Help Is Still Available for Irene- and Sandy-Affected Residents

Eight months have passed since Parsippany was hit by the fury of Superstorm Sandy. August 29 will mark two years since Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene came to town and left floods and destruction in its wake. And there are still local families dealing with repairs, bills and worse—there are some who still cannot go home. But there is good news, according to the Parsippany Long Term Recovery Committee: Disaster assistance for those in need is still available.

And the need is real, according to members of the committee, who come from numerous Parsippany churches and civic organizations including the Kiwanis Club of Greater Parsippany, the Rotary Club of Parsippany-Troy Hills and the Woman's Club of Parsippany. 

"I was at a Woman's Club convention where Lt. Gov Kim Guadagno was a guest speaker," shared committee member Cathy Cerbo, "and she said 39,000 households [in New Jersey] are still out of their homes. That's not even people, that's households affected by Sandy. That doesn't even include people from Irene."

Many flood survivors still out of their homes are dealing with mounting expenses—mortgages on flood-damaged homes, temporary housing costs and more.

Kiwanis Club member Bob Keller noted that even those who have gotten into their homes again are facing difficulties as well, including unscrupulous contractors, Federal Emergency Management Agency funds misspent for any number of reasons and a host of costs connected to repairs.

"That would frustrate me," Keller said. "I can't imagine not having a place to call home."

The Long-Term Recovery Committee, founded after Irene with the approval of Mayor James Barberio and in concert with the Morris County Disaster Recovery Committee, is designed to provide funds to flood survivors for needs above and beyond those covered by FEMA, the Red Cross, the Small Business Administration and other disaster recovery programs.

"People have all kinds of needs for things like cleaning supplies, clothing, replacements for things lost or damaged in the storms," said Rev. Donald Bragg of the Parsippany Presbyterian Church. "The groups and volunteers have raised money that we can use to fill these needs."

Bragg, who also chairs the county's disaster relief committee, explained that both the Morris County and Parsippany bodies run on the power of volunteers, and that no one faith community or civic group runs the show. He said members of the local group work together to help those in need using a systematized case-management approach.

"Ideally, all the organizations in town send representatives, and then when there's a disaster, we have a group of people who know each other and have a little bit of money and connections who come together to help," he said, adding an acknowledgement for the work and contributions of churches beyond his own, including St. Peter the Apostle Roman Catholic Church, St. Gregory Episcopal Church, the Parsippany-based Chinese Christian Church of New Jersey, and other groups including the local Sons of Italy chapter and Lake Hiawatha's Landmark Floral Shop.

Kiwanis member Michele Jennrich said interested organizations are more than welcome to join the helping effort.

"We still need volunteers to help man the phone," she said. "It's just a cell phone that we're passing around among the volunteers, who will have information sheets, so they'll know how to answer the questions people ask. 

"You don't have to be an experienced case manager or anything like that," Jennrich continued. "You just ask some basic questions and then the committee will take it from there."

The number to call if you want to apply for a grant or assistance, or if you have an interest in volunteering, is 973-885-9337.

The current round of assistance has a deadline of June 30. The phone number to reach a Long-Term Recovery Committee volunteer will be in operation Mondays through Fridays from 4 until 9 p.m. and Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m.