What it was like to be on New Jersey 101.5 during Superstorm Sandy

Can you believe it's been 10 years since New Jersey was swept up in Superstorm Sandy?

I spent that night Oct. 29, 2012, right here on New Jersey 101.5.

I'll never forget coming in the late afternoon just as it was all beginning.

I had actually come in Sunday night to host a "prepare for Sandy" show.

When I returned, most of the station had never left.

It looked like one big pajama party, with every show staking out their sleeping arrangements and food spread out everywhere.

I was to go on after Chris Christie's "Ask The Governor."

Remember when a New Jersey governor actually came into our studios and took calls from real people, then actually helped them with their problems?

Long time huh?

That night Christie wanted to be here because he knew it was the best place to reach the most people.

I was supposed to be on from 8 p.m. to midnight, but Ray Rossi, who followed me, asked me to stay. I was happy to do so and to do it with him.

Rossi, who's now retired from radio, came on New Jersey 101.5 show to talk about that night.

"We didn't have any phones working," Rossi said when he called in.

"That's one of the reasons why I said, Steve you gotta stay. I mean, the phones were out and the only means of communication we had was Facebook Messenger, I believe, at that time. That was the only way that we were able to get members of the 'Rossi Posse' on and let us know what was going on."

Everything was going just fine until the transmitter got knocked off the air around 10 p.m.

We also lost power and relied on a backup generator that only worked in the air studio.

"Let's face it, when all else fails, what else is there to do but tell like, old Italian stories, share recipes, and just pull it out of thin air let's say."

Since we were also broadcasting online, we had to keep going.

Then around 3 a.m, the phones went down, leaving Ray and I talking to each other.

It was an adventure leaving the studio and stepping over people in the dark trying to find the bathroom.

We stayed until 5 a.m. because I wanted to get home to my wife and kids.

Since we had no Internet or phones, there was no "First News," so we reran "Ask The Governor."

Coming home, the roads into Roosevelt were blocked by fallen trees, causing me to take a very long route to get in.

That night, it was back to the station, where Ray and I did 8 p.m. to midnight again.

As bad as Sandy was, it galvanized New Jersey 101.5 to our listeners, many of which were without power and listening to us on battery-powered radios.

To this day, people still thank us for getting them through Sandy.

Rossi even got us a proclamation from the city of Manalapan.

Also to this day, it's one of the fondest memories of my radio career.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Steve Trevelise only. Follow him on Twitter @realstevetrev.

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