Community Corner

Storm Chronicles, Part Eight - A Bayville Homecoming

But October 29, 2012 changed many lives forever

 

We are home. Home after seven long months. Home after that terrible day we hurriedly packed and fled the monster Sandy, which was already blasting off the Toms River at noon, our mandatory evacuation time.

Our three cats tiptoed tentatively out of their out of their Kennel-Cabs and blinked. We had lived in my son and daughter-in-law's basement for more more than half a year and the light took some getting used to. But they remembered. Within an hour or two, Riley, Murphy and Zooey had settled in.

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It's not the same home we left. We still have no kitchen. But you can make do with a new refrigerator and microwave. Sandy destroyed most of our furniture, so we bought quality, used furniture from our friends at Wood N' Things in Beachwood as replacements.

Most of the windows have still have no curtains. The walls still need another coat of paint and some trim needs to be installed. But we are home.

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I thought I would be elated to be back. I'm glad we are. But I'm exhausted. The collective strain of the past seven months has taken its toll. It's been a mind-numbing slog of dealing with flood insurance issues, contractors who sometimes didn't show up, FEMA, the SBA and the bank, all while trying to work full time.

There's also a vague sense of unease. Our house was more than 50.1 percent damaged and has to be elevated. Until it goes up, I will worry every time there's a storm on the way.

I was feeling a little down the other day when I went to a local jewelry store to pick up a ring I had resized. I was feeling sorry for myself and dreading all the work that still has to be done.

Then the man behind the counter told me his Sandy story. He and his family lived - past tense - on Aldo Drive in the Silverton section of Toms River. Their house had seven feet of water. They won't be going back for at least a year, until a new house is built.

We have been much luckier than most. The insurance payments came relatively quickly, so the demolition work began before the mold could set in.

Our house was a gutted shell during the dark, cold months of November, December and January.

The flooring was torn out down to the floor joists in the crawl space. The Sheetrock was cut up to four feet. The entire kitchen and most of the bathroom was ripped out. There was no heat or light. It hurt to see it.

The bank was another story. They held back the money, releasing it in dribs and drabs. I had to provide receipts of when work was done. Then they would release a little more. Then came the inspections. We still haven't received all the money.

There was one plus, and only one, to Sandy. It was much easier for me to cover the story over these months. because we lived what so many of you have gone through.

I covered the many informational sessions Berkeley Township officials held for storm victims. I was at the Stop FEMA Now meetings. I went as a reporter, but I was one of you. I know what you went through and what many of you are still enduring.

I understand what Gov. Christie and many local officials were trying to do with each happy boardwalk photo-op. Tourism is the lifeblood of the Jersey Shore.

But he needs to visit the areas that still look like Sandy hit yesterday. He needs to hear the stories of the people who haven't been able to go home or will never be able to go home.

He needs to go to Good Luck Point, Ortley Beach, Glen Cove, Forked River Beach and all the sections that are still devastated. Sandy is far from over and won't be for years to come.

Oct. 29, 2012. Just seeing the date on television or hearing it mentioned still gives me chills. It probably always will. It was the day everything changed.


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