Last Saturday and Sunday, I made my first trip to the Jersey shore to help restore a home that was damaged by Hurricane Sandy which hit the New York region on October 29, 2012.
The property owner we were working with cannot live in this house. So they have been living elsewhere for almost 3 months now. This is very typical for thousands of property owners in this region. That means either living in a motel room, a rented apartment, with family or sometimes in the car. The government has provided a check for a couple of months of rent, but that does not last forever. For most, that money has been spent. Also, remember, most property owners are still required to make mortgage payments on a home they cannot live in. This is a very difficult situation for thousands of people.
Five of us met at 6:30 am on Saturday at the Dutchway parking lot in Christiana to travel to Union Beach. The task was to replace flooring, insulate and hang drywall in a house owned by a single mom.. We worked all day, returning 10:00 pm that night. We would have stayed in the area, but motels are filled with the displaced from the region.
My brother, Jim and I returned on Sunday to continue the work.
Late Sunday afternoon, we met with Bill Bechtoldt. Bill belongs to the Middletown Lions Club and is a member of the St. John's United Methodist Church in Hazlet, NJ. What a workhorse with a big compassionate heart. Along with his wife, Gail, they have been working nonstop ever since the storm hit to help those affected.
There are four options the typical homeowner has to choose from. 1) Fix up, 2) raise, 3) demolish and start over or 4) give up and walk away.
Bill's current focus is to find eligible homes and coordinate with the many volunteers in his database who are willing to spend their time in this effort and places them at a location that matches the skill with the need.
He looks for damaged homes can be fixed up but the owners can not afford to do so. He has identified many homes that meet this criteria.
One weekend, Bill had over 1,000 volunteers working in 75 homes.
Jim has been working with Bill for weeks taking volunteers from Pennsylvania to perform the rehabs.
It will be months, if not years to finish this effort and get everyone back into their homes.
On Sunday, Bill took us to the surrounding areas to see the extent of the damage in the region. We drove through Monmouth Hill, Highlands, Navesink, Middletown and Sea Bright. We saw street after street where homes appeared to be ok on the exterior, but were completely destroyed on the interior from the flood waters. We saw homes that were washed hundreds of feet from their foundation. Bill told us there were thousands of unlivable homes in this area alone. This doesn't include Long Island, Staton Island in New York.
There will be many trips made to this region on Saturdays and Sundays. The homes have been identified and are ready and waiting for someone to lend a hand. There is something for everyone to do who has the time. If you are interested in participating, let me know what you can do, when you can do it and we'll make it happen.
Dale Groff
inthegapforshore@gmail.com
Cleaning out and fixing up Marcy's home
Jim and Shawna spackling drywall
Cutting out the flooring.
The bathroom is insulated. Floor ready to be replaced.
Floors replaced, drywall installed.
Bathroom drywall and flooring in place.
The work crew
Elam, Tom, Glenn, Shawna and Dale. Jim taking the picture.
One of hundreds of houses to be demolished.
Raising this house 8 feet, to above future flood levels.
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