Ray the Ray Heroes of the Day – the volunteers from Farmers Insurance and St. Bernard Project

First responders, utility crews from out of state, volunteers who’ve reached out to feed and shelter those who’ve lost everything due to the storm – in other words, all the unsung heroes are those we tip our hats to on this day – the 2nd anniversary of the devastation left behind by Hurricane Sandy.

And while we’re 2 years down the road from the cataclysmic event, some are still without homes.

That’s where the volunteers from Farmers Insurance and the St. Bernard Project come in.

Today they’re involved in a 29 hour marathon “home rebuild” to help one Keansburg Sandy victim.

Hilton Dantas, just one of the many Keansburg residents who lost their homes, lost not only the home he was about to move into, but was flooded out of the Brooklyn apartment from which he was moving.

According to this story, Zack Rosenburg, who’s the cofounder and CEO of St. Bernard Project said, "Every year for the anniversary, whether we're working in New Jersey, New Orleans or Joplin (Missouri), we do a 24-hour build."

This will be done along with Carl Hackling, head of Farmers Insurance's eastern zone.

He said, "We'll be working 29-hours straight, in three different shifts," said "And by the time we get done, we will have insulated and sheet rocked this entire house."

But the volunteers know that helping to rebuild one house is still just a drop in the bucket two years post Sandy.

According to Keansburg Mayor Thomas Foley, there are still about 500 homes in the boro still under various stages of construction or are still just sitting there since the storm."

“Foley said, "The property owners are still waiting to see what money they'll be able to get or what they'll be able to do with the house. And there are still a lot of unanswered questions of what their flood insurance is going to be."
"Some people have come in and done some work to the interior of the house, but haven't raised them yet because they're still waiting to find out about the money. So they're back home, but they're not yet FEMA compliant. However, I would say that a majority of those 500 homes are still vacant.”

However despite the still overwhelming swath of destruction left in the wake of the storm, there is hope for at least one resident who is confident his holiday present will be coming shortly.

Who are the heroes of Hurricane Sandy?