Jersey Guy Ray Rossi remembers Superstorm Sandy hitting NJ

For anyone who listened to New Jersey 101.5 from 2002 until when he left in 2015, Ray Rossi was and is the quintessential "Jersey Guy."

That's what he was known as when he cohosted afternoons with Craig Carton, and then with Casey Bartholomew. He later hosted a late-night show where we did some of the best crossovers of my career.

I still laugh when I think of them. He was also my cohost on New Jersey 101.5 the night Superstorm Sandy was pounding New Jersey.

On this 10th anniversary, Rossi, now retired from radio, called my New Jersey 101.5 radio show to share his memories.

"What I remember most was the sound of the rain pounding on the roof," says Rossi. "Then trying to make it home in the pitch dark and almost hitting a huge buck standing in the middle of 295 with blue lightning off in the distance."

Before he left the station, Rossi who was scheduled to be on from midnight until 5 am, had me join him that night.

"We didn't have any phones working," Rossi said when he called in. "The only communication that we had was Facebook messenger."

"What we were doing was we were reading all these messages over the air. And you know, I mean it was a very touching situation. Because, you know, even though you didn't hear people's voices, you saw what they were writing, you saw how they were communicating with us, and what we were doing was we were actually amplifying anything that they were telling us and getting it out to all of New Jersey."

"That was some of the most memorable radio I think I've ever done in my, in my career was that," says Rossi. "Yeah, that whole scenario was, you know, something I'll remember for the rest of my life."

What also didn't help that night was the fact that we had lost the transmitter at around ten so we were working strictly for the online audience.

"Let's face it, when all else fails, what else is there to do but tell like, old Italian stories, share recipes, and just pull it out of thin air let's say."

That night the air was thick and rife with rain and I can't think of anyone I would have rather had with me in that studio than Jersey Guy Ray Rossi. It was so good, we went back on the air the following night.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Steve Trevelise only. Follow him on Twitter @realstevetrev.

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