Did Hurricane Sandy Have a Silver Lining?

Boat washed up onto the train tracks, photo courtesy of the BBC

I’m originally a Jersey Girl and although I moved away years ago, I have many friends and family still living on the East Coast of the US, especially New York and New Jersey. I also have many fond childhood memories of times spent at the Jersey shore, like most people from that area do.

So when Hurricane Sandy hit I was concerned for all those there and glued to my computer to catch all the latest news, photos and videos. Fortunately  I don’t personally know anyone who was hurt badly or who had very bad damage done to their home. Power off, yes. Trees down, and other damage done, yes. Traumatized from the fear and concerned about neighbors that weren't as fortunate as them, yes. That is difficult enough and costly and in many cases it took be a while before the power was back on, services like internet restored and the repairs will also take some time.

My heart goes out to all those who have lost loved ones to the storm and to those who have had considerable material loss. It’s not just a matter of the cost and time to rebuild, but many lost irreplaceable items that they will never be able to get back again. Some  old and much-loved landmarks from the Jersey Shore were destroyed which is heart breaking for  many people also.

Personally speaking, I feel very fortunate that my 91-year-old mom, who lives on the Jersey Shore was perfectly fine. The power didn’t even go off, although it flickered a few times. She told me that she didn’t see even one tree branch on the ground outside her house, even though there are many trees there. Other parts of her town was badly flooded so it was a relief to hear how well she fared. Another friend said the flood waters stopped 1/2 block away from her house which is very near the ocean at the Jersey Shore, in an area that was badly hit. She lost power and had some trees down, but that was the extent of it. My sister also lost power and had a couple of trees down. But she is thankful they missed the house, as she could have easily been killed. Her neighbor had a tree down on their house and she didn’t know yet if that person survived.

It was indeed a very traumatizing situation and will be for some time for those who were in the thick of it.

I have heard a saying: “When things go wrong will you be bitter or better?” Rather than get angry and bitter and moan about the terrible loss of material items,  those of us that are alive and have family still alive can be grateful for that.

Look for the Good

Duracell Distributing Free Batteries

I  believe that no matter how bad the situation there is always something good to be gleaned from it if we look for it. Without minimizing the horrible effects of Sandy, there are a few good aspects we can think about.

I can’t help but think about other parts of the world where disasters such as this are much more common than on the US East Coast and result with a much higher loss of  life, due to low safety precautions, sub-standard infrastructure, non-existent or few first responders and in general a low standard of education of what to do in a disaster. Other parts of the world have regular floods, horrible hurricanes or storms with loss of life and home. I have met and talked with many people who come from these places and have listened first hand to their accounts of repeated loss. Other countries suffer long-term wars and have gone through traumatic situations and sufferings. Listening to these accounts first hand, from those who have gone through it themselves really brings it home.

Some people live without electricity on a long-term basis. Or maybe they have power only part of the day. They regularly must depend on a personal generator or else do without. I have even visited schools where there was no electricity. If it was a very stormy day, and dark outside, the children were let out early, since they couldn’t do any work anyway.

Going through some of these heart wrenching experiences ourselves should give us a priceless understanding and empathy towards those that also suffer similar situations. We can truly understand what they go through because we have been there ourselves! Having compassion and empathy for others help us to be a more understanding and loving person all around and helps make the world a better place!

Sign in Front of Dr. Office for Free Medical Care for Victims of Hurricane Sandy

Back in the States in the aftermath of Sandy, one of the worst storms the East Coast has ever seen, political rivals  put aside their differences and  worked together shoulder to shoulder to rebuild communities, towns, states.

There were on a daily basis, acts of kindness that strangers were showing to  Hurricane Sandy victims, which are heart warming. Here are a few examples of  reports I have gleaned from the internet:

•     One man cycled to Uptown New York  to collect food for a neighbourhood barbecue in the darkened East Village where he lived.

•     Bars were  operating by candlelight and  they go Uptown for ice to keep the beer cold.

•     Free massages were offered to help ease some of the stress.

•     Two young boys in Texas raised $1000 in one day at their lemon-aid stand to donate to victims of Sandy.

•     The National Guard in Staten Island were giving out free gas.

•     A church was offering free showers.

•     Police were distributing free food and toiletries.

•      ”A random civilian just came to my building and dropped off donuts for my partner and me. He said, ‘Thank you for all you do.’  It’s little things like that, that make me love what I do. Everyone thank your local EMT, paramedics, firefighters and police officers today and show us you appreciate us! A simple thank you goes a long way..”  from Facebook.

•     A high level local Political leader in New Jersey was publicly giving out  his personal cell phone number so anyone can phone him. He was staying in a shelter with his family,  along with all the local people because his home was also damaged and unlivable.

•     A  man named Sam from Indiana loaded his truck with a huge grill  and drove to NJ with the hope of finding someone with a large yard and a few helpers. He found both a block down the street from me. With donations from Costco and Stop & Shop, they had a grill turning out food for all of us who lost our food and power! What a marvelous guy. Warms the heart and feeds the soul!-from Facebook

One of the best things we can do, after such a disaster, is to reach out to those around us, do our part to help in whatever way we can, and have faith that things will, eventually, get better again.

Victims of Hurricane Sandy Left Without Electricity Charge Phones and Laptops Thanks to a Neighbor’s Generosity