“What was moving is that it was a first-person interpretation. The people who actually experienced Hurricane Sandy were the ones talking about it. Usually when you see a performance it’s someone interpreting someone else’s experience, but this was first-hand experience. And it was very heartfelt. There were points where it really moved you to tears.”
RAKONTO:
Life After The Storm
A chronicle of experiences from survivors of Hurricane Sandy.
In October 2012, Hurricane Sandy devastated the coasts of New Jersey and Long Island – and flooded the southern part Manhattan. Daniel interviewed several Long Island residents who lived through the storm. They shared their experiences of before, during and after the storm that flooded their communities. RAKONTO: Life After The Storm, ultimately, is a celebration of the human spirit – and details how neighbors supported one another through the aftermath of flooding.
Their bravery and fortitude are heard first-hand in stories such as:
- A firefighter talking about spending all that night rescuing people in their flooded houses
- Young teens describing being on the second floor of their houses, in the dark, while the wind and rain battered their house and flood waters rose 6 feet into their first floor
- How neighbors brought food and clothing to other neighbors who had lost everything they owned.
Commissioned by Long Island Children’s Museum, 2014
“I loved it! It brought community into the discussion, family into the discussion. It was a shared experience by the citizens of this area. The fact that people could actually talk about and share their experience with Hurricane Sandy, a year after the fact, then hear it brought to life through music and their own words was very exciting”