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Hurricane Sandy Update #28
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Point Pleasant Presbyterian Church
| Tuesday, January 8, 2013
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Greetings!
Was it my imagination, or did I hear more people than usual saying, this New Year's, "Good riddance to 2012!" (or something similar)?
Surely it does seem that things could hardly get worse for our area, after everything that's come our way since the end of October.
 They can only get better. But "better" is taking a good bit longer to get here than that little cherub who's the iconic image of a brand-new year.
As we move further through the Hurricane Sandy recovery, I'm becoming aware that a lot of people whose homes were flooded feel stalled right now in their rebuilding efforts. Insurance claims, home inspections, contractor estimates - all these are taking much longer than usual, due to the sheer size of this disaster.
The numbers of those affected are staggering. In a Minute for Mission this past Sunday, our Hurricane Sandy Recovery Coordinator Peter Farwell shared some rough figures he's come up with for our congregation. Peter estimates that 20% of church members had their homes flooded, and that, of those, about half (or 10% of the congregation) are either still out of their homes or have major repair work to do before things will begin to attain a measure of normalcy.
I know of several church families who, after learning more about the extensive repairs and improvements that would be necessary for them to go back to their homes, have decided simply to demolish their homes, sell the lot for the best price they can get and purchase a home inland, away from the flood zone. That's a terribly hard decision to make - especially for a home that has so many memories attached to it - but it's understandable, given the magnitude of the damage in some areas.
Besides, folks are just plain tired. No surprise, after a devastating hurricane and a couple of minor (but still damaging) floods in the weeks following.
More and more, we're all living into the reality that this recovery is a long, drawn-out process. Restoring the Shore can't be done overnight. Like it or not, slow and steady wins this race.
 Fortunately, help is on the way. Our friends from Lend A Hand will be here again during the week of January 20. Other volunteer work groups keep calling to schedule a time for their groups to come. We've scheduled a few of these, but are waiting on most of them until our hospitality center in the CE Annex is up and running, complete with bunk beds and other furnishings.
Eventually, work sites for these volunteers will be prioritized and assigned through the Ocean County Long Term Recovery Committee. But for now, we're on our own, and are scrambling to find meaningful work for our guests to do, that matches their skills.
It's going to be a little haphazard at first. But bear with us, because we're learning how to do this as we go along. Eventually, things will move a lot more swiftly and smoothly as they are right now.
Scroll down to read about our most pressing short-term needs...
In Christ's love,
Carl
The Rev. Carl Wilton, Pastor |
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Our 2 Biggest Short-Term Needs
 Here are our two biggest needs right now, as we press onward towards the goal of establishing our Volunteer Village hosting site:
1. We need work sites.
The last thing we want to happen is for any volunteers to come up to us and ask, "What would you like me to do?" Far better to have way more work planned out than they can handle, so they can go home after a weary week of hard work saying, "Our work was demanding, but we made a difference."
If you know of any local homeowner - friend, neighbor, relative (or even you, yourself) - who could use a hand from a small group of skilled, dedicated volunteer workers, please call or email Peter Farwell, 908-675-7287.
2. We need construction managers.
These are people, skilled in the building trades, who are able to estimate the cost and quantities of materials needed for a particular home-rebuilding job - and to do some project planning, so the tasks are spread out over however many weeks are needed, till the job is done.
If you have those skills and want to find out more about how you can help, please contact Peter Farwell (email and phone number above).
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NJ 211 Hurricane Recovery Resource Guide
 Here's a very helpful, downloadable resource guide about where to find all manner of local Hurricane recovery resources.
You can also call that crisis intervention hotline by simply dialing 211 and asking the helpful person on the other end of the line where to find the sort of services you're looking for. |
Your Christmas Tree Can Help Restore the Shore
 If you're still looking for a good way to discard your used Christmas tree, where's an ecologically-friendly suggestion:
"We are instituting a pilot project to install discarded Christmas trees in several specific locations on the island in order to assess the effectiveness and feasibility of further use in the future. The trees will be placed on their side, end to end and secured in place in a manner similar to dune fencing. Drop off your Christmas tree on January 13th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Cattus Island County Park and help us restore the dunes to protect our communities and natural resources from future storms."
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NJ Property Tax Relief for Hurricane-Damaged Homes
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A Helping Hand Is a Godly Thing
"How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods
and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?"
1 John 3:17
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PPPC Hurricane Response
HURRICANE SANDY RECOVERY COORDINATOR
Peter Farwell
(908-675-7287) is serving as our church's Hurricane Sandy Recovery Coordinator, serving as the main communication person for our recovery efforts and representing our church at coordinating meetings with other churches and non-profit agencies.
Very soon, members of the Board of Deacons will be attempting to contact each church member or family by phone, just to make sure they're OK and to find out if there's anything we as a church can do to aid them in their Sandy recovery. If you get a message on your voicemail from a Deacon, please do call that person back. It's just a quick call to check in with you, and will really help us in our efforts to reach out to the entire PPPC community.
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More Information
FACEBOOK GROUP
is a good place to keep up with your church friends, as they post messages about how they're getting along.
HOW TO REACH US
In the event that any of you are aware of anyone the church may need some help recovering from the storm, please feel free to email me, or call me either on the church line (732-899-0587) on our landline at the Manse (732-899-4858) or on my cell phone (908-910-5360). Associate, Linda Chase, may be reached at the church number or on her cell (732-232-5007).
FEMA INFORMATION
FEMA's local relief center has moved to 270 Chambers Bridge Road, Brick. There's also one at the Bay Head Fire House on Bridge Avenue. Now that Bay Head is open again to regular auto traffic, that center is a good option because it's likely to be less busy than the one in Brick.
Registering with FEMA is the first step to receiving the services and help the government provides. The application deadline has now been extended to JANUARY 30, 2013. Register today, even if you're not sure what help you may qualify for. You'll be glad you did!NEW JERSEY 211's RELIEF AND RECOVERY ASSISTANCE GUIDEThe downloadable New Jersey 211's Hurricane Sandy Relief and Recovery Assistance Guide is the place to go for all manner of Hurricane Sandy recovery resources.PERSONAL COUNSELING SUPPORTCall one of our pastors, or the Mental Health Association of New Jersey's Hurricane Sandy Hope and Healing hotline: (877) 294-HELP (4357)OPERATION HOPE, FEMA-APPROVED FINANCIAL COUNSELINGCall toll-free: (877) 592-HOPE (4673)
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Some Useful Links
Pixelbait local Hurricane Sandy news (Rob Rauffer).
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