Brian and Jennifer Garofalo live with their children in Toms River, New Jersey. Hurricane Sandy not only caused tremendous damage to their home, but it also destroyed their business, The Beach Bar, on the Seaside Heights Boardwalk. For the past two years, the Garofalos have struggled to put their lives back together. They abandoned their business in Seaside permanently after the Funtown Pier fire, and they are still in the process of rebuilding and lifting their home. In their narrative, the couple stresses the importance of family, perseverance, and maintaining hope. Continue Reading
Resident
You can't beat Mother Nature
Brittany Joline was a senior in high school when Hurricane Sandy hit her hometown of Manasquan, New Jersey. Due to her parents’ recent divorce, she and her father had only been living in their house for four weeks when the storm came. They left after hearing about the mandatory evacuation and when they returned, they found that their home completely destroyed. In this narrative, Brittany talks about the damage the storm caused in her community as well as the recovery process of Manasquan. Continue Reading
Dialing for dollars
Carolyn Olsen is a licensed social worker and currently works in hospice. Prior to Hurricane Sandy, she and her husband were living in Ocean Beach III in Toms River Township. The storm flooded their home with more than three feet of water, causing severe damage and destroying much of their personal possessions. About two years after the storm, she experienced loss again when her husband passed away. She now resides in Allentown, New Jersey, where she makes plans to rebuild her house on the shore. Continue Reading
A little Boston whaler
Joan and Bob Current live in Chadwick Beach, New Jersey. The couple has owned their home in Chadwick for 47 years, and 20 years ago they chose to move there permanently because of the people, the proximity to the beach, and the quietness in the wintertime. Being just feet from the lagoon, their house sustained significant damage during Hurricane Sandy. In this narrative, they describe staying in their home during the storm, as well as the challenges they faced in the days immediately after the storm. Continue Reading
The spray foam snowman
Thomas Bowes resides in Sayreville, New Jersey, but spends much of the year in a family beach house on Chadwick Beach Island. Built in 1964 by his father, the beach house has long been the focal point of summer life for his family. Hurricane Sandy caused severe flooding damage to the house that Thomas, as a carpenter, is working to repair. In his narrative, Thomas speaks to the particular challenges facing those who own second homes on the shore. Continue Reading
This town was Ground Zero
Dorothy Ross, born in 1928, has lived in New Jersey all of her life. For the last forty years she has been resided year-round in Ortley in a home located three blocks from the ocean and two blocks from the bay. She is heavily involved in her church: Saint Elizabeth’s Chapel by-the-Sea in Ortley Beach. During Hurricane Sandy, she evacuated to her daughter’s home in California. She returned to find her home severely damaged and the Chapel completely destroyed. In her narrative, Dorothy talks about the rebuilding process, as well as how her family and church community have helped her cope with the recovery process. Continue Reading
Do you think we'll ever really make it home?
Teresa Keefe has lived in Belmar, New Jersey for more than fifteen years. On the night of Hurricane Sandy, first responders rescued Teresa and her family as the flood waters began to rise into their home. Nearly three feet of floodwater destroyed much of her one-story rancher as well as their personal belongings. In her narrative, Teresa talks about the challenges facing her family as they struggle to rebuild and return to their home. Continue Reading
It was a losing battle
Stephen Schneider has lived in Point Pleasant, New Jersey for nearly all of his life. He holds a degree in Electronic Engineering and currently works as an operations manager for a solar energy company. During Hurricane Sandy, he stayed in his home and watched as over a foot of ocean water inundated his living room. In this narrative, Steven recalls the devastation that afflicted his community and comments on the challenges of recovery. Continue Reading
It was like Reliving a Nightmare
Michaela Burbic was living in Seaside Heights, New Jersey at the time of Hurricane Sandy. The 21-year-old mother of a newborn boy and a 3-year-old girl was without a permanent living situation for nearly a year and a half after the storm. More than two years after Hurricane Sandy, Burbic shines light on the horrors of being a resident in an area that was virtually destroyed by the hurricane. Continue Reading
It Was Real Good at Making You Feel Helpless
Richard Nauyoks has lived on the bay in Toms River for over thirty years. He and his seventy-four year old mother stayed with friends during Superstorm Sandy and they returned to a damaged home and a transformed town. A year after the storm, Richard reflects on both the immediate and continuing impacts that Sandy has had on his life. Sandy changed his perception about living at the edge of the Atlantic and has caused him to look at the future with apprehension. Continue Reading