PHOTOS: Recovery Begins For Lacey Residents

October 31 normally means kids dressed up and trick-or-treating around their neighborhoods. This year however, Halloween has been postponed as cleanup efforts are underway along the Jserey Shore. 

Deirdre Davis, a Lacey resident on Capstan Dr., decided to stay in her home Monday night, despite the mandatory evacuation order given by local authorities.  

"I'm new to the area and never expected something like this," she said. "I thought it was being overhyped just like [Hurricane] Irene was."

Davis said when it first began, it seemed like any other storm. But around 8 p.m. Monday, when the second high tide came in, thats when she knew there was going to be trouble.

"When the second high tide hit, the water rose a few feet in a matter of 45 minutes," she said. "It came in waves, and rose a little more with each one. It flooded out my garage and first floor."

Davis said during the storm she watched as items from the Barnegat Bay floated onto and down her road, and even watched her neighbors boat get lifted up and drifted onto another neighbors lawn.

The boat, owned by John Papitone, was one of the least of his worries.

"My garage is full of mud, there is siding missing from the house, tools have water damage," he said. "And i'm finding my property all over the neighborhood."

Papitone said he took the mandatory evacuations seriously. He parked his cars off of Route 9 and left the area. He said safety was his main concern.

"I didn't want to put my family at risk, so we left," he said. "I didn't want to see any of the flooding."

Papitone said that the damage to the area is severe and aid is needed quickly to help the victims of Sandy. 

The boat came to rest on Raymond Contreras's lawn, mere feet from his home. Contrevas said his home was undamaged, and his garage had flooded, but that was an easy fix.

"My backyard is destroyed," he said. "My dock was ripped up and the bulkhead has shifted slightly."

Contreras said he had just had landscaping done over the summer and had put in new pavers, all of which were destroyed by the storm.

"This sucks," Papitone said. "We have no power, no heat. I hope insurance comapnies step up to the plate."