From The New York Shitty Photo Pool, Part IV: Help Orlando

Charles Le Brigand (AKA: Stephane Missier, whose coverage of the devastation in the Rockaways in the wake of Sandy has been nothing short of phenomenal) writes:

I was taking pictures in The Rockaways last Saturday when I met Orlando. Orlando Fernandez lost everything in the fire that took place after Hurricane Sandy tore through The Rockaways. The blaze destroyed an entire block on Rockaway Beach Blvd and burned down the apartment where Orlando was living with his wife and his two young daughters. He was renting a two bedroom apartment above a laundromat for the past 9 years. Rockaway “era un lugar hermoso, a beautiful place to live” before “Sandy came and destroyed everything” he said.

Orlando was standing stoic amongst the ruins of his vanished shelter pointing at his burnt belongings. “I am tired of crying, I don’t have tears anymore”, he said before picking-up his daughter’s coloring books.

“The city should have shut down the power” to avoid the flames; “firefighters did not arrived on time to save the building because of the flooding” he said. Sandy took away “my whole life, my wedding’s pictures, everything”.

Orlando and his family are safe and sound and dry and are living with a friend in Jackson Heights temporarily. But to this date, Orlando has no news from the owner of his house nor news from the insurance company.

Orlando NEEDS our help!
If you want to donate money, please visit the fundrazr page
If you want to donate blankets, clothes, food, water, milk for his daughters please contact me at charleslebrigand@gmail.com

You can also help by sharing or tweeting his story.

Thank you.