So much for the rose tinted glasses...
second part of my counter top, that was to be installed "this week"- first "early in the week" and then friday, has now been pushed back to next week- my ability to roll with the punches is diminishing as the punches flow. Promises are regularly broken and it is so hard to deal with.  I am angry but I don't know where best to channel that anger, so here I blogging...
one phone call- that was what it took to get a t-molding that "could not be found anywhere."  my response... Really???
I am tired of the sadness that engulfs me when I am let down yet one more time.
Every e-mail I send gets blind copies with hope of someone answering, but no answers are forthcoming from contractor's rep or from the management company.
A sea of tape that cannot be navigated.

I want my rose tinted glasses back, please?

Another day, another unbelievable event...

Every day bring me another thing to deal with.. yesterday something wonderful!
I rarely enter contests, and seldom, if ever win- I did win a trip to the final four basketball series when it was held in St Louis Missouri- airfare, hotel and cash to spend- what a journey and special memory that was.
But, I digress... I entered Friends of Freeport in a radio station "Office of the Day" breakfast contest- if your office is chosen you receive a delivered breakfast for 25!  I got a phone call yesterday that we were chosen and they wanted to know what day next week we wanted to have our breakfast delivered!  So, the weekday warriors of Friends of Freeport will be receiving a Bagel Boss breakfast next week!
Something amazing and wonderful, as the weekend warriors are provided with amazing meals every Saturday during their activity.
Smiles all around.. might even get more volunteers to come out for a weekday event!

you'll never believe this story

So, this is an unbelievable story that has been shared with me... no names to protect the innocent, whomever they may be...

So a kitchen-cabinets, counter top and appliances- is ordered, it takes six weeks for it to arrive,wen it arrives the installer comes to look at the layout and begin the installation process, but parts are incorrect, and need to be reordered.  The calls go back and forth between the installer and the cabinet company, and a new order is placed, it is a "rush" as the need to return hoe is becoming pressing for the residents.

The new cabinets arrive and several days pass, finally the installation date arrives, and the cabinets are installed, but not to the original specifications, and surprise, surprise, it does not fit correctly. Two days later the contractor's designee comes to look and the owner leaves for a bit.   *poof*  all the cabinets are uninstalled...

really you cannot make this stuff up!

Still waiting

So, now it is June 23, 2013- six days before the eight month mark- who knew that things would still be incomplete?   I certainly thought things would have returned t"normal" (whatever that is) by now, but there are still things undone.  I have learned how to be my own best advocate- I bite my lip when I speak to the contracting group, so I do not alienate myself and prevent things from being completed.  I have ordered my own t-molding for the floor- since it appears one phone call is too difficult for anyone else to make, and have composed a letter to ServPro and TCM to let them know I have taken care of my own needs.
I listen to people here at The Anchorage vent their frustrations, and have helped to arrange two visits from Project HOPE to allow others to vent in a larger space. I will not let myself be dragged down, though I still have my moments.
I have come to know and like many more of my neighbors here at the Anchorage and feel great about what I am doing here- in addition to Project HOPE, I have made a connection for Friends of Freeport to come here and see if they can help us in any way.
I look around my community and now feel a part of it- VERY exciting!
Front doors- no, we don't have new ones yet, and when it rains we have to monitor ours so we don't get water.
Storm doors- still need to order on- but it can be BRONZE.
Garage leak- yup.. it does when we have really heavy rain, but the garage is set up so that the water does not really interfere.

I know that I am blessed in so many ways- I see the devastation that this storm has created and I am home, there are so many others who do not have that option yet, and some who will never be able to return to their pre-Sandy homes, or lives.

Friends Of Freeport

Friends of Freeport...

An amazing thing happened, built after Sandy

• Friends of Freeport NY is a not-for-profit organization which includes individuals who have close ties to the incorporated Village of Freeport. We have come together as a result of Hurricane Sandy to help in any way we can with personal recovery. We are committed to getting people back into their homes and to help them continue their lives after Sandy. We are on a mission to make a difference in people’s lives and move the community forward. We plan to make this a long term venture by continuing our work in Freeport after people have recovered from Hurricane Sandy and the initial rush of support has dried up. We are not affiliated with any religious or political organization. We are simply a group of people that want to make a difference.
  
  
  I have become an active member.. involved in planting, and painting and learning how to tape and spackle.
  I have conquered fear of heights- thank you to Justine, my painting guru, and have painted on a scaffolding in a home with ten foot ceilings.
  I cry when we plant and beautify someone's home,I cry when the home owner says a heartfelt thank you... THESE are the most awesome tears and I love that I am shedding them!
  
  
  I have a new and bigger circle of support- a group of people who can really understand what my life has been since Sandy since they too are living it...
  
  
  I got involved with Friends of Freeport on a lark- someone on Facebook had posted that there were magnets for sale to help raise funds to get Freeport residents home- two magnets- one said WE SURVIVED SANDY, the other IT'S A FREEPORT THING.. I asked how to get them and purchased a set.
  then I posted that I had the magnets but no fridge to put them on, in seconds I got a reply from Rich- one of the founders "Can we help you get one?"  I did not have a kitchen, nor was I home and this was one of the first non-family members to ask "how can I help you?"  I was hooked!
  I joined their facebook page and read about the weekly work that was being done- muck outs, rip outs, beginning the rebuilding process with people so devastated by Sandy....a post asked about creative people and I began crocheting, dropping off my handiwork to Justine during my Tuesday visits.  When I finally returned home and was sort of settled I joined the Greenthumbs- planting gardens for people who's gardens were demolished by the storm... oh my gosh this felt amazing!
  Then I decided to give the painting a try- I met Justine and we have spent countless hours together bringing walls in devastated homes back to life with paint and creating an amazing friendship.
  I am coming back to life by giving of myself...

the new normal

Search for ServPro... hunt them down and beg them to complete things,  beg, cry, beg...

Denis reconfigures the lower cabinets and he and Ray manage to install the counter, the plumbers come to install the sink- it leaks, of course, so I go out and purchase a replacement part- the wrong one and so we cannot use it for the weekend.  But we are moving closer to the new normal.

Joyce has returned home.  Rebecca, Andy and Sam visit, we get shelves to store items neatly in the garage and begin to arrange things in a more organized manner.  It is beautiful here, there are moments of absolute peace, I am sooo glad to be home!

But... the punch list is a mile long, and it is torture to get something done.

The washer and dryer arrive... no stacking kit, a ride to Home Depot, to find out that the stacking kit is inside the drum of the dryer... ServPro is not installing washer/dryers anymore, someone from SDK comes in for another project and they agree to install, but begin and find that the coupling is leaking, I must get the part for that, then they will install it for us.  Denis to the rescue- he attaches the part at the wall and we are good to go with the installation.  One step forward, two steps back.. it is the dance of the day.

Finally home

May First.....

Ray awakens, and says "strip the bed, we are going home today"

We pack the cars- how on earth did so much stuff get here to Bayside?

Our cabinets are installed, but the counter top is not- it does not fit correctly- so our kitchen has no sink.
But, it is time, and maybe we can get more accomplished by being present at the anchorage than by going as often as we can.
We have spent several days moving things so that upstairs is livable- still feels like a hoarders paradise, but we can easily sleep in our bedroom and use the bathroom or hose to wash dishes, if necessary...
Someone is coming to measure the counter today, and hopefully it can be  installed really soon and we can have the functional and beautiful kitchen that we selected!

There are so many little things that need to be done, but we are going home... YEA!!!!!!

frustration

Can we speak of frustration?


My kitchen cabinets are sitting in boxes in the living room... the counter tops are thee and are absolutely beautiful... can't get an answer about when they will be installed- they are sitting there for a full week as of today... now a leak is found- well, not now but re-reported- it was seen on the initial walk through in DECEMBER, reported then, but no one did anything about it, and now we have new and newly painted walls, and still the leak remains today.. another thing for which I cannot get an answer.

All I want is to go back home.  I need my bed, I need my space- I NEED... but my needs are not acknowledged... I know that there are 160 units and I am not the most important (though I am not sure who is "most" important)  All of us are beyond the level of frustration that should be tolerated by anyone.  the storm was 5 months ago, bordering on 6 months and we are still not home.. who would have thought this possible?  An e-mail to the management company goes unanswered, no responses or significant information provided for residents, uggh...

I...I....I...don't know what to do or how to handle this in a more effective way.  I am tired and upset by all of this.

Tears form, but I barely let them fall any more-  It seems absurd that there can still be any tears left. I feel as though I cried a river, an ocean, a hurricane.

next...

My husband and I are safe and sound, but  we have not yet been able to return to our home... the date is April 5th... this is something we NEVER expected. (maybe  we were naive?)... the contractors had predicted a return date of February 14, whispered and told not to tell anyone...obviously that date has come and gone and we, along with most of the more than 150 families that live in our complex, have not yet returned to our homes.  I go home every week to check on the progress, some weeks it is remarkable for the amount of change that has happened, some weeks it is remarkable for the stagnant state that is there... hurry up and wait is the mantra of the day..."make sure that toilet and vanity are in your unit, by tomorrow, we will be installing them"  have yours been installed?  to this date mine still remain boxed in my living room...frustrated?...YES...  angry?...YES.... powerless?...YYYYYEEEESSSSS!!!

My emotional state teeters on the brink, some days I am fine and can do all that I want and need to do, other days I am a total mess...

When I reach the exit on Meadowbrook Parkway for my town I still find myself bracing for the worst, so much has not been rebuilt- the gas station at the exit remains shittered, the 7-11 (which was really new) also remains shuttered.. but there are enormous signs of life all around.

A really special group of Freeport residents has been helping other residents every saturday to muck out, rip out and rebuild their homes. I have none of those skills, but the same group has asked for crafty people to help create baskets for residents as they return home- I have participated in this endeavor and thus far have crocheted about 50 pot holders in the red and white that are the colors of our village.  This action helps me to feel empowered and useful.

I am living in my mother in laws home- this has been a godsend.  On the one hand we have been warm, safe and well fed since the storm, however I have not cooked many meals since arriving in her home- she thinks of food as her way of taking care of us- I see food differently- it is a necessity, but I iss some of the things I usually make, so does Ray.  My mother in law is a big fan of freezing and reheating in the microwave, I have a microwave but use it minimally.  My mpother in law is the queen of leftovers- I try so hard at home to make a fresh meal every night... differences... I miss my space and my quiet time, but feel it necessary to be social and interactive.

Others have gone forward, barely touched by this nightmare... my life remains very much impacted by a storm that happened so many months ago that many have forgotten.

second entry

Sandy began...
we were in bayside with family, not home where we really wanted to be.
we kept in touch with several neighbors who had decided to tough out the storm at the anchorage, our home...their texts were a link to what was happening and what we would need to know.... we watched local news and watched our community be swallowed up by the water that had always been our love.. south on woodcleft avenue, slowly inching up until there was nothing but water there, then north on guy lombardo avenue, approaching atlantic avenue... we knew we were sunk...then the text from our neighbors- water in all units, beginning to abate, but every one had water- all 150 units.. tears, fears, omg what would happen next.. we traveled home as soon as we could and approached the area of south freeport with trepidation, it looked like armageddon- boats on lawns, oil tanks turned over, cars everywhere but in the driveways...when we got to our community we entered the gate and saw that water had invaded everywhere... reeds were in place lawns, cars were sideways on lawns and driveways with foggy windows from the moisture that had invaded them... we entered our home and found it filled with muck and brown silt... everything was covered by it, the fridge had moved two feet forward, all the papers and magazines were scattered over the floor, plastic storage containers that had been on a shelf were scattered on the floor filled with mucky ocean water... the place smelled like a combination of salt water, oil and other unknown things, we walked around dazed and did not believe what we were seeing.. but clean up needed to begin, so valiantly we began to remove furniture, carpets and the detritus that had been our lives.  It took almost a week of diligent work to get everything sorted, thrown away or stored on the second floor...
then the waiting began.. waiting for instructions for the coop board and management company... waiting for insurance and fema adjusters... waiting to go home...
almost four months later we continued to wait.....

For days before the storm the news and weather forecasters were in their glory- predicting a storm unlike any other. The convergence of a large tropical Hurricane from the south, the jet stream from the west, and an astronomical high tide were to blame.  Heed the warnings, evacuate if you are directed to do so, be safe, take no chances.  As the storm approached the warnings became more dire.

We live in a beautiful, waterfront, gated community in South Freeport, on Long Island. A bit of a sense of safety as prior Hurricane Irene, last year did briefly breach the bulkhead but the water did not reach or enter most of the complexes unit.  Some sense of safety also due to the statements made and repeated by a family member who was an engineer and always maintained that water would never enter our properties.

We packed up and left, fortunate to have shelter far from the water.  Before leaving we gathered cell phone numbers from several neighbors who intended to tough out the storm- tow of them had stayed a year ago during Irene and were confident.  "we'll be okay, see you soon."  We watched television and panic weather coverage ensued, all regular programming was curtailed.  On every station there were reporters at shore side sites and anchors at the stations coordinating the reports.  I kept in close contact with my neighbors, shooting off brief text message blurbs, waiting fearfully for return information.  "R U safe?"  "it is really bad, power off, water in every unit"  "It's scary here"  The storm where we were was bad but relatively mild- wind gusts but very little rain.  We maintained full power for much of the storm so we were able to watch the horrors unfolding around us.

A construction crane at the top of a NYC hi-rise building snapped and dangled: shore towns from North Carolina to Maine were being impacted, there were widespread power outages.  The storm raged throughout the night moving very slowly up the coast.  Two high tides with little water receding between.  The NYC subway system was shut down, all bridges and tunnels closed.. Oh my gosh what was happening. NY, NJ and CT all declared states of emergency.  Overnight more than one hundred homes in Breezy Point, evacuated for the storm burned to the ground with firefighters unable to reach them due to flooding from tidal surges.  Sand filled the streets in Jersey shore and south shore beach front communities, boardwalks are gone, boats are moved and are littering front lawns, porches... many boats have smashed into homes and buildings.  We hear all of this but the nightmare of the storm and it's destruction remain words without pictures.

Finally the storm subsides and we can return home to see what has happened.  Along the road during our return we see some evidence of the storm- trees uprooted, power lines down, branches down.  As we approach Freeport on the Meadowbrook Parkway there are lane closures and police are stationed at the Merrick Road exit.  I pull out my license, in case we need to show proof of address, but they accept our word about where we live.  We exit onto Merrick Road, there are no traffic lights, we must be extra vigilant as we turn onto Mill Road.  Stores are boarded up, the street has clearly been flooded with reeds and detritus covering the roadway.  We proceed slowly south turning onto Main Street and then Atlantic Avenue.  The dark 99cent store has a sign "we are open" Almost every other store appears abandoned, but the deli has a sign "F U Sandy, we are open for business."  we turn onto Guy Lombardo Avenue going south and begin to see the true wrath of this storm.  Boats have been tossed like toys, trees are broken and uprooted like match sticks.  We approach the Anchorage, our home, with trepidation, trees through the fence, boats from the marina strewn all around.  We pull up to the guard house entry and are amazed to see reeds and ocean debris everywhere.  Cars, which were parked in driveways during the storm have shifted locations vastly.  Dave's car is in his front garden, the windows of the car are wet with remnants of the water which flooded them. Rob's boat is partially sunken and impaled on a wooden piling.

We walk up our reed covered walkway to our front door.  The metal screen door is bent.  We open the front door and walk in to...


OMG silt covers everything.  The beige carpet is brown and wet.  Everything smells like seawater and wetness.  Thew water has risen to about three feet marking the walls and swirling in  and out tossing our belongings all around the floor.  The refrigerator has moved two feet forward.  The garage door is blocked  by debris, we cannot open it and stop trying after a few minutes.  I cannot breathe and the tears flow down my face.  HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?

All around the community there are others who are walking zombies, feeling numb and absolutely stunned and amazed by the power of this storm.  The power is out, the buildings are scarred... we cannot believe what we are seeing.