Andy DehnartAmong the places heavily damaged by Hurricane Sandy was Seaside Heights, New Jersey, the community that has hosted Jersey Shore, which was left “in ruins,” according to Reuters, which has a slideshow of images of the tremendous damage caused by the hurricane. That includes its iconic boardwalk, which was destroyed along with significant sections of the city.
Jersey Shore‘s episode last night included an appeal give to the Red Cross: texting REDCROSS to 90999 donates $10.
The store where the cast works, Shore Store, was affected, though the house apparently escaped serious damage, despite its close proximity to the boardwalk that was completely destroyed.
Danny Merk, who owns the store and house in Seaside Heights, told ABC News, “Sandy devastated us. I saw some pictures people sent me. My store’s gates are crashed in. There’s no boardwalk. I don’t even understand how bad it is yet.” He added, “We were on such a high after the show. We were the town on the rise, a freight train, a roller coaster. It’s just a terrible thing.” He said his other properties were “all ruined,” but he plans to “do the best job we can possibly do” to repair it.
The cast members, who responded to the devastation earlier this week, have “all been calling and worried about me — even Angelina,” he said.