro service, both rail and bus, was canceled on October 29 due to expected high winds, the likelihood of widespread power outages, and the closing of the federal government. The Smithsonian Institution closed for the day of October 29. Governor of Maryland Martin O'Malley declared

7987-485: The "new norm on the Eastern seaboard". After the storm became a tropical cyclone on October 22, the Government of Jamaica issued a tropical storm watch for the entire island. Early on October 23, the watch was replaced with a tropical storm warning and a hurricane watch was issued. At 1500 UTC, the hurricane watch was upgraded to a hurricane warning, while the tropical storm warning was discontinued. In preparation of

8150-566: The 2010s. The last of the amusements that once occupied the boardwalk, Rockaways' Playland, closed in 1987. However, the New York Daily News reported in 1980 that Rockaway Beach was cleaner than Coney Island's beach, in part because of large cleaning crews and because of the park's proximity to the Edgemere Landfill . The Far Rockaway section of the boardwalk was renamed in honor of local resident Helen Leonescu in 1983. USACE refilled

8313-793: The American punk rock group's highest-charting single , peaking at number 66 on the Billboard Hot 100 . Written in the surf rock style of the Beach Boys and other similar bands, the song was composed by the group's bassist, Dee Dee Ramone , who liked to spend time on the beach. In June 2013, the song was used in a radio ad campaign sponsored by the Queens Economic Development Corporation to promote recovery from Hurricane Sandy by drawing New Yorkers back to Rockaway Beach. Travel + Leisure magazine ranked Rockaway Beach as one of

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8476-752: The Atlantic Ocean, about 90 miles (140 km) off the North Carolina coast, which are not counted in the U.S. total. In addition, the storm resulted in 87 indirect deaths. In all, a total of 160 people were killed due to the storm, making Sandy the deadliest hurricane to hit the United States mainland since Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the deadliest to hit the U.S. East Coast since Hurricane Agnes in 1972. Due to flooding and other storm-related problems, Amtrak canceled all Acela Express , Northeast Regional , Keystone , and Shuttle services for October 29 and 30. More than 13,000 flights were canceled across

8639-582: The Bahamas , at 1500 UTC on October 23, issued a tropical storm watch for several Bahamian islands, including the Acklins , Cat Island , Crooked Island , Exuma , Inagua , Long Cay , Long Island , Mayaguana , Ragged Island , Rum Cay , and San Salvador Island . Later that day, another tropical storm watch was issued for Abaco Islands , Andros Island , the Berry Islands , Bimini , Eleuthera , Grand Bahama , and New Providence . By early on October 24,

8802-498: The Bahamas was about $ 700 million, with the most severe damage on Cat Island and Exuma where many houses were heavily damaged by wind and storm surge. Owing to the sheer size of the storm, Sandy also impacted Bermuda with high winds and heavy rains. On October 28, a weak F0 tornado touched down in Sandys Parish , damaging homes and businesses. During a three-day span, the storm produced 0.98 in (25 mm) of rain at

8965-460: The Beach 30th Street Playground and a football field. In Arverne, there is a playground and handball facilities at Beach 59th Street. Another playground, as well as one basketball and eight handball courts, are on the boardwalk's south side from Beach 74th to 77th Street. Within Hammels, there are eight handball and two basketball courts west of Beach 81st Street, and two playgrounds at Beach 84th Street. In

9128-408: The Caribbean to Canada. The eighteenth named storm , tenth hurricane , and second major hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season , Sandy was a Category 3 storm at its peak intensity when it made landfall in Cuba , though most of the damage it caused was after it became a Category 1-equivalent extratropical cyclone off the coast of the Northeastern United States. Sandy developed from

9291-456: The ECMWF made its prediction, the National Weather Service and National Hurricane Center confirmed the path of the hurricane predicted by the European model. The National Weather Service was criticized for not employing its higher-resolution forecast models the way that its European counterpart did. A hardware and software upgrade completed at the end of 2013 enabled the weather service to make predictions more accurate and farther in advance than

9454-415: The Federal Emergency Management Agency to aid in disaster relief efforts. Also, numerous areas were ordered to be evacuated including part of Ocean City , Worcester County , Wicomico County , and Somerset County . Officials warned that more than a hundred million tons of dirty sediment mixed with tree limbs and debris floating behind Conowingo Dam could eventually pour into the Chesapeake Bay , posing

9617-441: The Jamaica Public Service Company, reported that 70 percent of its customers were without power. More than 1,000 people went to shelters. Jamaican authorities closed the island's international airports, and police ordered 48-hour curfews in major towns to keep people off the streets and deter looting. Most buildings in the eastern portion of the island lost their roofs. Damage was assessed at approximately $ 100 million throughout

9780-729: The National Hurricane Center did not issue any tropical cyclone watches or warnings for New Jersey, because Sandy was forecast to become extratropical before landfall and thus would not be a tropical cyclone. Preparations in Pennsylvania began when Governor Tom Corbett declared a state of emergency on October 26. Mayor of Philadelphia Michael Nutter asked residents in low-lying areas and neighborhoods prone to flooding to leave their homes by 1800 UTC October 28 and move to safer ground. The Philadelphia International Airport suspended all flight operations for October 29. On October 29, Philadelphia shut down its mass transit system. On October 28, Mayor of Harrisburg Linda D. Thompson declared

9943-432: The Shore Front Parkway Adventure Course opened next to the boardwalk between Beach 101st and 102nd Streets. NYC Parks announced in May 2023 that it was adding or renovating six recreational spaces along the Rockaway peninsula, including four along Rockaway Beach, as part of a $ 33 million program. At the time, three projects had been finished, including two on the beach: a reconstruction of the Beach 59th Street Playground and

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10106-479: The Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, and New England states. President Obama signed emergency declarations on October 28 for several states expected to be impacted by Sandy, allowing them to request federal aid and make additional preparations in advance of the storm. Flight cancellations and travel alerts on the U.S. East Coast were put in place in the Mid-Atlantic and the New England areas. Over 5,000 commercial airline flights scheduled for October 28 and 29 were canceled by

10269-561: The U.S. on October 29, and more than 3,500 were called off October 30. From October 27 through early November 1, airlines canceled a total of 19,729 flights, according to FlightAware . On October 31, over 6 million customers were still without power in 15 states and the District of Columbia . The states with the most customers without power were New Jersey with 2,040,195 customers; New York with 1,933,147; Pennsylvania with 852,458; and Connecticut with 486,927. The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq reopened on October 31 after

10432-661: The U.S.'s best beaches in 2024. In its ranking, the magazine said that "This may not be a palm-tree-lined idyll, but for New Yorkers who can hop on a subway or bus to reach its white sand, five-mile boardwalk, and surf-worthy waves, it's heaven." Public park Depending on size, budget, and land features, which varies considerably among individual parks, common features include playgrounds , gardens , hiking, running, fitness trails or paths, bridle paths , sports fields and courts, public restrooms, boat ramps, performance venues, or BBQ and picnic facilities. Park advocates claim that having parks near urban residents, including within

10595-530: The UK, with around 2.6 billion visits to parks each year. Many parks are of cultural and historical interest, with 300 registered by Historic England as of national importance. Most public parks have been provided and run by local authorities over the past hundred and seventy years, but these authorities have no statutory duty to fund or maintain these public parks. In 2016 the Heritage Lottery Fund 's State of UK Public Parks reported that "92 per cent of park managers report their maintenance budgets have reduced in

10758-499: The United States amounted to $ 65 billion (equivalent to $ 86 billion in 2023). In Canada, two were killed in Ontario, and the storm caused an estimated $ 100 million CAD (equivalent to $ 129 million CAD in 2023) in damage throughout Ontario and Quebec. Hurricane Sandy began as a low pressure system which developed sufficient organized convection to be classified as Tropical Depression Eighteen on October 22 south of Kingston, Jamaica . It moved slowly at first due to

10921-459: The United States and the world, though cow grazing did not end until the 1830s. Around the country, the predecessors to urban parks in the United States were generally rural cemeteries . The cemeteries were intended as civic institutions designed for public use. Before the widespread development of public parks, the rural cemetery provided a place for the general public to enjoy outdoor recreation amidst art and sculpture previously available only for

11084-674: The United States are Central Park in New York, Lincoln Park in Chicago, Mission Bay Park in San Diego. In the early 1900s, according to Cranz, U.S. cities built neighborhood parks with swimming pools, playgrounds and civic buildings, with the intention of Americanizing the immigrant residents. In the 1950s, when money became available after World War II , new parks continued to focus on both outdoor and indoor recreation with services, such as sports leagues using their ball fields and gymnasia. These smaller parks were built in residential neighborhoods, and tried to serve all residents with programs for seniors, adults, teens and children. Green space

11247-409: The United States, Hurricane Sandy affected 24 states , including the entire eastern seaboard from Florida to Maine and west across the Appalachian Mountains to Michigan and Wisconsin , with particularly severe damage in New Jersey and New York . Its storm surge hit New York City on October 29, flooding streets, tunnels and subway lines and cutting power in and around the city. Damage in

11410-444: The afternoon of October 28 and Amtrak canceled some services through October 29 in preparation for the storm. In addition, the National Guard and U.S. Air Force put as many as 45,000 personnel in at least seven states on alert for possible duty in response to the preparations and aftermath of Sandy. Schools on the Treasure Coast announced closures for October 26 in anticipation of Sandy. At 0900 UTC on October 26,

11573-408: The beach and boardwalk would cost $ 200 million. The rebuilding, overseen by CH2M Hill , would entail the replacement of the entire boardwalk as well as the addition of 50,000 feet (15,000 m) of railings. The boardwalk project, to cost $ 274 million, was divided into five phases from west to east, the first of which was to begin in early 2014. The section between Beach 35th and 39th Streets

11736-640: The beach and boardwalk, including basketball and handball courts, a roller hockey rink, skateparks, and playgrounds. In addition, there are food concessions at Beach 17th, 86th, 97th, and 106th Streets. "Comfort stations", or restrooms, also exist at Beach 9th, 17th, 32nd, 60th, 86th, 97th, 106th, and 115th Streets. The original comfort stations were destroyed in 2012 during Hurricane Sandy ; these were replaced in 2013 by modular structures designed by Garrison Architects, which are installed in pairs. The modular structures contain double-layered stainless-steel facades and are powered by photovoltaic cells. The section of

11899-532: The beach at Jacob Riis Park . The boardwalk is 5.5 miles (8.9 km) long while the beaches cover an area of 170 acres (69 ha) over 7 miles (11 km). The beach and boardwalk run adjacent to a variety of neighborhoods, including public housing on the Beach 50- and 60-numbered streets in Edgemere and Arverne , and high-rise developments on the Beach 100-numbered streets in Rockaway Beach . Some sections of

12062-399: The beach eastward 0.5 miles (0.80 km) to Beach 9th Street, and commenced work for O'Donohue Park alongside the new stretch of beach, which opened in 1961. Part of the boardwalk in Arverne was burned down in 1960 and was subsequently rebuilt. As part of the construction of O'Donohue Park, a section of concrete boardwalk from Beach 9th to 19th Street was built in the early 1960s. This section

12225-463: The beach every two years between 1980 and 1988. The beach further eroded following the December 1992 nor'easter , although the boardwalk remained relatively intact. Because of this erosion, the section of the park between Beach 26th and 36th Streets was closed to the public for at least three years. USACE subsequently refilled the beach between 1995 and 2004. The boardwalk was renovated during the 1990s with

12388-430: The beach had been eroding slowly. Sand from the beach had landed on people's yards and on nearby streets, while personal property had been tossed onto the shore. Despite the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy, the city promised to open all its public beaches by Memorial Day in May 2013, including Rockaway Beach, where temporary beach access points were set up. The city restored some of the sand and added snow fence to prevent

12551-462: The beach in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, mostly clustered around resorts. These included a 1-mile (1.6 km) stretch in Arverne to the east, a 0.8-mile (1.3 km) stretch in Rockaway Park to the west, and shorter sections in Hammels and Hollands (now Rockaway Park) in the center. The peninsula became part of the City of Greater New York in the late 1890s. Amusement parks also opened along

12714-402: The beach, such as Rockaways' Playland in the first decade of the 20th century. The initial boardwalk in Arverne was built in 1886, 3 feet (0.91 m) above the beach. A new boardwalk, stretching about 0.75 miles (1.21 km), was built 300 feet (91 m) to the south in 1900–1901. Family houses, a hotel, and an 800-seat theater were built around the Arverne boardwalk, though the boardwalk

12877-414: The boardwalk every year. Further, because of erosion of the beach, water would go under the boardwalk at high tide, and some stairs from the boardwalk led to steep drop-offs where the beach formerly was. Thirteen blocks of the beach had eroded away by 1973, forcing the closure of parts of the beach in the Edgemere and Rockaway Beach neighborhoods, and the boardwalk had become dilapidated. To remedy this issue,

13040-620: The boardwalk reopened in July 2016. The rebuilding of the boardwalk was finished in May 2017, with the completion of the final section between Beach 19th and 39th Streets. The next year, the reconstruction received the American Planning Association 's National Planning Achievement Award for Urban Design. Some of the sand from the beach had already eroded by 2017, and the USACE had secured $ 400 million for further beach improvements, part of

13203-404: The boardwalk since they had paid taxes for it. Harvey also wished to delay the construction of the fourth section because of the then-ongoing litigation over the property compensation. Finally, the section of beach between Beach 16th and 20th Streets was the privately owned Roche's Beach; the owners opposed the construction of the boardwalk and successfully lobbied to stop it. The westernmost section

13366-399: The boardwalk surface are secured to their foundations. A sand-retaining wall under the boardwalk is designed to prevent sand from drifting away from the beach. Most of the boardwalk is 40 feet (12 m) wide, and largely follows the path of the original boardwalk, with minor modifications to straighten out its route. "Bump-outs", which add between 5 and 15 feet (1.5 and 4.6 m) of width to

13529-434: The boardwalk to the ocean. From 1977 to 2004, the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) undertook a beach nourishment project between Beach 19th and 149th Streets, replenishing a 100-to-200-foot (30 to 61 m) wide strip of the beach. Ecologically, the beach contains maritime beach and maritime dunes communities, with vegetation present along the length of the beach. The section from Beach 38th to Beach 57th Street

13692-521: The boardwalk were between Beach 80th and 106th Streets, where some planks were tossed into nearby houses. In the aftermath of the hurricane, several entities disagreed over how the wood should be reused. Michael Bloomberg , the New York City mayor at the time, announced in December 2012 that the boardwalk would be rebuilt in concrete rather than wood. Four of the concrete sections that had been rebuilt before

13855-460: The boardwalk's path. The third section was finally opened in September 1930, four months after the contractors had initially projected. At the time, the Queens borough president's office operated the portion of the boardwalk east of Beach 105th Street, while NYC Parks operated the section to the west. A temporary ramp connected to Beach 19th Street. While construction was ongoing, there were disputes over

14018-613: The boardwalk, are installed at areas where there are stairs and ramps, as well as at areas with amenities such as benches. The present modular benches reused wood from the old boardwalk. The beach was built with an average width of 300 to 400 feet (91 to 122 m), using 2,500,000 cubic yards (1,900,000 m) of sand. Parts of the beach in Arverne and Edgemere were filled to a width of up to 1,000 feet (300 m) due to strong currents in that area. To protect beach erosion , jetties were constructed at 400 feet (120 m), extending from

14181-460: The boardwalk, as was bicycling during the summer. Four municipal parking lots at Beach 32nd, 52nd, 64th, and 69th Streets were opened within the park in 1948. During that time, the boardwalk between Beach 73rd and 85th Streets, and east of Beach 33rd Street, was reconstructed for $ 200,000. Moses announced the construction of another three parking lots in the park in 1950, at Beach 55th–59th, 62nd–63rd, and 67th–68th Streets, as well as landscaping along

14344-511: The boardwalk, such as the sections in Edgemere and Arverne, are next to mostly uncrowded beaches. Other sections, such as the segment in Rockaway Beach, include recreational facilities and bathroom facilities and tend to be crowded. The Q22 bus runs close by for almost the entire route of the beach. The western part of the beach is also served by the Q35 bus, while the central part is also served by

14507-510: The boardwalk. These seven parking lots were intended to serve as children's play areas outside of the summer season, and Moses rejected attempts to install parking meters in these parking lots. During the mid-20th century, Rockaway Beach was seen as one of the best surfing places in the New York metropolitan area . In the 1950s, the beach employed a lifeguard force of 258, among the world's largest. The beach suffered from considerable erosion, despite

14670-415: The buildings were to be razed. The existing boardwalk at Hollands and Seaside, between Beach 90th and 100th Street, would be removed and replaced. Work began in September 1927, although the first pile was driven that November. By then, some $ 4 million had already been spent for shore protection and beach widening. The first section was dedicated in June 1928, although the portion east of Beach 102nd Street

14833-417: The bulkheads. As built, the boardwalk was supported by about 1,306 concrete "bents", supported by three or four wooden piles and spaced at intervals of about 19 feet (5.8 m). The present boardwalk, made largely of concrete, is supported on piles spaced 30 feet (9.1 m) apart and driven up to 27 feet (8.2 m) underground. A pair of piles support a concrete foundation or "bent". The concrete slabs of

14996-523: The city had approved $ 1 million for the project and was speeding up plans to construct the section of boardwalk between Beach 59th and 109th Streets. The Board of Estimate appropriated $ 500,000 for the first connecting section of the boardwalk between Beach 91st and 109th Streets in mid-1927. That August, contractor Muccini & Decker reported that between 30 and 40 buildings in the boardwalk's path would have to be condemned and demolished. The contractor subsequently stated that work would progress even as

15159-419: The city opened along Rockaway Beach, at Beach 90th Street in 2005 and at Beach 67th Street in 2007. There was little commerce along the park's path by the first decade of the 21st century, and its route was characterized mainly by residential buildings and open space. A feasibility study of storm protections along the beach was ordered in 2003, but there was not enough money to conduct such a study. The boardwalk

15322-446: The city. NYU Langone Medical Center canceled all surgeries and medical procedures, except for emergency procedures. Additionally, one of NYU Langone Medical Center's backup generators failed on October 29, prompting the evacuation of hundreds of patients, including those from the hospital's various intensive care units . U.S. stock trading was suspended for October 29 to 30. Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy partially activated

15485-589: The closure of MTA and its subway on October 28, and the MTA suspended all subway, bus, and commuter rail service beginning at 2300 UTC. After Hurricane Irene nearly submerged subways and tunnels in 2011, entrances and grates were covered just before Sandy, but were still flooded. PATH train service and stations as well as the Port Authority Bus Terminal were shut down in the early morning hours of October 29. Later on October 28, officials activated

15648-448: The coastal emergency plan, with subway closings and the evacuation of residents in areas hit by Hurricane Irene in 2011. More than 76 evacuation shelters were open around the city. On October 28, Mayor Michael Bloomberg ordered that all public schools be closed on Monday and announced a mandatory evacuation of Zone A, which comprised areas near coastlines or waterways. Additionally, 200  National Guard troops were deployed in

15811-510: The coincidental alignment of a tropical storm with an extratropical storm", Trenberth does agree that the storm was caused by "natural variability" but adds that it was "enhanced by global warming". One factor contributing to the storm's strength was abnormally warm sea surface temperatures offshore the East Coast of the United States —more than 5 °F (3 °C) above normal, to which global warming had contributed 1 °F (0.6 °C). As

15974-423: The compensation that the city was scheduled to pay property owners. In September 1930, New York City Comptroller Charles W. Berry objected to the $ 12.5 million proposed compensation, saying that the land was assessed as being worth only one tenth as much. The city suspended compensation payments for the property that November. Ultimately, the compensation payments were lowered to $ 9.2 million, as decided by

16137-444: The condition of the Rockaway Beach and Boardwalk, Moses cleared a 200-foot-wide (61 m) strip of land north of the boardwalk for Shore Front Parkway, which opened in 1939. Moses demolished more than 700 buildings in the parkway's path and destroyed what he described as "catch-penny enterprises" along the boardwalk, replacing them with recreational fields. The beach was also extended toward the sea. By 1941, jukeboxes were banned from

16300-490: The confines of a serpentine carriageway, put in place the essential elements of his much-imitated design for Birkenhead Park in Birkenhead . The latter commenced in 1843 with the help of public finance and deployed the ideas which Paxton had pioneered at Princes Park on a more expansive scale. Frederick Law Olmsted visited Birkenhead Park in 1850 and praised its qualities. Indeed, Paxton is widely credited as having been one of

16463-417: The construction of new play structures between Beach 82nd and 86th Streets, repairs to the boardwalk, installation of spray showers and drinking fountains, and restoration of the bus shelters beside the boardwalk. That boardwalk section reopened in 1999 for the first time in 25 years. Workers also rebuilt the section between Beach 109th and 116th Streets in 1999 at a cost of $ 600,000. The first surfing beaches in

16626-467: The country. In Haiti, which was still recovering from both the 2010 earthquake and the 2010s cholera outbreak , a total of 75 people died, and approximately 200,000 were left homeless as a result of four days of ongoing rain from Hurricane Sandy. Heavy damage occurred in Port-Salut after rivers overflowed their banks. In the capital of Port-au-Prince , streets were flooded by the heavy rains, and it

16789-402: The cyclone was no longer tropical by 2100 UTC on October 29. About 2½ hours later, Sandy made landfall near Brigantine, New Jersey, with sustained winds of 80 mph (130 km/h). During the next four days, Sandy's remnants drifted northward and then northeastward over Ontario , before merging with another low pressure area over Eastern Canada on November 2. On October 23, 2012,

16952-449: The designed landscape as a setting for the suburban domicile (an idea pioneered by John Nash at Regent's Park in London) and re-fashioned it for the provincial town in a most original way. Nash's remodelling of St James's Park from 1827 and the sequence of processional routes he created to link The Mall with Regent's Park completely transformed the appearance of London's West End . With

17115-426: The edge of Belle Harbor . There are also numerous recreational facilities within the park, parallel to the beach and boardwalk. The beach became a popular resort area in the late 19th century, and several disconnected sections of the boardwalk were constructed by the end of the century. The first section of city-owned boardwalk between Beach 109th and 126th Street was completed in 1923, and the city announced plans for

17278-494: The establishment of Princes Park in 1842, Joseph Paxton did something similar for the benefit of a provincial town, albeit one of international stature by virtue of its flourishing mercantile sector. Liverpool had a burgeoning presence in global maritime trade before 1800, and during the Victorian era its wealth rivalled that of London itself. The form and layout of Paxton's ornamental grounds, structured about an informal lake within

17441-597: The following day. By October 29, the state of emergency was extended to 24 counties in western North Carolina, with up to 12 in (30 cm) of snow attributed to Sandy anticipated in higher elevations. The National Park Service closed at least five sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway . On October 26, Governor of Virginia Bob McDonnell declared a state of emergency. The U.S. Navy sent more than twenty-seven ships and forces to sea from Naval Station Norfolk for their protection. Governor McDonnell authorized

17604-779: The form of walking, running, horse riding, mountain biking, snowshoeing, or cross-country skiing; or sedentary activity such as observing nature, bird watching, painting, photography, or picnicking. Limiting park or open space use to passive recreation over all or a portion of the park's area eliminates or reduces the burden of managing active recreation facilities and developed infrastructure. Many ski resorts combine active recreation facilities (ski lifts, gondolas, terrain parks, downhill runs, and lodges) with passive recreation facilities (cross-country ski trails). Many smaller neighborhood parks are receiving increased attention and valuation as significant community assets and places of refuge in heavily populated urban areas. Neighborhood groups around

17767-433: The hurricane had suffered relatively little damage compared to the wooden sections, which were almost completely destroyed. The wooden boardwalk between Beach 9th and 60th Streets, a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) stretch, was also relatively undamaged, except for a four-block gap between Beach 35th and 39th Streets. The beach was also depleted, although many Rockaways residents had stated that, for several years before Hurricane Sandy,

17930-525: The large amount of open space and natural habitat in the former pleasure grounds, they now serve as important wildlife refuges, and often provide the only opportunity for urban residents to hike or picnic in a semi-wild area. However, city managers or politicians can target these parks as sources of free land for other uses. Partly for this reason, some of these large parks have "friends of X park" advisory boards that help protect and maintain their semi-wild nature. There are around estimated 27,000 public parks in

18093-565: The mating season of the piping plover , an endangered species that nested on the beach between April and September. In February 2014, a contractor started adding 2,900,000 cubic yards (2,200,000 m) of sand as an anti-erosion measure, enough to raise the beach by 10 to 14 feet (3.0 to 4.3 m). Simultaneously, a controversy arose around the comfort stations; though some of the modules had not been installed yet, several modules were visibly rusting. The first rebuilt section between Beach 86th and 97th Streets opened in May 2015. The entire length of

18256-522: The morning of October 31, and waves of 33 feet (10 m) in Milwaukee and 20 feet (6.1 m) in Sheboygan were predicted for October 30. The actual waves reached about 20 feet (6.1 m) but were less damaging than expected. The village of Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin urged a voluntary evacuation of its lakefront area, though few residents signed up, and little flooding actually occurred. Michigan

18419-567: The need to provide substantial space to congregate, typically involves intensive management, maintenance, and high costs. Passive recreation, also called "low-intensity recreation" is that which emphasizes the open-space aspect of a park and allows for the preservation of natural habitat. It usually involves a low level of development, such as rustic picnic areas, benches, and trails. Passive recreation typically requires little management and can be provided at very low costs. Some open space managers provide nothing other than trails for physical activity in

18582-538: The neighborhood of Rockaway Beach is the Rockaway Beach Skate Park at Beach 91st Street. There is an ice hockey rink at Beach 109th Street. In addition, there is an amphitheater at Beach 94th Street. A gray-and-aquamarine stucco sculpture called "Whaleamena", formerly of the Central Park Children's Zoo , is situated at the Beach 95th Street entrance to the park. A seal sculpture from Central Park

18745-841: The northbound Garden State Parkway and the westbound Atlantic City Expressway starting at 6 a.m. on October 28. President Obama signed an emergency declaration for New Jersey, allowing the state to request federal funding and other assistance for actions taken before Sandy's landfall. On October 28, Mayor of Hoboken Dawn Zimmer ordered residents of basement and street-level residential units to evacuate, due to possible flooding. On October 29, residents of Logan Township were ordered to evacuate. Jersey Central Power & Light told employees to prepare to work extended shifts. Most schools, colleges and universities were closed October 29 while at least 509 out of 580 school districts were closed October 30. Although tropical storm conditions were inevitable and hurricane-force winds were likely,

18908-404: The park was built was purchased by Richard Vaughan Yates, an iron merchant and philanthropist, in 1841 for £50,000. The creation of Princes Park showed great foresight and introduced a number of highly influential ideas. First and foremost was the provision of open space for the benefit of townspeople and local residents within an area that was being rapidly built up. Secondly it took the concept of

19071-526: The park within Far Rockaway contains three sets of recreational facilities. O'Donohue Park , near Beach 9th Street at the eastern end of the Rockaway Beach and Boardwalk, contains a playground, ten handball courts, three basketball courts, and restrooms, as well as the Far Rockaway Skate Park . Near Beach 17th Street is another playground, as well as a baseball field. The next recreational facilities are between Beach 27th and 32nd Streets, which contain

19234-420: The past three years and 95 per cent expect their funding will continue to reduce". Parks can be divided into active and passive recreation areas. Active recreation is that which has an urban character and requires intensive development. It often involves cooperative or team activity, including playgrounds , ball fields, swimming pools, gymnasiums, and skateparks . Active recreation such as team sports, due to

19397-709: The path of Hurricane Sandy was correctly predicted by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) headquartered in Reading, England nearly eight days in advance of its striking the American East Coast . The computer model noted that the storm would turn west towards land and strike the New York/New Jersey region on October 29, rather than turn east and head out to the open Atlantic as most hurricanes in this position do. By October 27, four days after

19560-402: The presence of 115 jetties along the beach. The erosion had caused 115 acres (47 ha) of beach to wash away between 1947 and 1955. The New York State Department of Public Works commenced a multi-year project in 1955 to combat this erosion, including adding forty groins and transferring 1,250,000 cubic yards (960,000 m) of fill onto the beach to create a barrier. By 1959, Moses had extended

19723-452: The principal influences on Olmsted and Calvert's design for New York's Central Park of 1857. Another early public park, the Peel Park, Salford , England, opened on 22 August 1846. Boston Common was purchased for public use grazing cows and as a military parade ground and dump in 1634. It first started to get recreational elements in 1728, arguably making it the first municipal park in

19886-499: The public.) and some EU states that have mostly recreation grounds for kids to play within a park, but may also have a duck pond, large grassy zones not meant exclusively for sports, many trees, and several bushy places. When it occurs as a separate facility on its own, without any parkland, at a street corner or by a shop, the play facility is called a playground . Hurricane Sandy Effects Other wikis Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as Superstorm Sandy )

20049-456: The same with more than a dozen employees and 120 contract employees. Due to the widespread power outages, numerous schools had to close, especially in St. Clair County and areas along Lake Huron north of Metro Detroit. As far as Ohio's western edge, areas were under a wind advisory. All departing flights at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport were canceled until October 30 at 3 p.m. Governor of West Virginia Earl Ray Tomblin declared

20212-411: The sand from blowing back out. New modular comfort stations and lifeguard booths were also installed along the length of the park starting in 2013. City officials also announced that they would construct temporary platforms, or "islands", at Beach 86th, 97th, 106th, and 116th Streets, allowing residents to access the beach for the 2013 season. By September 2013, the city estimated that a reconstruction of

20375-459: The section between Beach 126th and 149th Streets, which does not have frontage on the boardwalk, the beach is accessed by stairs or ADA-accessible ramps at the ends of these streets. Along that section, baffle walls are installed to prevent sand migration. The segment between Beach 9th and 20th Streets has five areas where paths extend south of the boardwalk and cross the beach's dunes to the shoreline. There are several recreational facilities along

20538-603: The state's Emergency Operations Center on October 26 and signed a Declaration of Emergency the next day. On October 28, President Obama approved Connecticut's request for an emergency declaration, and hundreds of National Guard personnel were deployed. On October 29, Governor Malloy ordered road closures for all state highways. Numerous mandatory and partial evacuations were issued in cities across Connecticut. Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick ordered state offices to be closed October 29 and recommended schools and private businesses close. On October 28, President Obama issued

20701-607: The storm, many residents stocked up on supplies and reinforced roofing material. Acting Prime Minister Peter Phillips urged people to take this storm seriously, and also to take care of their neighbors, especially the elderly, children, and disabled. Government officials shut down schools, government buildings, and the airport in Kingston on the day prior to the arrival of Sandy. Meanwhile, numerous and early curfews were put in place to protect residents, properties, and to prevent crime. Shortly after Jamaica issued its first watch on October 22,

20864-416: The structure of the storm became disorganized, and it turned to the north-northwest over the Bahamas. By October 27, Sandy was no longer fully tropical, as evidenced by the development of frontal structures in its outer circulation. Despite strong shear, Sandy maintained its convection due to influence from an approaching trough; the same that turned the hurricane to the northeast. After briefly weakening to

21027-496: The technology in 2012 had allowed. According to NCAR senior climatologist Kevin E. Trenberth , "The answer to the oft-asked question of whether an event is caused by climate change is that it is the wrong question. All weather events are affected by climate change because the environment in which they occur is warmer and moister than it used to be." Although NOAA meteorologist Martin Hoerling attributes Sandy to "little more than

21190-475: The temperature of the atmosphere increases, the capacity to hold water increases, leading to stronger storms and higher rainfall amounts. As they move north, Atlantic hurricanes typically are forced east and out to sea by the Prevailing Westerlies . In Sandy's case, this typical pattern was blocked by a ridge of high pressure over Greenland resulting in a negative North Atlantic Oscillation , forming

21353-420: The third section of the boardwalk, between Beach 56th and 21st Streets, was requested in September 1928, just as work on the second section between Beach 75th and 56th Streets was to commence. The second section was to cost $ 467,000. Queens borough president George U. Harvey formally opened the boardwalk's second section in June 1929. Work on the third section began in late 1929, although the ceremonial first pile

21516-652: The trees in the city were damaged. Total losses throughout Santiago de Cuba province is estimated as high as $ 2 billion. Sandy killed 11 people in the country – nine in Santiago de Cuba Province and two in Guantánamo Province ; most of the victims were trapped in destroyed houses. This makes Sandy the deadliest hurricane to hit Cuba since 2005, when Hurricane Dennis killed 16 people. A NOAA automated station at Settlement Point on Grand Bahama Island reported sustained winds of 49 mph (79 km/h) and

21679-533: The tropical storm watch for Cat Island, Exuma, Long Island, Rum Cay, and San Salvador was upgraded to a tropical storm warning. At 1515 UTC on October 26, the Bermuda Weather Service issued a tropical storm watch for Bermuda, reflecting the enormous size of the storm and the anticipated wide-reaching impacts. Much of the East Coast of the United States, in Mid-Atlantic and New England regions, had

21842-485: The wealthy. In The Politics of Park Design: A History of Urban Parks in America, (Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, 1982), Professor Galen Cranz identifies four phases of park design in the U.S. In the late 19th century, city governments purchased large tracts of land on the outskirts of cities to form "pleasure grounds": semi-open, charmingly landscaped areas whose primary purpose was to allow city residents, especially

22005-399: The winds and flooding rains. More than 100 fishermen were stranded in outlying Pedro Cays off Jamaica's southern coast. Stones falling from a hillside crushed one man to death as he tried to get into his house in a rural village near Kingston. After 6 days another fatality recorded as a 27-year-old man, died due to electrocution, attempting a repair. The country's sole electricity provider,

22168-484: The workers, to relax in nature. As time passed and the urban area grew around the parks, land in these parks was used for other purposes, such as zoos, golf courses and museums. These parks continue to draw visitors from around the region and are considered regional parks , because they require a higher level of management than smaller local parks. According to the Trust for Public Land , the three most visited municipal parks in

22331-524: The world are joining together to support local parks that have suffered from urban decay and government neglect. A linear park is a park that has a much greater length than width. A typical example of a linear park is a section of a former railway that has been converted into a park called a rail trail or greenway (i.e. the tracks removed, vegetation allowed to grow back). Some examples of linear parks in North America include New York's High Line and

22494-433: Was 31 feet (9.4 m) wide and 4,500 feet (1,400 m) long, and cost $ 133,000. It was placed under the jurisdiction of NYC Parks. The residents of Neponsit and Belle Harbor, between Beach 126th and 149th Streets, also sought a boardwalk. However, the city did not own the shoreline in these two neighborhoods, precluding the city from adding a boardwalk in these neighborhoods unless the residents were willing to pay taxes for

22657-532: Was also overlooked by resorts. By the 1910s, the Arverne Boardwalk Committee and the Arverne Hotel Owners' Association were advocating for the construction of a boardwalk from Beach 58th or 59th Street to Beach 109th Street. The Edgemere Taxpayers' Association supported building a boardwalk both westward to Beach 109th Street and eastward to Beach 24th Street. Residents of Rockaway Park wanted

22820-509: Was an extremely large and devastating tropical cyclone which ravaged the Caribbean and the coastal Mid-Atlantic region of the United States in late October 2012. It was the largest Atlantic hurricane on record as measured by diameter, with tropical-storm-force winds spanning 1,150 miles (1,850 km). The storm inflicted nearly US$ 70 billion in damage (equivalent to $ 93 billion in 2023), and killed 254 people in eight countries, from

22983-852: Was closed due to flooding. Delaware roads were closed to the public, except for emergency and essential personnel, and tolls on I-95 and Delaware Route 1 were waived. DART First State transit service was also suspended during the storm. Preparations began on October 26, when officials in Cape May County advised residents on barrier islands to evacuate. There were also voluntary evacuations for Mantoloking , Bay Head , Barnegat Light , Beach Haven , Harvey Cedars , Long Beach , Ship Bottom , and Stafford in Ocean County . Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie ordered all residents of barrier islands from Sandy Hook to Cape May to evacuate and closed Atlantic City casinos. Tolls were suspended on

23146-532: Was completed in 2006. It consists of a wall, inscribed with the victims' names, with windows and a doorway looking toward the nearby Atlantic Ocean and angled toward the Dominican Republic, the origin country of many crash victims. Atop the memorial is a quotation, in both Spanish and English, from Dominican poet Pedro Mir , reading " Después no quiero más que paz ", which translates to "Afterwards I want nothing more than peace." The Rockaway peninsula became

23309-410: Was constructed with a budget of $ 1.373 million. Repairs costing $ 115,000 were made to the boardwalk in the late 1960s or early 1970s. However, by 1971, NYC Parks was considering replacing the wooden planks with plastic or concrete due to the high maintenance cost of the wooden planks, which were deteriorating. The central Rockaways were in decline at the time, and fewer concessions were operating on

23472-525: Was damaged in August 2011 during Hurricane Irene , particularly around Beach 95th Street, where the planks had been "split like an open zipper", according to New York City Council member Eric Ulrich . As a result, NYC Parks conducted a $ 3.8 million rebuilding project for the summer 2012 season. On October 29, 2012, Hurricane Sandy destroyed much of the Rockaway Boardwalk. The most impacted parts of

23635-544: Was estimated at $ 750 million (2012 USD), making it the costliest tropical cyclone in Haitian history. In the month following Sandy, a resurgence of cholera linked to the storm killed at least 44 people and infected more than 5,000 others. In the neighboring Dominican Republic , two people were killed and 30,000 people evacuated. An employee of CNN estimated 70% of the streets in Santo Domingo were flooded. One person

23798-593: Was expected to merge with a storm front a few days before Halloween. As coverage continued, several media outlets began eschewing this term in favor of "superstorm". Utilities and governments along the East Coast attempted to head off long-term power failures Sandy might cause. Power companies from the Southeast to New England alerted independent contractors to be ready to help repair storm damaged equipment quickly and asked employees to cancel vacations and work longer hours. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University , using

23961-492: Was funded by a $ 480 million grant that the Federal Emergency Management Agency distributed to New York City's government in 2015. The start of work on the boardwalk's reconstruction was delayed because of several factors. The 2013 United States federal government shutdown delayed the allocation of funding, and plans also had to be revised to accommodate new flood-proofing features. The corroded foundations also had to be replaced, and construction had to take place outside of

24124-499: Was impacted by a winter storm system coming in from the west, mixing with cold air streams from the Arctic and colliding with Hurricane Sandy. The forecasts slowed shipping traffic on the Great Lakes , as some vessels sought shelter away from the peak winds, except those on Lake Superior. Detroit -based DTE Energy released 100 contract line workers to assist utilities along the eastern U.S. with storm response, and Consumers Energy did

24287-406: Was initially rebuilt in wood to match the undamaged portions on either side; ultimately, the entire boardwalk was to be permanently rebuilt in concrete. Many sections of the boardwalk would be raised to an elevation above 100-year flood levels, requiring the reconstruction of the relatively undamaged sections as well. Skanska was hired as the major contractor for the boardwalk project. Construction

24450-578: Was killed in Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico after being swept away by a swollen river. At least 55,000 people were evacuated before Hurricane Sandy's arrival. While moving ashore, the storm produced waves up to 29 feet (8.8 metres) and a 6-foot (1.8-metre) storm surge that caused extensive coastal flooding. There was widespread damage, particularly to Santiago de Cuba where 132,733 homes were damaged, of which 15,322 were destroyed and 43,426 lost their roof. Electricity and water services were knocked out, and most of

24613-416: Was not built either, because the president of the real estate board covering Rockaway Park, Neponsit, and Belle Harbor did not wish to start construction until the Far Rockaway section was built. The extended boardwalk experienced several major fires after its completion, including during 1931 and 1937. In 1938, the responsibility of maintaining the boardwalk, and the beach between Beach 9th and 149th Streets,

24776-466: Was not driven until January 1930. The third section was built by D. M. W. Construction at a cost of $ 610,000. The contractor reported in April 1930 that it was ahead of schedule, and would likely have the third section open by the end of the following month. Delays in securing the wooden decking for the boardwalk pushed the opening back by several months. There were also delays caused by the need to remove rock in

24939-525: Was of secondary importance. As urban land prices climbed, new urban parks in the 1960s and after have been mainly pocket parks . One example of a pocket park is Chess Park in Glendale, California. The American Society of Landscape Architects gave this park a General Design Award of Honor in 2006. These small parks provide greenery, a place to sit outdoors, and often a playground for children. All four types of park continue to exist in urban areas. Because of

25102-515: Was often damaged by hurricanes and high tides. Each property owner on the boardwalk was to be charged $ 1 for each bedroom in their property, although several owners and tenants initially refused to pay the tax. A separate boardwalk was built in the communities of Hollands and Seaside in 1893. That boardwalk had been built after the resorts in these communities were wrecked in an 1892 fire. The boardwalk contained several theaters, hotels, and roller coasters. Yet another boardwalk, located at Rockaway Park,

25265-426: Was opened to the public first, while the section west of that street opened in July 1928, except for a small gap at Beach 109th Street. With the opening of this boardwalk section, real estate demand along the shore increased in 1928, while existing resort owners started planning amusement attractions. More than $ 1.5 million was invested in constructing hotels, apartment buildings, and bathing pavilions. Funding for

25428-537: Was rented out to the Batthyány family to carry out such a project but the city had eventually taken back control and in 1813 announced a design competition to finally finish the park; works started in 1816. An early purpose-built public park, although financed privately, was Princes Park in the Liverpool suburb of Toxteth . This was laid out to the designs of Joseph Paxton from 1842 and opened in 1843. The land on which

25591-475: Was reopened the next month. The Rockaway Beach Skate Park along the boardwalk, which was severely damaged in Hurricane Sandy, reopened in August 2020 after several years of delays surrounding the skate park's reconstruction. In May 2022, city officials announced that portions of Rockaway Beach would be closed that summer so the USACE could reconstruct those sections, which had been affected by erosion. That July,

25754-502: Was reported that "the whole south of the country is underwater". Most of the tents and buildings in the city's sprawling refugee camps and the Cité Soleil neighborhood were flooded or leaking, a repeat of what happened earlier in the year during the passage of Hurricane Isaac . Crops were also wiped out by the storm and the country would be making an appeal for emergency aid. Damage in Haiti

25917-480: Was responsible for approximately 3.5 inches (8.9 cm) of sea level rise in New York, which permitted additional storm surge that caused approximately $ 8.1 Billion out of the $ 60 billion in reported economic damage and to an extension of the flood zone to impact approximately 71,000 more people than would have been the case without it. Harvard geologist Daniel P. Schrag calls Hurricane Sandy's 13-foot (4.0 m) storm surge an example of what will, by mid-century, be

26080-458: Was slated to be completed within three years, in anticipation of an increase in Rockaway-bound traffic created by the completion of Cross Bay Boulevard . The expanded beach would be city property once the project was completed. Actual work on the boardwalk would occur after the shore-improvement projects were finished. However, work was delayed for a year because of a lack of money. By June 1926,

26243-482: Was to be expected. Freezing rain warnings were issued for parts of Northern Ontario . A total of 254 people were killed across the United States, the Caribbean, and Canada, as a result of the storm. Jamaica was the first country directly affected by Sandy, which was also the first hurricane to make landfall on the island since Hurricane Gilbert , which struck the island in 1988 . Trees and power lines were snapped and shanty houses were heavily damaged, both from

26406-473: Was to extend almost 9 miles (14 km) from Beach 9th to Beach 169th Streets, connecting with the boardwalk in Jacob Riis Park. The boardwalk was intended to be 80 feet (24 m) wide and an average of 14 feet (4.3 m) above the beach. More than 12,000 yellow-pine deep foundations were to be used for the boardwalk, and more than 1,100,000 feet (340,000 m) of yellow pine planks were to be used for

26569-536: Was transferred to the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks). This jurisdiction extended to the beach at Jacob Riis Park , which was operated by NYC Parks until 1974. Parks commissioner Robert Moses had previously criticized the condition of the Coney Island, Rockaway, and South Beach boardwalks, saying, "These beaches and boardwalks were never properly planned, and cannot under present conditions be properly maintained and operated." To improve

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