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Waterfront Museum President David Sharps said he couldn't leave the Lehigh Valley number 79 Railroad Barge on its own during Hurricane Sandy. So Sharps and two crew members rode out the storm on the nearly 100 year-old vessel.

Through a combination of good decisions and luck, the boat made it out relatively unscathed.

"I guess the preparation for the storm primarily was getting lines out to various spots that we thought would hold during the storm," Sharps said.

While the barge only suffered minimal damage, mainly to some skylight panels which were blown out by high wind gusts, the pier area surrounding it wasn't as lucky. It was hit so hard it forced the museum to cancel its open tour hours until repairs can be made.

Seeing the damage, the barge's crew decided to lend a hand to some of its neighbors, using the boat's pumps to help others with flooding problems.

"We went to a couple of residences and a couple of businesses and helped them start emptying the eight, nine feet of water that was in their basements," Sharps said. "I think there were six different homes that we helped pump out. And since then, a few hours of flood waters, and yet a month later and we are still cleaning up."

Sharps said he is looking forward to getting people back to enjoying the waterfront.

"Old devil sea has been tough on us, but at the same time that's one of the best assets that we have," he said. "People come and love to see the waterfront. You know, you take the good with the bad."

Sharps said if he and his crew didn't stay on the boat, it probably wouldn't have made it.

To learn more about the museum, visit waterfrontmuseum.org.