The student newspaper of Bucks County Community College

The Centurion

The student newspaper of Bucks County Community College

The Centurion

The student newspaper of Bucks County Community College

The Centurion

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Superstorm leaves writer’s New Jersey hometown devastated

Roughly a week later, the lights are still out for many New Jerseyians thanks to a storm’s devastation that, in some circles, rivals 9/11.  This includes my hometown of Neptune, New Jersey.
On a normal, autumn, Saturday afternoon, Neptune is usually bustling with residents shopping along the shore, whether it’s the restaurants complete with the porches outside, or the ice cream parlors people frequent the whole year. Last Saturday was not the case.
When I had taken the exit off of Marconi Road, it was already a sight to behold: the white picket fence that runs parallel to the street was already ripped up, some pieces on the road itself, combined with a yield sign that I had to avoid by swerving dangerously to the guard rail.
Driving up to my Aunt’s house (who is still without power and will be for another 5-7 days), there were cars that were smashed in due to multiple trees falling, complete with ruined backyards and torn-up fences.
Inside my Aunt’s house, everyone had at least three blankets on them, combined with the necessary generator, many of which can be heard walking down the street.  Down near the river featured the worst damage.
Arriving at the river, there were multiple fire trucks, police cars, ambulances; you name the emergency vehicle and it was there.  Multiple blockades were set up to prevent cars from going down the street, but I managed to stealthily sneak by one wooden barrier.  What I noticed seemed like something straight out of Hollywood in terms of damage.
Homeowners were essentially throwing out their entire house unto their driveways; bags filled with clothes, furniture, toys, appliances were tossed in the street as if someone had a garage sale and was just trying to get rid of what they didn’t want.  The problem was however, is that these items were someone’s necessities, destroyed by Sandy.
Multiple houses featured a red X spray-painted on them, meaning the property was no longer suitable to live in.  Some residents had just returned to their houses, only to walk out teary-eyed complete with a thousand-yard stare of “Where do I go now?”
As I made my way down S. Riverside Drive, I noticed that despite the fact houses and lives were essentially reset, neighbors were coming together in spite of adversary and uncertainty.  A woman had set up a table, complete with some salad and a boiler for hotdogs, offering me some, but I had turned her down, only because of my guilt of eating at a Dunkin’ Donuts before arriving.  Neighbors were thanking each other left and right, and despite the boats literally washed up ashore into their homes, a sense of recovery was apparent to me.
Trying to evade some of the rescue stations due to obvious police presence, however, turned out to be futile; multiple streets had downed—and live—wires scattered.  In order to leave S. Riverside Drive, I had to come face-to-face with the police.  Following a stern lecture, I was granted to leave to the beach.
More downed wires and fallen trees later, I managed to make my way to Bradley Beach, which was scattered all over what was left of the boardwalk, as well as the beach-side homes.  Children were playing on the same dunes that filled and damaged their homes a few days earlier.  Bruce Springsteen’s “Land of Hope and Dreams” filled the otherwise-quiet town throughout; it was evident people were trying to make the best of what they had.  And wouldn’t you know it? People were still shopping, just not at the restaurants; they, too, were throwing out what they had in the streets.
Making my way to Asbury Park, multiple businesses were still boarded up; some with crude messages of “F.U. Sandy,” while others had more optimistic ones; “We’re Still Open!”  Also open were plenty of gas stations; lines stretched across many streets and back-roads.  I asked one State Trooper checking license plates (Those in NJ are on a gas ration; license plates that end in an odd number get gas on odd-numbered days, while the same applies for those with even-numbered license plates) if he had time to talk, but he turned me down, citing the long line.
Leaving the State proved more hazardous, as I wound up waiting on a street for 35 minutes, which turned out to be a line for gas.  Naturally, I turned down another road, only to find a fallen tree, and a man trying to fix his child’s playground and fence, one board at a time.  The determination I noticed in some of the people was something I will never forget.
Currently, the damage Sandy has caused in New Jersey totals roughly $50 billion, with 164,000 total homeless throughout three states.
Donations can be made via the Red Cross website (redcross.org) or text REDCROSS to 90999 to give a $10 donation.  As of last weekend, over one million people in New Jersey are still without power, and residents may not expect to see power restored for another week.
While everyone hit by Sandy, including my hometown of Neptune, New Jersey faces a long road to recovery, New Jersey native Bruce Springsteen said it best in “A Land of Hope and Dreams”:  “Leave behind your sorrows; Let this day be the last.  Tomorrow there’ll be sunshine, And all this darkness past.”