Sandy, oh Sandy!

You've undoubtedly seen photos of the destruction that Sandy wreaked in Manhattan, Staten Island and the Jersey shore.  This storm was nothing like anything I have experienced before.  I have been through quite a number of hurricanes in my 55 years, and flooding was ALWAYS the major issue.  Except for Manhattan, Staten Island and the Jersey shore, flooding was NOT the big issue - the wind was.

We waited for the rains to come - and they did. Maybe 3 to 4 inches of rain?  Not a lot by hurricane standards. The winds however, were unearthly. You know how you hear tornado survivors say the winds sounded like a freight train going by?  That was what this was like.  Laying in bed Monday night, trying to fall asleep and listening to the wind shriek and howl quite unlike anything I have heard before, was so unsettling.

Waking up Tuesday morning, the rain was falling gently and the winds were very calm - nothing like the night before.  As I woke up to get dressed and get ready for work (yes, I was expected in), the world was dark and quiet.  I decided at the last minute to bring my camera with me.  My wife Marianne also took a camera with her later that afternoon when she took our dog Jesse, for his walk.

Here's just a small sample of the sights we saw in South Plainfield, NJ.  Our town looked like something from a war zone or a movie set.  We took a lot more photos - and please note, this all happened within walking distance of our home.

This is the tree that took out our electricity for five days. That's Jesse, our dog in the lower left corner.

Down the street from us.

Siding ripped from a house.

Around the block from us.

Another tree down.

The fence surrounding the community pool was destroyed.

Around another block.

This is the branch that fell off our maple tree in the back yard. The EDZ wire was higher than this limb.

A neighbor, just down the street from us.

An evergreen down on the side of our Church, Sacred Heart.

A car port demolished.

Just around the corner from us. This tree didn't take down any wires but is being gently suspended by them.

I learned a lot from this experience.  Over the next post or two, I will share some observations about being prepared and some other things.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!