After yesterday’s very exciting arrival to Newark, I spent all night wondering how prepared I actually was for the job my team had set out to do. Here I was, spending my spring break trying to help those who lost their homes during Sandy by helping with the rebuilding and restructuring of their homes but, the last thing I know about is home improvement and construction. How large of a difference can I make and how much of assistance can I really be? Last night I was ready but anxious and nervous for the start of what I know will be an amazing experience.
As a New Yorker Sandy, although close to home, had no immediate impact on my family directly. I remember being on campus for the storm and thinking that the flooding rains and speedy winds…and the black out…were so powerful, scary, and impeding but could never possibly imagine the reality of what was occurring on the Jersey Shore. It’s shocking and mind boggling how large of an impact Sandy truly had. Today, almost a year and a half later, the effects are still present as some homes remain abandoned and some businesses are no where near the same. Over 68 billion dollars of damages total , the outcome of Sandy was not something you could anticipate.
Last night, I was nervously anticipating the start of our project but, as I found myself in the mist of a group of more then 25 other volunteers I know we can make a difference. We all know that one week of work cannot possibly recover all the loss experienced along the Jersey Shore but we have hope that we can help make the recovery process that much easier for at least one family.