Storm Assessment Begins

As many of you know from watching The Weather Channel or one of the major media outlets, Hurricane Sandy/Superstorm Sandy (or as I like to call her, "Frankenstorm" Sandy) has exited New England and the Tri-State area --- New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut --- but in her wake lies miles and miles of destruction.

My family lives a few miles inland and uphill from Long Island Sound in southeastern Connecticut, so we were very protected from the most concerning component of Hurricane Sandy:  storm surge inundation.  We prepared more for wind and post-storm disruptions...and emerged most fortunate;  in fact, ridiculously fortunate, for which I am heartily thankful.  The extent of our damage was embarrassingly minimal:  one branch off our old silver maple in the backyard and a flowerpot that was broken because it was improperly stowed in the garage.  Originally, I thought two branches had succumbed to the wind, but the second branch was actually from our neighbor's tree.  We never lost power, despite several flickers at the height of the storm that caused our clocks to require resetting, and our water/sewer service has functioned without a hitch.  As I said, we were ridiculously fortunate.

Sadly, many residents in southeastern Connecticut and western Rhode Island cannot say the same.  Among the hardest hit in my area were the communities of Stonington, Mystic, Niantic, Old Saybrook, Madison and Milford, along with Westerly, Rhode Island.  My family frequents many of these towns weekly, so we feel for the residents who have returned home from evacuation to find, in many cases, profound destruction.  We know homeschool families in these communities.  We attend church in Niantic, take music lessons in Stonington, frequent dance classes and sometimes help with handbell rehearsals in Mystic, practice the organ in Madison, attend (or give) concerts in Westerly, and often lunch in Old Saybrook on our way to and from many events and commitments.  The amount and extent of devastation along the shoreline here is mind-boggling, although it pales in comparison to New York and New Jersey.  I only pray that the power restoration and clean up is swift so that life for these folks can return to "normal" (whatever that is) as soon as possible.

I pray, too, that the months ahead are mild of weather and uneventful, as an encounter with some mutant Nor'easter that looks and acts like a hurricane would be most unwelcome, as unwelcome as Sandy, the hurricane that looked and acted too much like a Nor'easter.

The Week in the Day
Pictures from the week prior to Sandy's arrival.

In the Wake of Sandy
A photo gallery from the Providence Journal

Hurricane Sandy Devours Southern RI Coastline
More photos from the Providence Journal

The Aftermath of Hurricane Sandy
A photo gallery from the Hartford Courant

Northeast Reeling from Sandy's Punch
A collection of photographs, mostly of New Jersey, from the Providence Journal

Damage in East Lyme After Hurricane Sandy
Photos of the town where my family attends church (from the Hartford Courant)