Kean student’s blog informs the country

By Mike Jago

Hurricane Sandy left a path of destruction on the Jersey Shore that none who live there will ever forget. The storm itself became a national story, and one Kean student was there to inform.

The aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in Keansburg, NJ.
Photo Credit: Ryan Gaydos

Ryan Gaydos, sports editor for The Tower, started a blog dedicated to Sandy and the destruction it brought. A resident of Keansburg, Gaydos wanted others to see the damage his town received, especially because he felt the national media was ignoring his little hamlet on the shore.

“I started the blog the Thursday before the storm because I had a feeling this was something big that needed to be covered and I knew that none of the big media outlets would be around my town,” Gaydos said.

The blog became a major hit in the aftermath of the storm, gaining over 114,000 views since the start. Many have left comments expressing gratitude for showing the uncovered side of the destruction in Keansburg, and other bloggers, as well as NJ.com and ABC7 news have used his pictures.

While areas like Seaside Heights and Atlantic City got plenty of exposure, Gaydos wanted to cover those forgotten by the national spotlight.

The aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in Keansburg, NJ.
Photo Credit: Ryan Gaydos

“I started to cover the hurricane because I knew it was going to affect a lot of people,” he said, “so I tried to keep residents and former residents informed about their town.”

The attention the blog received came as a surprise to Gaydos, and he was happy people were using his blog to stay informed.

“I noticed it was getting attention when I kept refreshing my page and it was getting 100-plus hits at a time,” he said.

Many news outlets around the country covered hurricane Sandy, and it became one of the most popular stories of the year. The aftermath of the storm is still being dealt with in places where waters rose to more than 4 feet off the ground.

Gaydos’s blog is a perfect example of the phrase “a picture is worth 1000 words.” The pictures on his blog have been used all over the Internet and on news stations alike, and many were informed about the areas less covered. The blog can be seen at www.keansburgpress.wordpress.com