Broad Channel Residents Fred and Barbara Torborg on NY1....

Broad Channel Couple Thankful For Team Of Support In Sandy Recovery

A Manhattan high school community is helping to rebuild the home of their longtime coach whose Broad Channel property was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy. NY1's Roger Clark filed the following report.

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Broad Channel residents Fred and Barbara Toborg say when they walked into their home of 28 years after Hurricane Sandy, it looked like a giant had shaken it.

"Everything was topsy turvy. I guess it's the way people feel when they come back and their house has been ransacked by burglars. Mother Nature was pretty brutal," recalled Barbara Toborg.

"I just had to laugh at the mess, because you can't cry, you just have to take things the way they come and do the best you can," said Fred Toborg.

Fred Toborg was a beloved coach of numerous sports for 30 years at the Trinity School on the Upper West Side. So when former students heard about what happened to his home, located next to a salt marsh, they jumped at the chance to help him out. Among them was Chip Brian, co-owner of a construction firm called Design Development. He decided to rebuild the Toborg's home for free.

"He's committed his life to being a coach and helping students from Kindergarten through 12th grade, and what we decided to do is help him as much as we can with the renovation as it relates to Hurricane Sandy," said Design Development Co-Owner Mike Daddio .

"He's a caring, nurturing person, you know, he knows when to push and he knows when to comfort and everyone I know who played underneath him has great things to say about him," said Vaughn Caldon of the Trinity School Alumni Association.

During the construction, the Toborg's have traveled or stayed with friends, helped out by donations from Trinity Alumni, friends and family. The couple says they are thankful for the generosity of others during a difficult time.

"All of a sudden people started coming and helping. It's been overwhelming to have this happen," said Fred Toborg.

"We feel very humbled by it, and I'm very proud of my husband's reputation," said Barbara Toborg.

The Toborgs hope to be back in their home around April 15. And Barbara Torborg says when they do, there will more than likely be a party to celebrate.