Jersey Strong

Its no surprise that Hurricane Sandy tore through the East Coast early this week, and destroyed so many people's lives and homes. Some may beg to differ, and maybe I'm being biased, but New Jersey seemed to take the hardest hit, leaving almost 85% of the state without power, some without food and water, and so many with only memories left of their cherished lives. I don't have a house down the shore that got washed away, my apartment wasn't destroyed by the horrible floods in Hoboken, and I was lucky enough to have food and hot water, but I was still affected just the same. My family and I were without power for a week, living each day with hope that our power would be restored, and our cold home would soon be warm again. In my 24 years, I've never seen anything like what our state has had to endure, like it has this past week. From rationing gas like we did in the '60s, to town-wide curfews to prevent looting, our leaders have been doing the best that they can, with the worst circumstances, in order to get us as close to normal as they possibly can.

Normalcy is something that many won't ever have again, though. Even though the Jersey Shore has gotten a bad rap over the past few years, it is a special place for so many here in our state. The damage will take a long time to repair, and so many of our beloved boardwalks, surf shops, restaurants and homes were lost in the storm, some even washed out into the ocean. If you haven't seen the pictures, I suggest that you do. I've never seen anything so devastating, but again, maybe I'm being biased.

I know that many of you were not affected by Sandy, and may not understand the tragedy that the East Coast is going though, but I ask that you think about those of us who have. New Jersey has a long, hard road back to recovery, and we need as much help as we can possibly get.  If you are willing and able to help, I ask that you consider donating to the Red Cross to help those in need. It is as simple as texting REDCROSS to 90999 or by heading over to iTunes.com/redcross. I did.

I am proud to call the amazing state of New Jersey my home. I will always be Jersey Strong.