Moving On

Spotlight On
by Clark Westfield
November 2012

We saw it coming. Even the naysayers who doubt the television meteorologist’s predictions saw it coming. Something never seen before. A hurricane coming in from the East, making a hard left turn and aiming its sights on the Jersey Shore. Another front coming in from the northwest, bringing cold air with it. And still another system floating down from Greenland, holding all the chaos in place for hours and hours. We saw it coming. And yet, we were powerless to do anything about it. It came. And took its toll.

I was in San Antonio on Thursday when the news of “Frankenstorm” first hit the Weather Channel. I was scheduled to perform my comedy show through Sunday night. No way Jose. Got on the horn and rebooked my flight to get into Newark Liberty Airport (where the happy people go to fly) on Sunday afternoon, ahead of the wind and rain, with just enough time to get home to finish the storm-proofing preparations my wife had already begun. Would it be enough to protect us from the surge, the falling wires and broken trees? You see, we live in Point Pleasant. You know you’re at ground zero when Al Roker is camped out in your front yard.

The destruction belied the humanity below. Thousands came together to contribute clothing, food, shelter, generators and sorely needed cash to help the surviving families make their way through the days that lie ahead. The real joy was seeing power company trucks and supply-laden vans with license plate numbers from Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, Alabama and Kentucky. Even my nephew and sister-in-law drove up from South Carolina with food, firewood, water and gasoline. Governor Christie led the way with strong words and harsh dictates (does he know any other way?) for anyone who defied his recommendations, whether it be the mayor of a major city or a looter with bad intentions. Seeing him together with President Obama (who also made clear that aid was to be funneled pronto with no bureaucratic red tape to slow things down). It was a bit of joy and, yes, hope that followed the greatest natural disaster this area has ever seen.

Moving On. It applies to the building that will now occur to salvage our shore and towns like Sayreville, as well as the lives that may never be the same again. Wouldn’t it be nice in the afterglow of this tragedy to have Washington follow suit? The election is over and it was pretty much split between red and blue states. How about we forget all that and concentrate on the Red, White and Blue and the people those colors represent? How about we work together, just as all those fantastic southern and midwestern state’s workers are doing right here, right now?

As usual, New Jersey must show how it’s done, and how to lead.

Thank you Governor Christie.
Thank you President Obama.

Thanks to all those that are out there right now, lending a hand to their families and friends, their neighbors and communities, and total strangers that are grateful for the help. God bless us all. We will be back.

Gary DeLena

Editor