Stories From Main Street: Volunteers Still Hard At Work On Sandy-Damaged Homes In Little Ferry

LITTLE FERRY, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Mike Stimson likes to remind people that Superstorm Sandy didn't just assault the Jersey shore. Places inland, such as Little Ferry, suffered, too.

"It gets forgotten about, and it's still a lot of work to do," Stimson, a construction supervisor with Habitat for Humanity, told WCBS 880's Sean Adams.

Two years after Sandy struck, some Little Ferry residents are finally cleaning up their storm-damaged homes, Stimson said. Alan Gold, a dentist and Habitat volunteer, said he has a list of "60 or 70" other houses needing work.

"When we first started here, you'd go up and down a street, every single house had a yellow sign, a building permit, in it," Gold said. "And the decimation here has really been very extensive. So there's a lot to be done. And there really should be more volunteer projects."

The volunteers frame, hang drywall, paint and lay tile floors for people who perhaps didn't have flood insurance and can't afford a contractor.

In his retirement, David Thiel volunteers four days a week.

"It's nice work to do, and you work with a lot of nice people," he said.

Jolene Laube doesn't have much experience with a hammer.

"There's always the uncertainty when you've never done something before and you don't know how to help with the house," she said. "But the people that they have that are working here give good instructions."

Stimson gives a crash course in Contractor 101.

"It's an opportunity to do something you may have not done before," he said. "It's an opportunity to learn a skill while you're giving back to the community."

That's what attracted Birte Mainardi.

"It is a great day," she said. "You feel great afterwards. People are very kind."

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