Left to right: Meteorologists Jon Schwartz, Christina Speciale, Sam DeAlba, Nick Marguccio, & Sean Rowland.
It has been three full weeks since Hurricane (post Tropical Storm) Sandy ravaged the Mid Atlantic and Northeast states bringing record storm damage and historic tidal flooding to many areas. As we draw near the Thanksgiving holiday, most of us are thankful that some normalcy has returned to our lives. Our power has been restored and our homes are warmed up. The long gas lines have diminished and once again we are able to surf the internet. Best of all cable TV is back and for that - football fans are ecstatic. Sadly however, as we approach this holiday season, some of the hardest hit areas of New Jersey and New York will still be shivering in the cold and darkness as they continue a painfully slow recovery. Most are thankful that their homes are still standing despite the significant loss of furniture along with precious items and mementos. Some however, were not so lucky and have lost everything.
During WeatherWorks’ recent excursion to the Jersey Shore to volunteer in some local relief efforts, I was overwhelmed by the positive response of my office staff. Those that were able to come down and help never hesitated a moment when asked to rip out water logged carpeting in mold infested homes or move refrigerators (Mike Mihalik, pictured left) and other debris from badly damaged properties. At the Atlantic City Mission we fulfilled numerous orders for needy families, by running through the make shift warehouse of donated goods until we found each of the items requested whether it was a coat, a pair a pants or a blanket. I learned that diapers come in many many sizes. Rob and Nick who were organizing and sorting clothes in the woman’s department have become experts in female sizes.
I would like to extend a very heartfelt thanks to all the WeatherWorks Staff members that participated in helping storm victims. We will forever remember the gratitude expressed on the faces of those we helped. Thanks to Rob Reale (pictured right) for coordinating our efforts with local relief organizations in Stafford Township, Atlantic City and Long Beach Island and for cooking a great breakfast one day. Thanks to all that assisted with transportation (sorry about all that mud we left in your cars). Thanks to my wife Ann Marie, for the delicious apple crisp, spiral cut ham and other food to get us started. It was great to see both WeatherWorks veterans as well as newly hired employees helping out together during this unified cause. Of course none of this could have been done if it were not for the meteorologists and staff that stayed behind and worked extra hours to assure that our client services remained uninterrupted. A big thanks to our clients also for your patience if any of your products or services were delayed during the time some of our regular staff was gone. Fortunately this time, the weather cooperated allowing us to remain in areas that needed help.
A recent release from the U.S. Geologic Survey stated that “Sandy taught us yet again that not all category 1 hurricanes are created equal: the superstorm's enormous fetch over the Atlantic produced storm surge and wave erosion of historic proportions and that the storm caused dramatic changes to portions of shoreline extending hundreds of miles. The USGS has prepared photo pairs from North Carolina to Massachusetts that assess the coastal impact of Sandy. These can be viewed at: http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/hurricanes/sandy/post-storm-photos/obliquephotos.html.
Someone asked me today, “What was the first thing that I did when I returned home?” My answer to them was that I immediately began thinking about and planning my next visit to help storm victims. I believe all the WeatherWorks volunteers feel the same. Thanks again to all.
