Recovering from Hurricane Sandy

Street lamp toppled by Hurricane Sandy

What a week this has been and continues to be. We have been without power since Monday night and consider ourselves lucky. The devastation elsewhere in New Jersey and New York has been beyond belief. Seeing familiar places damaged or destroyed tugs at the heart. Our kids have been home all week and will have no school through at least the rest of the week but it is more a matter of making the best of it.

As we saw in this region on 9-11-01, sometimes the most difficult circumstances bring out the best in people. We have seen this from our leaders, particularly Governor Christie and President Obama putting aside any political differences to focus on a rapid response to the disaster. Whatever side of the political spectrum one is on, I believe this is a very positive message that would be good to follow, regardless of who wins the upcoming election.

We see the tremendous heroism of first responders, of neighbors helping each other, of people all over the USA pitching in any way they can. It will be a great challenge to rebuild but I am optimistic that with this resilient approach, out of the horrible damage from Hurricane Sandy, things will improve. As a New York native who has lived in New Jersey now for quite some time, my thoughts and prayers go out to all who were impacted.