In the Gap for Shore: Helping Bobbie

On Saturday, 3/16/13, I traveled to Union Beach, NJ with Steve Mann, David Cole and my brother, Jim Groff, to help Bobbi recover from the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy. We picked up where the previous volunteers left off, spending the day removing the existing kitchen cabinets, installing new ones, hooking up the sink and finish hanging the drywall in the dining room and bathroom.

We talked to her son, Guy, about his mother and her experiences during Hurricane Sandy and since.

He shared that his parents lived in their house for over 40 years. During that time, there was one flood occurrence. In that event the water rose to just above the first floor level getting the carpet wet.

In the early fall of 2012, his parents upgraded the house and put in a new kitchen. They heard the weather forecast about a storm coming, but decided to remain at the house during the storm. Their house is not located near the water and felt confident this storm would not effect them too seriously.

When Sandy came, the storm surge started to come in. Guy drove to his parents to check up on them. The roads were becoming flooded as he drove there. By the time he arrived to their street, the water was over the truck hood. He got out the truck and walked to their house. By the time he got to the house, the water was up to his neck. There was 2 feet of water in the house. He found his parents on the second floor level. In another hour, the water rose an additional 2 feet. They had no choice but to ride out the storm and pray for the best outcome. Emergency services at that time were not available for a rescue. They survived, but the house took a big hit.

After hearing Guy retell of their story, Bobbi shared that her husband died two weeks ago. To say the least, she is hurting. We could see the look of despair in her eyes.

Since the storm, the St. John's United Methodist Church in Hazlet, NJ and the Lions Club of Middletown, NJ, met with Bobbi and her husband to determine if the house was damaged beyond repair. After it was decided to rehabilitate the house, the church and Lions focused on raising what funds they could and started coordinating the volunteer work crews from multiple states to assist them in cleanup and the long process of rehabilitation.

The four of us felt honored to be able to contribute our small role in helping Bobbi get through this dark chapter in her life.

A beautiful porch being used for storage and work area.

Steve, with the help Glen from NJ, took charge in removing the old cabinets (which were installed just weeks prior to Sandy), installing the new ones and finally hooking up the sink.