At the end of the street where we are staying (all of 50 feet away) is this sign. It sits in front of a fence covered in vine, and just visible beyond is a BERM (AKA Levee). It is a high mound of dirt, and it protects this neighborhood from the Hackensack River. This is the type of structure that failed during Superstorm Sandy and led to the flooding of Little Ferry and Moonachie.
The sign is an indicator of another problem facing this entire area… GUNK came along with the flood. Downriver from here to the Atlantic Ocean is 30 miles of massive industrial sites. As the storm surge swept north, it brought unbelievable amounts of debris with it, and guess where it was left… you got it… Little Ferry. The land here is not safe any longer. Noone can grow a garden. To rehab a playground, you have to dig down about 2 feet and remove the soil and replace it with new topsoil before you can allow the kids to play on it. It makes you wonder if its safe to mow the lawn, although we see people doing that. Is it ok to weed flower beds? We don’t know.
This afternoon we drove over to the river. The water level is low right now, and it looks peaceful and quiet, with verdant growth on the banks. Who would have guessed.