Stories

We Did Not Evacuate

We live in Beach Haven West, NJ. We didn't evacuate for Superstorm Sandy. I remember the police coming through, saying from their car microphones that they "wouldn't be back". I didn't want to leave the cats, and I figured we would be fine, even after almost all the neighbors evacuated. At the second high tide,…

The Mold

In the aftermath of the hurricane, volunteers mobilized to provide aid to Rockaway residents. Twelve hundred and fifty one surveys were collected from residents living in Far Rockaways. In the last two weeks of December, NYCC organizers called and visited a sample of the initial survey takers to assess the current habitability situation, two months…

The Morning After the Night Before 10-30-12

I opened my eyes to an overcast murky world that would not lift, foreshadowing reality: a world that would become too stark, too awful, too present, to bear or to escape. A light rain fell, winds gusting with deceptive lack of force, lulling one into false optimism, soon to be shattered. I woke crumpled against…

How to Kill a Person’s Spirit – Post-Sandy

For every day that a person with "special needs" due to a disability is "in the system" - I believe there is a danger that this person will fall deeper into the system. A primary and core goal should be to prevent that from happening, and to do that by erring on the side of…

The FEMA Loop

Here's one that really confused me. I call it the "FEMA Loop." My Mom has a physical disability which makes it very difficult for her to re-locate to just any old place. And the place she re-locates to, needs to have certain "features" in order for her to reasonably be able to make use of…

How Hurricane Sandy Affected Me Personally and as a Volunteer

When the news of Hurricane Sandy was first mentioned, I didn’t think it would be so catastrophic. I remember listening to the strong winds beat against my window. I was scared the window would break, or the tree in front of our building would fall. Thankfully, neither of those things happened. The day after the…