Hurricane Sandy...
...that bitch!
Some of you may have already known this, but I live at the Jersey Shore. And I'm sure most of you know that Hurricane Sandy swished in and wrecked havoc. My house is still standing and my family is alive. That's the good news. The bad news? I pretty much lost everything that wasn't on a high shelf. We had somewhere around two or more feet of water in our house at the height of the storm. Five foot waves crashing down my street and at my house. My family evacuated on Sunday so at least we didn't have to experience it first hand. Yesterday was the first day the township let us back into our homes. To access damage and get some belongings. It's not like any of the houses are livable at the moment.
One of the sad things is that despite having a lagoon in the back yard...being on the water...we've never had flooding before. My house is at the highest point of the development. The house has been in the family since it was built in 1964 and there's never been a problem with weather...ever. Now? It's just...wow. As I walked through the house, my floors caked with mud, the smell of mildew so strong I wanted to throw up, I was in shock. My floors are destroyed, my furniture and appliances destroyed. How did this happen? Living where I do, I've watched countless news feed through the years, my heart always breaking for all those people affected by storms, but never imagined it would happen to me. Unrealistic maybe, but after 40 years a person gets to feel secure.
I don't even know what to do first. I have to start making a list, I think. The first thing would be to stop crying, but I can't seem to master that. I fell asleep crying and I woke up crying. It's just so overwhelming. Right now I'm staying with my best friend of over 30 years, her boyfriend, and her twin boys. They will be 8 in January. Wow, I forgot what it was like to have young children around. Lucky they live in a huge house and my bedroom is the size of a very small apartment. Which is a good thing because my youngest daughter is here sharing a room with me. Luckily for both my sanity and hers, she's going to be spending a lot of time staying with friends over the next several weeks/months. She was already spending 30 minutes a day commuting to her college...where we are now adds another 30 or more minutes to the drive. She'll stay on campus in a friend's apartment when she can to ease the burden. My oldest daughter is at a friend's house at the moment, but is going to have to relocate eventually as her friend is staying with her parents but will be moving to Texas in a week or so to join her husband who is in the military. My mother is staying with my sister. In her two bedroom condo. With my sister, brother-in-law and niece...not the best situation, especially if my oldest daughter has to join her. Oh, and my daughter's cat is there, along with my sister's cat...who don't get along...at all. They are cat fighting through closed doors...haven't even seen each other yet.
What a mess...and God knows how long we're going to be displaced. One of my neighbors spoke to their insurance company yesterday and was told that it would take about three weeks just to get a claim number. Sadly, we are nowhere even close to the only people affected. Hell, a nearby town lost over a hundred homes due to a fire that broke out after the storm. New Jersey is a mess and took the worst hit, but New York is a disaster, too...as well as plenty of other states. Even Canada suffered from Sandy This storm was huge and took out everything in it's path. So, as I said before...that BITCH!
Anyway, I am safe and sound...living very comfortably at the moment but missing my home more than I ever thought I would...and will hopefully get some writing done. I need it. It's my therapy. I will say that chapter 8 is finished and ready for posting soon...and 9 is almost finished. We'll see how well my brain can focus after a few more days of letting it all soak in.
Thanks for listening to me vent. It's been a very, very long week.
Meredeth
Some of you may have already known this, but I live at the Jersey Shore. And I'm sure most of you know that Hurricane Sandy swished in and wrecked havoc. My house is still standing and my family is alive. That's the good news. The bad news? I pretty much lost everything that wasn't on a high shelf. We had somewhere around two or more feet of water in our house at the height of the storm. Five foot waves crashing down my street and at my house. My family evacuated on Sunday so at least we didn't have to experience it first hand. Yesterday was the first day the township let us back into our homes. To access damage and get some belongings. It's not like any of the houses are livable at the moment.
One of the sad things is that despite having a lagoon in the back yard...being on the water...we've never had flooding before. My house is at the highest point of the development. The house has been in the family since it was built in 1964 and there's never been a problem with weather...ever. Now? It's just...wow. As I walked through the house, my floors caked with mud, the smell of mildew so strong I wanted to throw up, I was in shock. My floors are destroyed, my furniture and appliances destroyed. How did this happen? Living where I do, I've watched countless news feed through the years, my heart always breaking for all those people affected by storms, but never imagined it would happen to me. Unrealistic maybe, but after 40 years a person gets to feel secure.
I don't even know what to do first. I have to start making a list, I think. The first thing would be to stop crying, but I can't seem to master that. I fell asleep crying and I woke up crying. It's just so overwhelming. Right now I'm staying with my best friend of over 30 years, her boyfriend, and her twin boys. They will be 8 in January. Wow, I forgot what it was like to have young children around. Lucky they live in a huge house and my bedroom is the size of a very small apartment. Which is a good thing because my youngest daughter is here sharing a room with me. Luckily for both my sanity and hers, she's going to be spending a lot of time staying with friends over the next several weeks/months. She was already spending 30 minutes a day commuting to her college...where we are now adds another 30 or more minutes to the drive. She'll stay on campus in a friend's apartment when she can to ease the burden. My oldest daughter is at a friend's house at the moment, but is going to have to relocate eventually as her friend is staying with her parents but will be moving to Texas in a week or so to join her husband who is in the military. My mother is staying with my sister. In her two bedroom condo. With my sister, brother-in-law and niece...not the best situation, especially if my oldest daughter has to join her. Oh, and my daughter's cat is there, along with my sister's cat...who don't get along...at all. They are cat fighting through closed doors...haven't even seen each other yet.
What a mess...and God knows how long we're going to be displaced. One of my neighbors spoke to their insurance company yesterday and was told that it would take about three weeks just to get a claim number. Sadly, we are nowhere even close to the only people affected. Hell, a nearby town lost over a hundred homes due to a fire that broke out after the storm. New Jersey is a mess and took the worst hit, but New York is a disaster, too...as well as plenty of other states. Even Canada suffered from Sandy This storm was huge and took out everything in it's path. So, as I said before...that BITCH!
Anyway, I am safe and sound...living very comfortably at the moment but missing my home more than I ever thought I would...and will hopefully get some writing done. I need it. It's my therapy. I will say that chapter 8 is finished and ready for posting soon...and 9 is almost finished. We'll see how well my brain can focus after a few more days of letting it all soak in.
Thanks for listening to me vent. It's been a very, very long week.
Meredeth