Sandy was 14 years ago — are we still paying attention?

June 1 is Monday. That is the official start of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, which runs through November 30.

I am not a meteorologist. For the actual forecast and the science behind it, I always defer to our Chief Meteorologist Dan Zarrow — he is the expert and you should be following him closely all season. What I am is someone who has lived and worked here his whole life, been at this radio station since 1999, and was here on October 28th, 2012, when we made the call to go wall to wall on Sandy.

The staff slept over that week. We watched that storm move up the coast for days. Winds topping 80 miles per hour, combined with high tides and a full moon, created what became a perfect storm of destruction — flooding neighborhoods, sweeping away homes, knocking out power for more than two million New Jersey households. I remember Governor Christie arriving at the station on the night of the 29th — a gust of wind blew the front door open as he walked in. That is how I remember Sandy beginning. 

That was fourteen years ago. Take a look at the video below when the National Association of Broadcasters documented our award winning coverage of Sandy. I am very proud of the work we did.

And today I just want to offer a friendly reminder — neighbor to neighbor, not expert to audience — that June 1 is worth a few minutes of your attention.

What I have noticed about the tides lately

Here is what I keep coming back to as someone who has lived in and around New Jersey as an observer. The tides along the coast seem higher than they used to be — and I mean that without any storm in sight. A moderate breeze off the ocean, a full or new moon, and some of the low roads to the barrier islands are already seeing water. The back bays seem to flood with less provocation than they used to. Anyone who drives those roads regularly has probably noticed the same thing.

I am not going to pretend I know exactly why or what it means for this season. Dan Zarrow is your source for that. What I do know is that if the baseline water level is already higher on a calm day, a storm arrives on top of a situation that is already closer to the edge than it was in 2012.

That is all I am saying. It is something I have noticed. I suspect you have too.

SEE ALSO: When the lights went out: How NJ101.5 kept Jersey connected during Sandy 

Fourteen quiet years

New Jersey has had a relatively quiet run since Sandy. No direct major hits. Enough close calls and nuisance flooding to keep the memory alive but nothing that reset the clock the way October 2012 did.

That is how complacency sneaks in. Not through any decision — just through years of near-misses that quietly lower the sense of urgency. The shutters stay in the garage. The go-bag from 2013 sits on a shelf with batteries that probably need replacing. The evacuation route that was memorized in November 2012 gets a little fuzzier every year.

I am not trying to alarm anyone. The season may be completely quiet. I hope it is. I am just the guy at the radio station who was there for Sandy and who notices things from the road, and I think June 1 is a good moment to do a quick mental check.

A short checklist — nothing dramatic

The NJ Office of Emergency Management has everything you need at ready.nj.gov. This is not complicated stuff. It is the kind of thing that takes twenty minutes and then sits quietly in the background all season.

Know your evacuation zone — especially if you are on a barrier island, near the back bays or in a flood-prone area. If you live on a barrier island, a coastal community, a flood-prone area or a mobile home park, you are at much greater risk during hurricane or tropical storm events.

Have a basic kit ready. Medications. Phone chargers and a backup battery pack. Water. A battery-powered radio. NOAA Weather Radio and your local radio and television stations are your best sources for weather updates, storm watches and warnings, and emergency instructions from public safety officials during an event. We will be here. 

Know your plan. If officials say evacuate, go. If possible, make plans now to shelter with a relative or friend who lives out of state in the event of a major emergency. Have that conversation with your family before you need to have it under pressure. 

One more thing worth knowing: homeowner's insurance does not cover flooding. It typically takes up to 30 days for a flood insurance policy to go into effect — so if you do not have one and you live near water, now is the time to look into it. 

This station will be here

Whatever this season brings, NJ 101.5 will be here. We were here for Sandy. We will be here for whatever comes next. Dan Zarrow will have your forecast. Our traffic reporters will guide you on the evacuation routes. The news team will have the latest updates. And our talk show hosts and DJs will be a light in the darkness and will once again serve as Jersey's lifeline.

Just wanted to say hello to June 1 and remind you it exists. That is all this is.

Stay safe this season, New Jersey.