SITREP: JERSEY SHORE

The aftermath of Hurricane Sandy's destruction, nine months later.

Just rolled in from the Jersey Shore - totally exhausted - the mission was supporting Wife TigerLily's showing at the Jersey Shore Fine Arts Festival in Ship Bottom, NJ, which is on Long Beach Island; one of the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Sandy last October. A prevalent theme expressed on bumper stickers, banners on buildings and placards in business shop windows is: "Thank You - Jersey Shore is Back!"

For the most part this is true; Long Beach Island is open for business, although business was slow at the show due to a tropical storm that moved through the region Friday night and Saturday morning and kept the crowds away. In the end it was a good show, even though all we did was break even on expenses; most of the exhibitors didn't, some didn't even make a sale. TigerLily and I made enough $$$ to pay for the gas mileage down there and back, a nice BIG hotel room for two nights in the Holiday Inn - FUN LIKE ROCKSTARS - we ate lobster & scallops for three nights in a row and we linked up with friends in the region.

A boarded up business, still undergoing repairs. I saw several like this, although surprisingly most businesses seemed open and doing a bustling trade.

This heavy gauge steel sign was bent by the force of water and marked by impact from some kind of debris.


Wiped from the Face of the Earth.


Almost all of the houses are being rebuilt from the inside out. Exteriors okay, interiors totally gutted.



Bottom floor totally gutted.



(Above and below) These houses are on the large barrier dune, first pressure ridge from the shore.




These guys lost not only their entire bottom floors, garages etc, but also their driveways! The paving stones were simply lifted up and washed away.


A business that was totally destroyed, several blocks back from the beach.


All that remains of this house are the foundations.


Totally gutted, rebuilding from the inside out.


The large sand pile next to this dwelling is an annomaly; for the most part, sand removal has been accomplished and the barrier dune restored.

The contractors are everywhere, rebuilding the Jersey Shore piece by piece. They are the latest heroes of the Saga of Super Storm Sandy.


"Mother Nature is The Boss . . ."

- STORMBRINGER SENDS