Hurricane Sandy: 2 Years Later

Nearly two years ago Hurricane Sandy hit New Jersey towns with force that had not been seen in decades. Many can remember the uprooted trees and branches littered all through the streets of Montclair, the long gas lines all around the tri-state area and the countless homes left without power or completely destroyed.

Here is a timeline of events surrounding the events of the hurricane:

October 26, 2012 - Prior to the storm, the Red Cross released a list of items to have on hand during the storm in case of emergency. At the time residents were encouraged to prepare for the worst, but very few could have predicted what would happen in the coming days.

October 29, 2012 - Hurricane Sandy hit Wyckoff between 6 and 9 p.m. with winds estimated to be in the 80 mph range, ripping trees, street signs and utility lines to the ground.

October 30, 2012 - Township officials met to discuss their ongoing response to Hurricane Sandy. Nearly all of Wyckoff was without power and an unknown, though large, number of streets were blocked. Police, public works and utility companies scrambled to coordinate their response, but initial reports say 62 percent of New Jersey residents were without power. Wyckoff Police Chief Benjamin Fox told residents they should anticipate a 10-day outage. There was an estimated 40 to 60 homes with significant damage, some of which were “very severe.”

November 1, 2012 - Walgreens in Wyckoff on Cedar Hill Road began collecting donations for the month of November to help The American Red Cross with their hurricane relief efforts.

November 5, 2012 - Township officials decided Friday not to move the location of voting machines across Wyckoff, despite a lack of electricity at all four polling places. “The plan is to have voting in all the schools as planned,” Wyckoff Mayor Chris DePhillips said as voting machines were delivered to each of the schools, according to TheJerseyExperiment.com.

November 15, 2012 - Wyckoff Chamber of Commerce holds a meeting where members and township officials discussed the outcome of the hurricane and how to better prepare for future storms.

November 21, 2012 - State Sen. Kevin O’Toole was among a number of “heroes” recognized by the Wyckoff Township Committee Monday for their efforts during the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Sandy/ Township officials officially recognized O’Toole, assemblymen David Russo and Scott Rumana, as well as the Powerhouse Christian Church and the Christian Health Care Center. “[Hurricane Sandy] was a most tragic and difficult time for all of us ...,” O’Toole told the assembled crowd.

November 29, 2012 - The storm left township businesses without power, and most importantly, customers.

September 14, 2013 - Wyckoff asked residents to prepare for the 2013 hurricane season by being “storm informed” through several resources provided by both the town and the state. “As we approach the 2013 Hurricane Season, we take a minute to reflect on the one year anniversary of Superstorm Sandy,” the township said in a release. “Through the efforts of local, county and state emergency management personnel, we were able to overcome the devastating effects of this storm.”

As for 2014, Meteorologists have predicted that this year would have fewer hurricanes than usual, but that if any should come, the MidAtlantic coast could be among the most vulnerable regions. But Hurricane Season is drawing to a close, and will end officially on November 30.

Have any memories from Hurricane Sandy to share? What did your family do to keep busy while the lights were out? Which relief initiative helped you most? Tell us in the comments below.

Yvanna Saint-Fort and Rose Driscoll contributed to this article.