Like so many people, I watched in real time on TV earlier this week as Hurricane Sandy pounded away at the Jersey Shore, a place I spent many summers with my Philadelphia-based family growing up. Although news coverage showed extensive footage of the shore, days passed and we didn’t know if our beach home was still standing.
Now living and working in Manhattan — which suffered its own devastation from the storm and still has limited power, electricity and public transportation — I knew it wouldn’t be possible to check on our summer house in Brigantine, N.J. (or even getting out of the city) any time soon. Not to mention, bridges on and off the beach island were completely blocked by officials.
After combing through pictures taken post-Sandy and failing to identify our street, I turned to Twitter. I discovered real estate company Ashore Reality (@BrigantineDeals) was responding to individual tweets from Brigantine home owners, who were blocked from returning to the island, and providing them with as much information about their neighborhoods as possible.
“So many people turned to Twitter to ask how their houses were doing and they had no source of information,” Dennis Allen, owner of Ashore Reality, told me in a phone interview. “I decided to drive around and take pictures of their homes to put their minds at ease.”
Allen tweeted his phone number and urged those who wanted a picture of their home to be in touch. He also posted pictures online for evacuees to check out the status of their neighborhoods.
“The texts just started to come in, and although I was nervous about putting my phone number out there, I’m so glad I’ve been able to help people throughout this process,” said Allen, adding about 40 people have already taken him up on the offer.
Boats are scattered everywhere on 12th Street North. twitter.com/BrigantineDeal…
— Ashore Realty Inc (@BrigantineDeals) November 2, 2012
Water level came up 4 1/2 feet on 8th Street North (see water line on this outside shower) twitter.com/BrigantineDeal…
— Ashore Realty Inc (@BrigantineDeals) November 2, 2012
“About 60% of those who ask for a picture don’t have too much damage, while 40% aren’t as lucky,” he said. “One lady asked me to check on her boat. I had to tell her what was left of it was in the neighbor’s yard. I just had to tell another that a dock from the bay was now in their driveway.”
Although some real estate agents on the island have been making the rounds and checking on homes for clients, Allen is doing this for anyone that asks, including me. Fortunately for my family, I received a few texts from him this morning with pictures of our home still standing and relatively unharmed, with the exception of a broken window.
@brigantinedeals thanks so much for getting back to me & for all the work you & others are doing! I appreciate it more than I can say.
— Lauren (@__LMB) November 2, 2012
This story may seem small in comparison to some heroic actions detailed over the past few days, but it’s these little acts of kindness — when coupled with the power of the Internet — that can truly make a huge difference during a time of distress.
Image via @BrigantineDeals
More Coverage of Hurricane Sandy
The Aftermath of Superstorm Sandy
Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/11/02/hurricane-sandy-twitter-hero/
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