Long Beach is on Long Island’s South Shore.  It is East of New York City.  It was one of the areas most devastated during Hurricane Sandy.

“Dark Water:  A Year After Hurricane Sandy” appeared in the New York Times on October 2, 2013.  The article talks very honestly about the struggles of Long Beach residents.  They are re-building their homes, struggling to handle losses and fear of another storm, and trying to decide whether to stay in Long Beach or go elsewhere.

Several comments from outsiders were mean-spirited.  Long Beach residents were understandably hurt and angry:  They spoke up for themselves quite well.

I will not summarize the article and the comments that follow it.  You can read these for yourself.

As often happens, Comments must be made within a certain time frame.  As a result, I was unable to add my comment to the New York Times article.

I am, therefore,  using this space.  Here are some thoughts and feelings I want to share with you, the people of Long Beach:

• Do not believe for even a minute the mean-spirited comments.
• Do not believe that they represent how most outsiders think or feel.
• We find ourselves at a loss for words when we think of your situation.
• We wonder how we would do if faced with comparable hardships.
• We are saddened by your losses and by the slow response of FEMA.
• We are inspired that you keep putting one foot in front of another.
• We wonder what, if any, help you want from outsiders.
• We, too, worry about the next natual disaster.
• We  hope that you will share the lessons learned through your experiences.

There is space below for you to comment, question, or share.  I look forward to hearing from you!