Lucky

In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, I'm mostly feeling lucky.

We escaped the storm with no damage to home or cars. The storm surge was a huge concern. It was supposed to be anywhere from 8-12 feet above normal at high tide on Monday night. And 12 feet would have meant about 2 feet of water in our living room. So that would have sucked. But he storm moved faster than anticipated and the storm surge was about half of what was feared. So the water wound up a few feet short of reaching our door, but it was touch and go there for a little while. We got lucky.

As close as I am to the water on the north shore here on Long Island, my mother is just as close on the south shore. About 10 feet above sea level, just like we are. The water from the Great South Bay reached the end of her block in one direction and the next street over right behind her was completely flooded because of the creek and marina there. Again, it was touch and go for a while. She got lucky.

Mom got power back on Wednesday afternoon. I'm still without power and internet, so I headed out to her place. Today was the first time I've seen news coverage since Monday afternoon. Lots and lots and lots of folks weren't as lucky as we were. Huge trees down all over. Power lines down. Homes and cars wrecked. Forget abut the shoreline. It will probably never be the same. I've heard tell of new inlets across Fire Island and some of the other barrier beaches here. And if you had a home on one of those islands? Not so lucky.

I hope this post finds you safe and sound if you were affected by this bitch of a storm. I hope you have power and heat and all of your loved ones around you. I hope you were one of the lucky ones.