Surviving Hurricane Sandy: Thank You Lord

a tree uprooted by Hurricane Sandy in North Jersey

To God be the Glory!
This week has been a very difficult week, but I still want to say, "God is good" On Monday, October 29, 2012, Hurricane Sandy rushed into the East Coast with wind, rain, and trouble. I lost power electricity the night of the storm. The next day, I found the land littered with uprooted trees and down power lines. Trees leaned against houses and cars. Roof shingles and aluminum siding littered the sidewalks and lawns. But, the devastation in my immediate area could not match that in other towns where homes were shifted off their foundation and found in the ocean or in another remote place. There were also homes burned down and lives lost. All I can do is thank God and know that it could have been my home or the livesof my loved ones lost, along with my own.

The day after we lost power, my loved one and I walked around the neighborhood looking for an open store to get more food. We found two stores in the area that were open. The owners and store workers hovered over the front doors to prevent looting. They did not allow anyone in the stores. Instead, they took the item order and money at the door. I can't blame them. After collecting our items in a bag, they used a calculator or cellphone to ring them up. We gave them the money and continued on our way.

In addition, the cell phone towers were down until about the 2nd day after the storm. I had intermittent service. For example, I would get a voice mail message to my phone, and I wouldn't be able to retrieve it. We really felt like we were back in the cave man times with no technology. The portable radio was my friend for all news coverage. We were thankful when the bars increased on our cellphone displays and we were able to call our friends and family.

powerlines after Hurricane Sandy

 Because the transportation system was shut down, there were limited places that everyone could travel. We found groups of people walking the streets to find a store and/or loved one. Some people just needed to get out of the house. Either way, we kept moving. I was able to stay at a friend's house who had power electricity for the night. This morning, we arrived home to find our power restored. Thank you Jesus!

NJTransit began running today and it was a great relief. The line of cars for each open gas station was wrapped around the corners. You could see people who finally received their red can of gold, run back to their cars in relief. Driving on "E" or getting stranded is no fun. I'm glad for those who were able to get some gas in their tanks.

Meat section of Pathmark. All frozen foods had to be removed due to loss of electricity

  Moreover, the reports of the loss of lives have been unbelievable. I want to send my condolences and prayers out to all of the grieving families. Hurricane Sandy was no joke. But, many thanks to the Lord for sparing our lives. If you were affected by Hurricane Sandy or any other natural disaster, I would like to read about your experience. Please share :-)

For more resources:

PSEG: Follow them on Twitter to get their latest updates @PSEGdelivers

Hurricane recovery assistance

Hurricane relief donations

NjTransit  MTA Connecticut Transportation