Sandy victims surprised by 'new' home

New York, Jan 21: She and her husband, Burt Metz, lost their home in Breezy Point, part of New York City's Queens borough, after it was completely ravaged by Hurricane Sandy in October.

When they returned to the property, their prayers had been answered, and they found their home completely rebuilt.

"I'm just completely shocked," Metz said. "We are so blessed and can't thank those that did this for us enough. Thank you."

The 80-year-olds have had the Breezy Point property for more than 30 years. They sold their primary residence in Brooklyn last year to help an ailing family member, and invested their life savings to upgrade the home for year-round living. When the contractor died in August, the work was never completed.

Hurricane Sandy brought four feet of water into the home, making it unlivable.

"When you're old, it's tough," Burt Metz said. "We didn't know what we were going to do."

That's when Operation Blessing stepped in.

The Virginia-based humanitarian organization gathered 300 volunteers from around the country to rebuild the Metz's home. The group has worked on more than 400 homes in Queens since the storm struck, but this was the first they completely rebuilt.

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