The iconic giant who once towered over tourists at the Jersey Shore now waits for Barnacle Bill’s arcade and mini golf to reopen in Ortley Beach. It’s one of many projects New Elevations Construction has underway.

“There’s 40,000 properties in 100 miles of the storm that really need our service. Most of our customers, they’ve been calling. My phone’s been ringing off the hook, please come help us,” said New Elevations owner Michael Sikorski.

Around the corner, homeowner Peg Gallagher is forced to rebuild. Three homes landed in her backyard.

“It’s depressing to be here. It was such a beautiful place and it’s totally depressing,” Gallagher said.

There are about 2,000 homes in Ortley Beach. Mayor Tom Kelaher says Sandy damaged every house here and at this point more than 100 homes need to be demolished.

Read more on the NJ Today website.

In this edition of MetroFocus we report from New Jersey and New York on what’s ahead for the region six months after Sandy.

NJ Today’s Lauren Wanko reports from Ortley Beach in Ocean County, NJ where business owners and residents are still struggling to repair and reopen as summer approaches.  In New York City, the focus is on public housing. We take a look back with an excerpt from a story reported by Jon Gerber and Kristen Reed last November. Two Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism students take us inside the Smith Houses on the Lower East Side when the lights were still out. Host Rafael Pi Roman follows up with an interview with New York City Housing Authority General Manager Cecil House about what’s ahead for the agency and its tenants, and lessons learned from Superstorm Sandy.

Dr. Harold Koplewicz of the Child Mind Institute talks to Pi Roman about a new project to make mental health care for children a higher priority and about how to respond to children’s questions about the Boston marathon bombings.

The New York Executive Director of the Nature Conservancy Bill Ulfelder joins Pi Roman to talk about “LEAF”, a growing program that takes urban students to the wilderness and helps them become environmental leaders.

And Pi Roman takes a trip to Manhattan’s new Museum of Mathematics to see what’s making math fun.

Watch the individual MetroFocus segments below and stay up to date on MetroFocus news from the New York region on Twitter.

Public Housing Recovering Slowly From Sandy’s Wrath

Host Rafael Pi Roman follows up with an interview with New York City Housing Authority General Manager Cecil House about what’s ahead for the agency and its tenants, as well as lessons learned from Superstorm Sandy.

National Campaign Highlights Barriers to Children's Mental Health Care

MetroFocus talks to the Child Mind Institute's Dr. Harold Koplewicz about the organization's upcoming children's mental health campaign.

Environmental Leaders of the Future

The Nature Conservancy's New York Executive Director Bill Ulfelder discusses the ways in which the Conservancy is adapting to a changing world.

A Museum All About Math

The new National Museum of Mathematics at Madison Square Park hopes to teach students, parents, and teachers about the wonders of math.

In this edition of MetroFocus, we report from New Jersey and New York on what’s ahead for the region six months after Sandy.

NJ Today’s Lauren Wanko reports from Ortley Beach in Ocean County, New Jersey where business owners and residents are still struggling to repair and reopen as summer approaches.  In New York City, the focus is on public housing. We take a look back with an excerpt from a story reported by Jon Gerber and Kristen Reed last November. Two Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism students take us inside the Smith Houses on the Lower East Side when the lights were still out. Host Rafael Pi Roman follows up with an interview with New York City Housing Authority General Manager Cecil House about what’s ahead for the agency and its tenants, and lessons learned from Superstorm Sandy.

Dr. Harold Koplewicz of the Child Mind Institute talks to Pi Roman about a new project to make mental health care for children a higher priority and about how to respond to children’s questions about the Boston marathon bombings.

The New York Executive Director of the Nature Conservancy Bill Ulfelder joins Pi Roman to talk about “LEAF”, a growing program that takes urban students to the wilderness and helps them become environmental leaders.

And Pi Roman takes a trip to Manhattan’s new Museum of Mathematics to see what’s making math fun.

Bartender Monica Maione feels lucky and relieved. Lucky to return to work this summer at Jimbo’s Bar and Grill in Seaside Heights while job seekers search for a new seasonal gig.

“I’ve had a lot of people that were like, ‘Can I just fill out an application? I want to do anything,’” Maione said. “There’s people whose jobs in this area may not be existent now, and so if they see a place like this is open, they’ll be like, ‘They’re open. I might as well apply because there’s some people that definitely won’t have their jobs this season.’”

The damaged Casino Pier will cut its workforce by 40 percent this summer — from 500 workers to about 300. The standard 200 employees will remain in the water park and they may hire throughout the summer as rides open on the pier.

Continue reading on the NJ Today website.