It has been roughly one month since Hurricane Sandy devastated the Northeast, but the rebuilding effort is just beginning for so many who were affected. The following post was contributed by a member of The Family Dinner Project team who was in New York City when the storm hit.
My husband Larry is in news broadcasting, which means he has to get to work no matter what. The area where we live in Lower Manhattan was declared an evacuation zone, so went to a hotel near Larry’s station to ride out Hurricane Sandy. This would allow him to get to work to report the news, and we thought we’d stay safe and dry there.
As Sandy began to bear down, the hotel lost power. The back-up generator also failed, leaving us without electricity, lights or water. The staff at the hotel was using what little power that they had to make food for the guests. My heart went out to the visitors from around the world who were in staying in the hotel. Many of them were traveling alone, and they clearly hadn’t expected a hurricane during their vacation in New York City.
In the dining room, Larry and I met a young woman from Australia who was vacationing by herself. She had no radio or other way of finding out what was happening, and she was understandably shaken. We tried to put her more at ease by striking up a conversation, and we ended up hitting it off! She joined us for dinner that night and breakfast the next day.
When we looked around, we saw that this was happening with others, too. In this time of uncertainty, people were reaching out to complete strangers, making friends and sharing a meal. It helped that the hotel staff stayed so calm and friendly, remaining in great spirits despite the howling winds outside.
Meanwhile, Larry’s radio station had lost power as well, so they were using a generator. In a stroke of genius, the engineers had
planned ahead and bought griddles and groceries. They became short-order cooks, joking around while serving up comfort food like pancakes, eggs and ham. Most folks didn’t know how their families were doing at home, and they welcomed this bit of humor and camaraderie.
When I visited the station, I brought along some fruit and veggies. I figured that people might want something healthy after they got their fill of comfort food, and I was right. I can’t tell you how popular the fresh snacks were. Can you imagine someone going wild over a banana?!
Walking back to the hotel, things were eerily quiet in Manhattan. It was incredibly gray, and no one knew how long it would last. But inside the hotel and the station, the atmosphere was about great food, laughter and community. It really is true that during difficult times, you band together to make a family however you can.
For more information about how to donate or volunteer for Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts, go here: https://www.fema.gov/volunteer-donate-responsibly