The recovery effort along the Jersey / New York coast line continues.
The next work weekend I am planning to participate in will be 2/23/13 (Saturday) and 2/24/13 (Sunday). Once again, I will be joining my brother, Jim Groff and the Christiana Lions, to help with the recovery sites they are involved in.
We have concentrated our efforts on several homes over the past several weeks and hope to get these homes to the point the owners will soon be able to move back into them. This means the walls won't be painted or carpet laid, but the homeowners can get out of the rentals they have been living in since the storm and return to their home to start to get back to a "somewhat normal" life.
We are in weekly contact with the New Jersey team that is on the ground there and know the people and their situations. They have already prequalified many homes for repair, based on the homeowners needs and the damaged sustained. Each week we notify them how many volunteers are coming to work the following weekend and the skills that come along with them. The New Jersey team then co-ordinates with the homeowners to have the necessary material available on site when the day arrives.
There is a need for carpenters, electricians, plumbers, trim workers, tile installers, cabinet installers, siding installers, roofers and, of course, "helping" hands. We will be placed where our ability best fits the need.
I need to get a head count of those able to join us for either day or both so we know how much work we can anticipate to get done.
Housing and motel rooms in that region are still at a premium right now, so we will not staying overnight. We will be returning to Gap at the end of the day on Saturday and driving back to the work sites on Sunday. That is a pain, but until we can line up someplace to bed down for the night, we'll be running back and forth.
Meals are not provided. Hand tools are not provided. Let me know if you can provide transportation, a pickup or van. We will get as many in as few vehicles as feasible.
The drive takes about 2 hours and fifteen minutes from Gap to where we will be working.
Remember, this is a long term effort to help get those affected by the storm to get back into their homes. So if you are unable to join us for the 23th or 24th, there are work crews making the trip almost every weekend. For myself, I am scheduling at least one weekend a month to help in this effort.
If you are interested in joining in the effort, please contact me at inthegapforshore@gmail.com.
Thanks
Dale Groff
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Rehab in Union Beach, NJ
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
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.
Monday, January 7, 2013
1/19/13 and 1/20/13 - work weekend for Hurricane Sandy relief
1/7/2013
I mentioned in my previous blog that we made contact with NJ Strong, a non-profit organization, coordinating the volunteer efforts to clean up homes affected by Hurricane Sandy along the New Jersey shore. They are hard at work almost every weekend and now have about 70 homes cleaned out. However, those homes are not ready for reconstruction yet for various reasons.
So on 1/19/13 (Saturday) and 1/20/13 (Sunday), I am joining up with my brother, Jim Groff and the Christiana Lions, and heading to the Jersey shore to help them with the recovery sites they are involved in. They have made the trip, I believe, 6 weekends now.
There are several homes we will be targeting. They are in various stages of repair and reconstruction. We will need carpenters, electricians, tile installers, cabinet installers, and "helping" hands. We will be placed where our ability best fits the need.
I need to get a head count of who is able to join us for either day or both so we know how much work we can anticipate to get done. Based on the makeup of the crew, we will line up the construction material we anticipate needing so it will be on site for when we arrive.
Housing and motel rooms in that region are at a premium right now, so we are not staying overnight. We will be returning to Gap at the end of the day on Saturday and driving back to the work sites on Sunday. That is a pain, but until we can line up someplace to bed down for the night, we'll be running back and forth.
Meals are not provided. Hand tools are not provided. Let me know if you can provide transportation, a pickup or van. We will get as many in as few vehicles as feasible.
The drive takes about 2 hours and fifteen minutes from Gap to where we will be working.
Remember, this is a long term effort to help get those affected by the storm to get back into their homes. So if you are unable to join us for the 19th or 20th, there will be other weekends coming up. I would like to schedule at least one weekend a month to help in this effort.
If you are interested in joining us for either 1/19 or 1/20, or future weekends to be determined, please contact me at inthegapforshore@gmail.com.
Thanks
Dale Groff
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Supporting those affected by Hurricane Sandy along the Jersey coastline - We start the process
Hurricane Sandy, or was it Super Storm Sandy, or was it a storm surge event, or was it just a heavy rain storm? Doesn't matter to the thousands that have lost their homes, lost their power and are literally homeless. How many were affected? I haven't been able to find accurate numbers. It doesn't really matter.
I know of organizations and churches from Lancaster County traveling to the Jersey shore for weeks now, mostly on the weekends, to lend a hand. These are the Weekend Warriors. Working a regular job during the week and volunteering their time over the weekend.
They're not debating what caused the storm, they're not debating the environmental impacts of building along the coast line. They see people who are hungry, cold and homeless and they are filling a need. Most are sharing the love of Christ during the process.
On Sunday, 12/16/12, a group of us from the Gap area meet with Lindsay Donald and her brother, Stephen Donald to discuss the need as they see it. They are the organizers of NJ Strong, a non-profit organization formed as a result of Sandy.
They now have 57 homes cleaned out and with each weekend they clean out more. They have been coordinating the volunteers that come from several states to help the most needy ever since the storm hit the region.
They are also seeking funds to assist the home owners that are not being reimbursed for the damage to their homes.
The next phase will be to start rebuilding these homes. That is what Sunday's meeting is all about...to start the planning process.
Questions, which homes are repairable, and which should be torn down and completely rebuilt.....what material is needed.....who is available to help.....where is the money coming from....
We're pulling together people from the Gap, PA region to help support NJ Strong in their efforts. Thus the reason for the name "In the Gap for Shore".
This will be a long process to get everyone along the coast settled again. Thousands of volunteers have already joined in the effort all up and down the coastline. Our effort is just a drop in the bucket, but it is what we can be do.
Two were walking along the shoreline where there were thousands of starfish lying on the sand, dying. The one picked up a starfish and threw it back into the water. His friend responded, "There are so many on the beach, why bother, it won't make a difference". The response? "It made a difference to the one I just threw back in..."
More information to come as this effort unfolds.
In The Gap for Shore
Dale Groff
email - inthegapforshore@gmail.com
I know of organizations and churches from Lancaster County traveling to the Jersey shore for weeks now, mostly on the weekends, to lend a hand. These are the Weekend Warriors. Working a regular job during the week and volunteering their time over the weekend.
They're not debating what caused the storm, they're not debating the environmental impacts of building along the coast line. They see people who are hungry, cold and homeless and they are filling a need. Most are sharing the love of Christ during the process.
On Sunday, 12/16/12, a group of us from the Gap area meet with Lindsay Donald and her brother, Stephen Donald to discuss the need as they see it. They are the organizers of NJ Strong, a non-profit organization formed as a result of Sandy.
They now have 57 homes cleaned out and with each weekend they clean out more. They have been coordinating the volunteers that come from several states to help the most needy ever since the storm hit the region.
They are also seeking funds to assist the home owners that are not being reimbursed for the damage to their homes.
The next phase will be to start rebuilding these homes. That is what Sunday's meeting is all about...to start the planning process.
Questions, which homes are repairable, and which should be torn down and completely rebuilt.....what material is needed.....who is available to help.....where is the money coming from....
We're pulling together people from the Gap, PA region to help support NJ Strong in their efforts. Thus the reason for the name "In the Gap for Shore".
This will be a long process to get everyone along the coast settled again. Thousands of volunteers have already joined in the effort all up and down the coastline. Our effort is just a drop in the bucket, but it is what we can be do.
Two were walking along the shoreline where there were thousands of starfish lying on the sand, dying. The one picked up a starfish and threw it back into the water. His friend responded, "There are so many on the beach, why bother, it won't make a difference". The response? "It made a difference to the one I just threw back in..."
More information to come as this effort unfolds.
In The Gap for Shore
Dale Groff
email - inthegapforshore@gmail.com
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