Hurricane Sandy drove an immigrant Brooklyn family out of their home when it was inundated by rising waters from the nearby Gowanus Canal. The canal is among the most polluted sites in the United States.
Maria Gonzalez has lived with her family on this Brooklyn block since they immigrated from Mexico when she was four years old. They live in a basement apartment with only two doors -- for light and ventilation
When the hurricane hit, more than a meter of water flooded their home. And it came from the polluted Gowanus Canal.
Maria, her father Rodrigo and her mother Carmen spent the first day after the storm pumping out the water. Now they are trying to clean their apartment so they can live there again.
Jerry Gonzalez is Maria's 10-year-old brother. "The water was up to half the door, and we had to get buckets and take out all the water 'till we opened the door and we saw the refrigerator floating on the water," he said.
The kitchen sink broke, so they only have the bathroom. The landlord says they will have to fix it.
Carmen is out of work for now because her workplace is also flooded. Maria knows there is no way the family will be able to pay for her high school's senior trip and formal dance.
"I mean, like we have to replace everything before we can even pay that. And then you have college applications and you have to pay for all of that, and then you have to start saving up for college," Maria said. "But I'm like that's the least of our worries right now. We just have to get our house back together and try to do the best we can."
The family hopes to stay in their home at least for a while. Carmen says it will be difficult to find another place they can afford. But she says, they cannot afford their current rent either.