One year ago today we were evacuating, taping windows, securing garbage cans and thinking that it was a waste of time since it was all for naught during Hurricane Irene. One year ago tonight, we realized that we underestimated Superstorm Sandy.

Some of us were safely inland where we watched it play out on TV. Those who lived in low rise homes near water and chose not to evacuate will forever be haunted by the decisions to stay. Some of them didn’t make it out alive. People heard the wind that night and ran down to their basements for safety, only to drown. The lucky ones swam away from their burning houses. They lost their homes but they got away with their lives.

New York and the surrounding areas were left with power outages and gas shortages. The water receded but the work was just beginning. Droves of volunteers showed up to help but as time passed and winter set in, most volunteers forgot about Rockaway and Staten Island.

A year later, if you live inland, you may not realize that some of these places, although cleaned up, still have scars from that night. Some shops have yet to reopen and there are people that remain homeless.

Ellis Island just reopened their doors in time for the one year anniversary of the storm. The McDonalds in Rockaway finally opened after a year of plywood windows stating “Nothing left to take”. Beaches were ready enough for the summer visitors although work continues.  It’s business as usual in Gowanus and Red Hook but the next heavy rainstorm can bring flooding to those areas as they did even before Sandy.

We’ve come a long way but still have a way to go.  The glass is half full now. Quiet those thoughts that it can happen again and move forward! 100 year storm. 100 year storm. Just keep meditating on that.

How Far We’ve Come. HufPo