A couple of days ago, I posted about the damage caused
by the tropical storm Isaias in my hometown, Englewood NJ. The image I used—one
of two large trees that came down in Depot Square Park—was startling enough.
But, in its own, less dramatic way, the image I chose
for today has its own equally telling story. With the DPW having removed the
downed trees by the end of Saturday, my eyes were ready to take in a scene
familiar to me from nearly 60 years in this city.
Until, that is, I saw the wreckage from the wreckage: a
picnic table bent and flattened; one park bench with its entire backing lopped
off; and, as I photographed here, another bench rendered unfit in any way for
sitting.
I realize that, with more than 300,000 power customers
still in the dark this past Friday—and with many residents worrying about trees
crushing their homes and downed wires near their homes—the problems of a park
are minor by comparison.
But these problems are not without cost, and when the
bills come—as they will—they will arrive at a most inopportune time. If
citizens want the same kind of facilities that were available before the storm,
they will have to be replaced and paid for. That will be harder to do amid a
pandemic that has triggered the worst economic downturn since the Great
Depression, and a consequent loss in employment and tax revenues at state and
municipal levels.
When all is said and done, it will be interesting to
see how much this destructive storm has cost us. Let’s hope that another
doesn’t arrive soon, because we can ill afford it.
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