ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the story of Rockaway, a peninsula in Queens, situated along the coastlines of outer NYC. I show Rockaway’s historical problems of economic, social, and political marginalization and detail how these ongoing issues intertwined with a storm that shattered parts of the area completely. In particular, Hurricane Sandy damaged already stressed structures and services, such as water and energy provision, transportation, education, health services, or food provision. I infuse the chapter with ethnographic accounts of the social divides of the peninsula, illustrating how mistrust and suspicion toward other communities and outsiders mark many social encounters. However, the storm brought about a positive break in these patterns of mistrust by creating a sense of community in face of adversity.
