After Katrina, 52 crews from our area (long Island) went down to Mississippi.. They were gone for over three weeks.
We came through Sandy without any serious issues. Some slats blew off our fence, and a shingle came adrift, that was quickly nailed back on. Never lost power. Many family and friends did lose power, and some had their home flooded. We opened out home up to them for hot showers and meals. Our spare bedroom was usually occupied through Tuesday.
Yesterday, the nor'easter hit. The weather guessers predicted rain. We got 8" of wet, heavy snow instead. at 1:58 AM, a tree lost a big limb and brought down a power line. We lost power. I was outside this morning clearing the snow from the driveway when two bucket trucks rolled by. They were from a local private company. They found the problem and we had power on by 10:45 AM. Some teenagers spent the afternoon after school shoveling out driveways of seniors, and refused payment for their effort.
My brother is President of his volunteer fire department. They set up their banquet room above the firehouse with cots. They have a big kitchen, and the volunteers have been cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner for line crews and residents. Crews can stop by for a hot shower, hot meal and a nap. Two crews from Nova Scotia have set up there as the hotels are filled. Anyone without power can stop by for a hot meal. About 100 town residents have been eating and showering there. The local laundry-mat is letting anyone without electricity wash and dry their clothes for free. A local power equipment shop is repairing generators at no charge. Two have been beyond repair, and the owner loaned the homeowners a rebuilt unit. We, along with dozens of others have donated cash and groceries to the fire dept., to help them feed the crews and residents. Tonight, several of us made a run to the nearest BJs Club with power and picked up enough milk, coffee, eggs, sausage, bacon and pancake mix to carry them through the next two day's breakfasts. The fridges were full, so we stored the perishables outside in a storage shed. It will be more than cold enough for everything to keep. The firemen have been collecting coats, blankets, and food for several days. Tomorrow, they will caravan a group of SUVs and vans to the Breezy Point Volunteer Fire Dept. You may have heard that over 100 homes burned to the ground in Breezy Point during the hurricane. Some of those families are being housed at their fire department. They've lost everything, including their clothing. This will help alleviate their discomfort a little. A local business owner donated 20 new winter coats in child sizes. The sense of community is strong here. As individuals we cannot do very much to offset the damage and misery. However, as a community, we can make a measurable difference. My brothers and I will be at the firehouse bright and early Sunday morning to help cook breakfast. Everyone's efforts are adding up. The number of folks coming by the firehouse to eat or shower has been cut more than in half. Things are improving, but there's still 1,100 families in or around the town without power. The schools reopened today, which means the kids whose homes are cold and dark can spend the day in warmth and have a hot meal.
There's much on the local news about how bad things are. Nonetheless, there's a lot of good happening too.... People caring for their neighbors.
