SPECIAL REPORT: WHEN DISASTER STRIKES
Share Your
Experiences
East Coast Remodelers Rally in
Response to Sandy's Challenges
An Outpouring of Support From Volunteers is Aiding
in the Rebuilding Effort
The National Association of the Remodeling
Industry's (NARI) 12 chapters that represent the Northeastern region were among
those who stepped up in the wake of
Hurricane Sandy to provide a hand to those
who needed it most.
For a look at some of their efforts, go
to: ForResidentialPros.com/10843347.
Remodeling Contractors Association of
Connecticut chapter member Carl Loschiavo,
president of Timberline Carpentry LLC, based
in Stratford, Conn., takes a break from the
recovery efforts to set up a grill and provide
workers and victims of Sandy a hot meal.
ForResidentialPros.com
has created a Web page
(ForResidentialPros.com/
disasterrecovery) to chronicle the aftermath
of Superstorm Sandy. Contractors, builders
and remodelers in the 24 states affected by the
storm are invited to share the experience of
what's happening on the ground as clean-up
gives way to rebuilding. (ForResidentialPros.
com/content/submit/disasterrecovery). Twitter:
@andreagirolamo, #SandyRebuild
Pennsylvania Remodeler
Unscathed; Lends a Hand
to New York Families
Laura Hawley, chapter membership chair,
NARI of Bucks-Mont chapter based in Spring
House, Pa., and principal of Ambiance
Design, Pipersville, Pa., escaped the wrath of
Hurricane Sandy. A $40,000 project in Ocean
City, N.J., fared similarly well when that home
was likewise undamaged.
While life continued with minor disruptions at home, Hawley and a loosely organized group of chapter and community
members organized a trip to Queens, N.Y.,
discovered a beachfront community that
was particularly hard hit and made several
trips to give aid, in effect adopting a neighborhood. At one point the workers teamed
Laura Hawley, principal of Ambiance Design
based in Pipersville, Pa., (gray shirt, second
person from left of former President Bill
Clinton) in a heavily damaged area known as
the Rockaways, in Queens, N.Y.
with volunteers from the Clinton Global
Initiative. They also came to the aid of a
resident whose daughter requires oxygen
and whose home had suffered considerable
water damage. "It puts things in a different
perspective," Hawley said of the experience.
"…It's not just the homes that will need to be restored; it's the hopes and dreams of the
people who lost so much. And being part of the kitchen and bath industry, I feel a tremendous sense of pride knowing that my friends and colleagues in this industry will be
among those who take on the mantle of remodeling — not just of these people's homes,
but of their hopes, their dreams, the sense of safety that comes from having a physical
haven where they can feel protected and happy and strong." — Janice Costa
Janice Costa is editor of Kitchen & Bath Design News, Qualified Remodeler's sister publication and partner in
ForResidentialPros.com. Costa, along with most of KBDN's staff, lives in the area affected by Hurricane Sandy.
Read "Recovering in the Wake of Sandy" at ForResidentialPros.com/10829564.
Design-Build Remodeler Takes Challenges in Stride
How Businesses Can Recover
NARI national president-elect Art Donnelly, MCR, CKBR, of Legacy Builders & Remodelers
Corp., a design-build firm in Mount Sinai, N.Y., says advance warning of Hurricane Sandy
allowed him to put framing projects on hold to avoid collateral damage from the storm.
However, immediately after the storm, "we couldn't get building inspections," he says. "All the
inspectors were tied up along the south shore of Long Island that was so devastated. What
normally would have been a few days to get an inspection is now taking weeks. All those jobs
that were in production came to a grinding halt."
Jeff Kaliner, co-founder of Power Home
Remodeling Group, Chester, Pa., offers
tips to help get your business,
customers and employees back on their
feet. Read his blog post at:
ForResidentialPros.com/10830903.
ForResidentialPros.com/DisasterRecovery
22
January 2013
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