Community Corner

An Unforgettable Trip Down The Jersey Shore

After the winds of Hurricane Sandy died down, Jeremy Hall, a Holmdel High School student, went out to document the destruction.

Hurricane Sandy, some may call it the "Storm of the Century." The destruction that occurred is beyond belief. Many lost everything, some just their homes or cars. But most suffered emotionally. Losing a place they grew up as a child, a memory, a picture. It wasn't just homes and belongings that were lost though, national landmarks gone, businesses destroyed, and beaches ruined.

The day after Super Storm Sandy struck I set out to volunteer and document the pure devastation that occurred. When I arrived at the beach in Sea Girt I was in complete shock and awe. The boardwalk was destroyed, many homes destroyed or flooded. Cars flipped over and in the middle of the street. Destruction everywhere you looked. Many had evacuated, though some did not. Those who didn't stood in horror as they looked at was left of their homes.

After I visited Sea Girt I went to Belmar, the boardwalk and beachfront properties were in shambles. Lake Como had flooded beyond belief. The water had started to recede but it was still visible were the water had risen to. One of the bathroom trailers was inside someone's house, both completely destroyed. The residents started to do the only sensible thing, start repairing what was left of their homes.

The last town I visited was Ocean Grove. When most think of the small town the fishing pier is the first image that pops into most minds. The pier used to be an iconic image that represented the New Jersey Shore, now it's just some pilings of wood. The fishing hut that used to be on top of the pier gone, the benches on the pier gone, most of the structural part of the pier gone. The boardwalk was mostly still in tact but it appeared to be like a roller coaster, not a level plank on the whole thing.


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