Stanley Semet

Reporting from New Jersey Shore

Stanley Semet here reporting from the Jersey Shore. Wind is really picking up. The gusts of wind are getting scary! Look at all the leaves on the ground. I have moved inside a nice,

cozy home because I was afraid I would blow away outside. We are waiting..Sandy is on her way. Stanley at the Jersey Shore.

Somewhere under all that water is the docks leading to that boat. The storm is not even here yet. This is Stanley Semet reporting from the Jersey Shore. More updates

to follow. (Yes, I have a raincoat on).

The clean up has begun at the Jersey Shore. Stanley Semet reporting from New Jersey.

Unknown boat is now on the lawn and has destroyed the fire pit.

November 6: Stanley Semet reporting from New Jersey. What a busy few days! Our town still has a lot of people without power. The National Guard has come to help the people. They have moved into the town fire station. Yesterday we went shopping for the National Guard. They

needed chapstick and green socks. Your aunt, Tyler, bought a few extra things for the guys. The lines at the stores were so long to check out our items

We got the guys some green wool hunting socks because it is so cold here. We also got them

some toe warmers.

Last one from today… November 6, 2012And Tyler your aunt has me doing the National Guards laundry tonight!! I like doing all the

volunteer work, but I have never done laundry before! I hope I don't ruin any of their clothes.

Stanley Semet here reporting from the laundry room in New Jersey.

Sadly, things have taken a step backwards here on the east coast with the rain, sleet and snow of yesterday. Many homes that had regained power have now lost power again. We even lost power last night in the home I am staying and the generator would not kick on. It simply said, NO MORE! The power did come back on for us, but it sure was dark here for a few minutes.

Tomorrow we are on a mission to buy flashlights!! The children here missed 6 days school with Hurricane Sandy and today they are missing school for a snow day!! 7 school days missed. This is not good.

We were over with the National Guard yesterday. Several of them are getting sick. They are needing all kinds of medicine to help them get better. We were hunting long johns, wool socks and hand/toe warmers for them yesterday. They sure were not looking forward to going out in the snow storm last night to guard the beaches. Sad situation here. Stanley Semet reporting from the east coast.

Information about the school• The students are being bused to another school. That school had a clothing and

food drive for the students and their families. The school has ordered 30 trailers. It will take about a month to get them set up and running. They will move the students into them as soon as they can. They anticipate they will be in the trailers for the remainder of the year.

• 276 students 11.1 student/teacher ratio• 2010-38% of students eligible for free or reduced lunches.• Student Ethnicity: white 49%, Hispanic 42% and Asian/Pacific Islander 8%

• The districts insurance company has secured the services of American Technologies Inc. to serve as the reconstruction company. Trained professionals are cleaning and disinfecting the school 12 hrs a day, 7 days a week. All wet items and items up to 4' from the ground are being discarded. Sheetrock and floors will be replaced. Everything higher than 4' will be cleaned and disinfected. An independent industrial hygienist will be hired to assure that the school is safe once the remediation work has been completed. The health and safety of the children and staff are of utmost importance.

• Yesterday as the snow storm was starting we were on our way to pick the children up from school. Aunt Deondra and I decided we would make a quick stop at the grocery store for fear that we would be stuck again for days in the house. As we entered the grocery store the worst smell ever overcame us. It smelled of rotten food. The dairy cases and the meat cases were all empty. The employees of the store were busy taking all of the frozen food and loading it into carts to get it out of the store. I think they had lost power and the food spoiled. The smell was so bad. We quickly bought about 10 boxes of cereal, cans of soup and bottles of juice. It was scary seeing a grocery store in that shape. Last night we had to deliver the National Guard’s laundry back to them very late. Our town has a curfew right now and we were almost the only car on the road. Since the power was still out in the town there were not any street lights. It was so dark out there. It did not seem real.

• This morning the last of the guests from the storm moved out of this big house that Aunt Deondra lives in here in NJ. After the snow storm many people that had regained power have now lost power again. This afternoon a child moved back in with us. His house does not have power. His parents have to stay with their house because they are afraid of looting if they leave it empty at night. So tonight they are in a dark, cold house. The storm took off their chimney and part of their roof so yesterday during the snow storm the rain, sleet and snow was coming into their home. And you will never believe the look on the children’s faces that live here when tonight the headmaster and his wife from their school moved in with us!!!! Aunt Deondra told us we all have to be on our best behavior. Can you imagine your headmaster moving into your home with you??? Aunt Deondra is the nanny for a family with a very large home with many bedrooms. The family has been so kind as to let many people move in during these hard times. People come to take a shower, sleep, charge their phones and laptops, to eat, to get a cup of coffee, to talk and to cry. This has been a busy home. The school the children go to never lost power during Hurricane Sandy, but lost power yesterday during the snow storm.

• Today they were out of school for the snow storm. Tomorrow they are out of school because their school does not have power. They have now missed 8 days of school! Tonight we heard that the National Guard is leaving us on Sunday.So many people in the town are now very afraid that looting will start again when they leave. The first 24 hours after the storm 5 people were arrested for looting in our very small town. Stanley Semet saying good night from the east coast.

Flat Stanley here.

• The house I am staying out received an email today about the local food bank.

• The first three days after the hurricane they fed 35,000 meals!!

• The lady of the house is sending Aunt Dee and I out to buy food for the food bank. We are going to load up the car with food for the food bank. Step by step everyone doing their part it is getting better.

• Have a great Saturday and Sunday everyone!!!

Flat Stanley here reporting that we are moving forward here in New Jersey.

Mrs. Semet told us this morning she was concerned for us, but let me tell you Aunt Dee and I are fine. Everyone at this house is fine and things are getting better. The snow is melting and the power returned to the town we are in last night. There was a big article this morning in the paper about warnings for hypothermia because lots of people are staying in their homes to protect them from looting. At night it is getting so cold. It talked about how an organization called Christian Aids Ministries has arrived and is going door to door and helping out each family do whatever is needed. It too talked about a single mom and how she had lost everything. It gave her address. Monday Aunt Dee and I are going over to see how we can help her.

The paper told of people living in their attics because their homes are in such bad shape. Many said they feel like pioneers. The paper told of people being arrested for raising the prices on much needed items like gasoline and gas cans. That is against the law. Someone was trying to sell a can of gasoline for $500 and someone was selling an empty gas can for $150. Many of the doctor’s offices have opened back up, but they are so backed up with sick people. They have lost their flu shots and don’t have any now.

The headmaster and his wife: Their house did not get their power back. BUT, the school has power!!! Aunt Dee is very happy!!! The headmaster and his wife just left to go and stay the week-end in New York City in a hotel. All the hotels around here are full. He was welcome to stay with us, but thanked us and said they would go. He said he sure wasn’t going to be a liked person at school next week when he has to decide how the school will make up all the days they have missed. We are smiling here in NJ today. Things are moving forward!!!

Stanley Semet reporting from beautiful, sunny New Jersey!!!

  We had a nice, warm week-end in New Jersey so a lot of clean up took place. We were able to get out and drive to the boardwalk. Sadly, our boardwalk is gone. We took a few pictures at the beach and the marina.

There were many destroyed houses and people cleaning them out. We did not feel comfortable taking pictures of people in these situations. The boat that was on our lawn was removed over the week-end. A barge came with a crane that lifted the boat and put it into the water. The boat was so heavy the crane was tipping over. The crane operator told us we almost had a crane in our yard also! The boat on the lawn, the Big Bad Wolf, was pulled away by a tug boat. As the Big Bad Wolf was being pulled away the crane operator yelled, “The Big Bad Wolf isn’t so bad after all.”

Stanley Semet reporting from beautiful, sunny New Jersey!!!

  We saw convoys of utility trucks leaving the area. The news said our area has power in most areas. The only areas without power are the homes right in the worst areas and the utility company did not feel it safe to restore power in those areas. We saw the Tide Loads of Hope truck all set up. They come in and do laundry for those without power. They did 1,800 loads of laundry this last week. They left out this morning heading to New York. We are thankful for so many that have been here to help during this time. The National Guard, FEMA, The Red Cross, the many volunteers and Convoy of Hope. Aunt Deondra has a friend that works for Convoy of Hope. Her friend told her they have brought in 45 truck loads of food and water. Several trucks came to the beach area 10 minutes from where I am staying. They said they will continue to bring trucks in as long as needed. If feels like a big step forward happened over the week-end.

Two Weeks After Sandy

• Yesterday we took a drive about 30 miles down the coast to a town called, Union Beach. We had a name and an address of a single mother that had lost everything. We went to deliver a care package and to see how we could help her.

• Arriving at Union Beach we had to talk our way through road blocks with security and policemen with guard dogs. We made it about 1/4 of a mile into the secure area when we entered what looked like a war zone. We could only walk on in from that point. A policeman tried to help me find the house I

was looking for, but all the streets signs were gone.

• We are sending a few pictures of houses on the way to the worst area. It just felt wrong to take pictures in the worst hit areas because people were out working in those areas trying to save what little they have left. We had to leave and return home.

• We are not giving up. We will find another way to connect with this single mom.

• On our way home we stopped by the grocery store to pick up a few items. We were in the back of the store when they lost power. It sure was dark in there. Then, everyone started turning on their cell phones and it lit our way to the front of the store. The cashier in the store said it keeps happening.

• Gas rationing in NJ has stopped.

• NYC is opening many of their schools today.

• On we go!!