Months after Superstorm Sandy, Sea Bright still has a long road to recovery

‌‌For the Montclair State community, Superstorm Sandy was more than a breaking news story. Despite being closed for an unprecedented week in the devastating wake of the October storm, the University soon found itself involved in both on-campus and statewide recovery efforts.

Relief for students and staff

Sandy’s trail of destruction in New Jersey left dozens dead, millions without power, impassably flooded roads, massive shoreline erosion and a gasoline shortage. It will cost at least $37 billion to repair the damage, state officials say.

The University’s response to the storm was swift. The Department of Residential Education offered spare residence hall rooms—free of charge—to commuter students and staff members who were adversely affected by the storm. “I was so thankful the school offered housing for the week,” says Kaitlyn Scrudato, a junior from Whiting, N.J. “It was really a big help.”

Access to University services, hot showers and fresh food also helped the University community get the semester back on track.

As a follow-up, the College of Education and Human Services offered free counseling sessions for faculty, staff and their families to share their feelings about the storm and its aftermath.

Helping New Jersey rebuild‌‌‌

Broader relief efforts were spearheaded by the University’s Center for Student Involvement and the Service-Learning and Community Engagement Program. “I grew up in North Middletown and Keyport and spent summers in Sea Bright, which were all impacted by the storm,” says Krystal Woolston, assistant director of Service-Learning and Community Engagement. “This storm has allowed us to grow stronger as communities and really lend a helping hand to strangers and turn them into neighbors.”

In late November, three dozen students, faculty and staff members helped with cleanup in Sea Bright—one of the hardest hit communities on the Jersey Shore. Much of their work involved shoveling sand piled as high as four feet out of houses. It was a labor of love for volunteers like junior Danielle Knoeppel, who worked on the beach for seven summers. “It’s definitely the place I wanted to help out,” she says. “Everyone was really thankful for what we did.”

伍尔斯顿也是团队的一员。“这让人心碎，”她回忆道。“我所熟悉和喜爱的海湾海岸已经永远改变了。”

其他校园团体也尽了自己的一份力量。儿童权益中心举办了一场糕饼义卖和玩具义卖活动，以帮助受桑迪影响的家庭。这些玩具是捐赠给纽约州史坦顿岛P.S. 52的孩子们的，它们让那些房屋和财产被毁的家庭的假期变得更加愉快。

12月初，服务学习和社区参与组织发起了一个项目，为杂货店和家装店接受礼品卡捐赠。这些卡片随后被分发给“恢复海岸”、“海亮起来”、“重建蒙茅斯县”和“重建海洋县”，以帮助那些在桑迪袭击中挣扎着重建家园和生活的人们。

作为更大的新泽西社区的一部分，火狐体育已经证明了自己是真正的“泽西强”。对伍尔斯顿来说，大量的支持是温暖和鼓舞人心的。她说：“推广的效果令人惊叹。”“它恢复了你对人性和整个美国的信心。”

火狐体育的学生帮忙打扫超级风暴桑迪过后的大海。