Alexis Senge JohnsonJust a few weeks ago Seaside Park faced the continued reality of problems Hurricane Sandy left behind in New Jersey. Just eleven months after overcoming the super storm, business owners on a stretch of the Seaside Heights boardwalk were battling a fire. The pounding of corrosive seawater and sand from the hurricane last year compromised electrical lines that are decades old and recently led to a fire that overtook the boardwalk area. According to New Jersey Online, officials quickly called for vigilance on the electrical inspections that are still being done in the areas that have yet to rebuild from Hurricane Sandy’s damage.
Rebuilding Together Bergen County has come into Maurice Mallet’s life eleven months after the effects of Hurricane Sandy tragically thrashed against his door in Little Ferry and left him unable to call it “home” any more. In the coming weeks we’ll get to hear a bit more about his story as the team works their magic, but first let us take a step back and see what Mr. Mallet faced when he returned home just eleven months ago. While front doors are traditionally a welcoming site to homeowners, I can only imagine what it is like to return after a storm to see what Mr. Mallet did.
While hard at work on Mr. Mallet’s house lately, Rebuilding Together Bergen County also believes that vigilance is key when it comes to electrical repairs. In the rebuilding process it was discovered by the project manager, Bob Williams, and his team that all the electrical sub-panels were underneath the floor and therefore inaccessible. The location of these sub-panels caused and immediate concern as they can be a serious fire hazard, so it was determined right then and there that the house would be rewired as a part of the overhaul. Electricians slithered through the crawl space and removed the sub-panels from their locations underfoot and they are now safely relocated.
With the one year anniversary of the storm approaching in less than a month, Rebuilding Together Bergen County is working diligently to ensure that they can return Maurice Mallet to his home just in time to celebrate his survival from Hurricane Sandy. I’m anxiously watching from afar each week as the team works their magic and remembering the moment last year when I got to see Ms. Lipofsky returned to her home thanks to Rebuilding Together’s Orlando affiliate. I encourage you to check out their video series if you would also like to follow along with all the projects Rebuilding Together has going on in the Hurricane Sandy recovery effort.
