For nearly a year, Judith Bacal called a temporary apartment, home. Hurricane Sandy forced Bacal out of her Norwalk residence.
“I had 14 inches of water in the house,” Bacal recalls. In addition to repairing the damage, Bacal decided to elevate her home to protect against the next storm. Repairs only finished two weeks ago. Bacal recently moved back in. “It is almost surreal standing in your own kitchen finally.”
“It’s extremely emotional and you have to remember, these are people’s homes, livelihoods, retirements,” notes Julie Nash, Milford’s Community Development Director.
Part of Nash’s job is helping homeowners return to houses still battered a year after Hurricane Sandy.
“I’ve had calls from people in Florida, I’ve had people call me from Georgia, and they just can’t get back in their homes.”
Last week the state rolled out new resources for rebuilding residents. Four Superstorm Sandy Disaster Recovery Centers. Homeowners can walk in and get answers for their questions, or log on to SandyCTApplication.com. The effort is designed to help people not covered by insurance or FEMA.
One of the centers is located in Milford. “We have a list of 55 homes that are still looking to elevate,” Nash said, “a number of them looking to reconstruct.”