Post-Sandy Update: Cleaning Coney

After more than 4,000 volunteers spread out throughout the five boroughs on November 3 and 4 to help clean up the post-hurricane wreckage, the New York City Parks Department hosted another city-wide cleanup—this time starting with the Coney Island beaches, on Saturday, November 10.

The volunteers congregated at the foot of Brighton Second Street at 10 a.m. and armed themselves with an arsenal of garbage bags, shovels, rakes, gloves, and more. The cleanup spanned all along the Boardwalk and was concentrated on the beaches, whose wreckage was “hazardous,” according to volunteer Mauricio Sanchez. “Most of this debris goes into the water and can hurt people. We need to expedite this process.”

By 11:30 a.m., the cleanup had garnered over 300 volunteers. “We’re working with [these] volunteers to restore Coney Island back to its glory days,” remarked Morgan Monaco, a member of the New York City Parks Department. “We have volunteers cleaning up sand and debris that have amassed on the Boardwalk.”

The cleanup ended at 1 p.m. and was tremendously productive. “It’s great to see New Yorkers come out and help after the storm,” added Monaco. While the beach and boardwalk were not entirely free of the broken wood, glass and debris that had littered it, the cleanup was a significant push toward the borough’s restoration.

This was only one of the cleanups planned to help clean each of the five boroughs during the weekend, however. Other Parks Department cleanups included Crotona Park in the Bronx, Tryon Park in Manhattan, Astoria Park in Queens, and Kaltenmeier Playground in Staten Island.

For more information about future cleanups, visit www.nyc.gov/parks.