Hurricane Sandy – one year after making landfall in the U.S.

One year after Hurricane Sandy struck New York, New Jersey and other states, the Red Cross continues to help survivors rebuild and recover.

The Red Cross met Sandy’s significant damage with its largest U.S. response in five years, and provided several months of emergency relief to people whose lives were disrupted by the storm. The massive emergency relief effort was powered by more than 17,000 trained workers– 90 per cent of them volunteers. Among these workers were 87 Canadian staff and volunteers who dedicated their time and talents to provide emergency relief to people whose lives were disrupted by the storm.

The response included:

• A huge food distribution operation that served more than 17.5 million meals and snacks
• Handing out more than seven million relief items, such as cold weather items and clean-up supplies
• Nearly 113,000 health services and emotional support contacts for people who have been living in very tough conditions
• Providing nearly half of the 163,000 overall shelter stays for Sandy

Even as emergency relief work continued, the American Red Cross began to help people in the long recovery process, and that work continues today through one-on-one meetings with storm survivors and grants to a range of groups working in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and other affected states.

The response and recovery from a storm of this size takes time and help from many organizations. The Red Cross has worked together with government and community partners at every step of the response and recovery process to provide assistance to those that need it most. This has included giving grants to a number of non-profits working in New Jersey and New York to help people with home repairs, mold remediation, food, financial assistance and financial counseling, and to support the work of community round tables that will help ensure that the needs of those affected by Sandy are met.