Hurricane Sandy made landfall over a week ago and left 41 dead in New York City, including 21 in Staten Island alone. Lives have been devastated in our beautiful borough. Houses were destroyed and cars washed away to the tune of $50 billion, second only to Hurricane Katrina in US history of natural disasters.
To read the stories of those who perished and those who continue to suffer in Sandy's aftermath is difficult without getting emotional because they were one of us. They were our family, our friends, our neighbors, our fellow Staten Islanders. Any one of them could have been any one of us on a different day, a different time. But they weren't. And here we are, left with the responsibility to help them and to appreciate all we have at a time when so many have lost so much.
I've jotted down a list of important lessons I've learned from Hurricane Sandy so I won't someday forget and, more importantly, for my three daughters to read. Maybe a few items will help remind you, too. After all, what good are life's challenges if we can't rise above and become better and stronger?
So here it is. Please keep praying for those affected by Hurricane Sandy. God bless Staten Island. God bless America.
Thirteen days later, thirteen lessons I've learned from Sandy.
1. HUG YOUR CHILDREN EVERY DAY. I read the story of the father and son from Oakwood who were found dead in their basement from Sandy's powerful surge, locked in each others' embrace. The dad's hand was covering his son's head, as if trying to protect it. The young man was a twin, like two of my daughters. Our children are all miracles and make life worth living. They are our future. They deserve our love. Hug them.
2. VOTE. Yesterday was Election Day, and our civic duty of voting in the officials who get to represent us should never be taken for granted or overlooked. It is the hallmark of our great nation. I was amazed to see those ravaged by Sandy who found their way out of their floods and rubble to a voting booth, or who cast their vote by affidavit. Why can't we? We have no excuse. If you don't vote, you don't get to complain.
3. REMIND YOUR CHILDREN HOW LUCKY THEY ARE. On Monday NYC children went back to school after a week off because of Sandy's devastation. However, many of them reported to classrooms with just the clothes on their back and nothing more -- no pencils, no crayons, no notebooks, no jackets. Emails were forwarded to me this week from PTAs asking for donations of basic school supplies our own children probably take for granted. Remind your kids how lucky they are to have houses in which to live, warm beds in which to sleep, and everything they need to learn.
4. APPRECIATE CONVENIENCES. Filling up our cars with gas this week has been a three to four hour ordeal with lines as long as a mile. Not since the gas crisis of the 1970's has this energy emergency happened. And we were all happy to get on the queue. When things get back to normal, exercise the same patience and be thankful for all the modern conveniences we enjoy, which leads us to the next item.
5. ENJOY THE LIGHT. Power outages were widespread in New York because of Sandy, now numbering about 526,000 people, down from a peak of 2.2 million. Being in the dark for a few days reminded all of us to appreciate electricity and all the wonderful things it brings: refrigerated food, lighting, television, computers. Remember what it felt like to be in the dark. The nights were long and cold, weren't they? Appreciate the warmth of your heat, luxury of telephones and clean drinking water, while you're at it.
6. HUG YOUR PETS. I read the story on SILive.com of the brother and sister who shared a house in Midland Beach. They did not evacuate their premises soon enough, afraid of leaving behind their beloved pets, and died from drowning. Pets are important members of the family. Enjoy them.
8. HELP YOUR NEIGHBORS. The outpouring of assistance toward the clean-up of the homes that were wrecked by Sandy has been unprecedented. Almost immediately, volunteers delved in to sift through the debris, to help each other. Food was delivered. Funds were set up, fundraising events held, and donation drives were organized. Everything was collected for hurricane victims, from clothes, shoes and socks to baby formulas, diapers, and toiletries, to cleaning detergents, work gloves and trash bags. Social media connected people who needed help with people who wanted to help. The road to recovery is long but together, Staten Island can do it. Always have, always will.
9. TEACH YOUR CHILDREN CHARITY. I think children do as we do, not as we say. By watching their parents do the right thing to help others in need during times of catastrophic events, these same children learn two valuable things: a) How to someday become thoughtful, compassionate adults, and b) Live by the Golden Rule.
10. TELL YOUR PARENTS YOU LOVE THEM. The story about the couple who drowned in Hurricane Sandy and found underneath a powerboat that washed ashore days later was very sad. The husband was elderly and frail and his wife couldn't evacuate them soon enough. Their daughter spoke about how much they loved each other and how much she loved them. Where would I be today, were it not for Jess and Narcy Santos, my parents? So tell yours how much you love them. Do it today because who knows what tomorrow will bring.
11. TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS. During post-Sandy cleanup, countless pictures were found, from wedding albums, to baby portraits, to photos of great-great parents, to casual snapshots. Some were new, many very old. This speaks to how important memories are and how they should be recorded and treasured. Certainly keeping the memories alive in your heart is what's important, but pictures are a wonderful aid to jog memories that are or may soon become faded.
12. PRAY. The power of prayer is without limit. Faith is unshakable, even in times of seemingly hopeless disasters. I believe without the prayers offered up --- by folks in our borough, from all across the country, and from all around the world who watched Sandy unfold on television --- the affects of Sandy would have been exponentially worse.
13. LIVE EVERY DAY AS IF IT WERE YOUR LAST. Sandy has reminded us that our lives can be changed in a blink of an eye. Life is short. Love your children, appreciate your family. Laugh hard with your friends. Find what you truly love in life and do it often. Life is about giving, the sharing of your unique, God-given talents, to those who need it, to those who deserve it, and even to those who don't appreciate it. As my good friend says, there are many things in life you cannot control, so concern yourself only with the two things you can control: your heart and mind. And as I always say, do things with passion or not at all.
Stay strong, Staten Island.
