Life Post-Hurricane

That previous life - I can hardly remember it now. It hit me last night as I was washing dishes, that there was an existence with soccer practice and grocery runs, cooked meals and phone calls. And I took all of that for granted.

As an example, yesterday I went to the grocery store after a week of pounding rain and punishing winds, and NO POWER. The store had very little produce; I was lucky to grab one bag of spring mix salad. And what happened to the stuff that they had to throw out? The meat, the frozen goods - where did it all go? There must be dumpsters full of it all now, and that was only one Shop Rite.

Gas lines are long, but not as bad as they are in New York. We're on the odd-even system, and when I found out our "day" was yesterday, I nagged my husband to go and get gas even though we really didn't need it. "We have 3/4 of a tank," he objected. "Plus, it will all be over in a few days anyway."

Perhaps it will, and for those people by the shore and in NYC, I seriously hope that help arrives very quickly. Which reminds me, I'm seriously lucky. I have a house. My kid is fine. My husband is here.  And I will keep repeating that over and over again, especially since it is the:

ELEVENTH DAY WITHOUT SCHOOL AND MY HUSBAND CONTINUES TO WORK FROM HOME.

Don't look - it might burn your retinas

Yup, I'm lucky, lucky, lucky gal, said the frustrated writer as she cleared up the American Girl Doll school set up in the family room and brought her husband a sandwich.

If you do want to help out those seriously affected by the storm, here are some links:

American Red Cross
The American Red Cross continues to mobilize resources and relief workers to respond to Hurricane Sandy’s impact. Help is needed to provide essential aid including shelter, meals, basic health care, etc. 

To make a donation to the Hurricane Sandy relief effort, you can go to the following site http://www.redcross.org/hurricane-sandy or you can call 1-800-REDCROSS.

United Way
The  United Way of New York City and United Ways along the Eastern Seabord have established the United Way Hurricane Sandy Recovery Fund to address near-term and long-term recovery needs of communities most affected by the hurricane.

Visit www.UWSandyRecovery.org to donate to the Fund. 

You can also use your phone to text RECOVERY to 52000 to make a $10 donation.

The Met Council

To make an immediate difference, text the word SUSTAIN to 20222 and reply YES to make a $10 donation directly to Met Council. You can also easily make your gift online (www.metcouncil.org). Volunteers are greatly needed to hand out food and water to seniors who are without electricity. 

FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY:

(Tips to Consider Before You Donate)

· Give to only charities you know and trust.

· Check a charity before you donate. See the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance at http://www.bbb.org/us/charity/.

· Be alert for charities that seem to have sprung up overnight.

· Ask if the caller is a paid fundraiser, who he or she works for, and what percent of your donation goes to the charity vs. the fundraiser.

· Don't give out personal or financial information unless you know the charity is reputable.

· Never send cash. You can't be sure the organization will receive your donation, and you won't have a record for tax purposes.