We always
thought that if we were to get caught up in the aftermath of a hurricane it would be in Florida, but this time it was New Jersey.
Late October 2012, we decided to fly down to Florida
for a 3-day weekend. As we sat in Newark
Airport the televisions
were warning of the Halloween Monster Storm. Off we went, landing in PBI late
that night. As we landed Hurricane Sandy
was moving north towards the FL coast but far out to sea.
Friday was an exciting day on the beach – wind whipping, ocean riled, sand blasting our
skin – so fun.
Saturday was sunny and perfect, but the beach was ugly! Everyone was out on the beach surveying the damage; the storm surge being the greatest cause of damage, which was extensive. Up and
down the beach it was a mess. Debris, both natural and man-made, was
everywhere. Beach access stairways and ramps dangled in mid-air. Waves smashed
up against dunes, leaving no place to walk in some places. Inland, there was no
damage.
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This is the pump house at the PB Inlet. We have never seen the ocean come in
over the break wall on this side. It flooded nearby swimming pools with sand. |
Our flight
back to NJ was to leave early Monday a.m. so we could both be back at work by
mid-morning. Even though Sandy
was not getting to NJ till late that Monday evening, our flight was cancelled. Our
offices had already sent out emails closing the office on Tuesday. That night
and next day, Sandy
pummeled NJ, as we all know from the devastating videos and photos. So much of
Jersey was without power. Trees down everywhere.
And so much of the shore gone.
Bryan was home taking care of our home.
Fortunately, we had no direct damage from downed trees. Bryan
sent photos of our road where he could hardly get his car through. He managed to
stay warm by the fireplace, charge his phone in the car, and BBQ his meals outside.
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| Broken telephone pole |
 |
| Wires down at the bottom of our road |
We continued to work remotely from Florida
as our colleagues and neighbors in NJ were without water and power. By Friday, our
Saturday flights seemed to be a ‘go’ but we still did not have power at home. I
decided to stay another week so I could work, and Don went home to check on Bryan and the house.
Fortunately our power was back as of late Friday. Everything was fine and … except for the
panic over finding gas!
We were lucky during
Hurricane Sandy, unlike so many – too many still struggling. Slowly but surely,
downed trees have been cut up and removed, transformers that sat on the side of
our roads for weeks have been picked up, roofs have been repaired, and wires have been
raised off the road.
