A couple days ago, I went to Toms River to donate some goods following Hurricane Sandy, but little did I realize that people needed much more then donations — they also needed a place to stay, a car to borrow to get to work and emotional support. I spoke to my sister’s friend, Debbie, a resident of Shelter Cove, Toms River, who wasn’t homeless but was in dire need of help.
I asked her about how she was doing and she said, “I cried for two days. We had to tear the sheetrock off all our walls and pull out the insulation. Nothing is left but the frame of my home. The four of us, my 13-year-old daughter, 22-year-old son (who just graduated from Stockton College), my husband and I, along with our pets, climbed up onto the rafters in the attic to escape the floodwaters.
“There was no mandatory evacuation. My neighbor, who has lived in Shelter Cove for over 75 years, has never seen a flood in this area before.”
I asked Debbie if she and her family needed a place to stay and she informed me that she and her family, along with her sister-inlaw’s family, were residing with her mother-in-law in their retirement village home — totaling seven people and seven pets.
The family has been spending days sifting through the debris and tearing down walls so their house will not become contaminated with mold. All the electrical has to be replaced. Both of their automobiles were flooded out. It is estimated that it will take four to six months to get back into their home.
Fortunately, FEMA came to her home the day after the storm and gave them a $32,000 loan (the maximum amount allowed) but as a grammar-school lunch aid, money will be tight to replace … clothes, furniture, automobiles, etc. I asked what she needed most — people to help clear stuff away, an electrician, tree trimmer, and most of all, a car to borrow. After hearing about Debbie’s plight, I am proud to say that my sister, a retired school teacher, is going to lend them her daughter’s car while she is away at college. Here are a few more things Debbie and others in her situation urgently need:
Donations of clothes (for all seasons), blankets, paper goods, school supplies and baby goods;
Volunteers: any able-bodied individuals to aid in the cleanup;
An invitation to host someone or a family in your house temporarily. (Most of the people I spoke to didn’t want someone to give them a place, but they wanted to pay rent.); and
Emotional support: just a note or card expressing hope and support.
Amidst all of this devastation, Debbie feels fortunate because she has a place to stay and no one was injured. The people of Toms River have come together to aid the flood victims. Toms River East Intermediate School was collecting clothes, household goods and food, along with various children and baby goods (from toys to diapers). You could see that teachers have put this together, for it was highly organized and efficient.
An hour before I was ready to leave Monmouth Junction for Toms River, I decided to call a few neighbors and friends to see if they’d like to donate anything. Before I knew it, many residents of our little neighborhood were leaving multiple bags of clothing and paper goods in my driveway. My next-door neighbor, Connie, dropped off five large bags full of clothes. Another neighbor, Karen, came to my house with one of her friends to drop off even more clothes and assist me in loading my car. She was a great help, not just in manpower, but also by taking the initiative to contact a friend, last minute, to collect even more. Bags filled the trunk, backseat and front of my car. I barely had enough room for myself. It’s amazing how much was collected in one short hour.
Even though people of South Brunswick still may have their homes intact and haven’t lost many belongings, we know how it feels to be sitting in the darkness without heat, while numerous downed trees and power lines keep us isolated. Luckily, we had days to prepare for this storm, but it blows my mind that this was only a Category 1 hurricane. What if it was greater? They’re already calling it the storm of the century, but the century has barely begun. Unfortunately, we are looking at a future of bigger, more destructive storm masses with rising sea levels and greater coastal destruction. How much loss must we sustain before we can come to realize that the time is now to make wise choices about the power we use, resources we waste and our disconnected lifestyle.
All I know is that a moment of darkness without a candle is frightening, but a future without illumination is unlivable.
Joan Sichel
Monmouth Junction section
of South Brunswick