My Hometown #JerseyStrong

"Troubled times, they had come... to my hometown." -Bruce Springsteen

Most of the images you've seen from Sandy's impact in New Jersey have been from the shore. And rightfully so. The destruction is unimaginable. Gov. Chris Christie says some of those towns, beaches, and boardwalks may never be the same. It could take 6-8 months just to get the gas turned back on in Seaside Park alone, for example. That's June.

Right across the Mathis Bridge from Seaside, is the town where I grew up. Toms River, NJ. Exit 82 off the Garden State Parkway. Home of the 1998 Little League Champions. And me.

This weekend, my brother finally was able to send me some pictures of what it looks like. And like him, my mom, and my sister, I didn't like what I saw. This is Fischer Boulevard, the road that leads you to the Mathis Bridge and the beach. A few miles before that, you turn right to get to the house where I grew up. I  never imagined seeing it like this:

That's the bay.

Those are boats.

To the left in the picture above, is a marina. The boats from that marina are now in the middle of Fisher Boulevard. This is the same road where my dad's, and now my brother's, swimming pool business is located. Boats are on the Boulevard.

I feel so helpless. I live 70 miles north now. But it might as well be 700 miles. Gas is hard to come by, and my family and I decided it's best I don't come down until the gas crisis subsides.

This part of the gas line is a block from our house,
and stretches a mile both ways.

What else I hear from my family is distress, concern, worry, and fear. Someone actually siphoned gas from my brother's truck as it sat in a service station's parking lot. It was there because he got two flat tires driving over debris while visiting and helping neighborhoods along the water that were devastated. Then there is this:

It's really come to this?

The town where I grew up is basically a war zone right now. I never thought I would see the day. The house I grew up in is still standing. There is no damage. Everyone I love is safe and healthy. But some of our friends and neighbors, and a lot of our community members, are barely getting by.

So I am asking you for help.

The first lady of New Jersey, Mary Pat Christie has set up the HURRICANE SANDY NEW JERSEY RELIEF FUND. Please follow the link and find a way to donate whatever you can. I've never used this blog as a platform for something like this. But this is an unprecedented situation.

If you want to help Toms River directly, you can follow THIS LINK to donate to a fund set up for Ocean County, NJ.

Please. And thank you.