Hurricane Sandy, Part I

Pictures below were taken by me. (Be patient while the page loads…there are A LOT of pictures!!)

(Click on image to enlarge)

Despite the damage shown in the pictures, those in my immediate geographic area had not borne the brunt of the storm. We had the inconvenience of no electricity and, at worst, a damaged roof or a smashed car. We expected much worse. But I knew I would survive and even better, make a few dollars in the process. My home is one hundred and fifty four feet above sea level. I can convert my front yard into a marina. But Mother Nature had other plans. She spared my area and instead mercilessly washed away shoreline in New Jersey, in parts of Staten Island, New York, along the Rockaway Peninsula in New York, and other low lying areas. Basements were flooded. Homes were washed away. People were killed. But we are Americans and after the waters subsided the outpouring of help shows what makes America great. Like a society of John Waynes,  we quickly deploy resources — people; goods; expertise — to help others rebuild their lives. We right all the wrongs. There is much to be said for this aspect of the American spirit. However, it is obvious that there will be more disasters like this in the near future. If we don’t figure out how to reduce the likelihood of such an event or, at the least, mitigate its potential damaging effects, there may be a disaster that is so destructive that no amount of effort could ever right that wrong.