Aftermath of Sandy; Reports From Two New Jersey Towns

New Providence
We woke up in New Providence this morning, still without power, but grateful to be dry and safe.

With the exception of some large branches that cracked and ripped our power lines and siding from our house, we made it through Sandy mostly unscathed.

Not all of our neighbors were as fortunate as we, though. Two different neighbors on our street had full size trees fall on their houses.

Driving through our neighborhood is next to impossible as felled trees and power lines block most smaller side streets.

Ocean Grove
The Garden State Parkway is open, so we drove down to check our house in Ocean Grove to assess the damage. Reports look hopeful that we may have escaped wind and flood damage.

Will post more updates and pictures if possible, when we get there. Keep checking this page for further updates.

New Providence Photos
Apologies for choppy layout. Posting from phone.

I am happy to report NO DAMAGE and NO FLOODING to our little house on Heck Ave in Ocean Grove.

There is some damage to a few structures around town, most notably, the peeled off roof of the Great Auditorium.

Thankfully, though, most appears to be minimal. Torn gutters, peeled roofing and tar paper, sand, etc. It could have been so much worse. I did not notice any severe damage to houses along Ocean Ave.

The boardwalk has buckled in places and most benches were carried by the ocean into Ocean Ave or littered along the median between the street and the boardwalk.

Regrettably, our beloved fishing pier took a beating. The fishing shack was torn away by the waves, and has not been found yet. Many boardwalk planks lie in the road. However, the pilings and some of the pier remain.

I took a few photos, but could not get much closer. Police are asking people to stay off the boardwalk. Heavy winds are whipping sand all over, making it difficult to walk very far.

Ocean Grove Pictures