My neighborhood is “neat and tidy” today, lawns are mowed and leaves are raked to the curb. Very few reminders of Superstorm Sandy are visible on the one year anniversary of the storm, unless you look closely at the trees which are missing branches, or the stumps where big oak trees once stood. The pictures below speak a thousand words and bring back memories of how lucky my family was. Many, many families weren’t so lucky and continue to be displaced to this day, physically and emotionally from Superstorm Sandy.
While climate change didn’t cause Superstorm Sandy, it did create the conditions, rising seas and warmer oceans, that turned Sandy from a powerful storm, to a super storm. One week before US local, state and national elections, make sure that whoever you vote for has a plan to address and combat climate change, and if they don’t, DO NOT give them your vote. This is not a “single issue” election item. It impacts our economy, our health, our environment and our future. Make no mistake, we are at war and we all need to join forces if we hope to have a chance to win. This is a battle we cannot afford to loose as our children’s future is at stake.
Hurricane Sandy, The Morning After
October 30, 2012: We woke up this morning to the sound of generators. We no longer hear the sustained howling winds we went to bed listening to; there are only wind gusts at this point, although the weather forecast is for more wind and rain today. Dawn has broken and across our cul d’ sac we can see a large tree that stretches from one end to another. We can walk down our street, but not drive down it, or out into the town or the world beyond.
According to the local news, close to 2.5 million people in New Jersey are without power. Our power supplier just announced it could be up to 10 DAYS for some customers to get power back….as downed power lines litter this and many other suburban town streets.
A local “moms facebook group” has been an amazing community resource. Connecting people that need to be connected, offering help and shelter and reporting on downed trees and wires. It also makes it clear that many homes have trees that landed on them, on cars, on sheds, but luckily not on any people in our town..In the neighboring town however, there are reports that one man has been killed by a falling tree…
We are lucky…we have a generator, my house is intact and my children are asleep in their rooms…But many are not so lucky and there are many stories that need to be told. It is NOT okay for us to have government leaders that question climate change or the need to address it. Facts are facts..these storms are part of our future and our present. We need to figure out how to mitigate and adapt to the worst of what nature can throw at us, and to begin to help our earth heal…
Take care,
Yours..
Climate Mama
