Hurricane Sandy was one of the most devastating natural disasters ever to hit the United States, and perhaps the most destructive to target New Jersey. It is estimated to have caused over $30 billion in damage, taken at least 37 lives, and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses. No event in recent history has caused as much disruption to life and livelihood in the state.
The Hurricane Sandy Oral History Project at The College of New Jersey aims to preserve the memories of people whose lives have been affected by the storm and its aftermath. It is a student-driven program that originated in course offerings from the Department of History. The Project is working to collect and archive oral history interviews that reflect the experiences of a wide range of New Jerseyans – victims who lost homes or businesses, first responders who provided crucial assistance, those working for government or non-governmental agencies involved in storm response, and those working to help rebuild communities and develop measures aimed at preventing future disasters of this magnitude. These interviews are transcribed and archived, and they become part of a database kept at the College and made available for scholarly use.
On this website, you will find narratives drawn from these interviews. They are, in essence, individual stories about Hurricane Sandy, in the very words of the person who experienced them. By making these narratives available to a wide audience, we hope to draw attention to how Hurricane Sandy has transformed the lives of a wide range of people in the State of New Jersey. We also hope to remind people that the recovery process is far from over.
For more information on the Hurricane Sandy Oral History Project, please contact the project director, Dr. Matthew Bender (email@example.com or 609.771.2158)