Students should assist in efforts to rebuild
After the worst of the destruction from Hurricane Sandy, New Jersey — specifically its coastline — suffered major, and, according to N.J. Gov. Chris Christie, “unfathomable” damages. These heartbreaking photos and stories will continue to linger throughout the media for the next several days and possibly even weeks. For students at USC from New Jersey, including myself, as well as those from Delaware, New York and other northeastern states that faced horrible damages, this is without a doubt one of the hardest parts about being away from home.
As Twitter erupted for about 24 hours with pictures of sharks, “Sandy” from “Spongebob Squarepants” puns and amateur updates, as well as home photos of families and friends playing board games or drinking together, many people from the Northeast couldn’t help but feel homesick. It felt as if we were cheating the natural path of life by being down here instead of up there with a lot of the people that we care about, knowing that something tragic was presently happening just 600 miles north.
Victims of the hurricane in the Northeast need a lot of support, just as the people of New Orleans did in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina struck. It’s likely going to take a very long time to rebuild what has been lost along the Jersey Shore and many other areas. As many hearts have been broken and many homes have been destroyed, they will need all of the moral and practical support we can give them. So if you’re away from home, go home for the weekend or at least try to talk to or Skype with your family. Even if you aren’t from the Mid-Atlantic or the surrounding area and you know someone who goes to school around there or lives up north, shoot them a text and let them know even though you can’t be there physically, you’re part of their support group. Even our student organizations could get involved and host fundraisers or other events in order to help raise money for reconstruction and show our support as a school community.
As many found ways to assist during the aftermath of Katrina, it’s important that we also find ways to help out the victims of Sandy in any way we are able to. What just happened to the Northeast is an unprecedented tragedy for those in the region. Because it is home to the most densely populated states in America and New York City is home to more than 8 million people alone, “Frankenstorm” is leaving millions without power. Houses and cars have been crushed, people have been killed and most transportation in affected areas has been brought to a screeching halt. However, with a support group that isn’t just isolated in that geographic area, but all over the nation, repairing and rebuilding won’t be as difficult.