Rockaway residents to form human chain along the beach

IRVING DEJOHN/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

About 2,000 people are expected to participate in Rockaway Rising, where they will form a human chain along the beach of the peninsula. The group will attempt to earn a Guinness World Record to commemorate the one year anniversary of Hurricane Sandy.

BY CLARE TRAPASSO / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2013

Hundreds of Hurricane Sandy victims are trying to turn tragedy into a Guinness World Record.

About 2,000 Rockaway residents are expected to join hands along the peninsula’s beach on Sunday to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the storm.

They are hoping the show of solidarity will also earn them a place in the records book.

“I just had to do something to bring the community together,” said Lily Corcoran, 56, of Belle Harbor, who organized Rockaway Rising. “We felt like we lost each other.”

She’s doubtful her group will break the current record for the longest human chain. About 5 million people in Bangladesh earned that title 2004.

But she hopes to create a new one.

“No one has ever held hands and said prayers of different denominations on a shoreline,” Corcoran said.

Guinness receives about 1,000 claims a week from individuals and groups trying to break records or set new ones, said spokeswoman Jamie Papas.

“It’s fairly common for new record categories to be established,” she said. “People want to make their mark on history and be the very best at something.”

Aspiring record holders can purchase Rockaway t-shirts, sweatshirts and biodegradable lanterns. The lanterns will be released into the ocean in memory of those killed in the storm.

Proceeds from the sales will go to needy families.

“We want to draw attention to what happened to Rockaway and how we bounced back,” said John Larkin, 48, of Rockaway Park, who plans to link hands with his neighbors.

“There’s still a lot of people out here that don’t have any homes and yet we continue to make progress and rebuild,” he said.

Festivities like this are also a chance to turn the devastation of the storm into something positive, said Assemblyman Phillip Goldfeder (D-Rockaway Beach.)

“Rockaway Rising is another great opportunity for our families to come together in a strong sign of unity,” he said.

Corcoran said this will be a healing event for storm-scarred residents.

"I haven't been able to put my feet near the ocean since it happened, because I'm terrified," she said. "This is a helping mechanism to overcome that fear of that water."