Oakwood Beach | Pavement Pieces

Staying put after Sandy’s destruction

Dee and Scott McGrath aren’t going anywhere. When Hurricane Sandy battered the coasts of New York and New Jersey Oct. 29, the storm surges destroyed everything they owned. In one of the hardest hit areas of New York, residents like the McGrath’s of Staten Island’s New Dorp Beach refused to give in to Mother Nature.

“What, am I going to live in fear for the rest of my life?” said Scott, 45. “I can be in the house and put on a switch and get electrocuted. Do I not put on a switch?”

In fact, the McGrath’s embraced their beachfront community so much post-Sandy that they formed their own non-profit, Beacon of Hope New York, to encourage local residents to stay. The McGrath’s, along with neighbor Stacey Sclafani and Jessica Ardi of nearby Midland Beach, started the grassroots Sandy recovery organization as a way to not only promote solidarity amongst residents, but also provide resources and help to many of their displaced neighbors.

“(We) wanted to reenergize the neighborhood and show that we are staying so that these houses don’t become abandoned,” said McGrath.

“It really does rejuvenate people,” Dee McGrath, 43, added.

Beacon of Hope New York, a grassroots Sandy recovery group founded by Dee and Scott McGrath, at a rally in New Dorp Beach, Staten Island. The McGraths formed the non-profit advocacy group as a way to provide assistance to those displaced by Hurricane Sandy and to push local residents to stay and rebuild. Photo courtesy of Beacon of Hope New York.

Moving on and the Home Buyout Plan

Unlike New Dorp Beach, residents of nearby Oakwood Beach are moving out and moving on. Of the 184 residents in the small beach community of Fox Beach, 170 homeowners have agreed to sell their homes to the government under a $400 million home buyout program introduced by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.

“There are some places that Mother Nature owns,” Cuomo told a crowd at the College of Staten Island Feb. 25 shortly after announcing the Fox Beach community of Oakwood Beach as the pilot program for his home buyout plan. “I want to be there for people in these communities. I want to give this parcel back to Mother Nature.”

The program, which would pay qualified homeowners 100 percent of their property’s pre-storm value, does not appear as advertised, said McGrath.

“Do they really want to start over?” he asked. “You’re going to have to start over anyway.”

The McGraths, who have owned their home since 2002, argue that the mortgage payments left on their home is not proportionate to what they would receive from the buyout; even if they wanted to leave, it would not make sense economically.

“They’d have to offer me twice what the house is worth for me to accept the buyout,” said Dee McGrath.
Beacon of Hope New York recently started a campaign to promote their neighborhood by handing out “We Are Staying!” lawn signs to let homeowners show that they are not leaving.

“New Yorkers, we take care of ourselves,” said Dee McGrath.

Six months later: Road to recovery

Over the six months since Hurricane Sandy, a long road to recovery remains. The McGraths were without power for nearly two months, and did not have heat until Jan. 2. They still have mold problems that need to be addressed before they can begin rebuilding the interior of their home. Many other homes are still in need of repairs, with many homeowners facing more uncertainty than confirmation.

“It was the perfect storm,” Dee McGrath said. “You had the full moon, high tide. It was just perfect timing for the worst storm you could possibly have.”

The new Federal Emergency Management Agency flood maps, if approved, would add more than 65,000 structures in New York and New Jersey to the 100-year flood zones. However, it is unknown when the new FEMA flood maps will be approved or if people will be reimbursed for the costs. State officials estimate that the new requirements won’t be released until at least next month.

Many areas of New Dorp Beach have expanded to the “V Zone,” the most vulnerable federal flood zone, which changes the flood base elevation from 8.9 feet to 15 feet. As a result, many homeowners are reluctant to begin the process of applying for grants and having their soil tested to see if their foundation can be raised, said Dee McGrath said.

“I really thought we’d be recovered by now,” she said.

Another issue homeowners face is the added costs of repairs to their homes, much of which are not covered by insurance. Some homeowners were using mortgage money to pay for repairs, leaving many behind on their already deferred federal home mortgage payments.

Maintaining the ‘American Dream’ at all costs

Gov. Cuomo recently allocated $47 million in FEMA-approved funds to reimburse costs incurred to homeowners following Hurricane Sandy, according to an April 29 release.

“Restoring communities damaged by Superstorm Sandy is our department’s highest priority and these Public Assistance reimbursement funds will help each of the affected communities, such as New York City, to get their fiscal affairs back in order,” said NYS Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Commissioner Jerome M. Hauer in the release.

Yet the efforts by the state and federal government have not been soon enough, according to the McGraths, which is why they formed their own model for recovery and neighborhood restoration. Beacon of Hope New York is currently in the process of receiving grants for beautification efforts in New Dorp Beach and organizing events in conjunction with volunteer service organizations such as Yellow Team and Boots on the Ground.

And for the McGrath’s, there’s no place like home, no matter how prone it may be to Mother Nature’s wrath.

“This was all down to the bare wood,” said Scott. “Everything here was done by family members, friends, and people that became friends. They broke a sweat building this house and helping us.”

Oakwood Beach residents mull home buyout plan

The water line is still visible from Franca Costa’s windowpane. Everything in her house–the furniture, cabinets, refrigerator, washer/dryer, dishwasher and stove–she either received through donations or recently purchased.

For many residents of the tiny Oakwood Beach community of Fox Beach in Staten Island, Oct. 29 remains a day in infamy.

When Costa returned to her home on Kissam Avenue two days after Hurricane Sandy, the road was inaccessible due to the water and scattered debris. The inside of her home took in six feet of water.

“I was just totally devastated,” she recalled. “I didn’t even know what to do.”

The torrent of seawater came from all directions; bungalows were lifted off the ground and washed away, telephone poles were knocked down and trees completely uprooted. Clothing and other personal belongings poured out into the streets.

“It was horrible,” Costa said. “You can’t even imagine.”

Two blocks away on Fox Beach Avenue, two people died when their roof caved in on them. Even the local church looks like the leaning tower of Pisa, tilted on its damaged foundation. And the homes that do remain are still in dire need of repair.

The residents have had enough. Hurricane Sandy was the final straw that broke the blue-collar, middle class neighborhood.

In February, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced a home buyout program that would allow homes destroyed or heavily damaged by Hurricane Sandy to be sold to the government at 100 percent of their pre-storm value. The homes would then be razed and the land preserved as undeveloped coastline. As an added incentive, residents would receive a five percent bonus if they relocated within the borough. In some of the most flood-prone areas of Staten Island like Oakwood Beach, the government will give residents an additional 10 percent of the value of their home if an entire block participates in the buyout.

A garage in Oakwood Beach that suffered massive damage from Hurricane Sandy. All of the homes in Oakwood Beach suffered extensive flooding, and many homes are still in need of dire repair six months after the storm. Photo by Timothy Weisberg.

With efforts from the Oakwood Beach Buyout Committee, Oakwood Beach was selected as the pilot program for Gov. Cuomo’s buyout plan.

Joe Tirone, leader of the Oakwood Beach Buyout Committee, said talks of lobbying for a home buyout program began two weeks after the storm.

“I knew that we were really eligible for it and it was just a matter of time before the government was going to offer a buyout to people,” he said.

The state has allocated $171 million to buy homes in low-lying areas, and state officials project they will spend as much as $400 million on home buyouts. Ten thousand homes in the state were either destroyed or badly damaged during Hurricane Sandy, according to state officials.

Located in an area known as the Blue Belt, Oakwood Beach has had problems with flooding for years. Residential neighborhoods sprouted up during the mid-20th Century in advance of any sewage infrastructure found elsewhere on the island. As a result, the Blue Belt essentially acts as a storm water retention system for the rest of the island: the rocky hills inland slope down to the wetlands surrounding Oakwood Beach. So even during rainstorms, the streets could have anywhere from six inches to a foot of water.

“It’s not an area where homes ever really should have been,” Tirone said. “It was initially built up as a summer community of small little bungalows that were just boarded up over the winter.”

Six months after Sandy, Oakwood Beach has mostly been a ghost town. Only a dozen or so residents have made it back. The rest were displaced and until appraisers came last week to determine the property values, had not returned to their homes since the storm.

According to Tirone, of the 184 homeowners in the Fox Beach section of Oakwood Beach, 170 have registered for the home buyout program. Tirone, who owns a bungalow in Oakwood Beach, is also in the process of setting up residents with realtors and mortgage bankers to help them look for homes.

“Right from the start we had a majority of homeowners thinking buyout,” he said.

Despite the recent developments, residents remain in limbo, unsure of when they will receive payouts. Even for those who want to stay, new Federal Emergency Management guidelines double the size of the flood zones and require those living there to build their homes at least 13 feet above sea level or face sky-high insurance premiums. As a result, it remains to be seen if and when they can raise their homes to meet the new flood requirements, let alone when they will receive the grants needed to cover the costs of construction.

One resident who is no longer willing to take that risk is Franca’s neighbor, Bill Bye. Bye lost all of his possessions during the storm. His brand new 42-inch TV was completely destroyed by the storm surges that seeped into his home; his pictures, jewelry, clothing and furniture either washed away or were corroded by the salt water.

Oakwood Beach resident Bill Bye’s home suffered massive damage from flooding during Hurricane Sandy, destroying all of his belongings including clothes, furniture, pictures and a brand new 42-inch TV. After 30 years in the beach community on Staten Island’s eastern shore, Bye is moving out. He plans on participating in Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s home buyout program that will give homeowners 100 percent of their home’s pre-storm value. Photo by Timothy Weisberg.

“Everything was wrecked,” he said. “Everything was gone.”

Bye has lived in the area for 30 years, but has accepted the realization that Oakwood Beach may never be on Mother Nature’s side.

“It could happen again,” he said. “It’s too dangerous to live here.”

Although Franca is part of the buyout program, she remains deeply attached to the beach community she has come to love since moving to Oakwood Beach in 2006.

“I just hope that within six months, hopefully I’ll get my dream which is to raise the house,” she said. “So that we can stay here and keep our happy lives that we have here and not have to move on.”