With so many affected communities throughout New York City, Long Island, New Jersey, and beyond, a truly heroic effort has begun to help storm victims who were most in need. I was proud to be able to work with members of the community here in Chelsea, the West Village, and Hells Kitchen. The Transit Forward Coalition, TWU Local 100, the Municipal Credit Union, P.S. 3 and P.S. 41 Parent Associations, and local Democratic clubs went above and beyond, donating their time, in addition to essential items such as canned goods and warm clothes.
The night that power was restored in Lower Manhattan, we held a relief drive at The Stonewall Inn where local residents filled two large cargo vans with supplies. The Transit Workers Union Local 100 secured transport vans to shuttle supplies to storm victims in need. This was especially impressive given the fact that these were the same workers who were able to get a majority of our public transportation system working in less than 72 hours. The Transit Forward Coalition organized articulated buses to take volunteers to Coney Island and the Rockaways.
In our community, NYCHA residents at Fulton and Chelsea-Elliot Houses did not have heat for nearly two weeks. Another building right here on the West Side that was badly damaged was Westbeth. The historic artists’ housing complex residents and Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, located at Westbeth, went without full access to electricity and heat for weeks. Irreplaceable and important information and artwork that was stored in the basement has been lost. Again, our community came through. P.S. 3 Parents Association held a bake sale and local restaurants like Tea and Sympathy delivered gourmet meals for homebound seniors in the building. Volunteers and neighbors knocked on doors to deliver those meals along with blankets. They took time just to talk with the devastated residents.
Of course, while the community has been extraordinary, we still have plenty of recovering to do. Governor Cuomo has asked for $42 billion in FEMA monies to help with this. We must make sure that this rebuilding includes everyone.
I hope we look back at Hurricane Sandy as the beginning of a new way of looking at our impact on climate, and how we prepare for inevitable future emergencies.
