Superstorm Sandy Subject Of Monmouth County Documentary

FREEHOLD, NJ — Preserving the records of Monmouth County history is important to County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon, especially because her office oversees the Archives Division.

She says she considers it so important, her office commissioned a documentary, “The Jersey Storm: Sandy in Monmouth County,” that is having its premiere Friday at Monmouth University in West Long Branch.

At this 10th anniversary of the devastating Oct. 29, 2012 storm, the film is another way to document the historical and personal impact of the storm for future generations.

It's a way to preserve part of the Sandy history, "before the memories fade," Hanlon said.

The film is directed by Adam Worth, a New York Emmy Award winner, and is produced by the Monmouth County Clerk's Office.

Worth is a Monmouth County native and filmmaker/director/producer with a Tinton Falls company, Cine Selector. Ten years ago he traversed the Shore in the immediate aftermath of the storm in this area, shooting footage that led to an earlier work of video journalism.

Worth has worked with the county before, directing a film for the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks.

Hanlon said her clerk's office is unique in the state in that it oversees the Archives - records collected and stored in a variety of formats by the county in the Monmouth County Library Headquarters in Manalapan.

In fact, she recently put out the call to municipalities to collect records on the COVID pandemic for the Archives to preserve another significant event in the county.

The medium of film is particularly helpful, she said because it is a way to preserve oral histories from Monmouth County residents about global events, such as 9/11.

"These are people facing the stresses of the time," she said.

Hanlon is concerned that online records of major events, as useful as they are, can be difficult to access as time goes on. So a record of the voices of people is important, as are physical documents of a major event.

She recalled how the county played a major role in the Sandy aftermath, not only with emergency aid, but with making sure the general election that came on the heels of Sandy could take place properly, another responsibility her office oversees.

The Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute and Department of History and Anthropology will present the premier of the documentary film on Oct. 28 at 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Monmouth University Pollak Theatre, the university said.

It features never-before-seen footage taken in the aftermath of Sandy and interviews with Monmouth County officials, first responders, and others who lived through it, the county said.

Monmouth Specialist Professor of Public History Melissa Ziobro provided guidance on the project and Urban Coast Institute Associate Director Thomas Herrington appears in interviews.

Admission is free and the event is open to the public.

The screening is one of four free events being offered by Monmouth University to examine the disaster from a wide range of historic, economic and environmental perspectives. The others are:

• The hybrid in-person/livestream panel event “To Build or Not to Build: That is the Question – Lessons We Haven’t Learned 10 Years After Superstorm Sandy,” on Oct. 27 at 1:30 p.m.
• The “Documenting and Interpreting Superstorm Sandy” virtual panel on Oct. 28 at noon.
• The student poster exhibition, “Tracking Sandy: Monmouth County Remembers,” to be held at the Guggenheim Memorial Library on Oct. 28 at 3 p.m.

For questions or more information about these events, email uci@monmouth.edu.