2 months post-Sandy, Learning kindness from a little girl that lost everything...

It's been almost two months since Hurricane Sandy hit and devastated the Northeast. It was very strange being in New York City while Sandy was approaching.  During the days leading up to the storm most seemed undisturbed by the news reports. Just like the rest of New York, we didn't miss a beat Saturday night and went to dinner and a haunted house. However, Sunday felt a little odd. News reports increased and batteries, bottled water and beer began flying off the shelves. The city's homeless changed their signs to react to the hurricane. Street conversation turned to the approaching storm...most talked about the overreaction and that last year it was nothing. Monday was calm, anxiety began to rise and most began to feel claustrophobic staying inside - especially when living in an apartment slightly larger than a closet. No more homeless individuals were on the streets, the city and nonprofits had picked everyone up. Public transition shut down. Then the realization hit... The realization that you are on an overcrowded island. Most have no car and with public transit being shut down, you really didn't have too many options if you had to grab your "go bag" and flee your apartment. When the howling and whistling noises started Monday night, the dogs went on a barking rampage...they were beyond confused. We live in a 3rd floor walk-up pre-war building next to the East River - our apartment is in-between two buildings...so you really can't see much of the outside world. Thankfully, we never lost power, so we were able to watch all news in real-time. Seeing how we live in the Upper East Side, we didn't feel threatened by flooding... we had no idea that the surges would impact the East River. That night, we didn't realize that the East River had come over FDR highway and onto our street until we heard an extremely loud noise in the middle of Sandy. So, logically, we went outside to see what was going on. Due to the water surge, we had an explosion on our street. Given that explosions were happening all around the city, no one could get through to 911. By the grace of God, a police officer happened to be on our street monitoring the surge and was able to call for help. The end of our building lost power. It was pretty crazy to see the highway we look at every day filled with traffic underwater...and the water rising toward your home. But we were fine - and only had minor inconveniences of having no cell service for a week and having to both work from home because our offices did not have power. We were completely fine.

The morning following Sandy, we walked 40 blocks south to lower-Manhattan. We couldn't stand to hear another news report and wanted to see with our own eyes. While lower-Manhattan did not receive even close to the amount of damage as the Far Rockways, Jersey and Staten Island, it was still eye-opening to see.... with no power, structural damage, trees in the streets, and limited transit, there was a lot of confusion... we saw an entire glass-enclosed bus stop shattered, areas underwater and a Manhattan that we did not recognize. Volunteer efforts and emergency efforts were hectic. People wanted to help, but couldn't physically reach the areas that needed the most help. If they could get there, they often didn't have the supplies needed.. Our news stations highlighted the worst and political debates continued...

To view photos we took the day after the storm in Lower Manhattan, visit:

Hurricane Sandy - Lower Manhattan

Now, almost two months after Sandy, relief efforts are still in full-force. Skilled-volunteers with appropriate equipment are being called to help...so many are displaced throughout the boroughs. So many have lost everything - their homes, neighborhoods, jobs and for kids, their normal routines, school and daily interactions with friends. Through my job, I had the opportunity to hear the stories from some of these kids that were displaced from the Far Rockaways and Staten Island through the Heart of America's Operation Buddy Packs program. We delivered backpacks to these kids that included necessities along with fun and educational items. While helping one little girl open up her backpack, I learned that she lost the life she knew in the Far Rockaways and was busy starting her new life in Manhattan with a school full of new kids and neighborhood she doesn't recognize. With each item she pulled from the bag, her eyes opened wide and her smiled became bigger. The little boy next to her was whining that she had two balls in her bag and he only had one. The little girl who lost everything happily handed over one of her balls.... she didn't even think twice...