Re: Hurricane Sandy
Personal stories help to put things into perspective. I received this through a local Corvette club we are affiliated with. Here is his story:
"Good Evening Friends & Family,
First, my deepest sympathy goes to all families that suffered through the hurricane. May God guide you to the best direction back to your everyday paths.
Second, it is evident that the Surf Club has suffered great loss. I'm sure some you have seen some pictures circulating that show devastation to the club. Please do not entertain any rumors regarding the club's future. Joe Sr., Joe Jr., Tommy, & Gordi, will make every effort to rebuild the club as soon as humanly possible. No one would have thought that the club would re-open after one week after Irene struck last year.
Third, attached are 2 pictures of my house still attached to the foundation. My neighbors white house had dismantled from it's foundation and floated/crashed into the side of my house causing great destruction. The second picture shows a house that was on the corner of Ocean Ave. & 5th Ave. that floated approximately 100 yards and made its final resting place on my sidewalk. We are not sure if our house can be saved. A engineer will determine that. The house might need to be ripped down and rebuilt. If not, there is 100's of thousands of dollars in damage. There are 2 cars (Dad's Impala & my Malibu) still in the garage. We are assuming that they are totaled being the water level went up 5 feet in the house. The downstairs part of our house is completely un savable. Our upstairs is in fair condition. We have no clue what the severity of the foundation of the house or how the infrastructure is holding up. Currently, houses are starting to blow up from natural gas problems. We are praying that this will not happen to our once beautiful home. We are not allowed back on the barrier island at this point. We are hearing it might take a week to get back. It is safe to say that the entire island is at a catastrophic level and is in need of state and government help/funding. It is also safe to say that life will never be the same on the barrier island.
Our family moral is at a all time low right now. Mom & Dad have cried many times. I have hid my tears a couple of times already. My parents are not sure where they are going to live after a few days. I will be residing at my girlfriend Christina's house until I am able to safely live at my home in Ortley Beach. Everyone keeps saying, "That is what insurance is for!" Please keep in mind that my father has taken out the best insurance that money can buy and it still will not cover what we have lost. We have to assume that all of our life posession's are un retrievable in the house and gone forever. This week has been the darkest week of all in the Pagliuca Family. We are going to make every effort to try and get back on track. We have been very generous to many people throughout our lives. It might be time to accept some return favors. However, there is really nothing people can do for us at this point.
The best accolades of 2012 include:
-Special thanks to Dominic & Lois Cocco for not only taking my parents in for shelter but others as well. Their generosity cannot be superceded by anyone.
-Special thanks to my girlfriend Christina and the Peluso family for taking me into their home for as long as I need. they are truly an amazing family.
-Joe Sr., Joe Jr., Tommy & Gordi.......I will be praying for you everyday. People like me are relying on your many years of business experience to rebuild the Surf Club, put people back to work, and provide a place for people to share happiness again. All of you have the biggest challenges are yet to come.
-God Bless Rudy who almost lost his life trying to get off Pelican Island. He is safe now.
-God Bless Gordi for surviving the storm
-Thank you Ray Tuscano for finding me a route to get out of Ortley.
-Thank you to Al & Ray Cecere for all the communication.
-Thanks to everyo
-God Bless my best friends and parents for going through hell this week. We have a long road ahead of us. I love you more than you will ever know.
Joe Pags"
After reading that, try to realize that it is just one of a thousand such stories that are taking place right now. A new map of the NJ shoreline will have to be drawn because it no longer resembles the current maps. Beaches are gone and new canals have been formed. This is the worst thing that has ever happened to NJ in the 60 years I've lived here.
Verne [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/cry.gif[/img]
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