Leave A Light On For Me
We Need Some Light
The last several weeks have been difficult in the New Jersey and New York areas as we recover from the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
After two major storms last year, Hurricane Irene and the weird Snowtober storm, I learned my lesson and made sure that I did not have too many perishables in the refrigerator.
On the night of the storm, the lights stayed on for longer than we had hoped.
But then the lights started flickering and finally, around 9 p.m. the lights went off and we were plunged into total darkness. Since the lights did not come back until Friday, we mostly subsisted on granola bars and dry cereal out of the box.
The internet service flickered on and off. Only occasionally could we make calls since the phone service was sketchy.
Most of the businesses around us were closed due to a lack of power.
After a day or so, we started venturing out to see what our area looked like. We live in North Jersey, not near the shore.
The area we live in had many downed wires and trees.
The Jersey Shore Suffered Terrible Damage
However, the beautiful Jersey Shore suffered heartbreakingly extensive damage. Many homes, cars, and businesses were totally destroyed. The Jersey Shore’s topography changed dramatically. It has become a different place now.
Many of the areas suffered not only those damages but there were many gas leaks in the area and even now, more than two weeks later, many residents have not been able to return to their ruined homes to check the damage. Many towns will never be the same.
Some residents on Long Island and Staten are STILL without power, more than two weeks later.
I got tired of trying to read books by flashlight, so I finally gave up. Taking showers by flashlight, however, is pretty interesting!
My husband and I were lucky because food can be replaced.
On Friday, we got our electricity back; the thing that made me smile most was having electricity and light! Light for the lamps and the television! It felt so luxurious.
Once we saw on television what had happened, we were heartbroken. That night we watched the “Concert for Sandy” and luxuriated in the light.
You may also want to read #FreePress.
This was written for Mama Kat’s Pretty Much World Famous Writer’s Workshop.
Thank you for reading The Literary Lioness!
No Comments
Hello! I'm Kate.
So glad you have your lights back!!
I've been watching all the Sandy stuff & it's just heart breaking for so many people. I'm glad your family is okay!
Stopping by from Mama Kat's!
Sharon Henning
Wow! I've been praying for all you up there. I haven't heard back from some friends so I hope they're OK.
The Informal Matriarch
Oh goodness. So glad you have your electricity back! That must have been intense.
Banker Chick
To get back to some kind of order would be something to smile. Some of our first responders from the Joplin area went back east to offer return help.
The Literary Lioness
Thank you so much!
The Literary Lioness
I hope your friends are okay!
The Literary Lioness
It was really intense. Thanks for visiting!
The Literary Lioness
Is that Joplin, Missouri? I know how bad the tornadoes were there last year — so sad.
I'm so glad they are here! We need all the help we can get!
Dana@Mid2Mod
So glad you're safe and didn't suffer much damage in your area. I know how awful it is to be without power. Mine was off for over a week a couple of years ago, and you really realize just how dependent you are on it.
CJ
Nice post. I'm glad your power is back —and hope that others who got it worse will be able to recover.
The problem with outages is that we are not prepared to live without the power that runs our homes. I lived in a small town in Brazil's interior for 2 years without electricity, running water, or sewage system. Some had radios hooked up to car batteries, but there was no TV or phone service. But there, everyone got along without the things we have come to depend on, because they never had them. I was back to that town last year. Although there are still people in rural areas who live like that, the town I lived in has all "modern conveniences" now.
When we see a storm like Sandy, we send as much as we can to charities who will help. Then we discuss preparing ourselves in case it should ever happen here —and then we don't.
My response to Mama Kat's prompt is here: http://proartz.blogspot.com/2012/11/this-weeks-prompt-on-mamas-losin-it-was.html
Melissas Eclectic Bookshelf
So glad that you finally have power back…we were a week without and can totally relate. Thankfully we also suffered no damage but there are so many who lost everything 🙁
The Literary Lioness
It's amazing how much you miss things when you don't have them!
The Literary Lioness
I'm so glad that you didn't have any damage!
The Literary Lioness
I never seem to feel prepared enough!