On October 29th (a date I always remember since it is my wife’s birthday), 2012, Superstorm Sandy hit New Jersey, causing billions of dollars in damages. The storm had been downgraded from hurricane status by the time it made landfall near Atlantic City but still was plenty powerful.

It caused an estimated $38 billion of damage in New Jersey alone. At one point, 2.6 million residents in New Jersey (including me) were without power and there were 43 hurricane related deaths in the state. It was reported that there was up to five feet of water standing in some northern New Jersey towns and the storm surge caused flooding problems far inland. The hospital in Hoboken was evacuated and the National Guard had to be called in there and other towns in the state. And who could forget the shore. Wildwood Crest recorded over 11 inches of rain. Seaside Heights saw its beloved boardwalk absolutely destroyed. There are still some parts of the shore that continue to rebuild.

I’ll always remember driving home that night with I-195 deserted and then driving south on Route 9 through Howell with all the traffic lights off and all the strip malls darkened; there were no other cars, it was rather eerie. It is estimated that 346,000 homes were damaged or destroyed. Some people are still waiting for their homes to be rebuilt.

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