It has now been two weeks since Hurricane Sandy made her way through the tri-state area, leaving nothing but a trail of destruction in her path.
The high winds caused trees to fall and power to go out while the ocean surged and made its way onto land.
A week and a half of classes and many other campus happenings, were cancelled due to the storm, including two issues of the weekly Outlook. In this time, many Jersey shore communities were changed forever. Never before has a storm of Sandy’s magnitude shaken the foundation of so many different towns.
The Long Branch boardwalk and Pier Village was greatly damaged, parts of the Seaside Heights boardwalk are now in the Atlantic Ocean, huge trees fell, and the ocean met the bay down in Long Beach Island.
There are students and faculty members whose lives were directly affected by this storm. Some may not even be back to classes for a while depending on their situation.
In these hard times, it is important that we all remember one message, a message President Gaffney constantly passes on to the students; take care of each other.
While students were gone, the University served its community the best way it could. The MAC was offered as a shelter and it went on to be the biggest shelter in the area. Now that we are all back on campus, it’s time that we do our best to serve and look after everyone involved in the campus community.
It’s very hard to find someone on campus who doesn’t know someone affected by the storm, which makes the situation that much more real. This wasn’t a natural disaster which occurred in a faraway place like the Philippines, it was right here in our own backyard, which is all the more reason why we should all help.
Most people went without power for a couple of days, while others were forced to dig through rubble remaining of their homes to try and salvage anything they could. It is those who weren’t as fortunate after the storm we have to look after, especially the ones who are a part of our campus community.
There are many different ways people can get involved in helping the victims of Hurricane Sandy.
You can donate supplies like work gloves, paper towels, plastic bags, cleaning sprays, and even tools. The weather is starting to get colder now as winter approaches, so you can donate things like sweatshirts, jackets, gloves, blankets, etc.
Many of the victims have nowhere to go for food and cannot even feed their pets. Bottles of water, granola bars, canned foods, bread, milk, warm food, and pet food can all be donated.
Some can even go the extra mile with these supplies by donating time in one of the storm torn communities by going around and handing out all of these supplies. In the few weeks remaining in the semester, keep an eye open for fundraisers right here on campus. Many student run organizations are looking to put together events which would help raise money for those affected by the storm. When you see one of these events, do your best to attend and support.
Imagine you were one of the victims. You lost everything you had: your car, your house, and all of your personal belongings. Wouldn’t you want help if you in that situation? You would, and that is why in this difficult time it important that we all look after each other.
