Sandy, Sandy, why, oh Sandy?

Hurricane Sandy warnings began almost a week ago and as the storm approached, more and more hype and calls for preparedness began flooding the local and national news.  The storm would not only impact the east coast, but also hundreds of miles inland as the circumference of the storm was somewhere in the vicinity of 1000 miles.  

I brought in the outdoor furniture, took down the halloween decorations and with the help of my handyman neighbor, took out the generator.  Ryan showed me how to turn it on, checked the oil, filled it with gas and set it up under the deck so it would stay dry in the rain, ready to start as soon as the power went out.  Extension cords were brought into the house and two gas cans were filled and left in the shed.  Fresh batteries for the flashlight, plenty of allergy-friendly food for my sons, bottled water and several of bottles of wine and we were now ready for Sandy.

Since 1985 when I first moved into this house, I have lost power during every single significant storm...except Sandy.  For the first time, we did not lose power and had The Weather Channel on the whole time, watching in disbelief as the tall ship Bounty sank and crew members were rescued in the Atlantic.  We watched Jim Cantore report from Battery Park as water began flooding lower Manhattan and we saw in real time waves battering Point Pleasant, New Jersey.  

The Weather Channel had many reporters out on location, including a reporter in Narragansett, RI, where I have rented a beach house during the month of July for the past several years.  The reporter told of a window blowing out in the restaurant the crew was eating at earlier.  The photos at low tide showed waves crashing over the sea wall, splattering sea foam everywhere, looking like there was in a fact a blizzard taking place.  Obviously, compared to New Jersey and New York, we here in Rhode Island were very fortunate, but Sandy was still a formidable storm here, one we do not want to see repeated in the future.

Thoughts and prayers to all those affected by Sandy...

The Coast Guard House in Narragansett (restaurant)

At least they recovered a salt and pepper shaker!

What's left of a bench facing Narragansett Beach.

Broken beach parking lot overlooking Narragansett Beach with the Towers in the background.

Part of the sea wall along Narragansett Beach broke off.

Monahan's Dock

Surfers always are out after a storm.

What's left of the ramp at Scarborough Beach in Narragansett.

Home on Galilee Beach, much of the dune washed away but the house looked intact. 

Stairway to nowhere...