It was five years ago that Superstorm Sandy changed people’s lives in New Jersey. For some of us, it was a temporary inconvenience, but for others, everything they owned was gone.

There are two memories that stand out to me from the storm. First, driving home from the radio station the night it hit and seeing no other cars on 195. Then, when I got off on Route 9, all the strip malls that line the road were totally dark. I had never seen that before and I haven’t seen it since. Our house lost power, but, fortunately we own a generator. Which brings me to the second stand out memory.

That Saturday I got up early to go in search of gasoline, not only for our vehicles, but for the generator. Around 6 am I made my way to the Wawa on Route 9 and was amazed at the line waiting to get in. It stretched for a mile on Rte. 9 and it was only 6 am!

Wawa had been shut down because of the power outage and it had taken them awhile to get the generators necessary to run the pumps. One look at that line (and the fact the store wasn’t even open yet) and I decided to try my luck elsewhere. I found a small gas station in Lakewood and was able to fill up, but I will never forget that loooong line of cars on Rte. 9.

My family made it through with minimal damage and minimal inconvenience, but I know there are people who, to this day, are still suffering.

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