One common question was "How can we help those in need?" Well, besides contributing to the red cross directly, one of our veteran staffers Leanne Summers created a T-Shirt to help "Restore the Shore" - Check out this link. For more updates, check out our Facebook fan page as well. Enjoy the positive energy below from our beloved Camp Families:
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| Big Tree at Point made a BRIDGE across Crafts Creek- Should we Keep it? |
FROM LONG TIME CAMP FAMILY THAT LIVES AT THE SHORE-
As you know, we live in Forked River but we were very lucky that our home was spared and no damage came to us. We only lost power but we had hot water and gas stove top to keep us going. We got our power back Thursday morning and I am back at work today. The boys don't have school until Monday so they are very happy with this little school break. My neighbors right behind me were not so lucky, the main road (E. Lacey Rd.) that leads to the marina flooded and many restaurants, tiki bar and docks were destroyed. I know that we will all be the better for this, because of the many people who have been so giving and caring in this time of need- This is the true silver lining that will come of the devastation- Stay safe my friends!!!
Andy and LLDC family, My prayers are with
you and your family. I know what’s most trying in times like natural
disasters, but family time is so important too. We’ve hunker down in
living room where the steam from spaghetti pots heat the house. The warmth from
our large dog keeps us comfortable with body heat. Last year, we anticipated a
lot of snow and bought a generator. Thank goodness there’s still gas stations
with working pumps even though there are down trees and power outage across
Pemberton. Even the military base lost power due to a transformer blew
on Monday night. We are still without power here. Over the weekend, my husband was at golf tournament in New York and
had to deal with traffic northbound from evacuee on the coast. But was able to
find shelves not yet empty of water, batteries, & extension cords.
Thankfully he bought a sweatshirt for each of us as a golf souvenir. Yes, we’ve turned off our Iphones, shut down the computers, and
there is no TV. Just a portable radio, board games (J. loves chess and
checkers) doing our yardwork. I’ve cleaned out both refrigerators and instead
of watching TV the kids went trick o treating last night on base. Ft Dix has
power restored. J. is playing shadow with flashlights and hide and seek in the
dark. Both kids love the black-out but are freezing due to the lack of heat. I am just glad that the basement isn’t flooded, the cars weren’t
demolished by down trees, and the house is still standing with just a window’s
shutter that flew off and hit our fence. And kids didn’t have to sit in the
storm waiting for the school bus Monday. Thank you for reaching
out. We are a bit out of touch with the rest of NJ due to the lack of power and
cable service. I keep chatting with neighbors and co workers to see how they made out
in the storm. Take care, Sarah
Thank you for the note. Just another example of the
type of person that you are, which is reflective in the heart and culture of
Liberty Lake. I am grateful for the day that I saw your Ad and visited
the open house. The S. family is doing well. We never lost
power, but our neighbors across the street did, so they are happily using our
generator. My Mom on Long Island (89), didn’t fare as well.
She refused to come my way before the storm. Her house had damage
and no power (All electric including heat) I was able to get there
yesterday and bring her back to NJ so all is well. If you or your family need help in any way please let me
know. J.
Thanks for your message. We
was on the LLDC website yesterday, trying to find out how the camp made it
through the storm. It sounds as if things could have been much worse than
they are, thank goodness. We hope Justin is doing well and are glad that your
family has power again. We were without power for 27 hours and enjoyed
candle light meals (fortunately, we could cook on the gas stovetop) and, of
course, board games (specifically Monopoly and Trouble, as well as card
games). We also took advantage of the daylight hours to do some
much-needed painting in our house (I bought paint on Sunday, in
anticipation of losing power)! You probably heard E’s scream of happiness
when the power suddenly came back on Tuesday night! We were just getting
ready to break down and light a fire for warmth, so the timing couldn't have
been better. We cleaned out the refrigerator/freezer yesterday, so that's
done. I understand from Brandi's note that tomorrow night's LLDC Teen Event has
been postponed, so we look forward to a reschedule of that and definitely plan
to attend. And like you, we are horrified at what destruction has hit NYC
and the Jersey shore. It will be a long road back for many people who are
much less fortunate than we are.
Thanks again for your message, and we hope to see you soon!
L & E
The F’s got their power back last night around 9 pm. We had a tree top come down in our backyard landing in the 1 spot I would hope, missing the kids swing set our fence and most importantly our house. I will miss the games of uno and monopoly though, and the family candlelight dinners. I hope everyone else fared as well as us. M
Andy, Thanks so much for your
kind and caring words. We were on of those without power for 30 plus hours and
made the most of it. We had no damage other than a section of fence blown down
thankfully. That was such an eloquent heart felt email. I will be sure to
tell my son that you, and his counselors were asking about him today. I
personally am about to leave Burlington with my boat in tow, myself along with
a few others have collect 20 some cases of water 2 generators various food
items as well as assorted batteries and extra flashlights. We will be leaving
the main land side of Barnegat City and motor across the Barnegat bay to
deliver much need supplies to some of the residents there without power and
phone lines. There is no access in or out by vehicle as the roads are covered
with debris. Thanks again for your concern !!
J.
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| The Lake was calm on Tuesday- No Flooding- Phew!!! |
Thanks Andy. We were lucky. We never lost power!
Unfortunately, I work in NYC so I haven't been able to get into the city all
week. Some may not see that as a bad thing right? :-) Kind of an extra week of
vacation though because I have connectivity, I could work (shhhhh...that's a
secret) Seriously, thank you so much for your concern and offer of help. I know
lots of folks were not as blessed as I was and were happy to know
there was some additional support out there. I'm glad you now have power
and life can start getting back to "normal". Take Care.
Hi Andy, It was nice to
hear from you and we are glad you have managed through the storm. We only
lost power for the better part of 2 days and no damage except some more leaves
and branches than usual. Having this electronic-free time allowed us to
actually eat dinner at a decent hour and there was no TV on to distract us from
our conversations. Our hearts and prayers were given to those less
fortunate and in looking at the pictures – sadly there are many. All said
it was a little colder in the house than usual – now if I put it to 64 it seems
like summer – but our spirits were never down – we even had a wager on to when
the power would come on – we could have made it for how long the power would be
out but that is not positive thinking. H. was bummed I won – no money or
favors were exchanged it was just for bragging LIGHTS!
We will think
about purchasing a generator in the future – that could be a good
investment. This gave us an excuse to clean out the fridge and buy new
salad dressing – the only thing we lost in the freezer was ice cream and that
makes the dieting easier. If you are ever in need of an extra set of
hands for clean up or to move things – please let us know – I am not that much of
a craftsman but I can hold my own with most tasks. Thanks, The B. Family
Hi Andy – thanks for the note;
the J. family is good. We lost power for about 19 hours – which is nothing
compared to what others are going through. It’s been a long week for DJ, working since Sunday – but he’s been
coming home for dinner/rest before heading back in each day. The kids welcomed
the three days off from school – and it was nice to see them use their
creativity to keep busy. My parents and brother are in Little Silver and Oceanport, near the
Monmouth County shore – declared disaster areas, but luckily they are all OK.
No power, but OK. Trying to get them to come down here, but my dad recently had
hip replacement surgery, so they want to stay home where he’s more comfortable.
I will be heading up there tomorrow with gas to replenish their supply for the
generator. Growing up at the shore, I’m hearing the areas we ‘played’ in are
devastated and have simply washed away. Our old stomping grounds of Sea Bright,
Sandy Hook and Long Branch will never look the way I knew them, but I’m sure
they’ll rebuild, in time.
We are fine over here and have
electric. Our house is surronded by tall mature Oak tree. We sweated out the
night sleeping downstairs in makeshift tents. Woke up to gigantic tree limbs in
the front and back yard. No falling trees ! We are very blessed. If
there is anyone in the Lawrenceville area that might need some help just let me
know. Chef John & Family
We are right here in
Columbus/Mansfield. We made out very well in the storm, thankfully, with only
minor damage and only 3 days of no power, water or heat. My heart often
turned to Liberty Lake and the devastation it might suffer at the hands of
Sandy. I am not a praying woman but I did this time. For the camp and for your
family and for the other families out there who may not have been as lucky as
we are. Thanks for checking in and continuing to show, through your
actions and words, what an amazing place/family Liberty Lake is. Take
good care, K, T & E
We are back at work & the kids are at school today,
though so many people in the area are still w/o power the parking lots here in
Trenton are pretty empty. We were lucky, our home is fine, our trees are fine
and we were able to borrow a generator for a few hours to keep the
refrigerators running and cold. Phil was crazy busy w/ the fire dept and
our local OEM. He's still a little sleep deprived, but back at work too.
Yes, old fashioned ways to stay busy. While P. was out w/ the fire dept on Monday & Tuesday, the kids & I played scrabble and the original trivial pursuit by candle-light. CP
Yes, old fashioned ways to stay busy. While P. was out w/ the fire dept on Monday & Tuesday, the kids & I played scrabble and the original trivial pursuit by candle-light. CP
We have
been been without power for days but are blessed with friends that have big
refrigerators and extra beds. We are lucky and are glad to hear that
everything is holding up rather well on your end. All the best, Michelle &
family
The W. Family is alive and
kicking. Just a few down trees and no power for 2 days. Basically, nothing to
complain about. Please let me know if you are going to collect food,
clothing and othe things to help out the less fortunate. I will help in any
capacity that I can. Thank you for your concern and we are still praying
for your son. We get great compliments about our orange Justinsanity shirts, especially now in the fall.
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| The Cedar at the Vista snapped in half |
Thank you
very much for your email! Our family is okay; we were only without
power and some damage to our roof, so we feel fortunate. I know how busy you
are, but please let us know if you are taking monetary collections for
families affected by this tragedy as we will be happy to help. I
hope your family is ok and your son is doing well.
Thank you
very much again, Margaret
Your email brought tears to my
eyes. During difficult times, is often when we are reminded most, how fortunate
we are. We are living in an amazing community surrounded by so many loving,
kind, generous people! The B’s are
FINE! We definitely had our Guardian Angel watching over us. We didn't lose
power, direcTV didn't lose its satellite, and not a single shingle is missing
on our roof! As NJ and NY clean up from the devastation, I can't help but think
about how life can surely change in an instant! So grateful that my
children have shared in the Liberty Lake Camp experience! Thank you and your
family for providing my children with memories that will last their lifetime! If
there is anything we can do to help at camp or at your home, please ASK!
Thank God we are ok, with no
damage and only lost power for 12 hours. A & M both went back to school on
Wed. and Hamilton is still closed. On Wed. I had to go pick up my son from Rutgers
because 3 of the 5 New Brunswick campuses were under water and without power. He
was on a campus that was without power for a day but otherwise safe. The school
asked parents to pick up their children if possible so the two dining halls are
able to handle everyone. Classes are cancelled until Monday.
Glad to hear
your power came back on! We were extremely lucky and managed to NOT lose
power. BMS is finally open today so I’m back at my desk, although it
still feels strange as the parking lot is mostly empty. Moorestown
schools are still closed. Even though I knew Halloween was
moved to Monday, I still faithfully put a bowl of candy next to the front door
yesterday. The doorbell did ring once, but it was just friends, not trick
or treaters. I gave them candy anyway J Hope all is well and life is getting back to normal. HM
Thanks
so much for your message. Glad your power came back on. Ours was off in
Burlington for 42 hours. It came back on yesterday around 4:30 pm. We are
thankful for everyone that is working around the clock to help in the aftermath
of Hurricane Sandy. Our son Antonio has been asking about camp every day since
last week before Sandy came through. We appreciate the updates you’ve been
posting. We are lucky to have only lost power. We still have a home and we’re
all safe. The devastation at the shore is heartbreaking and unimaginable.
Hope
you and your family remain safe. Wendy
Please let us know if we
can help with water, food, batteries etc. to families who my reach out to you
as we are grateful and to have experienced only minor loses compared to many.
Hi Andy, What an uplifting note to receive. Thanks
for that. Just want you to know we are all fine and surviving without Electricity since
Monday. The boys stayed with some friends who have electric and heat last
night. They had a great time the first 2 nights without power, I was surprised
at how they used their resources and played games and hide & seek. E, W
& I stayed at the house with the dog. But have been hanging with our
neighbors until bedtime, who have a generator and heat. Praying for electric
soon, but they are saying not until Monday or later. So we will see.
Thanks for the note. Looking forward to summer already? Yes I am! Take care and be safe.
Heidi
We got our power back on in
Burlington twp 2 nights ago. Lots of family has come to stay. Please let me
know if anyone needs any supplies or if we can help in any way. Glad you are
all ok and my kids can't wait for summer!
Jennifer
We came through the storm just fine,
fortunately. You are correct to pray for those who have lost so much...but also
jump into action, lend a hand, or simply a shoulder that someone can rest on.
God Bless you Andy for caring and all you do. BOB
We are still without street
power. We have been running the generator one hour on, four hours off since
7:30 pm monday. We have propane for cooking inside. They grilled outside last
night--a nice change from canned food. Mark pulled out the Magic cards and
attempted to teach his Dad how to play. When he tired of reading, he
rediscovered Kerplunk and other games.
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| Some chipped benches, but that's it! |
Doug learned to play Monopoly.
lol All in all, no problems here but we see how many others were not so
lucky!
We are doing ok; everyone is
fine. We have no power and have been "camping" in the house as are
many others. The most recent update from PSE&G is to receive power sometime
before midnight on November 9. I liked your mention of the word
"grit" - we heard a homily a few weeks ago about the fact that we didn't
necessarily need GPS in our lives, but, rather, we needed more GPT- Grit,
Persistence, and Tenacity. I'll be reminding the boys of that when they wake up
soon.
Take care, The Z's
There is never a day when H.
doesn't talk about camp and we actually played a lot of indoor games that he
learned at camp during the storm. Thank you so much for your email, With best
regards, P, M & H
Dear Andy and Liberty Lake
Family,
From Spain we'd like to send you
all our strength and support in these tough times. As we have been seeing the
images of the disaster on TV, we were thinking about all of you fearing the
worst, because Sandy passed just over Liberty Lake neighborhood. As you
say, fortunately things can only get better from now. Mafalda and Oriol
ask me what could we do for you from Barcelona. But I really don't know. Please
tell us if we can do something to help anyone from here. We wish all of you a
speedy disaster recovery, and our deep heartfelt wishes. The Mariana Family.
I was able to get our grandma out
of Freehold last night because she still didn't have power and it was 58
degrees in her house! She is safe and warm in our house with us and the
kids are loving their time with her. On a scarier note we had to go to
queens on Long Island to get our Aunt Patti who's house and car were completely
under water from a storm surge!!! And she wasn't even in an evacuation zone :/.
We helped her salvage as much as we could and she is safely resting with us
tonight until going back tomorrow to finish packing the few things that
survived. And then Saturday we will move her out of the town she lived in most
of her life! The things I saw there today I will never forget! Families
clearing their entire house to the side of the street while their kids watched
in the yard....broke my heart. Anyway we were so lucky to be able to help
our family and I am happy and grateful they are safe!!!! I'm so happy
your power is back on and your family is safe. I hope your son Justin is
being strong and hanging in there. We look forward to seeing you at camp
next year!!!! Sincerely, TS
FROM LONG TIME TEAM MEMBER + CAMP PARENT-
FROM LONG TIME TEAM MEMBER + CAMP PARENT-
I wanted to tell you, once again, how grateful I am for the experiences I have had at camp over the last few summers. During Hurricane Sandy with the wind blowing and the rain pouring down, my children and I played The Game of Life in the basement of my parents' home. I knew that the key to keeping the children calm was to be calm. That being prepared beats being panicked. I knew that I needed activities that didn't take electricity and that I could vary with time to keep the kids distracted. And that most of all, I know my kids have a little grit. We have danced in the rain at camp, and sat together under the tents to wait out the storm. That was great practice for the 'real deal' that was Sandy. We didn't go dance in the rain on Monday or Tuesday, but we didn't fall apart either. As we sat laughing about how many kids we had in The Game of Life, I was hoping secretly that LLDC would be all right. I am sure there are other skills we have learned there that we will use when the circumstances arise, and I'll thank you in advance for them. With Love, Lara
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| Dark Waters after the storm- Liberty Lake fared well this time! |
