Share Reflections of Hurricane Irene One Year Later

This week marks the first anniversary of the violent storm that flooded roads, pulled trees from their roots, and left many in New Jersey without power.

In late August 2011, Irene blew through northern New Jersey. Montclair Patch was there to cover a hurricane that, despite a devastating aftermath, was downgraded to a tropical storm.

One year later, we want to know: Does the storm continue to impact you? What changes did you make in and around your home? Was your business damanged by the wind and flooding? Are there still areas that remain unfixed?

Montclair resident and writer Jessica Wolf recalled Monday how Irene pulled the community together last year.

She remembered how someone had sought a recommendation for a professional pump service to help with his flooded basement on the Montclair Watercooler.

One man wrote back: “Anyone can borrow my [submergible pump] … The only requirement is that you give it to the next person who needs it, and that it comes back to me.” 

After that, Wolf said she started seeing a lot of these types of offers. Someone on Facebook offered up a generator. Another person said they had a sump pump to spare.

"We didn't lose power during that storm, although we did during the Halloween snowstorm," Wolf said. "At that time, friends opened their homes to have somewhere warm to stay during the day—but, of course, that's what friends do for each other.

"The guy on the Watercooler offered up something so generous to ANYONE who needed it, and I feel like that kind of thing was happening all over town," she said. "When one person behaves generously like that, it really sets the tone for everyone to follow suit.

"I did (and still do) find it very heartening to live in a town that is big enough to have the kind of culture and diversity we have, but still small enough to have so much heart," she added.

To mark the anniversary of Irene, Montclair Patch is asking that you share photos of your neighborhood from the storm and leave comments below about how Tropical Storm Irene impacted you and your family.

Hurricane Irene on Montclair Patch: