Together we can make a difference

As soon as news of Sandy’s anticipated destruction began, the first thing my mom wanted to make sure I had, after a flashlight, was plenty of water. I wasn’t quite sure why that would be such a problem for me at school when the storm hit, but I remembered that each house in my small town in Connecticut relies on a well for water. When the power goes out, the wells don’t work, and there’s no water for showering, cooking, working toilets, and most importantly, drinking. It’s not like at my house at school where I could just suck it up and take a cold shower, there’s no option to shower at all. My mom said a week earlier, all of the cases of water were already gone at the supermarket, so I’m sure some families weren't able to stock up with any.

Once the power went out in almost every house in my town and the wells stopped working, people had to rely on the water they saved. When I came home the day after the storm, my family still had jugs, pots, sinks, and bathtubs filled with water just in case the power would go out at a later time. While my home was one of the few in my town that did not lose power, others were out of power for more than a week. These families without water were prepared enough to live like that for a while, but eventually they came to my house for a meal and a shower. They didn’t even know when they could expect power back because the town safety updates came over telephone.

In the end, my town was able to come together to make sure everyone had enough water and could survive without power for a week, but others were not nearly as lucky. People all over the East Coast are still without power. Homes are destroyed and families are displaced. Sandy impacted lives more than we could have imagined, and those lives now have to be rebuilt. Just like my small town did, we need to all combine our resources and do what we can to help those most in need. Every dollar counts when it comes to the large effect they can all have together. It is our responsibility to do everything in our power to change the lives that were devastated by Hurricane Sandy. Please donate and help spread the word. #COMM30Sandy

#COMM30Sandy is an online class project for the Media & Society class at Lehigh University, taught by professor Jeremy Littau. You can donate to our campaign at this link, and for more information you can email Prof. Littau at jeremy.littau@lehigh.edu.