Atlantic City Recovery Center Grand Opening

The Atlantic City Recovery Center officially opened on January 18, 2013. Attended by Atlantic City?s Mayor Lorenzo Langford and state Senator representatives, along with a number of other dignitaries within the city, the grand opening was a celebration in advance of the good things to come from the center.

Hurricane Sandy left a path of destruction in its wake in late October of 2012, including flooded homes and massive power outages. Clean-up efforts continue, and the Recovery Center aims to coordinate efforts within the city to maximize both manpower and resources.

The 2000 square foot model is based on the Hope Coordination Center in Biloxi, Mississippi, which began after Hurricane Katrina devastated the region.

Hope Force International (HFI) worked closely with the Center along with Biloxi Councilman, Bill Stallworth. 

HFI Disaster Response Director Craig Snow was one of the people who gained valuable experience working with the Center in Biloxi. While he served as HFI Program Director with the construction of homes in Biloxi, Snow gained the experience necessary to help facilitate the Atlantic City Recovery Center.

Snow said: ?We came in and shared from our experiences. Atlantic City didn?t have a compass. HFI has a tremendous privilege to come in as servants.?

?If it wasn?t for the receptive hearts of Atlantic City, we wouldn?t have been able to do this,? Snow continued.

Mayor Langford commented: ?We would not be where we are without Hope Force International.?

So far there are nine people on the Recovery Center team working in Case Management and Construction Services. Volunteers are still needed ? the center is gearing up to receive hundreds of volunteers, and building up the capacity to restore over 200 homes.

Snow said that the atmosphere at the center is unique ? there is a great sense that people are there because they care about the community.

For further news of the Recovery Center opening, click here to see Channel 40 NBC?s coverage of the event.

Click here to email us if you would like to be deployed to Atlantic City with Hope Force.

In the meantime, housing and funding are both needed to continue on with the recovery in Atlantic City.