“There are different problems with a common theme, and the common theme is confusion,” Reilly said. “… The rally was more along the lines of, ‘We’re still here, we still haven’t got the money and we’re confused.’ We just want to make sure we aren’t forgotten, and we’re looking for some clarity from NY Rising to move forward and keep this going.”

The Reillys consider themselves more fortunate than others because they have been able to return home, though their first floor is still being repaired. But there is a sense of urgency to elevate, they said.

East Pine Street resident Debbie Gialanze, whose home was destroyed, has yet to receive any money from NY Rising. Once determined to return to Long Beach, she is now considering selling — through NY Rising’s buyout and acquisition program — if she is denied the necessary funds to rebuild.

“People have been doing this since last year, and they haven’t gotten any money yet,” said Gialanze, whose family has been unable to return home since the storm and is renting a house in Levittown. “It’s 18 months now and counting, and people don’t realize that there are still thousands of us — not just here on Long Island, but in Queens, Staten Island and Brooklyn …”

Kaiman said that through the buyout and acquisition program, the state has made offers totaling more than $293 million to purchase between 500 and 1,000 substantially damaged homes and demolish them. He added that the state is fully compensating homeowners whose flood insurance claims for Sandy, Irene and Lee were denied due to the National Flood Insurance Program’s earth-movement exclusion.

Officials have also taken steps to improve NY Rising, Kaiman said. For homeowners who are demolishing and rebuilding their homes, an additional $25,000 to cover site conditions will be added to their award upfront, and the Interim Mortgage Assistance Program is releasing millions of dollars in mortgage assistance to those who are still displaced.

Residents uncertain they can return home