Local group helps in Sandy's wake

LONG ISLAND, N.Y. (WISH) - More than 80 first responders from Indiana remained on the ground in New York Friday, working to assess damage from Super Storm Sandy. Indiana Task Force One helped clear more than 1,400 homes Thursday alone.

The team was deployed to New York’s Nassau County shortly after the storm hit. There, they’ve concentrated on communities in and around Long Beach, Lido Beach and the greater area of Long Island, going to door-to-door to assess damage and compile information for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Task Force One Chief Tom Neal updated media members on the team’s mission by phone Friday afternoon.

“About 400,000 people in Nassau County are still without power and cell phone reception is still pretty sketchy,” Neal said. “Gas and sewer is a big issue right now. They're trying to get the water and sewer systems back up and running and they're finding some of those are breached. So, to say the least, it's not the most healthiest environment to be living in.”

The unit has been split into eight squads of 10 responders each. Each squad is covering up to 20 miles per day, Neal said.

“We're looking at about 140 homes per tenth of a mile. So, they're stacked right up against each other. There are still a lot of areas that Nassau County and local officials want us to take a look at that was inundated with the storm surge. So, that's the areas that we're concentrating on today and tomorrow,” Neal said.

The biggest problem in the area, Neal said, remains a massive fuel shortage.

“We've seen a number of long fuel lines. Fuel is becoming a very precious commodity. Those storage areas that weren't compromised by the storm surge and those stations that are operating under power or generator — they're able to sell the fuel, but they're starting to run out,” Neal said.

Even so, Neal said spirits remain high among most of the area’s residents.

“Many of these homes had also been affected last year from Hurricane Irene,” Neal said. “So, some of these individual residents had just gotten their homes back in order from a hurricane a little over a year ago, and now are affected again. From a frustration standpoint, that's what we're seeing, some of that — here we go again. [But], New Yorkers in general are very resilient people. And the contacts we're making here are offering our personnel water. They're cooking food on grills. They're making anything they have available to our people. They're very generous in this particular area. Even at their worst time of need, they're willing to offer what they have to us because they're trying to support us in doing what we're doing for them.”

At times, the team has even been called on to offer emotional support.

“A lady here in Long Beach, basically all she wanted to do was come up and give us a hug. She gave some of our members a hug, and it made her feel a lot better. To me, that is reciprocating back from those residents here in Long Beach to the efforts of Indiana. Many of these residents here are shocked that Indiana Task Force is on the ground working here in Long Island,” Neal said.

Indiana Task Force One expects to remain in the area until at least early next week.