IS BAY HEAD MY HOME TOWN STILL WITHOUT ELECTRIC? I KOW NOTHING OF 59 BODIES

Trust me, they had more money than most. Many families didn't even know about the shore and couldn't take time to walk on the beach in their Sunday best because 1 they didn't have and 2 they had to get to their 3rd job to help feed their family. You are a child of privilege and you don't even know it. Be grateful, this will pass.

There ARE Bodies, according to suriviors who were threatned if they told, the government "doesnt want to upset people".

Are you kidding me? I live in Brick (on the barrier island) and never heard of that many deaths. Why would they hide it?

I had neighbors who stayed and said they were in fear of their lives and that they would never ever stay again. Our area was hard hit but not devestated so I would believe that if anyone was staying in the areas hardest hit they could have easily died. I also heard the smell of gas was horrible for days.

I have a house in Normandy Beach and it is as bad as the author paints it. Pieces of cars, homes, telephone poles, and piles of sand occupy what once was our street.

I find this a bit insulting that this is even being compared to 9/11. Yeah it sucks that people lost there home, but loss of life was minimal. 9/11 was a terrorist attack where people were intentionally killed, this was a just bad storm. And I hate to say this, but you live on the water, you take the chance this may happen.

First of all the death count is accurate. I remember during 9/11 and Katrina there were also conspiracy theories about thousands of hidden deaths. People just love that crap. Do you really think in a day and age where the nations top spy cannot even keep a mistress hidden there are thousands of bodies being hidden? Come on. Take the tinfoil off of your head and throw away that copy of catcher in the rye you have been carrying around for 25 years.

It's ridiculous that the government LIED to the public about the death toll....DEMAND THE TRUTH! FEMA has confirmed it, and suriviors. We all know there's a count and it's ridiculous that a government is trying to hide it. C'mon Mayors, we all know theres bodies.....and some FEMA workers didnt get the dont tell memo. I can bring suriviors to the meetings and they can tell you what they saw. and im sure there's probably photographic evidence somewhere as well.

Ken you are clearly off your meds. Get your evidence together and email some of these guys. It would make their careers to write the story. If not go back to worrying about UFOs.

Micchael Saul michael.saul@wsj.com
Laura Kusisto at laura.kusisto@wsj.com
Heather Haddon at heather.haddon@wsj.com

Exactly how many bodies did your survivor friends or your FEMA source claim they saw?

There is no conspiracy. If any thing we learned from Katrina to be over cautious and in this case it saved lives. There was a feeling in the air before the storm hit that it was going to be bad. Everyone felt it. Saw it in the early storm surge pics on fb before she even came on shore. Most heeded evacuations. Any loss of life is horrible but i think we came through pretty minimal compared to what could of happened.

I'm not sure I understand what the motivation for "hiding the body count" would be.... The government DID try to enforce mandatory evacuation- they were not denying the intensity of the storm or pooh-poohing evacuation warnings. They were not in any way making anyone believe this was not going to be one huge a$$-whompin' storm, on the contrary the government was accused of hyping it all up - for whatever reasons- all conspiratory, no doubt. The government even went to all lengths to help get people OUT... knocking on doors, offering transportation, helping the elderly, setting up shelters, etc. This was NOT like Katrina, where people were basically left in their homes, nowhere to go and no way to get there, and then the levy broke. Not the same at all. So please, some one explain to me WHY the local and or state government would be hiding the true body count. They could not really be held accountable for it anyhow, so why hide it??

I rode out the storm in Ortley Beach and while the wind and storm surge were absolutely terrifying, I saw no sign of bodies as I surveyed the area on foot the days following. The reports of gas lines being ruptured is correct, but mostly in the beach block where the homes were moved off their foundations. I highly doubt the loss of life is as high as being speculated as the majority of the residents heeded the storm warnings. Right now we all just need to focus on moving forward and rebuilding as this area is vital to the overall economic well being of our great state of New Jersey.

Please get the facts straight before you spread these terrible rumors and I agree with you John, my heart goes out to all that have gone thru this nightmare. God bless you.

Tom Davis-Author of Article--Great piece! You did a wonderful job of not only describing the physical situation but also the human condition. Very touching and sincere. Thank you.

My family lost our home to a fire when I was a young adult. Everything was ruined by the soot or the water from putting out the fire so this has similarities to me. We lost everything, we were homeless and shell shocked, only having the clothes on our backs. In the end, the only thing we looked for were the photographs. No one died, not even our cat, so when others spoke of this "tragedy" we quickly told them it was not a tragedy. Twenty five years later, the only thing I miss, are the photographs. This brings back the emotions I had then, so I am welling up a lot as we rip apart a family house that my father in law built 50 years ago. The only people who suffered a tragedy, are the ones who lost a loved one. This is painful and sad, frustrating and inconvient for many, but not a tragedy. This is a financial ruin for some and is devastating. The ocean is still beautiful, breaking on the sand just like it was before. The sun is still rising and setting with majestic colors. Stuff is just stuff, no one can take away the beauty of nature, or our love for it in our soul. These events show people what they are made of, and what is really important to them. What will you hold on to? Will you cling to the loss of material things, or embrace the challenge of a new start? You are alive and have the choice.

The nearly 3000 people who lost their lives on 9/11 never had a chance to rebuild a house, replace a car, boat or to hold on to memories of a summer day at the beach. Trying to use 9/11 to describe the emotions felt after Sandy is like comparing apples to oranges, not even close. We have the chance to rebuild, replace and enjoy. The people who died on 9/11 have nothing.

Just wondering if I filed a claim with FEMA for my car that was flooded but denied because I have a second car, does that mean when my taxes go up&( my car insurance) I can DENY the increase?

Come on people! If there were 1000 people dead we would see flyers all over town looking for the missing like we did in 9/11. In this day and age family members would be pleading on TV about news of their loved ones! The fact is that we got very lucky!! A lot of the home that were severely damaged on the waterfront belong to summer folk! That fact alone saved more lives than I can count! Many others followed the evacuation notice and the ones that did not mostly suffered water damage.

I also don't think the "paralell" to 9/11 is appropriate - this pales in comparison. This is a loss of property, not a tremendous loss of life. Article had great potential but you lost me once you tried to compare it to 9/11, or even Katrina. Lives were saved because of the precautions taken - otherwise it would have been as tragic as Katrina. In the years that pass the heartache will lessen and people will rebuild - nothing compared to the child that has a parent who will never see another one of their birthdays, soccer games, wedding, etc... And that is why mortgage companies require flood insurance in those areas - because what happened was always a real possibility. Just keep building and building, mother nature doesn't care (and for the record, we own on the island, lost the entire first floor and do not have flood insurance, a gamble we lost).

The comments on this story reveal two things: 1. Human nature is despicable, and 2. people will do anything to cause a rise through false information. It's called trolling. Google it if you must. Whether you disagree with the 911 parallel, or truly believe there are thousands of bodies floating around in the water, keep your useless, detrimental, and unverified nonsense to yourself. Less than a handful of people actually commented on the content of this story. The story is touching and heartfelt - something everyone at the shore can use right now. We have enough garbage in our front yards, we don't need people spewing their own.

I thank the author for writing a story, alongside many others, that reveal the true beauty of our towns. How lucky we are to have memories from this area that cannot be destroyed.

Let's not taint them with fallacy and ignorance.

Bodies everywhere!

I think FEMA needs to do a helicopter drop of prozac at Karen Reagans house. Obviously her prescription ran out

So the Local government does not want to upset people? What about the families ?? were they told to be quiet to ?? Enough of this already ...lets move on to help restore peoples lives... Those who have lost have suffered enough

Wow, this article was very vivid and so heartfelt. It literally brings Jersey and this entire disaster right home. I cannot believe this happened. I love you NJ, the memories, the friends, the family, the beach, everything.

OMG, you people are nuts! You need about a weeks stay in a padded room somewhere. If you think there were over 1,000 bodies than you need heavy, heavy doses of meds. What about the relatives of all those dead people....where are all the funerals at??? Crazy is as crazy does.

Some people will belive anything and prove how much of a idiot they are. There is no reason they would want to hide a body count and could not do it if they wanted to

U go larry and john u r totally right,that other woman is off her rocker,good luck jersey shore u will shine again..kc from tr

I have been noticing the obituaries that have been posted for over a week. Names of young and old that lived along the shore. I wondered if....

AMEN, Brittany!

You people are sick, these are not "rumors". It would be in the newspaper? Do you think they would put everything in the newspaper? You are all dumb for believing everything you read. Could not do it if they wanted to? They are. Off my meds, that's pathetic. 1,000 deaths? No, maybe 100 is more like it. Spewing their own garbage? You know what, that's very offensive, because I found this out from reliable people who put their jobs on the line to confirm it. The ignorance is choosing to just ignore what's happening. Tell me why they awry confirming it then. Unverified nonsense? That's not what this is. I have VERIFIED it with many People who I cannot say. Why would I want to say something that isn't true? I myself have been affected by the storm, so how dare you say I'm lying. Wow he's nuts, I've never been to seaside post sandy, but I'll trust why my government tells me is true! Even if residents, FEMA, an others who worked over there confirmed it

Why am I even speaking of it? Because its wrong that the government will not release the real number. It's unethical, and they need to release it.

Ken...you're proving yourself to be more gullible/ dumber than the average teenager.
Talking to someone who says "trust me its true" isn't verifying..its called spreading a rumor.
Go find 1000 bodies...then youve confirmed its true.
Go talk to 1000 families who confirm 1000 dead....then youve confirmed its true.
Go talk to the coroner ( who would have seen all the bodies) and have him confirm 1000.
Until then... you havent confirmed a thing...you're just a gullible and dumb kid spreading a rumor

I'll be right back! I have to finish watching the "Twilight Zone". My sorces tell me i'ts a true story.

Ken if you REALLY want to prove 1000 deaths...I mean REALLY want to. List all the funerals from all the families burying their dead relatives who died from the storm.
They're listed in the paper every day .
Unless!....they're blackops funerals run by a secret fema funeral service!

There is only one reason why (if true) that they are not telling the truth on how many people have died...
They, the dead, are illegal immigrants and might not even had any type of ID....

I've been walking around in the tick of it for three weeks and other than the one body picked out the day after I have not personally witness any others. If there were 1000 bodies, damn, I would be tripping over them. In this case, I believe the government is reporting things as they find them as they have no reason to hide the death toll anyway.

The fraud I count on will come when the insurance companies must pay up. They will invent creative ways to say they do not cover what people paid them to protect. I have already hired a lawyer to review my claim for this reason and make sure I'm not on the wrong end of this process.

"thick" of it...typo

There were zero deaths

There can't be dead they all showed up and voted for OB

All people need to do is unite and work as a team to rebuild. No matter how poor or how rich you are ,what race ,what religion ,immigrant or citizen ...rebuild & stand as one. 100 helping hands are more useful than a thousand clasped in prayer.

Get prepared for more.............

After Hurricane Andrew, we had no power for 5 weeks and no phones for 4 months. We did not evacuate and leave our property. We also heard rumors of dead that were kept secret. The Miami Herald even ran an ad that they would pay if anyone could give them any names. Rumors are not helpful! Be thankful.

People were warned to leave- what warning did 911 people have?

Obviously, i'm just telling you the info I was given. It's a shame how you've all acted. I know what I was told, and if you choose not to believe me than so be it. I've no reason to say this other wise. Instead of discussing it, you instead decided to go and reply with stupid comments about me. Also where did you get 1,000 bodies from? I NEVER said 1,000. Also, to those who said you saw no bodies...were you looting in people's houses? Thats the only way you could know 100% there were none. Therefore, those who went through walkthroughs of the towns and saw nothing on the outside do not proove there was or wasn't any deaths. The Suriviors know what they saw, and those who know the real count know it. There's nothing I can do for you to change your belief. I came in here to tell you info I recieved from suriviors and workers. Instead I got bashed from every angle. Everybody was effected by the storms, there's no reason to create "rumors".

You think it's funny that people died? It's humourous? no they aernt laughing. Why? Because they have NOTHING left. They rode out the storm in Seaside Heights and were trapped out there for several days.

P.S- We all are.

Logically do you honestly believe that people died in all the towns around Seaside but not a single person in Seaside did? You saw it on the news. there was people out there as the storm came ashore. You've seen the state the Barrier Islands are in....and you say NOT ONE, person did not pass away during the storm? The homeless, and addicts that stayed behind (yes, they are people too!), some who stayed behind in their houses...not ONE passed away? Even if it's just ONE, it needs to be reported.

Too young to remember 911? I remember everything, don't compare sandy to 911.

911 was more than 10 years ago. get over it. more people die from being fat. stop spending tax money on monuments and other nonsense and stop letting the family of people killed there dictate what happens. If this guy tittel is correct the whole area will be under water in a few years anyway.