Dave Estelle is a retired police officer who has lived in Sea Bright, New Jersey, all his life. He is currently the captain of the First Aid Squad, and has helped to organize responses to several hurricanes including Sandy. During Sandy, he was forced evacuate all first responders temporarily due to the storm’s intensity. In the aftermath, he worked for about two months straight helping the people of Sea Bright to recover. In this narrative, Dave Estelle talks about his personal reaction to the storm, the emergency calls he received as a first responder, and the recovery of the town of Sea Bright. Continue Reading
By Experience
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
We may be a casualty of Hurricane Sandy
Jane Marion was born in 1957 and has spent most of her life living along the Jersey Shore. For nearly thirty years, she has been working as an Emergency Medical Technician with the Dover Brick Beach First Aid Squad. Just before Hurricane Sandy, she evacuated her home in Monterey Beach, Lavallette. As a first responder, she was one of the first to witness the devastation of the storm. In her narrative, she speaks to the work of first responders and the challenges involved with organizing evacuation plans. 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
A precarious, dangerous place to build and protect
Sarah Bowen works as an Urban Planner and Project Manager at Michael Baker International, a firm that provides engineering services for public and private sector clients worldwide. For the past several years, she has worked on projects aimed at helping Jersey Shore communities to mitigate the effects of floods and other disasters, including the Ocean County Hazard Mitigation Plan and the Long-Term Recovery Plan for Ocean County. In her narrative, Sarah discusses how Hurricane Sandy has affected shore communities, and how she is working to ensure that such destruction is avoided in the future. 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
A storm like no one alive has ever seen
Matthew Doherty is the Mayor of Belmar, New Jersey. As mayor, he played a key role in helping his residents to prepare for the storm, as well as in organizing first responders to assist those stranded by flooding. Since Hurricane Sandy he has worked to help those still struggling to rebuild. After seeing two families face tremendous difficulties with insurance, he organized Home by Summer, a relief effort aimed at raising funds to help these families rebuild their homes and return home by summer 2015. 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