Sandy Superstorm

[Excel]

Sandy
Have a hard time checking out the postings here since the disaster on the east coast….We went through the 7.2 earthquake in ’89, having a home in the Santa Cruz mountains….had severe damage although it did not come off it’s foundation. Was without power, water, toilets (as we were on a well) for a very long time….no tv of course. Neighbors huddled together even though we were in a remote area. Guys went along the road turning off propane tanks, moving what they could of the trees and limbs covering our roads…..did what they could. There was no looting or closing your door for anyone who needed help and it rained in torrents for days after. So I can feel the hopelessness & frustration (& the cold) that those in the east are going through….and of course as far as the Red Cross is concerned, we never saw them at all….Guess they all went on vacation or went to San Francisco (so they’d get more TV time…..)
I’m sending my donation to the Salvation Army….as their CEO doesn’t make the big, big bucks that the gal that runs the Red Cross does….Hope some of you that can will consider donating also.
No one can judge what a person goes through when one of these disasters comes along…unless they too have experienced something similar….
Hoping the politicians will put politics aside & put people’s welfare as a priority… but not holding my breath....
Anyhow, off my soap box….but really not interested in the small talk here….as my mind is consumed with the horror people over there are going through….If I was younger, I’d be flying there with any group I could join….so I could help instead of feeling so useless………..

[Nasoosie]

I, too, know how you feel, and it breaks my heart to hear some of those poor people fearing for their lives as so many of them have never been faced with such adversity. That is one thing I was so thankful for when the ice storm hit us, isolating all of us from even relatively near-by neighbors with massive piles of downed trees, poles, wires, and layers of solid ice-----I had lived in isolated log cabins on and off for years, and I knew I could survive just about anything. But the people in Hoboken and Staten Island and elsewhere in that area have no idea how to be self-contained, and what's more, have no way to be even. No wood stoves and no wood supply means freezing temps can lead to hypothermia. Drinking water, if they didn't stock up enough, will get very scarce. Flushing one's toilet becomes a chore never even considered in their earlier lives. Lack of food will drag a person down in short time, especially children.

And that brings me to this question......what on earth are they running the marathon for??? Wouldn't it be so much more beneficial to have all those hundreds of runners running food, water, toilet paper, and propane heaters to all those people? I don't get it.

[Irmi]

Even though our home flooded for the third time, I will no longer post here. I wasn't looking for sympathy.

[Paulette]

Irmi, in my estimation you are as much east coast as those in ny and New Jersey! Please continue to post as there are some of us who care and want to hear that you are able to get things taken care of. And also please know if there is anything I can do to help out, let me know. I know I'm not real close, but I'm here.

Soos, I agree about the marathon and was glad to hear that they decided against it this evening. What were they thinking?

The aide workers can only do what they can do...they can't take care of everything and everyone all at once. My heart goes out to those that are stranded where they are, especially with the temps dropping tonight and tomorrow night, and I pray that Mother Nature will see fit to send that next nor'easter out to sea! I for one am not ready for another storm any time soon!

Hopefully some good will come from this storm and people will continue to pull together to help each other out as best they can.

Off my soap box now.

[Nasoosie]

Irmi, we all want to follow you and Steve to see what's up with your house this time....of course you should post here. None of us is meaning you should feel like you need sympathy, but we can't help it. And you two are just as much a part of this Sandy mess as all the others, no matter what towns and states they were in. I have been so happy to see your posts, even though that shot of your house makes it look as if it was in a pond----at least it is still standing. Heaven only knows what the inside will look like this time, but I, for one, am looking forward to finding out with you. And, yes...I wish I could help you with it.

Why did you think you shouldn't post? We all were holding our breath to hear the first word from you in NC and know that you were safely out of the path of Sandy. Surely you can't think that your plight is 'small talk'.....that is not what Excel meant at all, I am sure. I suspect she means the daily chatty stuff we are prone to do makes her feel guilty while those affected by the storm, like you and Steve, suffer with worry for their homes, and in agony, trying to get some sense back into their lives. I know what she feels, as I feel it too---almost a guilt for having been spared.

Time for NBC's show on Sandy and its victims----gotta watch it.....a concert to raise some funds and some help.

[Excel]

Irmi....I did not mean you or your situation at all and I am sorry if you misunderstood me. Please continue to post. It's just that I have friends along the east coast & in Rhode Island....who luckily are pretty much ok....but their e-mails tell me that there is much going on that isn't on TV....I can't help having this feeling of frustration that I can't be out there helping....I am truly sorry if you thought I was referring to you...I was not...please accept my apologizes.

[Getupngo]

Irmi, I hope you continue to post. There are differences between caring, sympathy and empathy. I care, but I cannot sympathize or empathize. Others here have walked in your waders. I have not. But I do care and want to support you.

[Bethers]

Irmi, I hope you continue to post. There are differences between caring, sympathy and empathy. I care, but I cannot sympathize or empathize. Others here have walked in your waders. I have not. But I do care and want to support you.

Ditto.

[Pooker]

These natural disasters make us all feel like we want to drop everything and hurry there to help. Of course we want to help others in dire need of help. But, think of this: Thousands of folks are heading east right now for that very reason. That means that there will be thousands of more mouths to feed, thousands of gallons of water (1 per person per day) needed in an area where there is NO food or water available for the victims; their vehicles need gas and there isn't any fuel for the poor folks trying to just get out to a safer place! They have to sleep someplace and there aren't enough beds to house the folks already there; etc., etc. The sewer system is already overtaxed. Are all the news people and those going to help not use toilets? It's nice to want to help, but I worry that the "helpers" will make the problem worse! More people equal more needs, everything from police and firemen to food, water, fuel, etc.

I feel that a better way to help is to give to the disaster relief funds - the tried and true, large national organizations or church groups that can actually use the money to buy what is needed. Please, everyone, don't just donate through an ad on the Internet, or a phone call, mailing, etc. that might be an organization you never heard of.

And prayer is always the best help!

Okay - I'm getting down off my soapbox, too! And, Irmi, we are a bunch of women scattered all over the hemisphere. We have differing opinions, shortcomings, and concerns. But we all care about each other. Even those we haven't met and may never meet. Most of us WANT to hear your story and are waiting for another chapter. Keep posting, my dear.

Pooker

[avalen]

very well put Pooker

[Redetotry]

I read Excel’s original post to mean she was so upset by the terrible storm and wishing she could join an organization to give assistance that she couldn’t turn her thoughts to reading the forum. I don’t think she was referring to anything others had said, she was just saying she wasn’t reading any posts at this time. She apologized for any misunderstanding but it has gone from the original misunderstanding to several people thinking they shouldn't be offering expressions of sympathy.