
On October 22, 2012, the hurricane that would become known as “Sandy” was first formed. Hurricanes are one of the most destructive natural disasters. They consist of heavy rain, strong winds, thunder and lightning, and possibly even tornadoes. Hurricane Sandy would continue to rage on for 11 days, reaching a category 3 at its peak. The impact that Sandy left was surely felt, as it was the second most costly storm in U.S. history, costing around $71.4 billion. The hurricane hit the east cost of the United States, the Bahamas, Bermuda, and parts of Canada. The visual elements from the photo-story “Sandy” by Declan Sirak depict the effects of Hurricane Sandy by showing a deeper meaning of the impact of the superstorm on individuals and countries.

When a hurricane becomes big enough, it is given a name. When hurricane season starts, the first one is given a name that starts with the letter A, and then each consecutive one is named in the order of the alphabet. Not only does the first letter of the name change with each hurricane, so does the gender of the name. If a storm becomes serious enough, the name will be retired, and never used again. The title page of the photo-story is not only used because “Sandy” is the name of the storm, but also because it shows how naming a storm personifies the storm and makes it more human like. The only element on the title page is the word “Sandy” which singles out the storm as being important and that hurricanes should not be compared to each other since all of them have their own impact.  The only two colors on the title page are black and white, where the word “Sandy” is in black and the background is white. By making the word “Sandy” black, it symbolizes the despair that Sandy caused, and how it obstructed the light and purity that the white background symbolizes. 

The second picture depicts the hurricane, in a zoomed out earth view. Not only does this show how massive the size of the storm was, but also can show how serious the impact of the storm was. By choosing a medium shot view that shows part of the earth from space, it showed how much of the world was affected by Sandy, and other hurricanes as well. Hurricanes affects many different countries at a time, and during the time of a hurricane, place will come together and help those in need. By showing only the part of the Earth with the storm occurring, it shows how although not all countries and places are actually shown, they are still there to help support. Just because the other places can’t be seen being impacted, they are still there, just like the other part of earth in the picture, helping as much as they can.

The fourth picture shows the effect of Sandy on the boardwalk in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. The boardwalk was destroyed, and the rollercoaster that used to be located on the boardwalk was thrown into the ocean. The irony of this picture is that it shows boardwalk rides, which represent fun and happiness; however, the rollercoaster, which is the main ride, is destroyed from the hurricane. This displacement is truly shown with the aerial view, and it shows how the coaster is completely separated from everything else. This is what happens to people when they are hit badly by hurricanes; they feel like they have been stranded from everything and everyone and have nothing left.

The fifth picture shows the destruction that Sandy left on Long Beach Island, New Jersey. Although the sky is clear and the storm has passed, the destruction still remains. However, even with the destruction things will get better over time, and the skies will open up. In the picture there is a huge pile of trash and destroyed things leftover from the storm. The pile mostly contains large items, like a boat, and this shows how places will get cleaned up and things will get repaired, all it takes is time. Once the bigger problems are removed, then the smaller problems can start being solved. In the corner of the picture, there is a rearview mirror of a car. The reason this is included in the picture was to symbolize looking back at the storm since it had finally passed. Even though it the storm had already passed, it wasn’t the time to reminisce and feel sorry about what happened. The most important thing was to get things cleaned up and repaired or rebuilt. It was more important to look through the window at the present and keep the past in the back of the mind. Many of the colors in this picture are blues and cool colors. The significance of the color blue is that it represents sadness, which was a common feeling that was expressed when destruction was assessed and discovered.

The sixth picture shows a road on Long Beach Island after the hurricane. The point of view of the picture is through the eye of a driver. This point of view shows the road extending a long way, making it look like it never ends, and this road symbolizes the recovery process. This was used to show how the devastation that comes from the destruction of a hurricane can feel like it will never end but it eventually will, but it will take a while. Along with the road going on into the horizon, the road is also covered in sand and debris. This represents how it won’t be an easy journey either, and that it will be a rough time. The significance of the photo being taken in a car is that cars are one of the fastest ways to get to a destination. The faster the recovery process is, the faster the final destination will be reached, and the faster everything will be back to normal. The sky gets lighter and the sun can be shining through the trees. This shows how the process of recovery was nearing an end and the future was looking brighter

The first and last pictures both depict the same beach on Long Beach Island. Although they both depict the same beach, there are several details that differ between the two. One of the differences is that there aren’t many footprints in the picture of the beach before the storm, and even the footprints that are there are light. The footprints in the last picture are much more frequent, and much deeper. These footprints can represent the physical impact that was put on the beach during the storm and how the beach is now a lot more distressed and worn. The sizes of the beach are both different as well. The last picture of the beach is much shorter than the beach in the first picture. This is because the beach was shortened during the storm due to all of the sand that was displaced and thrown around. The length of the beach after the storm can also symbolize how even though it was through a lot, and may have been beaten and battered, it is still there. The point of view is also different between the two pictures. The first picture is more of a profile view of the beach, where as the last picture of the beach shows the water face on. This could be to represent the water as a threat, and to suggest that a hurricane can happen at any time during the right season, and to always be prepared to encounter one again. The second picture of the beach also is scattered with many empty shells. These shells represent the people that had to leave and evacuate for the storm, and the ones who lost their homes during the storm. The only thing that is left is the shell of what used to be there, just like how the organisms who lived in the shells lost their shells. 

The visual elements from the photo-story “Sandy” depict the effects of Hurricane Sandy by showing deeper meaning. The different elements that are present in each picture help to show the force of the storm, and the impact that it had. Hurricanes will remain around a long time after they have dissipated, certain places can still feel the impact of storms such as Sandy.  
