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Lindenhurst Still A Town On The Mend One Month After Sandy

LINDENHURST, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) - A month after superstorm Sandy struck, gone is the thick oil that covered the streets by the water in Lindenhurst. So, too, is the silence of the residents in shock.

WCBS 880's Sophia Hall On The Story

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Instead, one hears the sounds of hammers and power saws.

But the road back is still a long one for some in the South Shore, Long Island community.

Mark Johansen still has no heat or hot water and his house is unlivable. He said he wants to rebuild, but he's waiting for insurance money.

Sandy Lindenhurst Long Island
Damage from Sandy in Lindenhurst, Long Island - Nov. 29, 2012 (credit: Sophia Hall/WCBS 880)

"We've have seen a lot of people from FEMA. Just got conflicting reports," he told WCBS 880 reporter Sophia Hall on Thursday. "I haven't met anybody that's got any money to help rebuild."

He said many of his neighbors also had to move because their homes were torn apart by the storm.

A block away, however, there is a much more positive story - that of Joseph O'Brien, who Hall met when he was on day 13 without power.

He didn't lose his house because it is on stilts, but his son has cerebral palsy and the son's wheelchair was destroyed by the storm.

"A lot of wonderful people came forward and, actually, we got about four wheelchairs out of this. Two, I donated back. Two, we were able to put together and make one decent chair for him," O'Brien said.

Sandy Lindenhurst Long Island
A sign in Lindenhurst, Long Island - Nov. 29, 2012 (credit: Sophia Hall / WCBS 880)
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