Nobody is coming to help, it’s up to us.

That was the mindset of New York’s county leaders, who within a couple of hours of a declared state of emergency, became the onsite incident commanders charged with protecting the lives and the health of families, friends, neighbors, and residents through the deadliest public health crisis in a century.

The COVID-19 pandemic took the life of over 50,000 New Yorkers in a year. These were their darkest hours, and here are their stories of leadership in the face of the chaotic and disjointed response from the state and federal government.

Our Darkest Hours provides a glimpse into the fear, struggle, triumph, and pain as leaders worked to protect people’s lives and livelihoods.