Thursday, September 22, 2011
The office says it is not looking for cash
The township’s Department of Human Services is collecting gift cards in an effort to help families still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Irene. “We are not looking for cash,” said the department’s director, Dolores Raiz. “We are looking for gift cards and food certificates from places that people could really use – like the A&P, Shop Rite, Home Depot - places like that.” Raiz also asked that people donate smaller amount cards – like a $10 or $25 card – so that they can be more evenly distributed among families that need them. She said that residents who go to the office asking for assistance are questioned about their circumstances, and records are kept of all donations made and granted. “We want to make sure the people who really …
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Bergen County announced that it would offer temporary employment to workers dislocated from their jobs by the hurricane
- GOVERNMENT
- Zak Koeske
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Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Workers dislocated by Hurricane Irene may be eligible for a temporary employment program, the county announced. Bergen County’s Disaster Relief Employment Program hires individuals for six months to assist with countywide disaster relief and clean-up projects that provide food, clothing and shelter to disaster victims. Workers who have been temporarily or permanently dislocated as a result of the disaster and are not receiving unemployment compensation or other types of income support are eligible. Long-term unemployed individuals, historically defined as those out of work for more than 27 weeks, are also eligible for the county’s temporary employment program. An individual worker’s compensation will be capped at approximately $12,000 for …
Families in West Mahwah face repairs and mounting costs after storm flooded homes
Three weeks after Hurricane Irene struck Mahwah, residents in the hardest hit areas of the township are still reeling from its impact. “She is upset. She cries a lot,” Robbie Sochular said of his Aunt Anne Marie, who has been living with her sister in Stony Point, NY, since the storm flooded her Catherine Ave. home’s basement and water rose three feet on the first floor of the home. Anne Marie, who is in her 70s and couldn’t afford flood insurance, is waiting to move back in while her nephews gut her home, and contractors rebuild it. “It’s just everything,” her nephew said. “She needs a new furnace, new hot water heater, the floors, the walls…it’s just everything.” Though Robbie says he can tell his aunt is getting tired of the rebuilding…
Saturday, September 10, 2011
People looking to help residents with Irene-flooded homes have a place to donate
Parishioners and Father Bill Sheridan of the Church of the Immaculate Conception have formed the “Mahwah Family Flood Relief Fund.” “We are collecting donations to help with families’ costs of temporary housing, whether it be renting a home or staying in a hotel, while their homes are being repaired,” said resident Michael Beatrice, one of the founding members of the fund. “The hotels have been so generous, but as time goes on it is just so hard for people to afford all of the costs associated with being displaced from their homes. We want to help.” Beatrice said the group, which formed Thursday, will reach out to the Mahwah Municipal Alliance for a list of names of people affected by Hurricane Irene. The MMA last week began a relief …
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Event aimed at helping residents recoup after Irene
The Mahwah Municipal Alliance and Police Department hosted an event Monday to help residents hit hardest by Hurricane Irene. The residents were able to meet with representatives from FEMA, the EPA, the DEP, and The Home Depot to learn the best ways to fix their flood-ravaged homes, and finance the repairs. "It truly was an opportunity for the Police Department and MMA to give back to the community we serve," Mahwah Police Chief James Batelli said. "I believe the event was a great success." In addition to the valuable information, the event was also an effort to help the residents return to normalcy. Backpacks filled with school supplies, donated by MMA member Chris Howard, were given to kids starting school Wednesday. Food, donated by …
Monday, September 5, 2011
Labor Day event planned for Monday
The Mahwah Municipal Alliance is setting up a Labor Day event Monday to help West Ward families ease into a normal “back-to-school" transition. Sure, it may be tough thinking about heading back to school when your family is dealing with throwing away water-damaged items, tearing out sheetrock, replacing appliances, living with family or friends, and trying to deal with some of the worst weather damage Mahwah homes have seen in quite some time. But, kids whose homes hit hardest by Hurricane Irene are headed back to classes this week with everyone else. Starting Monday at 12 p.m., the MMA is beginning its mission to help kids and their families in homes still coping with the effects of the storm return to some type of normalcy. A police …
Sunday, September 4, 2011
At least 20-30 residents of all ages - from infants to the elderly - were rescued by Mahwah crews last Sunday
A week ago this Sunday, calls started coming into the Co. 1 firehouse around 6 a.m., volunteer firefighter Tom Murphy said. The firefighters had been waiting for the calls since about 9 p.m. the night before. The first calls weren’t that difficult, he said. An elderly couple taken from their home on Divine Drive only required a flat-bottom rowboat. From there, as Hurricane Irene rains came down harder and the Ramapo River crested and overflowed, pouring thousands of gallons of water into Mahwah streets, the rescues got a little more complicated. Major roadways – Route 202, Route 17, Franklin Turnpike – were flooded, leaving firefighters only one access road into and out of some of the hardest hit neighborhoods in the township. According to…
Saturday, September 3, 2011
In need of something? Have something to give? Help your neighbors in the wake of Irene with Mahwah Cares and Shares
- VOLUNTEERS IN THE NEWS
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Saturday, September 3, 2011
Many Mahwah residents were left with homes, furniture, electronics and other items that were destroyed during the flooding after Irene. Mahwah Patch is teaming up with the Township on Mahwah Cares and Shares, a forum where residents can post their contact information with a description of an item they are willing to donate to those in Mahwah hit hardest by Hurricane Irene. Those affected by the storm can reach out to donors whose items fit their needs. Families who lost possessions in the storm are also welcome to post details about what they need, along with their contact information. This forum is meant for donations, not for-sale items. "In the days to come there is still a lot of work to be done on these homes. ... And the way the …
Residents asked not to throw tree limbs in dumpsters
Mahwah’s Department of Public Works will begin curbside pickup of brush, tree limbs, branches, and other debris that residents have been collecting since Hurricane Irene brought down many trees and branches last Sunday and Monday, Mayor John DaPuzzo said at Thursday night’s town council meeting. The DPW is going to start in Cragmere and continue throughout the township, “hopefully” reaching all residents “within two weeks,” he said. Residents who might continue collecting debris over the Labor Day Weekend are being asked to “have patience” while the DPW makes its way around town, due to the high volume of brush that needs to be collected. Residents in hard-hit areas that have dumpsters placed nearby are asked not to place brush in the …
Friday, September 2, 2011
Mahwah wells reopened; oil residue will be cleared at no cost to property owners
Mahwah water wells that were closed as a precaution after a fuel spill in Rockland County, NY during Hurricane Irene have been reopened, Town Council President John Roth said at Thursday night’s Town Council meeting. “The consensus opinion is that the large flood volume of water during the storm flushed the vast majority of the petroleum product downstream. Although there may be some residual surface and shoreline contamination, the aquifer 100 feet below the surface has not been affected,” the township announced on its website Thursday. The announcement also said that the township’s water department will continue to test the water supply. Residents can return to normal water usage, Roth said. The township had asked residents to conserve …
Doreen
9:06 pm on Thursday, September 22, 2011
Please let myself and others know what we can give you to help you replenish some of what you lost. Each of us might not be able to give all that much but together we can help you with the small stuff until the insurance companies do their part. Please let me know what you need cases of bottled water, blankets (new), toys (new and or used), coats, jackets, shoes, socks, etc. Please email me or … more ›