With power restored to nearly all of Lower Manhattan after five days of outages because of Hurricane Sandy, life is slowly returning to normal. However, nearly one million people along the East Coast are still without electricity and heat, and communities in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and parts of Manhattan have been devastated by flooding, fires and other damage. Here are five ways you can help our city recover.
New York City Housing Authority
The New York City Housing Authority, which is responsible for New York City’s 334 public housing developments, is seeking volunteers to distribute food, water and other resources to residents of housing developments in areas hit hardest by Hurricane Sandy, including the Rockaways and Breezy Point in Queens, and Midland Beach in Staten Island. Several volunteer opportunities are available in these areas between 1 and 5 p.m. through Friday, Nov. 9. Volunteers are asked to wear comfortable clothing and footwear.
Register at nycservice.org.
Give blood
Damages from Hurricane Sandy have severely impacted the ability for the American Red Cross, the New York Blood Center and other donation services to collect blood and platelets. Power outages in the aftermath of the hurricane led to the cancellation of approximately 360 Red Cross blood drives on the East Coast, leading to a deficit of over 12,200 units of blood and platelets, according to the Red Cross.
Visit redcrossblood.org, nybc.org or americasblood.org for eligibility requirements and appointments.
Red Hook Initiative
The Red Hook Initiative is an organization that works to promote health and social change in Red Hook, Brooklyn, a community devastated by Hurricane Sandy. Red Hook has become the area’s center for hurricane relief for providing food, water, emergency supplies and access to electricity to residents whose homes and businesses were destroyed.
Visit rhicenter.org for information about donations and volunteer opportunities.
United Way
United Way, a worldwide advocacy and volunteer organization, is seeking volunteers to assist in recovery efforts in Coney Island and areas of Brooklyn and Queens affected by the hurricane. Volunteers are needed between noon and 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 5 and Tuesday, Nov. 6. United Way is also accepting donations to help those in heavily affected areas.
Register to volunteer at action.unitedwaynyc.org.
YouGiveGoods
YouGiveGoods is an online platform that matches people who are able to give food and other supplies with those in need. The organization is asking those interested in donating food to hurricane victims to join one of their established online food drives or to start their own. YouGiveGoods makes starting a food drive easy by answering a few simple questions online and selecting a charity or nonprofit organization to benefit. YouGiveGoods’ Hurricane Sandy relief efforts are scheduled through Nov. 16, though you can start a food drive at any time.
Visit yougivegoods.com for more information.
A version of this article appeared in the Monday, Nov. 5 print edition. Nicola Pring is features editor. Email her at [email protected].
