Squire St. Residents Play Waiting Game

Some of them are going to rebuild simply because they feel like they have no choice. Others are hoping to find a way to leave the area and wash their hands of the devastation left by Hurricane Irene earlier this month. Still others are too busy still sorting through muddy basements and items that have been destroyed by water and dirt to know what to do next.

Residents on are a mix of a lot of things right now, but for all of them, there is one thing they agree on – they want something to be done. Soon.

“There was two feet of water in the room,” said Steve Farparan last week, as he pointed to a line of mud left when water from the nearby river receded days after Hurricane Irene hit the area. “Everything is laid waste. My floors are buckling and it’s just devastation. I don’t know where to start.”

Faraparan, who shares a home with his girlfriend, Anna Wallace, said the furnace and water heater were destroyed as a result of the flooding -  both were replaced after being destroyed in a March 12, 2010 flood - and a water pipe in the basement was cracked, which means the only way the couple can take showers is by turning the water on and off at the source, then letting water leak out into the basement.

Click here to see a slide show made by Wallace of the flood and its aftermath.

The couple and their neighbors say has visited and surveyed the area, and now they are just waiting to see what happens next. For their part, Faraparan and Wallace want the building condemned, so they can move. Right now the couple are living on the second floor, a situation they say isn’t perfect. The first floor is still coated with a thin layer of mud, despite being power washed and the smell of mildew is growing stronger. One estimate the couple got indicates that it would cost approximately $7.000 just to clean the home.

“Help is slow coming, everyone says you shouldn't be in the house, I get dizzy and nauseous more and more each day,” Wallace said in an email. “We need to stay because of  poachers/thieves looking to loot, we have things and furniture out side.”

Those poachers/thieves she is referring to have been yet another problem the residents of Squire Street have had to deal with. After a few days of calling the police to help watch their property (sometimes left unattended during the evening as residents went to temporary homes) the road is now closed and visitors are approached by wary residents who want ony to protect their neighborhood.

Refrigerators, furniture, household items and almost anything else left at the curb by residents or washed to the end of the street by Irene have been fair game for some looters, many of whom enter through the park at the end of the road and take things from there.

One resident named Mike, who didn’t want to give his last name, said he has confronted several people looking to take things.

“I confronted them, told the police detectives and got their license plate number,” he said

Mike and his father have been busy cleaning our their home since the hurricane hit, and even though the two spent eight years renovating the place, he too would like to leave.

“We’ll probably rebuild, but who’s to say it won’t happen again,” he said.

According to FEMA, almost $38 million to date has been used to assist New Jerseyeans, with 31,400 individuals registering for help. Of that, $36 million has gone toward housing needs and more than $2 million for other needs.

FEMA Public Information Officer Rossyveth Rey-Berrios said the most important step in getting assistance from FEMA is to apply by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362), then visiting the .

“Once a resident gets registered, one of the representatives comes out and visits the property in order a complete information about the person, confirm information, survey the home and damages, take photos of the property and get an estimate and make a report,” said Rey-Berrios. “This report goes to FEMA’s office, so then the person can receive the money, the check or assistance program.”

She said those who register with FEMA receive answers in less than 30 days. She also said there are special situations and flood mitigation programs for residences that see continuous flooding.

In addition, Mike Foley, senior hazard mitigation specialist for FEMA, said the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program also makes funding available due to a presidentially declare disaster. The program provides money for acquisition and demolition  of homes, as well as flood mitigation.

In the event that a home is deemed uninhabitable, the program would provide money to the homeowner as it’s assessed value, with 75 percent coming from the federal government and 25 percent coming from somewhere else.

However, to apply for the program, local, county or state government bodies must apply on behalf of residents.

Other, non-disaster, grant programs can be found at fema.gov. Click here for a list of what is available.

The FEMA/State Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) is now open in East Brunswick to provide assistance to those who suffered damage from Hurricane Irene. The DRC is located in the Division of Parks building, 334 Dunhams Corner Road, East Brunswick, N.J. 08816 and is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. seen days a week until further notice.

If you need to register, you should log on to www.disasterassistance.gov, m.fema.gov or call FEMA's toll-free number, 1-800-621-FEMA (3362), or TTY 1-800-462-7585.  Those with access or functional needs and who use a TTY, call 800-462-7585; or, use 711 or Video Relay Service to call 800-621-3362. Both numbers are available from 7 a.m. – 10 p.m.

At the center, visitors can receive information about different types of state and federal disaster assistance; get help completing applications for U.S. Small Business Administration low-interest disaster loans for homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes and private nonprofit organizations; inquire about the status of applications for federal assistance; receive referrals to voluntary organizations to help with immediate unmet needs; and learn cost-effective measures to reduce the impact of future disaster losses.