exhaustion

Blake and I are exhausted, and while the reasons for our weariness are different on the surface, they share the same roots: Hurricane Sandy.

Since the superstorm struck, Blake has been coordinating relief efforts not only for members of our ward, but also for those in the community who are not of our faith. Several low-lying areas within our stake boundaries, classified by the city as Zone A, were expected to flood, and as such the residents of these neighborhoods were mandated to evacuate. Some did, some didn't, but whatever their choice was, the floods came, and in some places even higher than expected. Once the storm passed, the damage was assessed and clean up began.

The demand for help has been great, and the response to the call for volunteers to help has been just as impressive. Blake and many other leaders in the ward spend long hours every day on the phone or at the computer helping to organize the relief efforts, and every Saturday and Sunday, when they're not leading regular church services, they spend their time out in the field, tearing mildewing drywall and carpet out of flooded homes. I hardly see Blake anymore, and I'm sure other wives are feeling the same way!

Areas outside our immediate ward boundaries like Breezy Point in the Rockaways and Staten Island are getting incredible news coverage, and members in their yellow Mormon Helping Hands shirts are flocking to help. But the needs in the Bensonhurst Ward, which covers Coney Island and Brighton Beach are also immense. Included in our boundaries is the nearly forgotten about community of Gerritsen Beach, which, because of its Zone B classification, was not evacuated. (Why it is a Zone B, I'll never know. A basic map clearly indicates that it is surrounded by water.) But the flooding there was among the worst, with flood waters filling not only homes' basements, but also 6-8 feet of the first floors. Most of these homes are inhabited by elderly people who over the years have collected lots of things, which, now that they've been ruined, need to be removed.

But they can't do it themselves. Just yesterday a quick survey by stake leaders of the community indicated nearly 100 households that desperately needed help with the necessary clean-up. It's been a challenge to recruit volunteers from more well-known Breezy Point and Staten Island to come into unknown parts of Brooklyn, but today, as church was starting in the chapel for those of us who couldn't go out and serve (the pews were filled almost solely with women and children), the rest of building was the starting point for hundreds of volunteers from around the tri-state area who had answered Blake's desperate plea for help. It really is heartwarming to watch this kind of service in action.




Meanwhile, I've been at home with the boys, trying to keep ourselves from missing our busy (and therefore pretty much absent) husband and father. Yesterday I toted the boys along on an excursion of errands, most of which were reached on foot. Here's what we accomplished:

1. Quick stop at a playground to keep the boys happy.
2. Returned books at the library.
3. A few purchases in the Chinese supermarket, plus a little "zoo trip" in the live seafood department.
4. CVS to pick up a prescription and get my flu shot.
5. 3 Guys From Brooklyn produce market to buy oranges and chocolate covered pretzels.
6. Hop on the subway (where we ate oranges and chocolate covered pretzels). Ride it all the way back to the opposite end of the neighborhood.
7. Staples to pick up a few office supplies.
8. Century 21 Home Department to get Garrett a new umbrella (his old one broke in our recent nor'easter).
9. Century 21 Clothing Store to get Garrett a new dress shirt.

And home! Wow, that was a lot of walking! Surprisingly the boys -- all three of 'em! -- were helpful angels throughout the entire trek. Not surprisingly, they each fell asleep moments after tucking them in for bed.

I don't know when these relief efforts will wind up. They'll probably continue until Christmas at least. So until they do, life for us in these parts will continue in a similar vein. It is exhausting -- neither Blake nor I can hardly think straight anymore -- but when there's a need, action must be taken, whether it's out in the trenches or supporting those in the trenches by keeping things moving on the homefront. And we're privileged to be a part of it.