Evening,
a few scattered thoughts after an eye opening day...
My pal Adam and I got to New Jersey early this morning. Adam, an electrical engineer, is working in New York this week, doing anything and everything possible to get power back to as many folks as he can. Remarkable work. I am very proud of you man. Good luck!
Adam dropped me off just outside Hoboken where I managed to meet up with my longtime friend from Milton and BC High, Bill Driscoll. Some of you know Bill. I wish you all did. He is one of a kind and has spent the better part of the last decade spearheading disaster relief projects all over the world. He is a truly remarkable man and his work speaks for itself. Certainly one of our nations unsung heroes.
After briefly catching up with Bill, my new friend Ross and I made our way over to the Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in Hoboken. Here, with some incredible volunteers, we spent the majority of the day trying to salvage whatever we could from the church's basement and soup kitchen. The place was absolutely destroyed. Very tough to see. Very tough.
Later in the day, we made our way over to a community center. Here, remarkable efforts were being made to gut the whole building, to start over essentially from scratch, and prepare the space to serve as a place for Tuesday's voting and beyond. Thanks to a great deal of sweat equity, it looks like this will be possible!
So, I have been here a day. It is pretty gut wrenching stuff. The city of Hoboken is dark. Gas lines top 50+ cars, if not more. Homes and memories are in piles of rubble out on the streets. The Red Cross and the like are on street corners everywhere handing out food/water/blankets. Sirens and flashing lights have been racing through the dark streets of the city, leaving me with an incredibly uneasy feeling that just sinks itself into the pit of my stomach. Helplessly, I sat there and wondered where the first responders were racing off to and if people were ok.
This part of our country needs help. A lot of help. If the efforts I saw today is any indication, we will get back on our feet stronger than ever. I have no doubt.
My thoughts are with you tonight New Jersey/New York and beyond, and I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning.
Mark/Chops
PS.. I have teamed up Bill's organization NECHAMA, a non profit disaster relief organization based out of Minnesota. Today, I worked with my new friends Ross, Dan, and Starbuck. All part of NECHAMA'S team. I watched as each one of these men, in their own way, brought a sense of comfort to the citizens of Hoboken. NECHAMA in Hebrew... means comfort. These guys are incredible at what they do. I look forward to learning from them.
PSS.. We went to a Korean restaurant for dinner tonight...
a few scattered thoughts after an eye opening day...
My pal Adam and I got to New Jersey early this morning. Adam, an electrical engineer, is working in New York this week, doing anything and everything possible to get power back to as many folks as he can. Remarkable work. I am very proud of you man. Good luck!
Adam dropped me off just outside Hoboken where I managed to meet up with my longtime friend from Milton and BC High, Bill Driscoll. Some of you know Bill. I wish you all did. He is one of a kind and has spent the better part of the last decade spearheading disaster relief projects all over the world. He is a truly remarkable man and his work speaks for itself. Certainly one of our nations unsung heroes.
After briefly catching up with Bill, my new friend Ross and I made our way over to the Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in Hoboken. Here, with some incredible volunteers, we spent the majority of the day trying to salvage whatever we could from the church's basement and soup kitchen. The place was absolutely destroyed. Very tough to see. Very tough.
Later in the day, we made our way over to a community center. Here, remarkable efforts were being made to gut the whole building, to start over essentially from scratch, and prepare the space to serve as a place for Tuesday's voting and beyond. Thanks to a great deal of sweat equity, it looks like this will be possible!
So, I have been here a day. It is pretty gut wrenching stuff. The city of Hoboken is dark. Gas lines top 50+ cars, if not more. Homes and memories are in piles of rubble out on the streets. The Red Cross and the like are on street corners everywhere handing out food/water/blankets. Sirens and flashing lights have been racing through the dark streets of the city, leaving me with an incredibly uneasy feeling that just sinks itself into the pit of my stomach. Helplessly, I sat there and wondered where the first responders were racing off to and if people were ok.
Over the course of the day, I have heard several references to Katrina. I was never down in New Orleans after that disaster. Being mentioned in the same conversation though.. I'm getting choked up. The most densely populated part of our country ravished by a storm of epic proportions...
The relief efforts I saw today were so inspiring. People were walking right in off the street to lend a hand at both the church and the community center. Complete strangers working and conversing with one another as if they had been friends their whole lives.
This part of our country needs help. A lot of help. If the efforts I saw today is any indication, we will get back on our feet stronger than ever. I have no doubt.
My thoughts are with you tonight New Jersey/New York and beyond, and I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning.
Mark/Chops
PS.. I have teamed up Bill's organization NECHAMA, a non profit disaster relief organization based out of Minnesota. Today, I worked with my new friends Ross, Dan, and Starbuck. All part of NECHAMA'S team. I watched as each one of these men, in their own way, brought a sense of comfort to the citizens of Hoboken. NECHAMA in Hebrew... means comfort. These guys are incredible at what they do. I look forward to learning from them.
PSS.. We went to a Korean restaurant for dinner tonight...
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| SMITHAZ AND ME EN ROUTE TO NJ/NY |
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| EVERY STREET CORNER LOOKS LIKE THIS |
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| HOBOKEN, NJ. STREETS LITTERED WITH DESTRUCTION
The Future Is No Place To Place Your Better Days
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