10 Years After Sandy: How One Bergen Co. Organization Made A Lasting Impact

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — In a sense, Hurricane Sandy seemed the proverbial "perfect storm" for Moonachie and Little Ferry.

High tide and strong winds pushed Hackensack River out of its banks, flooding the Bergen County municipalities, effectively rendering homes unlivable and displacing those who lived there. Floodwaters wrecked basements and first floors, totaled cars and destroyed appliances, and homes were left without power or heat for days.

"It was scary and crazy, and it all happened so fast," said Gretchen Viggiano, the executive director of the nonprofit Rebuilding Together Bergen County, as it was known at the time.

Rebuilding Together, Viggiano said, helped 225 low-income families recover from Hurricane Sandy by offering free home repairs and improvements, and invested an estimated $1 million in total in grant money, in-kind donations and volunteer workforce hours in those communities.

Over the next few years, the nonprofit insulated and / or repaired 150 mobile homes in Moonachie, restored two firehouses in Little Ferry, and then coordinated repairs on 75 other homes, many of which had to be gutted out to the studs.

"It was an immense amount of work," she said, adding that the nonprofit could not have helped those impacted without its 500-some-odd volunteers. The volunteering, she said, helped cut labor costs, which meant more funds could be delivered to those directly affected.

"Many hands make light work," Viggiano said. "In times like this, people can become overwhelmed and are not sure where to start. Often times, when a volunteer organization comes in and says 'We are going to help you,' that is when things get accomplished."

Viggiano recalled one family who she had met in the immediate aftermath of Sandy; the family had lost everything on the first floor of their home and was forced to live on the second floor. Devastated by the situation, the family was trying to figure out how to move forward yet was not quite sure how, she said.

So, Viggiano wrote down their names and a callback number, and in just a matter of months, once operational plans for Rebuilding Together were up and running, the nonprofit returned to restore the home.

"It was such a rewarding experience," she said, "seeing the restoration process through from start to finish. The moral of the story here is that flooding can happen to anyone, and that, although families should be as prepared as possible, there are always people willing to help."