How You Can Help

American Red Cross

Red Cross workers are in neighborhoods affected by Sandy providing food, water, relief supplies, and comfort to residents. Visit http://newsroom.redcross.org for the most current locations and information.

The Red Cross is working as fast as possible to continue its extensive feeding operation and get hot meals to residents in New Jersey and all five boroughs of New York. Since Hurricane Sandy hit, the Red Cross has served more than 3.3 million meals and snacks to those affected by the storm.

The Red Cross is also preparing for a large outreach operation this weekend to distribute relief items to families across Long Island, Staten Island, Queens, Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Far Rockaways and Hoboken.

Thousands of people are still without power in the region and shelters are open so that people can rest, get a hot meal and get the latest information on available help. There are several ways to find a shelter: go to redcross.org; download the Red Cross Hurricane app; call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767); or check local media outlets. In New York City, people can also call 3-1-1 or visit www.nyc.gov for a list of both day and nighttime warming centers.

How You Can Help

The Red Cross has been helping people since Sandy first made landfall, and will be supporting people affected by the storm for weeks as they get back on their feet. This is likely to be the largest Red Cross response in the U.S. in the past five years.

If you would like to help, you can donate by visiting www.redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

You can also use the “donate” feature on the free Red Cross Apps to support the Red Cross relief response. Your gift enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance to those affected.

TEAM RUBICON

Team Rubicon (TR), a veteran service organization that repurposes the ready-made organizational and operational skills of military veterans for disaster relief, is mobilizing hundreds (with a goal of 1,000), veteran volunteers to lead Superstorm Sandy relief efforts in hard hit New York and New Jersey. Embarking on its boldest, most ambitious mission yet, Team Rubicon has activated all 10 of its regions; putting the call out for any and all interested volunteers to step up to help TR meet this challenge. Veteran volunteers will be broken up into small, fleet-footed teams based on skill and identified post-disaster relief need.

Team Rubicon teams are currently working street by street, home by home, leading the charge for post- disaster damage assessments, debris management, and emergency coordination support to local government. Local municipalities have assigned Team Rubicon to the most devastated areas, given its experience in natural disaster relief in the U.S. and abroad. TR provided relief after tornadoes in Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, Joplin, and after Hurricane Irene, among others. It has also responded to several international natural disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake and the Pakistan floods during the same year.

By repurposing the skills (teamwork, decisive leadership, risk mitigation and management, logistics, emergency medicine) of returning military veterans, the Team Rubicon model is one that addresses two challenges – inadequate disaster response and poor veteran reintegration – by using each to solve the other. Veterans are an untapped resource, and have the skills and experiences necessary to be effective in disaster response.

Team Rubicon co-founders Jake Wood and William McNulty, both veterans themselves, know too well the desire to continue to serve once separating from the military. “Ninety-two percent of veterans returning from war say continued service is important to them. We have a desire to help here at home, to serve our communities. This particular mission allows us to give hundreds of veterans that opportunity, while helping those most affected by Hurricane Sandy,” said Jake Wood, Team Rubicon president and co-founder.

How You Can Help

To assist in Team Rubicon relief efforts, or to make a donation to Team Rubicon, visit http://teamrubiconusa.org/donate/ or call 1-888-242-3912.

United Way Hurricane Sandy Recovery Fund

The United Way Hurricane Sandy Recovery Fund was established to address the near-term and long-term recovery needs of individuals, families and communities along the Eastern Seaboard that were impacted by Hurricane Sandy’s devastation. Contributions to the Fund will be used by local United Ways in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Washington, DC and West Virginia to address hurricane recovery needs in communities that FEMA has declared disaster areas.

At the request of and in cooperation with United Way U.S.A., United Way of New York City is leading fundraising efforts and will ensure that all funds are used efficiently and effectively to serve those in need. United Way of New York City will charge no administrative fees.

How You Can Help

To make a donation, please visit http://unitedwaynyc.org/ or call 212-251-2500. If you have any questions about the fund, please send an email to communication@uwnyc.org, and we will reply as promptly as possible.

Nancy Sorensen Memorial Fund

Nancy Sorensen (Nee Galvin) tragically lost her life as Hurricane Sandy tore through the Rockaways in Queens, NY. Nancy leaves behind her husband Tommy, and children Trish, Greg, and Erika to pick up the pieces and move forward towards recovery. We are calling upon the community, friends, and family to find in their hearts to make a donation to the Sorensen family which will allow them to rebuild their home and lives with greater ease. Thank you, please keep both Rockaway and Breezy in your prayers.

How You Can Help

To make a donation, please visit: http://www.giveforward.com/nancysorensenneegalvinmemorialfund

Additional Resources

For additional information on Superstorm Sandy relief programs and how you can help, please visit: http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/06/us/iyw-how-to-help-after-sandy/index.html

Thank You!