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Subscribe to RSSResidents of Breezy Point, N.Y., are beginning the long hard task of rebuilding their community, pumping water, clearing debris and reflecting on what they've lost.
BREEZY POINT, N.Y. — The Allens hauled out the fridge, board games and the many other everyday objects that were the props of their lives on Thetford Avenue before Superstorm Sandy flooded their bungalow and turned their world upside down.
The possessions were piled high on their deck on Sunday in front of their one-story home, which now has a slight but noticeable tilt. Many of them were headed for the dump, but they were determined to keep the most important ones, such as a heart-shaped photo of KeriLynn Allen’s deceased mother, Ann Marie McCarron, who owned the home before her daughter and husband bought it upon her death six years ago.
"We both went house shopping together and as soon we walked in here, we fell in love with this house," Allen, 41, said Friday of the mother-daughter search for a home 16 years ago. "We both said, 'This is it,' you know. We knew there was no more searching, no more looking, it was done. So, it’s hard to see it in this shape."
A difficult cleanup has begun in Breezy Point, a tight-knit community nestled between Jamaica Bay and the Atlantic Ocean in a small corner New York City, days after Hurricane Sandy unleashed raging floods that damaged thousands of homes and triggered an inferno that burned more than 100 others.
Outside of Manhattan, New York residents are still facing a power outage as temperatures drop and the region braces for another storm. NBC's Stephanie Gosk reports.
Some families can get inside their homes, while others are still waiting for the waters to recede to make a first assessment of the damage. Still others have nothing to clean up because their homes were consumed by the six-alarm fire that blazed for hours.
KeriLynn Allen
KeriLynn Allen, 41, broke down into tears after seeing this heart-shaped photo of her deceased mother, Ann Marie McCarron, with Allen's nephew on the floor of her flooded bungalow in Breezy Point.
Over the weekend, the Sanitation Department began removing storm debris, an important milestone because the community had no dumpsters to throw out the spoiled food and soaked rugs and furniture. But a lot of the work is being left up to the people of Breezy Point and their bands of friends, as it is elsewhere in the disaster zone.
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"I was a basket case for the past couple of days but, you know, you come in here and you’ve got to put on your big girl pants and … you have to get through it," said Allen, who barely escaped the floodwaters during the night of Oct. 29 with her husband, Drew, and 12-year-old son, Ryan. "This is the first step in getting things together."
Residents are concerned about the threat to their water-logged homes posed by toxic black mold. Many are emptying out their first floors, including ripping out dry wall, floor panels and sheet rock, in a bid to salvage them.
In front of the nearby home of Rod and Anna Court, a slab of wood with the message "1 day at a time" painted on it leaned against the open hood of an SUV.
David Friedman / NBC News
KeriLynn and Drew Allen clean their flood-ravaged Breezy Point, N.Y., bungalow.
"We just got to do one day at a time because if you start thinking about it, it gets too depressing in the long term," said Dan Court, a 56-year-old nutritionist, who was helping his parents — Rod, 80, Anna, in her late 70s — clean their home, concentrating for the moment on mopping tiles with bleach.
Court began to list how many of the extended family’s Breezy Point homes were damaged, stopping when he got to eight. Then he started laughing.
"It’s a total disaster," said Court, who lives in Yorktown, a suburb north of New York City. "That’s what I’m saying, you can’t think that far. It's … unbelievable."
He noted one concern of many family members is what they should and shouldn’t do, "whether they’re hurting themselves, shooting themselves in the foot" regarding insurance claims.
David Friedman / NBC News
KeriLynn Allen looks through a family photo album rescued from the family's flooded home.
That concern also was raised by Ann Marie Campbell, who was cleaning out the flooded first floor of the nearby home of her 85-year-old mother, Kathleen.
"We’re trying to figure out what’s going on and what to do. I don’t know what to do, do you like save this, wipe it down with bleach?" Campbell asked as she cleaned furniture on Friday. "We’re really not being guided what to do … because I think the people who would be guiding us (the community’s cooperative board) also lost their houses."
The uncertainty of the road ahead is something that the people of Breezy Point, a tight-knit community founded more than a century ago by Irish immigrants, will have to come to terms with, said the Rev. Msgr. Michael Curran of St. Thomas More Catholic Church, where many residents and their pets — cats, dogs and birds — took shelter during the storm.
"We’re still making this up as we go along. Nobody knows exactly where we’re going. … It’s not going to be easy," Curran said after Sunday Mass. "The image I am using is like a very extended experience of Lent, that we go from ashes literally and water, to new and better life. And I think God will see us through it, and the nature of this community … will pull everybody through."
There have been some laughs as the cleanup proceeded, with Campbell joking about her Irish mother’s obsession with the Kennedy clan, as demonstrated by her hand-painted watercolors of the family. Dan Court’s brother, Ken, said he has been dealing with requests for offbeat items from relatives, such as brass knobs on a cabinet door, a check and a metal box.
David Friedman / NBC News
A bag of ruined possessions goes out the door of the Breezy Point, N.Y., home of Drew and KeriLynn Allen.
There has been heartache, too.
Mary Ann Dalton was out on Sunday to support her parents, Chris and Tom, who are in their mid-80s and have lived in Breezy Point for 55 years. They’re house is "down to wire and boards," with the couple having lost everything, she said.
"I was sitting there taking pictures of … my parents' dresser that they had when they were first married and it just went in the (dump) truck … and crumpled up as they do that turning thing. So it’s really been tough," she said, her voice trembling.
The Allens are hoping they can return to live in their bungalow, which KeriLynn said they bought after her mother’s death at 60 to "feel her presence."
"We almost died. … So, all of this is, this is nothing," she said of the aftermath. "I was praying to every angel I had in heaven to save us and somebody was with us that night."
"I just sat there with my family and we just prayed out loud, and I called in my parents and my grandparents," she said. "I said one of them had to be with me, so I think my mother was working overtime."
Comments? Questions? Email the reporter at miranda.leitsinger@msnbc.com
More Sandy coverage from NBCNews.com:
- Nor'easter may 'add insult to injury' following Sandy
- Fuel shortage expected to last for days
- 'Free gas' causes rush in NY; state then tells public to wait
- Concert to help Sandy victims raises nearly $23 million, Red Cross says
- PhotoBlog: Cleanup, discovery and determination in Breezy Point
- NYC Marathon canceled
- Cops: NYC man pulls pistol after cutting in line for gas
- Deadliest zone: Staten Island reels from devastation
- Your Sandy photos: Show us the heroes in your life
- Sandy's aftermath: How you can help
- Full NBC News coverage of Sandy aftermath
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I was in Christchurch after the earthquake of Feb 2011. Students from all over NZ showed up to help cart away the mounds of silt that came bubbling up through the ground due to liquefaction. People left hoses out by the street so those without water could fill up. I don't remember any reports of looting.
Communities need to pull together at times like this and not wait for big govt to help them. Municipalities are too busy trying to restore power and unblock roads to help with your downed tree or flooded car.
@AG
Agreed, in this part of the country, after tornadoes strike everyone rushes to help (not help themselves, aka looting). Somehow there have become a bunch of people in the US that instead of what can they do for their country, believe how can I be lazy and F over my country.
Laziness is sad, my heart goes out to these folks.
Tracy, I agree with your thoughts. As an aside, I read "tornadoes" in your post as "tomadoes" because sometimes the r-n combination looks like an "m" to me, and it reminded me of a terrible movie that is now some sort of cult classic, "The Attack of the Killer Tomatoes." (this is a worthless post, I agree. I'm sorry)
Romney would abolish FEMA. Obama works with FEMA, immediately. George Bush really screwed up Katrina. You saw what that did. Ten years later, and New Orleans is still suffering. We don't need that. We really don't. The Jersey Shore needs our help. And, Romney won't give it. Obama will.
old guy-2484691
Take your cut and paste politicizing and shove it so far up your posterior, you'll be able to pick it out of your nose with the rest of your brains.
Roosterboy
Same for you loser.
AG99, I envy you. To live in a country like NZ must be awesome. However, Americans don't have any ethics or morals like other English speaking nations. It's sad, but the USA is a flippin' toilet when it comes to her people.
guess other nations will send help...like they always do...all the other nations help other nations...we have given so little to the world...this country is so forked up...kiss my butt foreign nations...give no help get no help...
Malcontented: I don't live in NZ. I was just visiting relatives. Talk about bad timing.
old guy...just go away and take your lies with you. You are just another Lyin Joe Biden. Rooster you are just as pathetic. JUST GO AWAY.
Luckily before Hiliary leaves she is going to sign the treaty for the tax on every online blog or email paid to the UN. Obama wants the UN to get the the tax but also that means you will be billed and all your contacts will be traced by the feds. Check it out. That will eliminate some of the dribble on here.
This is right along with the other treaty she is going to sign with the UN so the UN will decide who can have guns worldwide.
http://www.amazon.com/registry/wedding/2FDVT8QGKJFYR
Want to help.... go shopping
Emergency supplies sent directly
LOL, Mozzie
A little levity never hurt anyone, even in a crisis. Thanks for the props!
if it hasnt happened to you, you really have no idea what its like in the aftermath. Yes the pictures look bad but if you arent there, you dont have a clue.
Annie,
Haven't been in a hurricane, but helped fix stuff up after Katrina, Greensburg KS tornado, Joplin tornado, KC floods and ice storms. I've lived through a tornado taking our fire engine and spinning it off the road. Can't say I have exactly been there with the hurricane, but close enough to have a clue as I am sure many others have been.
My heart goes out to these folks, stay strong!
Not a mention of the PTSD like effect this storm also will leave behind. Every time the sky darkens and the thunder cracks the memories will come flooding back. Happens to even the toughest souls.
I helped my girlfriends family after they lost their home in Hurricane Ivan in '08. You think you will get over the material losses but it isn't that simple. Particularly the photo's that cannot be replaced. Generations can literally vanish. An event like this lasts a lifetime, that's the reality. Four years later and they still expect the worst everytime a storm threatens.
Having been through some very serious disasters, I agree, it's tough, and somedays very tough. And it's messy and sometimes it smells of oil, and sometimes smells of death. But if you stay working at the cleanup and damage repairs and get through, you'll feel good about yourself. Somewhere also, maybe in a restaurant, or on a tree, or on the side of a building, will be a high water mark or other damage scar and people will gather there in the future and know that they were, " tough enough ". Old people will tell you this... a long life isn't for sissies.
You are right. I'm on Long Island and miraculously, we didn't lose our power except for an hour. 80-90% of Long Island lacked power and many won't get any until mid-Nov, allegedly (I'll believe LIPA when I see it).
We had a tree fall down during Irene, on the roof. It didn't do major damage because this (ugly) metal tool shed stopped it. I traded the contents (tractor, leaf shredder, etc.) for the landscapers to get it off the roof, cut it up and put the pieces in some wooded area we own. We were freaked out when we heard about Sandy, thinking our heavily wooded lot won't stand a chance. Only one tree in the back fell and it went into the woods.
We were so grateful, we drove (no phones) to friends and relatives' houses and invited them to stay-warm, electric, lots of extra bedrooms and baths. Luckily, none had much destructiooon, just no electric and heat. They kept apologizing for inconvenience but i kept saying it is fun, and we are so grateful, this HAD to be done.
Now we wonder what is next and I can imagine how the people who lost big in Sandy feel. What you see about NJ and Long Island on the news is far, far worse when you see it in person. Please, everyone, pray for the victims.
Anyone know anyone from Breezy Point or any other area affected? What do they need? Shovels, gloves, flash lights, gasoline, Dunkin Donuts?
All of the above, please, also they need potable water and blankets/sleeping bags. Thanks for asking in a concerned manner sir.
Alan...
As Tracy notes, all of that and more.
Clothing. Shoes, socks, underwear, coats, sweaters, gloves, hats... anything and everything that all of us take for granted every day.
Food and water. Anything and everything that all of us take for granted every day.
Bedding, pillows, blankets, sheets... everything that all of us take for granted every day.
Don't forget some stuffed toys for the kids. They don't understand what adults do and it's even harder for them. Stuffed toys help give them a little comfort.
Personally, as I'm too far away at present to be physically involved, I've made a big donation to the Salvation Army, similar to what I did after Katrina. I avoid the Red Cross due to some family history with that organization and how much overhead they have with six figure salaries to the "executives". But that's a personal choice.
And yes, I know people, both family and friends, not in Breezy Point, but in Staten Island, New Jersey and Long Island (which isn't getting much attention).
Give what you can. They need everything... and then some.
Yes-Long Island is shot, esp by the water. However, even inland areas got it bad and LIPA has about 90% of homes w/o electric, got some going by Sun night but told some friends of the relatives who stayed here (miraculously only lost power an hour) that LIPA is telling them maybe Nov 10. Those people are two houses over from my in-laws, talk about bad luck. You drive up and down streets even well inland and there are wires all over the ground, lots of giant tress, etc.
Everything mentioned so far is needed. Don't forget-if yoiu have any extra dog beds, toys, etc. they need that also. Many rescue groups took in pets from people whose homes were flooded and/or destroyed and they need funds, of course, but blankets and other linens, as well as dog beds, collars, leashes.
There are some good ones you can trust, such as Sav-A-Pet (Pt. Jefferson) and LEGALTLC (Fort Salonga). SAP runs its own shelter and is headed by a wonderful woman who ALSO, luckily, was appointed the head of the Brookhaven Shelter. LEGAL TLC helps out rescue groups and service members/veterans with pets, PTSD dogs and Service Animals, as well as working with legislators on animal abuse issues. Attorneys and victims of service animal discrimination are on the board.
Movinonout, it's good that shelters save dogs. Believe me, I love animals, got it from my Grandfather. In fact the only time I ever saw him get extremely angry was when he saw someone abusing a dog, although it could have been any animal as far as he was concerned.
That said, he also had feral cats living on his farm, made sure they had clean running water, dried food (kept the racoons and possums fat) and shelter.
Save our other pets also. Cats, birds, reptiles even arachnids. All are truely worthy of being loved and saved.
I'm owned by five cats and would hope that in a disaster, they wouldn't be allowed to go feral. And I would hope they would be given forever homes, much as dogs are when they are rescued after a disaster of any kind.
And Mozzie, your post deserves to be here, same as everyone elses. After all, on a post with this serious a subject, it seriously deserves a chuckle. After all, even the Readers Digest says that LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE.
So allow me to chuckle and perhaps guffaw. I personally have dyslexia and have a hard time distinguishing letters. That makes it all the more funny for me.
I think mayor bloomberg's response is feeble at best, if I or any really concerned person was to do any thing this is it would be : tell the union's to shut up and go to work, then I'd call the Army Engineers and summon every helicopter, bull dozer, and every available National guard to help clean up Staten Island, Rockaway, and all the out lying townships that are being neglected by the mayor. You need trucks, bull dozers, scrapers, water trucks to clean-out the damage and take the citizens who lost everything and put them in dry, clean, shelters, while the neighborhoods are cleaned out. This is a time for extraordinary measures not excuses like it's going to take time, at the rate that bloomberg is exercising it will take years to just clean up the mess not to mention rebuilding, and that is unacceptable. With a thought out war like effort and the man power needed it could be done, bloomberg just doesn't feel the need or can't comprehend the situation.
Blame God, not Bloomberg. He didn't bring this storm. I would expect every available piece of equipment is being used today. But we are talking about almost hundreds of thousands of properties.
It took a good two years for Gulf Coast to return to anything resembling normal after Katrina and Ivan. It will take just as long in NY and NJ. This isn't some weekend project.
Vox
please don't bring God into it
I'm just pissed they even considered the marathon. I'm on Long Island, which got hit bad, and even out here, no one could find a hotel room. So, let's bring in thousands of people, take up hotel space, kick out the vics in there, waste enormous resources to operate the race, police and others who need to be helping vics...
It was cancelled so last minute many runnders and families STILL ended up here, they had reservations so people got kicked out of their hotel rooms,
I just shake my head WTF were they thinking.
We living far away can only compare your situation to our tornadoes and floods. Our tornadoes do not cover the huge area.
At least on Long Island you did not have the president come and have a photo op and head to Vegas AGAIN.
Where are the FEMA 261 full time 24/7 employees they trained for hundreds of thousands of $$$. They graduated in 08/2012 as EMT first responders. They are to have tax bought generators for a full town and food and bottled water and clothes. They have not been mentioned at all. They were nicknamed Obama's Army when they graduated because they had military vehicles and guns and ammo. They were to be "disaster ready".
They were disaster ready in the same way that Obama's stimulus projects were shovel ready.
My prayers go out to all who were affected by Sandy. We were hit by a hurricane some years ago and were without power for two weeks in October. Bad, yes, but we were not flooded. I can not imagine what I would feel if our home had been hit like this. These are indeed strong people.
We have sent military personnel to Japan after the quake for cleaning up and help; and the military personnel can help them for the clean-up, e.g. trucking out the trash, e.g. dirty and wet mattress.
After the cleaning up the trash, they may use special chemical to clean the whole house/ furniture.
Pray that they are all safe and sound during the cleaning and the weather will be kind to them, with their preparation of the weather.
Here's the big question: what do you own that really matters? That fart-smelling sofa in the living room? The table with the wobbly legs? That bedroom set that grandma owned which is collecting dust in the garage/
Too many people fear looting and destruction for items like furniture that are mass-produced and hold no real value, and people have lost their lives staying in their homes during storms for no good reason. "Stuff" is just stuff.
Protect what matters: your life, and the lives of your family members. Scan photos and put them on a cloud and a portable hard drive. Keep a small safe of important items (i.e. passport) so you can grab it in a pinch and get out of harm's way.
Yes, it's a horrible thing to lose items to thieves... far worse to die over them, though.
Good advice SUJO, I would add med records and small keepsakes to the grab kit.
The city left more than a dozen generators desperately needed by cold and hungry New Yorkers who lost their homes to Hurricane Sandy still stranded in Central Park Sunday.
And that’s not all — stashed near the finish line of the canceled marathon were 20 heaters, tens of thousands of Mylar “space” blankets, jackets, 106 crates of apples and peanuts, at least 14 pallets of bottled water and 22 five-gallon jugs of water.
This while people who lost their homes in the Rockaways, Coney Island and Staten Island were freezing and going hungry. Michael Murphy, of Staten Island, who had no power and no heat, said yesterday, “We needed 100 percent of the resources here.”
“If those generators were here, we maybe could have had some light for the cleanup effort,” he said. “Those generators would really have come in handy.’’
Click for the rest of the story from the New York Post.
Read more: #ixzz2BNOMcAxx
The New York Post, who knows what they stand for?
Regardless of what they "stand for" the story is true, as is the one about some of the runners deciding to go ahead and run any way.
Because they decided to run, trucks could not get in on the streets and pick up the generators and heaters because the route the runners were on had to be kept blocked off.
The selfishness of these people to go ahead and "do their thing" contributed to the prolonged misery of the victims of the storm, as did Bloomberg's delay in shutting down the marathon and getting the equipment and supplies out of there.
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-11-04/new-york-marathoners-run-to-help-in-storm-ravaged-staten-island
Selfish bastards.
Man just think of all those storm damaged cars and trucks that will be hauled down south and sold to unsuspecting people.
Beware
Not 'Beware'..................'CARFAX'
You mean like the Katrina cars and the Katrina bug infested cypress mulch? FLdonna is right, there are some real scumbags out there.
It's times like this I wish I was single so I could travel the country helping others. I often have the urge to stop and help the guy cutting his grass or the lady but wonder if they might tell me to get out of their yard, possible while shooting at me. Here in Ohio lots of elderly put out gardens every year and to watch as they till the ground barely able to walk is sad and so inspiring. I wonder how easy life could be for all of us if we just stopped and helped for an hour or two. It shouldn't take a disaster to bring us together and talking about it doesn't get it done. God Bless those the help along with those that suffer!
Don't be confused. Stop and make the offer to help. You'll be surprised at how accepting people are, especially the elderly. And you'll be amazed at the number of new "friends" you'll acquire along the journey.
You are wonderful.
If you have a pet, do pet therapy at nursing homes and assisted-living places. It does magic for residents. The pet has to be, of course, a certain type and it is best to get him/her a "Good Citizen Certificate", and many rescue groups offer free or low cost training classes 9and you end up with a perfectly behaved dog to boot).
My Boxer was like Elvis, and people were heartbroken when I said his cancer is too far along. I "borrowed" a three-legged rescue dog we usually used for humane ed in schools, to teach kids many things, incl overcoming obstacles. You could do that also if you like kids.
Ten years ago, GM sent our troops into battle in
Afghanistan and Iraq in Humvees that GM Knew did
not have heavy enough armor to withstand the
explosion of an IED, and got hundreds of our soldiers
killed. Barack Obama rewarded GM with a Five Hundred
Billion Dollar Bailout. From Wallstreet Banks to
Wallstreet insurance companies to Wallstreet Mortgage
brokerages to Wallstreet credit card hounds,
time and again, we have seen Barack Obama reward
failure, with excuses and bailouts.
How many months did he sit on his hands and wait for
British Petroleum to stop the Deep Horizon oil spill?
It took a congressional investigation to stop him selling
arms to Mexican Drug Lords. It took another congressional
investigation to beef up security at our embassies.
Yes we Can has turned into Oh No He Di'n't.
We no longer reward athletes and pass them, just for
showing up in class, we no longer reward students and
pass them just for showing up in school. What kind of
lesson do we teach our kids, when we reward a president,
just for showing up at a disaster? Like the victims on
the Gulf of Mexico, the victims of Sandy are beginning
to realize that a president's presence, alone, is not
enough.
How long will the American voter reward failure; four,
more, long, years?
I bet they really enjoyed living in such a nice place on the beach. I wonder what the downside of living there could be?
You sound almost giddy. Pathetic.
No thanks, I would never live on a coast. Being from CA, I have never been envious of rich people living on the sand. no thanks! Builders shouldn't be allowed to build on sand, there needs to be better regulations....ridiculous. It was bound to happen eventually. Sad!!
Yeah, nothing like building on the side of a hill like in California! Just gotta love watching those houses run a slalom as they slide down the hills!!
OK.. I'm sorry. But you made it so easy!!
My very sincere condolences to ALL people who suffer from the wrath of Mother Nature. She is very truly a non-discriminatory entity.
Leave it to some knothead to bring politics into every discussion.
I am hoping the American voter will not reward flip-flopping and inexperience during these times when we need calm steady leadership by voting it (Romney) into the White House.
Yeah... let's not bring politics into it. I'll surmise you're incapable of reading your own pathetic political post.
Loser.
You're rather pathetic for commenting on my 'pathetic' political post, which was not in response to anything you said, anyway.and since jerry saw fit to bring it in, I can never resist putting in a plug for my candidate as well.
Jerk.
The news reports that crime is now running heavy in the devastated areas. Obama has done nothing to protect the people and the media let the corrupt Illinois Democrat get away with it. Maybe the next storm will take out NBC studios!
No, it isn't. What a liar!
You say things like that when you're drunk in the middle of the afternoon.
-god
Actually it in fact is. It's not being widely reported by the media, but fortunately I don't need the "media" to tell me. I have friends and family telling me the truth,
Believe me when I say that what happened at Breezy Point is devastating, but we here in Staten Island now have 100,000 people with no heat and no home and no place to shelter tonight, nor from the new approaching storm.
Meanwhile, there are generators, heaters, spoace blankets and water sitting in Central Park at the planned terminus of the NYC Marathon, and there's no gas to transport these supplies to the people who need them.
If anyone reading this is in a position of influence, please do what you can to get resources to Staten Island. We are trapped here without adequate transportation, no gas and dwindling supplies. The Red Cross has set up 2 stations for a borough with a larger population than Boston or San Francisco. WE NEED HELP!!!
I feel bad what happen to those people in Breezy Point. But I did read that area was built by firefighters..kind of odd to have that many houses on such little lots next to each other..one mistake by one person, the whole place would of been gone anyway at any time. A fire trap waiting to happen..and it did!
Fire and wind is bad..and whats the name of that place again?
mike fire destroyed the area because fire trucks couldnt make it to the scene. Those houses were built many years ago where that type of construction was comon place.
I'm not grasping what you mean by "name of the place". BP is part of the Rockaway Peninsula, and the whole thing took a major beating. The triangle Section in BP, as Tb stated, was originally built under different standards,-like a bungalow colony, like in the Catskills in the 50s before people could fly to take vacations. Then, people winterized them and it was a wonderful place to live, lots of community activities, and the beaches rivaled the Hamptons-like Southhampton for working class folks.
Now, just before Sandy, those bungalows go for $350K because of the lifestyle and beauty there.
TB and Movin..I appreciate it you both just didn't jump on me about my comment. I don't know that area..I read about it only and thought it was odd what I read. I never knew firetrucks couldn't get there or that the area was built back in the 50's. Its understandable the building codes were way different decades ago ( can build even 15 feet away from another house in the 50's).
I'm sorry this happen to those owners, never meant my comment as a negative.
I'm in NJ..but living in the only area left that's open..we have to have ten acres to build one house ( next house frontage has to be at least half a mile away) building codes all the time changes. And yes we do have forest fires and worry about our homes too all year long.
I hope the folks at Breezy Point will recover fast and live their lives same as it was.
As for the 'name of place part'..I was trying to say fire and wind is a bad..and that place is called Breezy Point..Breezy=wind.
Where is all the help from other countries. The US helps out every other country in the world, but when something happens here no one offers any help to us at all. Maybe we need to remember who does and doesnt help for the next time.
Regarding flood insurance, repairs, etc. I have been through a similar situation, so I know what you are going through. At the time, all flood insurance was through FEMA, and that is who you had to deal with. I'm not sure if that is still true. In my case, it was a very long time before any kind of insurance adjuster showed up, so don't wait for them before starting clean up and repair. Actually, I think you are legally required to do everything necessary to prevent additional damage. However I would recommend taking lots of pictures to document all your damage starting clean up,throwing things out or starting repairs. Also, make a list of everything you throw out as you are discarding it. It is essentially impossible to remember everything after the fact. There is a maximum that insurance will pay for artwork, home contents, etc, as well as an overall maximum. It is important to list everything because insurance will want to depreciate things down to its current value if you were to sell it, not what it will cost you to replace it. so don't stop listing stuff when you hit their coverage maximums. The FEMA website has (or at least used to have) recommendations regarding what has to be done to restore a dwelling once it has been flooded, which are more extensive, and expensive, than what you would initially expect, so make sure you know the cost to do the job right according to their own guidelines before you accept any settlement they might offer. Also, expect the process to take considerable time. Dealing with them was one of the most frustrating experiences of my life. It eventually took 9 months to settle my claim. This was especially frustrating because aid agencies assume that you don't need help if you are insured. Finally, a couple of years afterwards, once I had restored my home at considerable expense, blood, sweat and tears, the government decided to expropriate the house, but not the land on which it stood, although they mandated that the land could never be built upon again. By shear good fortune (laid off from my job) I had sold the house and moved to a different state by that time. If you are affected by Sandy, have flood insurance, and are in an which may be subject to future flooding as a result of rising sea levels and/or increased storm frequency due to global climate change, you may wish to consider abandoning your property, taking the insurance settlement and relocating to a higher elevation.
Good idea.
Also, check with your local Bar Assn. I am working with the Suffolk County Bar Assn (Long Island) to try and set up some sort of project to help vics deal with ins companies, maybe have a few attorneys "specialize" in oje company, so he/she can know their tricks, the players, etc. A lot of attorneys from the foreclosure pro bono project were hit hard so I d/k how this will go but some friends and I will try.
Wearing gloves can prevent injury or accidents, e.g. infection, especially flooding water is not clean water.
My heart goes out to all the poor souls lost during this SuperStorm event!!The tales of everyday heroes trying to get back to some type of normal activity!! These folks lost just about everything and some actually did!! The power of human will to survive & battle against all odds to gain back what was lost....it is evident here!!! Americans need to give and help as much as possible,God knows we help the rest of the World constantly. Its Our turn now.....time to give back to the U.S.A.!!! Lets help our people....for the people....by the people!!! America.....reach out!!!
I know how they are feeling, at least a little. I recently went through a house fire where we lost 90% of our things, and after 7 months it is still tough when I reach for something and then I remember it is gone.
However, we were fortunate. I have a lot of stuff (clothing, pillows, blankets, etc) that I would like to send. These are things that were either in storage or people gave us in the first few days after the fire. Who would I contact to get these things to this area?
Patricia, these people lost everything! Not just90% of their things, they lost lives, homes.jobs,power,water, and a place to get out of the cold. Your lost was just a fraction of their lost, so to say you understand, just makes you sound a little out of touch!!!!!!!!!!
People REMEMBER, Obama went there, while Romney turned his back! DEFUNF FIMA? call for Fima to stand down, and let Sandys distruction go without help to the people on the east coast. HOW LOW CAN ROMNEY GO? Below ground leval, that how low! We Americans are hurt by this kind of ideas, from the Republicans, and we should make our hurt show, by voting them out. With the Bush wars ending, the repo's have now declared war on America. From Voter fraid, to womens rights, we the people have to stop them. NOW!!!!!!!!!!!