New Jersey Town Struggles to See Future After Sandy

December 10, 2012

UNION BEACH, N.J. — A month after superstorm Sandy, local restaurateur Gigi Liaguno-Dorr sees signs of progress amid the flattened houses and free-standing front steps she passes every day as she drives through town.

What she doesn’t see are people.

“So where is everybody on the street?” she asked, passing by the splintered remains of Brook Avenue, one of the worst-hit areas. “Where are they, and how are they getting back?”…

…Since the storm, thousands of volunteers from as far away as California have found their way to the nondescript municipal building.

Among them are members of a group called Burners Without Borders, affiliated with the Burning Man music and arts festival held annually in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert. Last week they began tearing down and clearing destroyed properties free of charge, a service that’s saving each homeowner perhaps $10,000 or more.