Passaic Couple's Photos of Sandy Aftermath Nominated for CNN Award

A Little Falls couple have been nominated for a CNN iReport award for their work photographing the devastation superstorm Sandy caused at the Jersey Shore.

Clifford and Susan Rumpf, who began venturing to the Shore two weeks following Sandy's landfall, have been nominated in the category of Compelling Imagery after documenting the damage from Union Beach to Atlantic City.

“We thought it would be important to document what was going on,” Susan Rumpf said. “We had no idea the competition existed.”

A CNN panel selected 36 citizen journalists out of almost 11,000 iReports published in 2012. There are six categories including breaking news, original reporting, compelling imagery, commentary, personal story and in-depth storytelling.

The couple owns a design company and decided to use their photography skills to document the aftermath of the superstorm, she said.

Clifford Rumpf, who grew up in Pompton Lakes, is all too familiar with floodwaters. Although his home didn’t take on water, friends and neighbors did over the years.

“He knows the struggles a lot of people have gone through,” she said.

Photographing the damage after Sandy was “hard” and “sad,” Susan Rumpf said. They also interviewed survivors and witnessed families removing soiled items from their homes.

“It was one of those things that seemed surreal,” she said. “You can’t even imagine the devastation these people must feel.”

The Rumpf’s used social media primarily to share their photos to start. They were looking for a better way to raise awareness and came across CNN iReport, a compilation of news items submitted by citizen journalists. 

“We want to raise public awareness and hope the coverage will help the victims,” he said.

But people are now growing tired of devastation pictures, he said. He recently tried to capture shots of rebuilding from Seaside to Sandy Hook but there are few and far between.

“Mantoloking looks like it was hit yesterday,” he said. “It’s just been some story.

“It sometimes doesn’t even feel real. Maybe in some time it’ll sink in but it hasn’t,” Clifford Rumpf said of his experience since Sandy, adding that it’s “great” to get the word out. He hopes his past and continued documentation will ensure New Jersey is not forgotten and encourages people to support the shore.

The public has until Monday, May 6 to vote. Voters can choose from any of the 36 nominees in six categories once every 24 hours. The iReport with the most votes will receive the Community Choice Award.

Vote by clicking here.

More iReports by Clifford and Susan Rumpf can be found at the following links:

• Aftermath of Hurricane Sandy
• We the Forgotten People
• A Police Ride-Along Through the Aftermath of Hurricane Sandy
• Christmas in Mantoloking, NJ
• Jersey Shore Spirit
• Sandy You'll Not Stop Our Summer!
• Aftermath of Hurricane Sandy
• Sandy Hits Sandy Hook, New Jersey