RED HOOK — Red Hook commemorated the third anniversary of Hurricane Sandy with its annual "Barnacle Parade" that drew dozens of residents and friends of the neighborhood to celebrate the occasion Thursday afternoon.
When Sandy struck Red Hook in 2012, it extensively flooded homes and businesses, and left most of the neighborhood without heat or electricity for days. The Barnacle Parade is a way to celebrate the community, its strength and recovery efforts after the storm, organizers say.
Thursday's parade, which began at Pioneer and Van Brunt streets, featured live music and floats surrounded by adults, children and dogs dressed in their finest seafaring and sea creature costumes.
The biggest float, built by locals, represented a condo development. It held a makeshift wooden crane and was surrounded by green construction fence with "Post No Barnacles" painted on and permits from the "Department of Barnacles."
When the float stopped, new levels of the "condo building" would rise and paradegoers would heckle it.
"The neighborhood is exploding [with new developments] since the storm," said Karin Weiner, one of the parade's organizers and a local bar owner.
Weiner said they wanted to remind developers of the destructive nature of the sea.
DNAinfo spoke to paradegoers and asked them to describe their most signficant memory from Hurricane Sandy:
Kelly O'Neill and her pug, dressed as sharks:
"I guess it was just, the night of [Sandy], being in my house and the lights went out and [I] crouched in the corner being like, "What is happening?!" And then the next night, coming to [Red Hook Bait & Tackle] and being with all my friends. And we all just kind of danced because we didn't know what else to do."
Liz Galvin, dressed as a sea creature/barnacle:
"Destruction and community," she said. "[Sandy] really brought everyone together. It just showed how close everyone really is."
Alec Knox, who works in Red Hook:
"[I remember] waiting till the flood waters had receded probably at about two in the morning, walking down the end of Atlantic Avenue. Looking at the blacked-out city was mildly terrifying."
Heather Blind, dressed as a jellyfish:
"I think I just remember how well we all came together. We worked together so well. It's such a tight-knit community. Nobody was left ignored."