Bagging & Gutting After Hurricane Sandy

​Bagging Pillows & Gutting Drywall

At first, bagging pillows in Union Beach didn't appear to be why Habitat GPMC volunteers traveled there to do Superstorm Sandy relief work. 

Yet, it was a reminder of what those affected by this disaster simply need.

Volunteers from our Core Crew traveled down to Union Beach in Northern Monmouth County to assist in relief efforts yesterday, December 5, 2012. 
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The municipal hall there has been transformed into a FEMA disaster recovery center. The building is surrounded by pallets of shipped supplies, and immediately our crew jumped into the effort with enthusiasm and energy.

Shortly thereafter, they were given an address by an AmeriCorp worker who is helping to coordinate the town's needs. 

Gutting drywall one month after Superstorm Sandy had surged onto the beach's shores was yesterday's task.  Equipped with dusk masks and latex gloves, our volunteers swarmed into the home and encountered mold creeping upward inside each wall. The home's first floor had been completely submerged. 

The resident, Gary, told of the kitchen refrigerator bobbing like an buoy due to the floodwater.  Still living on the second floor, one month later, they are survivors of the storm.  Without heat and hot water, Gary mentioned that his home is now the third which he has had to personally gut. 

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Hope and help is certainly what was needed.  It is what was given yesterday.  Our Habitat mission speaks of "seeking to put God's love into action." Thanks to yesterday's effort and to those involved, we are demonstrating our ability to fulfill this mission together.