In a dim corner of Vicki Northeimer's living room, a small pile of odds and ends reveal details of her life: a cherished spice rack handed down from her grandmother, a pair of crutches from her two-time battle with bone cancer, a Christmas cactus that remains in bloom despite being abandoned for months.

They are among the few things Northeimer could salvage from her historic Ephrata Township house after the remnants of Hurricane Sandy passed through the area.

During the October storm, an offshoot of the Conestoga River clawed its way into the home just west of Hinkletown she purchased more than five years ago. The watermark reached 3 1/2 feet, but the destruction went much deeper.

Without assistance from any relief organizations — and ineligible for federal or state loans to rebuild — Northeimer was forced to live in her car and then move in with her ailing parents.

In a letter to local officials, Lancaster Emergency Management Coordinator Randall Gockley said Northeimer's house on Route 322 "is believed to be the property that had the most substantial loss within the county from this event."

A remediation company ripped out the original cherry floors, cut out drywall and sprayed to prevent mold from climbing to her intact second floor. Workers piled a mountain of trash in the backyard, and then Northeimer was forced to walk away.

On Saturday, volunteers from near and far began helping her dig out. Lancaster County Emergency Management Agency officials dispatched their Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD) group after Northeimer brought her case to state Sen. Mike Brubaker.

Although the organization's mission was a physical one — a team of 10 filled a roll-off Dumpster with the rotting debris to make room for a contractor — the result was an emotional boost for Northeimer.

"You start losing your faith," she said, tearing up as the crew removed her ruined floorboards, waterlogged appliances and moldy furniture. "I just lost it today that people would be that good to help me. I've never met any of these people before."

As the remnants of Sandy passed over central Pennsylvania, Northeimer and her 28-year-old son attempted to protect the house by sandbagging. They'd succeeded when the remnants of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee passed through the year before.

But this time, while most of Lancaster County escaped serious damage, the Northeimers were inundated. Emergency crews rescued them and their two Pomeranians by boat, as furniture and fixtures swirled around in an angry eddy.

The Ephrata Township Board of Supervisors has agreed to waive any building-permit fees associated with the reconstruction efforts, and the township's building inspector will donate his services. As for the work on the ground, members of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Gaithersburg, Md., did much of the initial labor.

"The homeowners are the ones who've been dealing with this since day one," said Dennis Luther, the church's disaster recovery coordinator. "It's very uplifting when someone can see progress like this."

Good Shepherd has been working with VOADs on flood-damaged homes in Lebanon and Lancaster counties since last year.

Northeimer said she did not know her house was in a floodplain until the day she settled on it — and all of her belongings were packed into a 26-foot-long rental truck. Though she purchased federal flood insurance, she said it will only provide $46,000 for repairs.

Her lowest estimate for the work was for $72,000. That doesn't include money to replace appliances, the furnace, furniture, dishes, or to clean her contaminated well. She also owes the remediation company $5,000.

Local officials said she could not apply for aid through the state or federal governments because Lancaster County was not designated a disaster area following Sandy.

Northeimer now lives in Kutztown and commutes 90 minutes to her job with Wendy's Corp. in Exton. She said she has continued to pay her mortgage despite being unable to rehab her house. To further complicate things, she fell and broke her hip following the storm and only recently began to walk unassisted again.

Despite the hardships, she doesn't want to walk away.

"After the cancer, I though that was it. I just wanted a nice home where I could live with my family," said Northeimer, whose 3-year-old grandson also lives with her. "When he says, 'I want to go to your house,' I have to tell him we can't. I don't have a home to go to."

The volunteer organization will continue to work with Northeimer, and officials estimate she could be back in the house within two months. Contractor Dennis Zimmerman will work with the county and Northeimer to get the job done within her $46,000 budget. Zimmerman was planning to begin his work Wednesday.

In some cases, VOAD is able to secure donations of materials and services from local individuals or businesses.

"We're very broad-based," said Tim Brown, the organization's chairman. "The idea is to bring together resources from throughout our community."

Anyone interested in donating materials or labor can contact Brown at 575-3368.