Union Beach, New Jersey still struggling to recover from Superstorm Sandy

UNION BEACH (WABC) -- For all the hoopla about how the Jersey Shore was stronger than Superstorm Sandy, the hard truth is that parts of the shore have not yet recovered.

A case in point is the Monmouth County borough of Union Beach.

"It's been, in a word, brutal," said one resident. "Very stressful. We don't have enough money to finish the house," said another.

The two neighbors on one street are among many similar in Union Beach, lined with campers where families live next to incomplete homes.

They're paying mortgages on the houses Sandy swept away, paying the loans that started the rebuilding, and paying rental fees on the campers.

"We're going on over 18 months out of the house. It's been grueling between navigating insurance, the grant programs, it's just, we are all tired," said Union Beach resident Andrea Kassimatis.

And neighbor Marie McQuarrie's family of three: "We were in a couple of homes, a hotel for 2 and a half months, and we've been here since last February, a year and three months," she said.

McQuarrie's new home is an empty shell. Construction stopped when the money stopped.

"We have insurance, but they don't want to give us the money, like we don't have enough to finish rebuilding. We hired an attorney," McQuarrie said.

Hundreds of homes are wrapped in the same old red tape. For some, the frustration proved too much.

"A lot of people are just walking away. Just leaving their homes because they are disgusted or it cost too much to rebuild," said Union Beach resident Tony Chepulis.

Many vacant lots sit where homes once were, like next to Chepulis's new home. It may be awhile before he gets neighbors again, if at all.

"A lot of people figure it's going to be 5 years maybe longer if they don't get help. I mean, I was lucky," said one resident.

They call each day, hoping to finally be approved for grants that others have gotten.

And they see boardwalks rebuilt, but their homes not.

"I blame the Christie Administration for putting funnel cakes before families," a resident said.