MANVILLE: Flood aid applications available online

Piscataway Rotary Club looks to distribute proceeds of Jan. 27 dinner in Manville

   Mary Ellen ZangaraSpecial Writer
   The Piscataway Rotary Club raised about $6,000 for Manville flood victims by holding a spaghetti dinner that about 175 attended at the Manville-Hillsborough Elks on Jan. 27.
   Now they want to give the money away. Dave Szymanski of the Rotary Club is a former Manville resident who came to town after Hurricane Irene in late August.
   ”I went down to the valley just to see how the houses made out and I was shocked to see how much destruction was there,” he said. “The foundations were gone. I couldn’t believe it.”
   This group felt they wanted to help Manville after the recent flooding. The Piscataway Rotary, with the assistance of the Hillsborough Rotary and Unity Bank, Provident Bank and Investors Bank donated the supplies to hold the dinner.
   The group had talked about starting a foundation to help those in the future who needed help.
   ”We want to have a foundation to have the money available so when the next flood happens and it is going to happen, we are there with the money,” Mr. Szymanski said.
Mr. Szymanski is encouraging anyone who was a flood victim in Manville to fill out a flood assistance application to be eligible for the chance for one of the six $500 donations. The money is intended to help those persons get back on their feet.
   The form asks about total loss, and if insurance will cover it. It asks if repairs are complete, if residents are still out of the home and a range of annual household income. There’s a place to add other relevant information.
   Applications can be downloaded at www.piscatawayrotary.org or can be picked up at the Manville-Hillsborough Elks on Brooks Blvd. or at the Manville Public Library at 100 South 10th Ave. Applications are due by March 30.