I sat through last night, nervous and terrified, as the house was buffeted by winds. The bed was actually shaking and just prayed. At 9 AM, half my block went dark. At 10 am, my side lost power as well. We were kinda sanguine as we kind of expected it and had taken some preparations. Shortly thereafter, the wind gusts died down and we went to sleep.
This morning was surreally quiet and so we couldn’t resist taking to the streets. Here is what we found and it is only a small measure of the devastation which just breaks my heart.
Even so, it was cool to discover this morning that thing which only happens in the aftermath of disasters, unity. It takes a disaster to bring us together and remind us of our shared humanity. Everyone is friendly, helpful, concerned and compassionate. Too bad, it’s not like that every day.
On the humourous side, people went to great lengths this morning to get coffee. There was one Dunkin Donuts open in Hackensack and the wait was one hour with cars pouring into the parking lot waiting to get in. Goes to show what services are essential as people roamed looking for open stores. The attached pictures are from Leonia, Hackensack, Maywood and Teaneck, NJ.
I’m just getting a look at the pics of the devastation and it brought me to tears. Will look to see tomorrow what I can do to help my neighbors. If you are in the recovery effort, be safe, be warm and godspeed.
Gratitudes and blessings to PSEG and the coordinated efforts of the firefighters, first responders, emergency workers and politicians. President Obama, Gov. Cuomo, Gov. Malley, Mayor Bloomberg and Gov. Chris Christie have been doing an excellent job! It’s actually inspiring to see politics put aside for like 5 secs. #PeopleMatter
This my friend is the new normal…
Streams Of Consciousness - Coco Rivers 
Coco, these photos make me so sad! The ones of the uprooted tree had me in tears. Oh my Lord, I’m so sorry. You are in my prayers, lady. I trust you and your loved ones will stay safe. May you soon be on the road to recovery from the devastation that has been Sandy. Keep the faith, sister.
Hey Bella,
Seeing your avatar always puts a smile on my face, so there’s that :). Yes, I am also devastated by the trees but we can always use this as an excuse to plant more. It is my hope that this creates more of a sense of community amongst people and that we plan and implement infrstructure hardening which will allow us to survive extreme weather. That is my hope. From every challenge arises an opportunity…that allows me to sleep at night.
Hugz,
C.
Hey there Coco!
I’m so glad you’re ok. Our power was restored THIS morning. We’ve been on a generator since the storm, but are thankful to have that. No visible signs of damage to our home, not even water, so we’re more than grateful. Everyone didn’t fare so well in NJ. I still have folks in NYC that can’t access the subways, work, or much anywhere else.
I agree with you. Unfortunately, it often takes disaster, or events of such magnitude to bring folks together. There are always lessons and great transformation after a “storm”.
Be Well,
SomerEmpress
Hi Somer,
Where are you at, woman? 🙂 I expected you to be hollerin’ last night on Twitter but maybe I missed you. My cell svc has been giving me hell all week and I was glued to the TV so only checked in later. It’s probably snowing in Philly but I hope almost everything else is back to normal. We are struggling to return to normal and almost there lol. You know what they say, “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.”
Peace,
C.
Hey woman! Here, here! Bless you! Thanks for checking in on me, sweetie! It’s good to be thought of. I am well. Snowing in Philly now. It’s a soupy evening. I was booking it on FB last night, but only as it got much later into the results. Was having massive stomach pain, which has since subsided. Monitoring it over the next few days. Otherwise, I am well! The vote was most definitely Baracked last night, chica!! Cheers, cheers!
I am glad that things are progressing in the right direction in your neck of the woods. Not only will things be restored, but I’m trusting that it will be even better when that time comes!
Empress
🙂 Thanks! Take care of yourself, A. My stomach is the bane of my existence SMH.
I’m so glad you’re okay, Coco. I thought about you today, and Nicole. She’s in New Jersey, too, and hasn’t posted yet, but I’m glad you could. Take care of yourself.
Thank you all, so much. Greatly appreciated. Exhausted, must be a mental thing :). Will respond in detail later, Hope you and all your loved ones are well.
Thanks, Sparks. We’ve escaped relatively unscathed and I’m very grateful for that. Is Nicole ok?
She posted a couple days ago. She’s fine. I’m glad you both are.
Oh wow, I didn’t realize you lived there. So glad you’re okay. I had my bags packed for the mere speculation it would hit us. Wild photos. It’s sad to see all the trees down. I do hope this is a once in a lifetime event, not a sign of things to come! A few hours in I heard that NJ was at a death toll of zero. I doubt they maintained that but if they did, Gov. Christie should be immensely proud. He and Obama worked great together.
How funny about the coffee; we made cupfulls and stored them in the fridge. Better freezing coffee than none!
Hi Amelie,
Yes, I am a NY transplant :). The whole experience has been devastatingly sad. I cry everytime I think of lives lost, memories lost, revenue lost and whole lives disrupted. I am a Tree hugger and I’m still so bummed out at thye lost of so many trees which take years to reach magnificence. I hope one day to have a Weeping Willow and Acer Griseum which are two of my favs, along with other giant conifers lol. Nonetheless, I will never, ever plant them near my home having seen over and over the damage they can cause.
Love the coffee idea. Brilliant!!! Hope all is well.
I’m glad that you are o.k. and my prayers are with you and all of those who’ve undergone this daunting experience. I’m proud of our President and how he’s reached out and given those governors in the states affected his direct line and is personally working and breaking the red tape with federal response agencies and MONITORING them to make sure they’re on the job. I think there are some humankind experiences that should be protected from politics and Gov. Christie and the President are leading the way with that example.
Hi Carolyn,
Absolutely. Everytime I see them together, it makes me proud. I’ve never been a fan of Chris Christie but I am proud of the core conviction that he has shown and exemplified. Crisis is always the thing that separates the mouse from the men ;). Thank you so much for your well wishes. Hope all is well.