South Shore Rising

Sandy support coming to Cedar Creek Park

County to provide resource station on Aug. 22

Posted

Wantagh and Seaford residents struggling to bounce back from Hurricane Sandy will be able to get answers as Nassau County will bring its storm recovery resource station to Cedar Creek Park on Friday, Aug. 22 from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

There will be more than 10 agencies on hand, including the towns of Hempstead and Oyster Bay, Nassau County and New York Rising. Also present will be disaster case managers, lawyers, banking and finance experts, psychological help, experts on construction, referrals to mortgage modification specialists and Spanish translation.

The Community Development Corporation of Long Island will be providing information on its mold remediation program. Grants are available to help homeowners immediately get rid of mold.

Michael Raab, Nassau County’s Sandy storm recovery liaison, said anyone with questions should come, and representatives from these various agencies will be there to provide answers. “Day after day, I am contacted by constituents with tremendous frustration,” Raab said. “Anybody who feels they need some direction, we’re going to be there to direct them.”

Mike Victor, vice president of the Seaford Harbor Civic Association, said he and other leaders of the group will look to get the word out about what he believes will be an important event for residents still dealing with the effects of the storm.

“I think there’s people that have a problem getting through the paperwork,” Victor said. “Those are the kind of people that really need to be at Cedar Creek Park on Friday.”

Victor added that there are many people who are eligible for assistance from the government who simply haven’t been able to work their way through the process. He hopes next week’s program at Cedar Creek will provide them the resources they need.

Raab said he is trying to get the Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to send representatives, as well. He noted that there are late hours for the program to service people who are working during the day.

The goal, Raab said, is to provide direct access to the agencies and professionals who can help people get back on track, nearly two years after the storm hit Long Island. “We’re trying to streamline the questions and answers and strategies,” he said.

This Friday, the resource center will be at the Freeport Recreation Center, 130 E. Merrick Road, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.