“We were at a home improvement store in October, and a local pastor recognized our green shirts from World Renew,” say volunteers Rich and Phyl Grevenstuk “The pastor said that he knew of a family that was homeless and still living in their van as a result of Super-storm Sandy. He asked if we could help them.”

The Grevenstuks are project managers on World Renew’s Super-storm Sandy reconstruction site in Ocean County, New Jersey. One year after Super-storm Sandy, about 26,000 people, like this couple, are still in temporary housing or homeless.

“When a member of a New Jersey church recognized our green shirts from World Renew, he told us about a family that was homeless and still living in their van as a result of Super-storm Sandy,” say volunteers Rich and Phyl Grevenstuk. “He asked if we could help them.” 

The Grevenstuks are project managers on World Renew’s Super-storm Sandy reconstruction site in Ocean County, New Jersey. One year after Super-storm Sandy, about 26,000 people, like this couple, are still in temporary housing or homeless.

“The family had purchased a mobile home, but after the storm it was completely unlivable and they didn’t have the resources to repair it,” Grevenstuks said. “Once we started working on it, the husband was so excited, he worked alongside us. When we dropped-off insulation on a Friday with plans to install it the following week, the husband had already put it in when we arrived on Monday morning! He and his wife are so thankful to have a place to call home again. They don’t have to live in their van any longer.”

On October 29, 2012, Super-storm Sandy washed the eastern coastline with up to nine feet of water, leaving thousands homeless and billions of dollars in damage. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reported that 8.7 million cubic yards of debris were left behind (www.fema.gov). The areas most affected were in New York and New Jersey, but West Virginia also received heavy wind, and snow that buckled roofs and caused water damage.
 
“I have never been on a World Renew DRS site where I haven’t been blessed or experienced something special.”

“World Renew has been privileged to be involved in Hurricane Sandy recovery from day one,” says World Renew Disaster Response Services (DRS) director Bill Adams.  “We've helped with cleanup, identifying unmet needs, and reconstruction. We plan to continue helping people who are struggling for as long as it takes.”

As the super-storm came ashore, World Renew DRS Early Response Coordinators were on their way to the area to meet with survivors, support them, and guide them in registering for FEMA assistance. Next, Rapid Response crews began cleaning up homes and properties in Bergen and Monmouth counties, New Jersey. When accommodations became available, week-long volunteer groups from churches across North America helped with clean up and repair work in West Virginia and New Jersey. The Reformed Church of Highland Park, New Jersey, has been a valuable partner in the response efforts there.

World Renew’s Unmet Needs Assessment Teams then began to survey families in a dozen communities across New Jersey, New York, and Maryland to help identify and prioritize the work that still needed to be done. In June 2013, World Renew received a grant of more than $250,000 from the American Red Cross to help fund needs assessment efforts and continue to help those whose homes are still damaged.

In September 2013, World Renew DRS set up a long-term reconstruction site, sending volunteers to repair and rebuild homes in Ocean County and Atlantic City, New Jersey. Ocean Community Church of Manahawkin, New Jersey, is providing World Renew DRS volunteers with year-round housing there.

The road to recovery is not a simple one, and suggested changes to housing code about the required height of structures built on a flood plain have made it difficult for some homeowners to get access to financial assistance or return to their homes.

“Every day we learn that God is in control, and working in New Jersey is no exception. God shows His faithfulness to those who are struggling to recover from disasters and to us as volunteers as we serve Him,” Phyl Grevenstuk says. “I have never been on a World Renew DRS site where I haven’t been blessed or experienced something special.”

It will be years before rebuilding is complete after Super-storm Sandy. There are many volunteer organizations like World Renew working in partnership to reach out to those who are in need.  “The goal is to get people back into their homes, and we’re relying on God to make it happen,” Grevenstuk says.

If you would like to volunteer as an individual, couple, or organize a group mission trip for your family, church, or school, please call 800-848-5818 or email [email protected].