Sandy

Photo credit: unknown

We had just returned from Utah when we heard rumor of a hurricane, or “super storm” if you will, that was making its way up the East Coast. I was panicked. My co-workers weren’t panicked. No one within a 10 mile radius of me was panicked. I was no longer panicked.

The night before the storm, we walked over to Duane Reade and bought 4 cans of baked beans, a glade candle and a 24 pack of water so that we were “prepared for the worst”. I was slightly worried that we might lose power, but we also hadn’t paid our utility bill since we moved in, so either way I was expecting a power outage.

It was comical how naively unprepared we were for the unimaginable devastation about to wreck havoc over the next couple of days.

We sat on our air mattress, trying to decipher if we were hearing ambulance sirens or just the wind. Water slowly rose up our street filled with fire trucks, emergency vehicles, and people (including us) dodging airborne branches and debris, waiting to hear if we were safe or needed to evacuate. We were put on standby, and told to go back into our apartments. So, we plugged in our borrowed radio, and waited.

We spent the next couple of days inside, glued to the radio, using the vivid descriptions of news anchors and our imaginations to try and comprehend the damage that had been done by Sandy. However, we never could have imagined.

We were more blessed than we knew how to handle, we didn’t lose power and our apartment was still standing, water free. When the winds and flooding came to a stop, the dark, quiet and still streets of Manhattan were filled with fallen trees, submerged subways, and a feeling of awe at the power of Mother Nature.

Along the entire East Coast, power, homes and loved ones were lost, but the generosity and service that I saw the following weeks renewed my faith in the power of good people. We were lucky enough to have the opportunity of spending a Sunday serving the people of the Far Rockaway’s, just one of many areas that was hit the hardest, with friends by our side, and new friends made.  

Photos courtesy of Lauren 

As life has slowly tried to get back to a new normal, I will always remain changed as I know so many others will too, at just how blessed we were, are, and continue to be, and how grateful I am for the examples of service, kindness, and love, especially from those who lost everything. Sometimes, when so much is lost, it allows you to see what you really have. Which, in my case, is more than I could ever ask for.