{"id":13512,"date":"2018-10-04T16:27:19","date_gmt":"2018-10-04T20:27:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/?p=13512"},"modified":"2018-10-04T17:17:08","modified_gmt":"2018-10-04T21:17:08","slug":"a-flood-of-love-helps-first-greenbriar-victim-back-into-her-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/2018\/10\/a-flood-of-love-helps-first-greenbriar-victim-back-into-her-home\/","title":{"rendered":"A Flood of Love Helps First Greenbriar Victim Back Into Her Home"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"v-wHMWT4bv-1\" class=\"video-player\"><iframe title='VideoPress Video Player' aria-label='VideoPress Video Player' width='1000' height='562' src='https:\/\/videopress.com\/embed\/wHMWT4bv?hd=1&amp;cover=1&amp;loop=0&amp;autoPlay=0&amp;permalink=1&amp;muted=0&amp;controls=1&amp;playsinline=0&amp;useAverageColor=0&amp;preloadContent=metadata' frameborder='0' allowfullscreen data-resize-to-parent=\"true\" allow='clipboard-write; presentation'><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>When more than three feet of floodwater drained from Renate Kupat&#8217;s home on Markham Drive in Brick, she thought her only option would be to walk away.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;When this first happens, you\u2019re in such shock and you go through the motions,&#8221; she said, reflecting on the Aug. 13 flooding that decimated about 100 homes in the Greenbriar development where she lives. Of those, 57 were totally destroyed.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_13513\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_1188-2.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-0\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\" title=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13513\" class=\"size-large wp-image-13513\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_1188-2-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"Renate Kupat receives a painting from the volunteers who helped her move back into her house in Brick's Greenbriar development, Oct. 4, 2018. (Photo: Daniel Nee)\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_1188-2-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_1188-2-240x180.jpg 240w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_1188-2-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_1188-2-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_1188-2-560x420.jpg 560w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_1188-2-80x60.jpg 80w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_1188-2-100x75.jpg 100w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_1188-2-180x135.jpg 180w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_1188-2-238x178.jpg 238w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_1188-2-640x480.jpg 640w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_1188-2-681x511.jpg 681w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-13513\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Renate Kupat receives a painting from the volunteers who helped her move back into her house in Brick&#8217;s Greenbriar development, Oct. 4, 2018. (Photo: Daniel Nee)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Kupat on Thursday became the first resident to return to her home. She was joined by U.S. Rep. Tom MacArthur, Mayor John Ducey and other officials, but also a team of recovery volunteers from St. Paul&#8217;s United Methodist Church and Jersey Shore United, which helped fully restore her ranch-style home.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I keep saying the same thing over and over again \u2013 it\u2019s miraculous,&#8221; Kupat said. &#8220;If I didn\u2019t have the help I think I would\u2019ve had to walk away from the house.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The volunteers with Jersey Shore United worked to do the physical labor required to rebuild, tearing down and putting up walls, setting down floors and turning a heavily-damaged house back into a home. MacArthur said he asked his family&#8217;s charitable foundation to donate to the rebuilding process after meeting with residents and Jersey Shore United.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;When I first came after the storm, I had been in insurance for 30 years and I never saw anything like this \u2013 a storm that left almost the whole neighborhood intact except for 100 homes damaged so badly,&#8221; said MacArthur. &#8220;It hit me that it was going to be difficult to get FEMA to pay any attention to it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>While MacArthur said he has now personally spoken to the national FEMA administrator about the Greenbriar situation, there was a recognition that local nonprofit groups would play a major role in getting people back into their homes.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;You are angels to the people in this neighborhood, and I know the mayor and I feel the same way,&#8221; MacArthur told the volunteers.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_13260\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Screen-Shot-2018-08-14-at-3.37.48-PM.png\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-1\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\" title=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13260\" class=\"size-large wp-image-13260\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Screen-Shot-2018-08-14-at-3.37.48-PM-1024x577.png\" alt=\"Flooding in Greenbriar I, Aug. 13, 2018, captured by a Brick police drone. (Credit: Brick Twp. Police)\" width=\"640\" height=\"361\" srcset=\"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Screen-Shot-2018-08-14-at-3.37.48-PM-1024x577.png 1024w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Screen-Shot-2018-08-14-at-3.37.48-PM-400x225.png 400w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Screen-Shot-2018-08-14-at-3.37.48-PM-768x433.png 768w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Screen-Shot-2018-08-14-at-3.37.48-PM-746x420.png 746w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Screen-Shot-2018-08-14-at-3.37.48-PM-640x361.png 640w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Screen-Shot-2018-08-14-at-3.37.48-PM-681x384.png 681w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Screen-Shot-2018-08-14-at-3.37.48-PM.png 1232w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-13260\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Flooding in Greenbriar I, Aug. 13, 2018, captured by a Brick police drone. (Credit: Brick Twp. Police)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Ducey said Kupat&#8217;s neighbors also moved back into their home today.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;When this happened I said, \u2018we don\u2019t have to worry about red tape, we have to worry about getting people back in their homes,\u2019&#8221; said Ducey. &#8220;What today does \u2026 it gives hope to the other [people] who are waiting to get back in their homes.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Kupat said she was blessed by the &#8220;miracle&#8221; of so many people willing to help get her back home.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I\u2019d have nothing without all these wonderful people,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fcbkbttn_buttons_block\" id=\"fcbkbttn_left\"><div class=\"fb-share-button fcbkbttn_large_button \" data-href=\"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/2018\/10\/a-flood-of-love-helps-first-greenbriar-victim-back-into-her-home\/\" data-type=\"button_count\" data-size=\"large\"><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When more than three feet of floodwater drained from Renate Kupat&#8217;s home on Markham Drive in Brick, she thought her only option would be to walk away. &#8220;When this first happens, you\u2019re in such shock and you go through the motions,&#8221; she said, reflecting on the Aug. 13 flooding that decimated about 100 homes in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13513,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[24,3459],"class_list":["post-13512","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life-in-brick","tag-brick-nj-news","tag-greenbriar-flood"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_1188-2.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgt2Ft-3vW","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13512","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13512"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13512\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13513"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13512"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}