Day two was a long one. We got started a bit after 9:00 AM
but did not stop until sometime after 8:00 PM. Good progress was made. We
finished casing out the windows, leveled out the living room sub-floor,
installed most of the flooring in the living room, finished the doorway between
the kitchen and bedroom, finished hanging the kitchen cabinets, finished the
new wall area that we created when we installed the garden window in the
kitchen and prepped the garden window to be cased. Plus, Bruce, our skilled
carpenter, took a couple of hours to help do some tile work at another house on
the island.
Everyone worked hard and remained in high spirits throughout
the day. We did not take an excursion into Manhattan, but we did treat
ourselves to afternoon pastries from an Italian Bakery and New York Pizza for
dinner. The food is a fine reward for the hard work.
The house on the corner of Patterson Avenue was probably
built as a summer vacation home. As such, it seems like it must have been built
with whatever materials were available. The original structural elements, which were not replaced after the storm like floor joists and studs, are an odd mix of sizes and types. One floor joist appears to be an ancient piece of
tongue and grove flooring. This odd mix of materials makes for some challenging work. With a lot of
guidance from Bruce, we manage to overcome most of the challenges.
We are
driven by a desire to get as much done as we can but also conscience of the
fact that this is someone’s home; someone who has been through a lot and is
still facing big challenges. So, we want to do quality work in addition to
helping get her back in her home as soon as possible.
Today, we also have reflected a bit on why we are here. A couple
of us admit that we came along with some doubt. Now that we are here and we are
talking to those who lived through Sandy or who have come to help with the
recovery, we realize that our few days here fixing one person’s home are small
in comparison to magnitude of the need. Our efforts are certainly not enough,
but do they make a difference?
We have learned that people stayed on the island for Sandy instead of
evacuating because when the evacuated for Irene their homes were looted. Irene
did not do much in the way of storm damage, but she set the stage for what would happen when Sandy arrived. We
are told that Sandy turned suddenly on many. Conditions went from heavy rain to waist deep water in a matter of minutes as the storm surge pushed on to the
island. With little time to respond, people ran for their lives and some did
not make it.
Of those who did survive, they were left to deal with the
trauma of the storm and the overwhelming task of cleaning up and rebuilding. We have
heard about people living in cars, living with friends and moving from
relative to relative while they wait for their homes to be rebuilt. We talk to
one person who spent a large part of his retirement savings repairing his home
only to have the city condemn it and tear it down. And, we hear of a person who
is living in house where he has no hot water. To keep from taking a cold
shower, he uses the water from his hose that is heated by the sun over the
course of the day.
The impacts and effects of the storm on human lives go
deep. There are people with PTSD and other stress related conditions. We hear
of some people’s hope fading as help has not come or not been enough to get them
back on their feet. We cannot help but think that the difference we are making
is small and feel sadness that we cannot do more. For the few people we meet and
hear their stories, we hope that our being here and listening helps them move closer to healing. And,
for the one or two homes we work on, we hope that getting these families
back into their homes might somehow bring them a bit more peace.
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