By Kate E. Stephenson
Well, Hurricane Sandy didn’t actually blow my house down; I am one of the lucky ones. Many homes, businesses, transportation systems, and lives have been destroyed because of this devastating unprecedented storm.
I myself have been out of power in my house since the storm began in earnest on Monday night. I tried to get out of my home town of Jersey City for three days before finally succeeding Saturday afternoon. The true gas supply is not scarce but so many of the gas stations in my area are still out of power and those that have power are quickly trying to accommodate but failing to fulfill all of the demand. Millions of gallons of gasoline lie underneath the ground, useless to those without the power to pump it up. Then there are businesses that have power but their proprietors have been unable to reach them to open. There are also those who are afraid.
The power of nature is enough to remind us what awesome really means.
I have relocated to an area of Westchester, NY that has power, phone lines, and cell signal; but even here the storm has ravaged the landscape. Giant, majestic old trees succumbed to the unrelenting winds and have fallen, sometimes cracked in half, other times completely uprooted. And now a nor’easter is quickly blowing this way, ready to dump inches of snow, sleet, and hail on this already physically and emotionally raw scene. We thought we were escaping to an area less affected, but the truth is that Sandy left no area of the metro NY area untouched.
We have been irrevocably changed.
There is no area of this country that hasn’t been beset by natural catastrophe. Earthquake, tsunami, tornado, blizzard, hurricane, mudslide—the weather is changing. Whether or not you believe in global warming or the destruction of the ozone layer, no one can deny the weather is changing, viciously sweeping over the lands we thought we had tamed. Mother Nature demands the respect she so deserves and we have been reticent to give.
Mother Nature says, “Recognize!”
And recognize I do. I will continue to go green—recycle, reuse, reduce. I will believe the meteorologists when they say take cover. I will take far more precautions. I was caught unprepared this time, as many were. I didn’t believe in “superstorms”. My eyes are wide open now, and I know that the big bad wolf is bigger and badder than I ever imagined. This little piggy is ready to start laying the bricks.
Stay tuned for the daily LexiBoosts and your latest book reviews, job hunting tips and more this week, as we recover from Hurricane Sandy and get back to work.
Be warm, be safe.
2 thoughts on “Hurricane Sandy Huffed and Puffed and Blew Our House Down”
Glad you are safe, if not completely sound Kate! We dodged the bullet that unfortunately found its mark in your area. Praying for you!
Thank you, Ray. All prayers are welcome and appreciated. Sandy was wild and bodacious–nothing stood in her path. Just heard that a man went to bed with grass in his backyard and woke up to a yacht instead. Another man said he watched jet skis, refrigerators, and oil tanks float down the river that used to be his cross street. Unbelievable if we hadn’t all seen so much of the strange destruction. I’m grateful you dodged the bullet, but really wish this one had stayed out at sea.