Hurricane Sandy devastated the Jersey Shore. Boardwalks and amusement piers in Belmar, Seaside Heights and other towns are gone. Beaches almost disappeared or been heavily eroded. Some train lines and bridges will be out of action for days or even weeks. Schools are closed. The power companies cannot even provide a timetable for when the lights will come back on for well over a million people.
Hardest hit have been the barrier island towns such as Seaside Heights, Long Beach Island and Atlantic City. Most residents evacuated before the storm arrived but when they return many will find extensive damage to homes and businesses as is shown by this Air National Guard video of their flight over Seaside today to assess the damage and look for any remaining survivors.
We know it will take months, and in some cases years, for the Shore to return to its former glory. Today, however, the immediate need is to provide food and shelter to those who need it. The American Red Cross is already on the ground at the Jersey Shore staffing shelters and coordinating care, as it is in many of the states that were hit by the storm.
We’d like to encourage our readers to support the Jersey Shore recovery effort by donating to the American Red Cross disaster relief effort as soon as possible. Then, as the area recovers, plan to support the local businesses and communities by spending some of next summer’s vacation money down the Shore.
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