News of the Day from Ocean County, NJ

Hey,

All is well here in New Jersey.

We are working well south of where we are staying. This pleasant little church is in Pt. Pleasant Beach, and our work is nearly an hour south of here at the very end of Ocean County. We are using new, fabulous Ford vans to commute, donated for the week by a local Ford dealer.

One team is working on outdoor stuff related to the deck and stairs. It's in Tuckerton. The other team, renamed the Astronauts, is working nearby at Little Egg Harbor.

On a map it looks fancy, like the neighborhoods of affluent folks in Naples, but it is just middle class.

Both homes are owned by elderly folks flooded out by Superstorm Sandy. Neither had flood insurance, as it didn't occur to anyone that it is needed. A storm like that was just not something that happens here; the ocean had never flooded over the barrier islands and up over the beach before. They had paid off their mortgages and the houses they owned were by far most of their assets. It's not an exaggeration to say they lost nearly everything. The rebuilding puts the houses up on stilts, like they are in the Carolinas or Florida.

We can't seem to get many of the youth fired up about blogging, as they are now playing games. Hopefully there will be more news and some reflections tomorrow. We have been tweeting like mad, lots of pictures, so check that out.   @MPUCYouth.

It's a terrific group, and we are off to a very good start. Thanks for your support.

Lee