Rockaway November 2012

I will post photos here from my time in the Rockaways. I only wish I had MUCH more time and that I had arrived weeks ago. People here still need help. They need help in so many ways but many still have no water heat or power. They need Food, Rx, generators…seniors are still being discovered isolated in their apartments. Rebuilding efforts will be kicking in soon as the clean up is underway.  Many volunteers came in over the weekend to go house to house do demo to so many people’s homes as mold is beginning to creep in. They need to rip the water damaged floors of their homes down to the studs in many cases – if the homes are salvageable at all.

Nov 17:

Project Rubicon helps people such as Mariann Smith. More on them and her story to follow.

Mariann Smith of Rockaway hugs military vet Kyle Murphy as a group of volunteers organized by Team Rubicon arrived to help clean up her home. Team Rubicon mobilizes military veterans to disaster relief areas to help get the relief effort going in areas that FEMA and the Red Cross have not yet been able to make an impact. The cleanup of Smith’s modest home took three days and involved removing all her possessions and throwing out those that are unsalvageable, demolishing the structure of her ground floor to its studs to remove mold, and making the home habitable for Smith, five dogs and about 24 cats she provides care for, most of whom are unadoptable.

Surfer at Beach 90th or B90th Street headed to B87th Street to surf. Behind him are the remnants to the boardwalk.