Little Ferry, NJ - Environment

Little Ferry, NJ

Gunnar Johanson 

After an entertaining 16 hour, two-day car ride (and a run in with a hotel cleaning staff) we finally arrived in Little Ferry, NJ, last night Saturday, March 23. Since Little Ferry is only a 20 minute bus ride from New York City, we spent Saturday night exploring Times Square and the local pizza scene. For some of us, it was our first NYC experience. The honking horns, yelling pedestrians, and blinding lights quickly woke us up from the daze we had been in from the sedentary journey. We had a great time in the city and also found it a little ironic that the environmental focused group started their trip in the middle of the consumer mecca. Luckily for us, we were scheduled to begin work bright and early the next morning. 

After an unsuccessful pancake experiment (apparently eggs are a necessary ingredient), we had a quick, healthy breakfast. We then made our way to the worksite. Since today was a Sunday, we originally had the day off. Despite the day, our local coordinator pointed us to a house right dow the street from where we were staying. The house belonged to a women named Ana, who had spent the last few months with her family in Costa Rica because her house was inhabitable. Hurricane Sandy flooded the first floor of her two story home, which resided at the end of a cul-de-sac (which upon Googling the spelling of this term, we discovered meant, literally, "arse in the bag"). 

Ana had lived at this house, in this quaint little neighborhood, since 1986. She evacuated during the storm and her family remained safe; however, they were not unaffected. She noted that the first floor was covered in mud and dirt from the receding waters. All of her furniture and appliances were ruined and soon after, mold began to set in. The entire floor had to be removed along with the bottom three feet of wall, all across the first floor. The home, that Ana had known for 27 years, was not home anymore. Ana recounted memories of Christmas and New Years, where in usual circumstances, her family gathered for celebration - a tradition that her family had to forgo this past holiday season. She recalled crying for "months straight," wishing everything was returned to normal. 

Ana told us her story right before we went into her home and began removing mold-damaged areas for future reparation. We completed most of ou tasks by lunch. Afterwards we worked for a couple more hours and then cleaned up before walking back home. Our first day of service was one that brought us to just one face of the pain and sadness that Hurricane Sandy caused. It also reminded us of why we were really here: to serve. Before we got to work Ana told us how grateful she was for our service, but it was small act in comparison to the experience she shared with us.