Grace under adversity... In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy...

This time, during my trip to the East Coast, I had the opportunity to witness the amazing grace that the American people still display under tremendous adversity...



Wires and posts on the  road
(Parsippany, NJ)



To give you an idea about how weird the situation is - there are large areas in New Jersey that still does not have power after 6 days since Sandy left this state, most (if not all) of the shops in these areas are closed, many of the traffic lights are still not in operation... and under all these circumstances, the citizens of this state are still the nicest, warmest, and most courteous people on the planet.



The guy in the immigrations still had a smile to greet visitors, the folks in the car rental were nice and helpful though they were working with battery lights, there was no lighting in the parking area, and they had immense difficulty in getting to work - they also helped with tips on what to do, given the gas situation is bad, the hotel was closed due to lack of electricity and safety concerns - by the Manager went out of his way to find me alternate accommodation nearby... the people on the roads still smile... what an amazing people they are!



A beautiful morning in NJ after Sandy left...

If you are fooled by the highways and the pockets of areas which are still lucky to have power and are not impacted directly - look beyond the highways, get into the side streets and you will see the extensive damage that Sandy has caused... uprooted trees on the roads, electric poles and wires obstructing the way, houses in a bad state, closed shops... I asked the lady who came in to clean the room today - and she said that they were still without electricity, no gas, and subsisting on bread and avocado.. and what was truly amazing was that she still had a warm smile on her face...

The state and all the folks cutting across the society have come together to rebuild their shattered lives... and they are going about it with energy, dedication and an amazing degree of grace... and some of the Corporates like Walmart are doing a great job of contributing back to the country...

US East coast - my best wishes for a speedy recovery...