So my Aunt Sandy and Luz were able to get to their house yesterday, finally. Yesterday was Luz's birthday. What a great birthday present; she was able to go home to see that her house was destroyed. All residents met at a mall, were escorted to Ortley on a bus and were able to go in with two carry-on's each. Luz brought a video camera with her. She took an approximately 20 minute video of the damage to the house.
The house itself is still standing. They are unsure if the house tilted off its foundation or not. There is debris surrounding the entire outside of the house, in the front, back, and both sides. Their neighbor’s house was damaged much worse; the man lost both of his cars amongst several other things. The table outside that was tied to the deck is standing on its side; a shed that was bungeed to the fence has only one side of it remaining; all the kids' toys floated away except the wagon; railroad ties from others neighbor’s yards landed in their yard; the kids' surfboards surfed away.
Inside, the video shows evidence of a water line that was above the doorknobs of the doors. A neighbor who had stayed to endure the storm told S and L that most houses had waves in them, which was evident of the water marks almost up to the ceilings. On the bottoms of the walls you can see permanent water damage where the water had settled after the storm, about 6 feet in total, about 3 feet into the walls and sheet rock. Mold and mildew remains in these areas. Water came out of both ovens in both apartments. Water remained in cabinets, closets and permanently damaged any and all of the contents in them. Pictures are ruined, clothes are swamped, and mud fills the entirety of the flooring. Needless to say, the house smells like ocean water and fish. The contents that were never removed from the refrigerator didn't smell as bad as the house did.
In an effort to remain positive during the weeks that they were not let into the house, S and L kept looking at satellite pictures and snapshots that were sent from friendly firemen and police officers that we they could get in touch with. All showed a lamp in a window and on the other side a flower pot in the other window. From this evidence they were certain that the water had not risen enough to move or jostle their furniture around. They were mistaken.
Furniture in all areas of the house were undoubtedly moved, but what is most interesting is that the queen size bed in the master bedroom was tilted up the wall on its side and remained like that this whole time. All furniture that was moved had been soaked by the bay and ocean water and when they tried to move any of it, it fell apart. Furniture that was originally in the living room ended up in the kitchen, and vice versa. Nothing is salvageable. L took nothing back with her. S took some pictures and some paperwork in one duffle bag. All the moldings on the doorways are warped. They couldn't even shut their door. They bungeed it shut. They left.
The bus ride on the way back to the starting point had also been videotaped. The destruction to the area is immense. It is heartbreaking and terrifying. There is debris, sand, and pieces of people's lives all strewn about the town. The area in which they live, Fort Avenue in Ortley Beach was hit the worst. There is a 2-second portion of the video where you can see that the dunes protecting the beach are gone, the houses are gone, and you can see the ocean from the bay. It is quite eerie.
They were informed that there will not be electric or gas power or any lines available to be fixed for about 16 months. They are allowed back in this Friday in one car, two people, and they can come and take anything that they want. I believe they are going to get most of my grandparent’s memorabilia from the attic, some Christmas decorations, and L's catering supplies. Anything else is not worth it, not able to be taken, or just going to be a hassle to try to store anywhere.
I am pretty certain that their plan of action is to move on. They are going to be without a home for a few years, if they even have a home there at all. The plan now is to find something that they love, rent it and move into it, and stay there. I do not think that they will be moving back to the house or the area for that matter.
It is certainly not a blessing in disguise but they have both mentioned that they want to move back to central Jersey to be closer to their families and jobs, which makes the most sense to all of us.
One of my cousins last night said to me, "What did we do wrong? We're not bad people. We're not mean people. We've been through so much. When does it stop?"
I didn't have an answer for her because I have been wondering the same thing.
“That’s how stories happen — with a turning point, an unexpected twist. There’s only one kind of happiness, but misfortune comes in all shapes and sizes. It’s like Tolstoy said: happiness is an allegory, unhappiness a story.”
― Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore
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