H: Hurricane Gloria – 1985
October 6, 1985
Jeff,
What a week this has been! It started when Hurricane Gloria hit Long Island on the 27th. Trees were down as was power all over the Island. We didn’t go back to school for a week. And showers and laundry? I ended up leaving my apartment and drove to my sister’s house in New Jersey. Like I said quite a week.
Lucky for me I live in a garden apartment that is part of a large golf course. Even though there are trees that surround the property and some did fall down, there are not many around the apartment, so I didn’t have any damage, just a loss of power. I’m hoping that this house that I’m looking to buy in Wading River works out and I can finally move out of this apartment and own a house for the first time ever.
So I went to my sister Leslie’s house after about the fourth powerless day. I could only stay overnight as I just heard when I got there that my school was going to reopen the next day. Because of the storm, not all of the schools could be opened at that time, as some still didn’t have power. We had to share our classrooms and spaces with the primary school classes that were without power. It worked out okay.
I had played at a Contra Dance prior to the storm and was invited with the band by one of the dancers there, Barbara, to come to a house party that Saturday the 5th (yesterday) in Setauket. Barbara and 6 others shared this house.
I had a band practice on Saturday in Port Jefferson at Robin’s house. Since it was daylight, we didn’t need power to practice. The group talked about maybe attending Barbara’s party. Setauket was just the next town over. You know I’m not much of a party-goer by myself, but a few of the members were going to go to the party if the power returned in time, so I said I might go also.
Luckily, the power returned well before 8:00 when the party was supposed to start. I decided I would go. When I arrived at the house, there were no cars in the driveway. This was enough to dissuade me from going to the party. I wasn’t sure if I got the wrong house, date, or time and I wasn’t about to go to the door and ask. I didn’t want to look stupid. So I turned around and headed back towards Robin’s house to see if she knew anything. When I got there, the lights were out in her home, so I decided to go back to the party at Barbara’s house, hoping that I had just got the time wrong.
When I got there, there were lots of cars in the driveway and street and lots of music and noise coming from the house. I guess everyone had been just fashionably late.
The party was fun, and I met a girl named Christina, another housemate. In fact, we danced together most of the night and when I left she walked me to my car and we even kissed goodbye. I really wanted to call her the next day, but hesitated, worrying about what if someone else in the house answered the phone. My worry was for naught for she called me up first and we set a date for this weekend. I’ll write you and let you know what happens. I’m hoping this relationship works out.
Your friend,
Harvey
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October 27, 1985
Jeff,
Glad to hear that you didn’t suffer much with the power outage from Gloria as I did. I can’t believe you went outside as the eye of the storm passed over you. I just stayed indoors the entire time.
I’m not able to have a camping stove in the apartment or on the golf course, and all my appliances run on electricity, which is why I ended up going to my sister’s house. But with you living in your own house, having a camping stove was a great thing to have and use with no power, not to mention your coal-burning stove to keep you warm.
I would have loved to play board games like you, however, I live by myself and don’t have any siblings or friends nearby to play with. It was nice to miss a few days of school and walk around the golf course after the storm. Someday I’ll have a family to do things with.
Good news is that I’m actually seeing Christina a lot more now. We talk to each other on the phone a lot. I really like her.
Say hi to your wife and daughter for me. Some day we really have to get together. It’s only a 3-hour drive.
Your friend,
Harvey
To be continued in I – Tropical Storm Isaias – 2020
Feel free to add your thoughts in the comment section, if you were around during Hurricane Gloria. I’d love to hear them.
Living in Ct. near the coast, yes we were def impacted with Gloria. We were without power for over two weeks. Luckily the tv sent out airwaves and we had a radio/tv that picked up the signals so we enjoyed listening to the tv shows… just like my grandparents had. My husband searched for ice daily, while I cooked on our gas stove. It wasn’t so bad when I reflect on those times. When the lights suddenly came on… it actually felt strange. LOL
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I remember Hurricane Gloria. I lived on the Connecticut side of the Long Island Sound, just about a block away from the water. We were evacuated and had to spend the day in a middle school. Luckily the damage was minimal when we returned to our house.
I’m glad the damage was minimal. Living in an apartment off of a golf course, I was pretty safe from damaging trees falling. However, one of the three apple trees on the property that I ended up buying and moving to that November did fall and had to be removed by the owners.
Living across the pond on Long Island back then, I can’t recall how I managed food in my all-electric apartment. I’m going to guess it was by visiting friends nearby who lived in a house and did have an outside barbecue to do cooking. And of course mooching off of my sister in New Jersey.