Lets start with Sandy, the natural disaster that has recently swept through the Northeast US, only after devastating Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean. Luckily my family and I came out on the other end of Sandy completely unscathed. On the Upper East Side of New York my electric never went out, and I saw very little damage even on the streets. In Pittsgrove, NJ, where my family has lived for over 25 years, an area which sustained severe flooding during last years hurricane Irene, saw very little damage. And finally, probably the most amazing blessing of all is that our summer home in Ocean City, NJ, a short distance from Atlantic City, was untouched by flood waters, regardless of being a short 3 blocks from the ocean. But like I said, I consider myself extraordinarily lucky.
I should mention that most of Ocean City, along with many other seaside towns up the coast did incur devastating floods and wind damage, and are in the process of cleaning up and rebuilding. In New York, Mid-town and Lower Manhattan remained powerless and dark for nearly a week. The subway systems, especially in lower Manhattan flooded to street level. Staten Island and Long Island were devastated by the tidal flux caused by the storm. It is an incredibly sad time for many people in the region as they return to their homes to pick up the scattered pieces, and grieve over loved ones lost. But during times like this it warms the heart to see people coming together to support one another any way we can. This is the resilient spirit that makes me proud to be an American.
Here are some pics I have from the storm, of course they do not do the damage justice:
Flooding on the East River running path and the FDR highway before the storm even hit