On this date in 2011, eastern Long Island was hit with a snowstorm which dumped seven inches before it was done early the next morning. In my lifetime, I can assure you that this was the earliest snowfall I remember. Thinking this was the the beginning of the worst winter ever, we had only five more inches the rest of the way. The winter of '95-96 still holds the record, at least on Long Island.
In 2012, Superstorm Hurricane Sandy roared up the east coast and during the evening, put a hurt on the New York City metro area from the Jersey Shore, New York City proper and Long Island, the likes of which were shown in 2009 and 2010 on "Megadisasters". No one ever believed it could happen, but it did. Life imitated Art with this storm. Sometimes, the perfect scenario actually happens to create the Perfect Storm, much like the events of 1992 in New England, which was the subject of the George Clooney movie of the same name.
So, a year has passed and where are we? Well, essentially, the government has now pretty much walked away from the people, even though President Obama promised the governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut that he would cut through the government red tape and have FEMA rush assistance to those devastated by the storm. That pretty much fell apart after November 15, didn't it?
Fortunately, we don't have to rely on the government, which seems to break its promises more often than not, with no recourse available to those affected by those broken promises. However, Americans are resilient and can work through the toughest challenges presented to them. And some who are in a better position than others have taken the initiative to use their own resources to help those in need.
One such entity includes the producers and hosts of the PBS series, "This Old House". Keep in mind that this show is produced by donations raised through pledge drives, contributions and other non-commercial methods. It does not rely on advertising revenue, as does regular television and cable programming.
I have provided a link for your review of one such endeavor. There are others.
http://www.multivu.com/mnr/
Sadly, there are many of our friends, neighbors, relatives and others who are preparing to endure another cold winter in their not-yet-repaired homes because their neighborhoods have not yet had the infrastructure repaired, as promised. And this is now a year later. What's going on here? And what have the representatives and senators from the affected states done? Anything, to exacerbate this outright tragedy?
Instead, they are more concerned with issues not even related to their districts and states. And the President? Well, he is too busy trying to save his own legacy, rather than to try and push the government, which he runs, to promote the general welfare for the people in the Northeast and the I-95 corridor.
Thankfully, today will be a normal autumn day in the Northeast, with a beautiful sky and chilly temps. But for so many of our fellow citizens, this is only a reprieve to what they will face, in some cases, in less than two weeks.
And that is the disgrace our government has allowed to happen, all because of broken promises. That is the real Megadisaster.
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