Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Aftermath


Seaside NJ on the bay side
It was bad for New Jersey.     Many lost homes, a few perished including children, the saddest of all.
One couple we know spent two days on top of their kitchen table as water poured into their house. Being elderly they knew hypothermia would get them if they tried to walk thru that water.
It got suddenly very cold.. unusual  as during hurricanes the weather is always hot and very clammy.

 Homes were dragged out to sea, in one town a whole block of homes burnt down because transformers blew up. Beautiful shore front restaurants are gone.
Mantaloking, a very upscale town on the pennisula is on fire as gas line exploded and the roads to the town are impassable because they are under the ocean.  These are multi million dollar homes of the rich and very famous as well as the homes of "regular' people.
Some places are unreachable due to water and we just don't know what is going on there.
The little island near me is badly battered and changed as is , I hear, most of the NJ coastline.
 Trees are uprooted, blown over and cracked. Boats cracked up and lost.
 Millions are without power. Many of us operating on generators. Stores are closed, roads closed, no traffic lights, gas stations mostly closed.

 Schools are closed until further notice and streets closed by the bay until they drain and washed out bridges are repaired and man, do we have a ton of those.
The hard headed who stayed on the barrier island, Long Beach Island and the pennisulas are being rescued and I hear helicopters flying back and forth from the air force base to the island all day long now. Not sure what is going on.
Governor Christie is keeping on top of things, however.

We just got some power back so I may not know as much regional news as those outside do. That was a hard part during the storm as I forgot D batteries for the radio!!!

 I spent yesterday at my daughter's house around the corner as they have a fireplace and it was cold and no heat in my house anyway. Trying to get it working today, but, no luck yet. I have a space heater going and I turn that on a bit , then off,as I am afraid of them really

My old fish never flooded out!The large ones are 15  years old having been bought as tiny fry for 10 cents a piece! Now they are gorgeous long fan tailed beauties in orange, white and yellow. Glad they weathered the storm.

 My little street was one of the only streets that did not flood at all! Thank you for prayers as I know that is why.  So I want to thank  God for his care and mercy during this time and all of you for your continued prayers and thoughts. They mean the world to me, more so than I can tell you and helped me stay strong when times got rough.

It is also why the thick pine barrens which surround me on 3 sides also gave a lot of protection as the winds stayed high and while the trees swayed badly (what a bad poor description that is!) my house never shuddered even once and the number of trees that came down in this little neighborhood is relatively small and damage relatively small compared to other places.
 In the Perfect Storm, which this little house also weathered, the walls shook and swayed badly.

I did hear a report by Whitley Strieber who wrote the book on which the movie "The Day After Tomorrow"  was based and he was saying the reason for this kind of freakish storm was that the gulf stream has moved farther north and that we can expect these things to happen again and perhaps worse if it does not move back farther south.  " Go South Young Stream.. Go South!!"

The store shelves here for miles around are empty. There is not a battery or water to be found anywhere.
So prepare  because these things happen quickly and then it is too late to get in what you may need. Not everything comes with a warning.
Now comes the job of cleaning up the yard and the ponds which is nothing compared to what some have to do.
I am okay so far and I thank you for your love and concern. It means so very much to me and I will never forget it.

With Love, 

28 comments:

  1. Annie, so good to hear you are ok and I have been praying day and night. My heart hurts for those who lost lives. Keep safe my friends. Hugs and blessings.

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  2. I am so glad you are all right. I worried about you and thank you for letting us know you made it through the storm.

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    1. Thanks so much Lois. I have been praying for all of you in Ohio as well. This storm is huge and many are hurt by it.

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  3. Really glad to hear you're okay, Annie. Darylynn had mentioned you a few days back. Take care.

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  4. Annie! I am so so glad that you are alright! We have all been so worried about you. I have been checking your blog non-stop today. I can not believe the devastation and my heart is breaking. If you need anything, don't hesitate to let us know! I'm sure we can get you food or any other supplies that you need. BIG hugs!

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  5. Annie - so good to hear you're okay! I've been watching the Weather Channel and the photos are horrific! What devastation! And what a blessing that you didn't get flooded.
    Thank you for visiting my blog. I was surprised to see your comment there. Lilac Cottage was sort of an experiment and I didn't even know that people could find it! The blog I update is http://newcreationcottage.blogspot.com called "Joy In The Journey". Praying for you all and those affected by the storm. Hugs

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    1. Thanks Melanie, means a lot. Lilac is lovely. All your blogs appear on your profile. That is how I found it! :)

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  6. Thank The Lord you're okay Annie; I was so worried. What a relief hearing from you. I too heard that weather patterns have changed and yes we can expect more of these storms and hurricanes. Last year it was Irene and now Sandy. My heart saddens at the loss of lives this storm caused. I doubt that even after New Jersey and New York are repaired it will never be the same. Hugs

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    1. Thank the Lord indeed! He did some powerful things for us here and I saw it happen.
      No one could ever convince me there is no God!
      Thanks for your prayers Toni. It means so much.

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  7. Thank you everyone!!
    Your love is just so powerful and so wonderful. I can't tell you how deeply I am touched by your thoughts and prayers.

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  8. Hi Annie! Thanks for posting and leaving me a comment...we all were really worried. It sounds as though you had a lot of miracles going for you.... I was worried about the trees falling, streets flooding, fires, gas explosions, you name it! Happy to hear your fish pond fared well, too. Seriously, we were all really scared for you and we kept checking your blog for updates so really glad you got your generator going so you could post. Thanks for the info on the graphics not being transparent. I figured a white ground would work as I know they were all made to be transparent. (((Big Hugz)))

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  9. Hi Annie,
    Kim let me know on Facebook that you had posted. I was looking every hour or so but got busy at work. I am so relieved to hear you and your family are OK and so far all friends and family that I know that live back east were all spared destruction. Take care and my thoughts are with all the people that are stranded and lost their homes and businesses. Take care! Hugs, Dru

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  10. Annie, thank God you are ok! I was actually beginning to feel sick when I'd check here & find no word from you. I'm so thankful that your fish weathered the storm. I was praying for them too. God is good! My heart breaks for those that were in the path of this destruction. Such a long hard road ahead. I pray that all can get back soon to some sense of normalcy. Continuing to pray for you. Thank you for letting us know you are ok.. Sending you big hugs!

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  11. I was so happy to see you pop up on my page!!! And so I had to run right over here to see how things went for you. Im so glad to hear that you all made it thru very well. Sadly its going to be a mess there for a very long time. It breaks my heart to see my beloved home state like this. Many of us now will only have memories of places that were there. They will rebuild but ...it will never be the same. Stay safe and I hope supplies and such get to you quickly! Hugs.

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  12. Really glad to hear you're okay, Annie! :)
    Take care, and I hope supplies will get to you quickly.

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  13. So glad everything is ok with you and you weathered the storm!

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  14. Really glad to hear your home and surrounds are okay, and so good to be able to read your blog. xx

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    1. BH things worked out for us in this little neighborhood.
      Glad to be around!

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  15. Hi Annie! Just coming by to let you know I'm thinking of you. I hope you and your family are doing the best you can. Sending lots of thoughts and prayers. Hugs!

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  16. Hi Annie! Stopping in to wish you a blessed November! I wish so badly that it was starting out better, but I pray that you will have so many things to be grateful for this month. I know you will, because you seem to have a grateful heart. I have an extra blessing to count, & that is that you are ok! Sending you big hugs!!

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  17. Hi Annie,
    Just popping in to wish you a good Friday and weekend. Hope you are still doing ok. The affects of superstorm Sandy are going to be felt for a long while I think. Take good care. *hugs*

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  18. Hi Annie,
    Just dropping by to wish you a wonderful weekend. Hugs, Dru

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