Hurricane Sandy

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Here we are, 10 days after the arrival of Hurricane Sandy.  We were warned for a week or more to prepare for the "storm of the century".  They told us to get flashlights, store water, get firewood, and tie down anything in the yard.  What the experts did not tell us was that there is no feasible way to prepare for what we have faced. 

To the casual observer, ten days without power is inconvenient, but not so bad.  After all, prior to the 1880's EVERYONE lived without electricity.  One should be able to get by with a fireplace, gas grill, lanterns, bottled water, food from a can, etc, right?  Well, experts, this is not 1879 when many homes had a fireplace in each bedroom, had a wood stove for heat and cooking, had a large kitchen fireplace with cast iron cooking pots, a well to get fresh water, and kerosene lanterns to light the home.

The reality in 2012 is this, as much as we followed the experts' advice, all of my stored water doesn't help the 19 year old girl, 17 year old girl, 14 year old boy and and 11 year old boy from Long Valley who lost their mom and dad the hurricane.  Their parents were driving a pickup truck home with the two boys sleeping in the back seat when a wind gust brought a 100' tree down on the cab, killing both the mother and father.  The 19 year old daughter is putting her college dreams on hold to care for her younger siblings.

To help this family, please check the link here:

http://www.wishuponahero.com/wishes/?id=1316547&fb_action_ids=4587602444642&fb_action_types=og.recommends&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%7B%224587602444642%22%3A406332256107290%7D&action_type_map=%7B%224587602444642%22%3A%22og.recommends%22%7D&action_ref_map

Perhaps our town doesn't look like Seaside Heights or Brick or Staten Island with the complete devastation found there, but it is NOT just a few trees down in yards here either.  All the carefully stacked firewood and rows of non-perishables did not help those who were forced to leave their homes in search of heat, laundry facilities and warm food.

Do you think this is only affecting wealthy families with vacation homes wiped off the face of the Jersey Shore?  I can assure you that there are many regular joes who left home for the mother-in-law's because they needed to sleep and shower and get back to work!  No one wants to leave their home in the aftermath of a super storm...they do it because they have young children and the night time temperatures are in the 20's!  They do it because gas to run generators is causing 2 hr waits and fights at the gas stations.  They do it because lack of ability to communicate (due to no Internet, no phones, no electric) in this rural area makes people feel isolated and alone.  They do it because if they don't work they don't get paid.  They do it because they are out of clean clothes to wear and clean dishes to use.

They are the lucky ones...some have no where to go and have to stick it out here.  Those who have generators aren't exactly living large either...some are only running refrigerators.  Many generators can only take the chill off the house, not heat it to a comfortable temperature.  Then there is the aforementioned trouble getting gas.  I shudder to think of conditions for those without generators!

If you are a Long Valley resident affected by the storm, my sympathies are with you.  The response by the power company is unacceptable, especially in light of last year's debacle with Irene.  We have demanded better and been promised better. 

If you are from another part of the country, please realize that the media coverage is missing many areas affected by the storm.  We may not have had flooding like the lower lying shore regions, however there are many still living with the consequences of this act of nature.