Volunteers wasted no time getting started on their daylong project to restore this New Dorp house damaged during Hurricane Sandy.
"These people were devastated, they lost everything. We've done this in a number of homes where people's whole houses were wiped out, they had no place to stay," said Matt Carrick, a volunteer.
"When I walk down these streets in this area, I've been inside about three-quarters of the houses, and a lot of them have been renovated but there are so many more that still look exactly like they were the day after the storm," added another volunteer Rachel Samson.
Carrick and Samson were just two of 150 volunteers who participated in Rebuilding Together NYC's Fall Rebuilding Day on Saturday. The non-profit's annual event commemorates the anniversary of Hurricane Sandy.
"The families that we're helping out today, even though the storm feels like it was a long time ago, because their homes are still in disrepair and there's still such need, it doesn't feel that long ago," explained Kimberly George, the Executive Director of Rebuilding Together NYC.
Nicholas Matranga's Midland Beach home was one of the six houses volunteers spent the day fixing up. Matranga's basement has remained in a state of disrepair since the storm. Construction professionals worked side-by-side with volunteers to install new insulation and drywall.
"I've never met such cordial people and people who are knowledgeable and people who are concerned," said Matranga.
Volunteers for the Fall Rebuilding Day also worked on two community centers and installed motion-activated streetlights in Midland Beach and New Dorp. To learn more, go to rebuildingtogethernyc.org.