While Hurricane Sandy was devastating her hometown of Rumson, N.J., Colby Wilson, 2012 alum, was watching live footage of the storm from WWL– TV studios in New Orleans where she is an associate producer.
“I’m here, watching water like I’ve never seen, like levels of floodwaters that peaked in 1992 and during Hurricane Irene a few years ago in my town,” Wilson said.
Wilson said her town’s location seemed to be more devastated than in other areas.
“Before the storm even hit, the worst case scenario for the storm to hit was exactly where we are and it did,” Wilson said. “Boats and barges stand where houses used to be on the peninsula of land where my town is.”
Wilson said the soonest she could return to her town was three weeks following the storm. On her ride home with a family friend from the airport, Wilson said she was shocked.
“I couldn’t believe how many trees were gone. As we get to my town, my jaw dropped. Things were gone, nothing’s open, local businesses are destroyed, houses are wiped clean,” Wilson said.
Upon arriving home, Wilson decided to help volunteer efforts by cleaning up houses in Sea Bright, N.J., the town she grew up in. At the first home at which she volunteered, Wilson said 10 feet of sand filled the first floor. She said the volunteer efforts she saw on her first day of volunteering were not organized by an organization, but by neighbors of the community.
“People were just showing up with their own wheelbarrows and shovels. I took my shovel and went door to door,” Wilson said.
Wilson said Chris Wood, owner of Woody’s Ocean Grill in Sea Bright, spearheaded this initiative where people, like Wilson, can just show up and help out. Wilson said on the first day of his initiative, about 300 people showed up to start cleaning.
Wilson said she is trying to recruit volunteers from New Orleans by posting pictures of the devastation from her personal collection of photos on her Facebook. Wilson said she also passes along photos from Wood’s Facebook to motivate her friends. Some are already interested in helping out.
“As of now, there are seven people going there over break,” Wilson said.
Wilson said if anyone wants to volunteer, follow her on Twitter, @ecolbywilson, and Facebook to see details of where to go, how to get there and what the devastation looks like in her town. Wilson said she’s also bringing clothes, setting up food registries and trying to set up a gift drive for kids for Christmas. Wilson said a coping mechanism that works for her is not dwelling on the past.
“I’m very positive about it. There’s really no way else to deal with it,” Wilson said.
Wilson said currently there is no electricity, there is a curfew at 7 p.m., there is no fuel and the roads are blocked by debris and sand in her hometown. Even though it’s been a little over a month, Wilson still feels shock about the storm.
“It’s too many people, too widespread, too far inland,” Wilson said. “In my mind, I still can’t figure it out.”
Aaren Gordon can be reached at [email protected]
