Sandy Squad: ‘You All Helped Out So Much’

Having lived in the Port Monmouth section of Middletown since 1966, Gary Schlagenhaft's experience was working against him.

When he heard the first reports that a large storm was barreling up the coast and headed for New Jersey, Schlagenhaft thought that he would be safe in his home, which is at the end of First Avenue.

"I have been here since 1966, and the water never came [this far]," he said, recalling the night of Oct. 29, 2012. "I stayed in the house. And I was watching for high tide, which was at 8:20 that night. At quarter to eight, the water came over the stoop. An hour later, I was 20 inches under water."

Like many Jersey Shore residents, Schlagenhaft was underinsured. And like many at the Shore, he's still rebuilding today. But, he said, he feels lucky to have received so much help. First, there was help from his family, who moved his belongings and helped get him settled right after the storm. Then came the Mennonites, who answered his call and helped him with walls and sheetrocking. Then came the Sandy Squad.

Assembled by Townsquare Media, the parent company of Restore the Shore, the Sandy Squad has been working throughout the past year to provide  help for those affected by Sandy.

Partnering with several area businesses, including: Level and Square Construction; Jersey Strong Contracting; Jersey Shore Crawl Space; and Tuckerton Lumber, the Squad has been delivering various projects to people throughout the Shore since Sandy changed all of our lives forever.

Schlagenhaft said he was so grateful to the Squad for their efforts, and his daughter for nominating him to participate.

"I was shocked when she said people are coming to help," Schlagenhaft said. "I'm the type of guy who would suffer, and say 'get away from me,' but you guys all helped out so much."

Townsquare Media continues their efforts to help with Sandy recovery in coming weeks, including partnering with R&R Marketing, with the Restore the Shore Tasting Event, and a planned 6K giveaway, where, in coming weeks, over a two-week period listeners will enter to win online for the $6,000 in gift certificates to help with rebuild efforts.

Watch Schlagenhaft's story below.