Governmental/ NGOs:
- FEMA: During the relief efforts of Sandy, FEMA was one of the largest governmental body involved. We asked local residents their opinion of FEMA and none of them had a positive experience with the organization. One homeowner talked about how FEMA low balled the cost of repair for many homes and gave the very minimum in terms of federal aid money. A local geologist living in the area stated that the problem with FEMA was its employees. According to this interviewee FEMA has very little full time staff because there aren’t disasters that need to be dealt with on a daily basis. This leads to a lack of experience when disasters do occur. Most would assume FEMA would learn from each disaster, but unfortunately that is not always the case. An NGO employee working in the Manhattan area we interviewed said FEMA was also given outrageous amounts of money, but not enough to spend it on. The NGO would actually be given some money from FEMA to organize volunteers to ensure everyone had a job to do. To learn more about FEMA you can click here to be sent to their main webpage.
Further info on FEMA spending <https://www.americanprogress.org>
- Disaster Relief Appropriations Act: In the wake of hurricane Sandy, president Obama along with congress passed this act in 2013. It authorized 60 billion dollars of governmental funds to relief efforts. This money was split between 22 governmental organizations including FEMA (www.congress.gov). The bill also increased the amount of money flood insurance companies could borrow from the government (www.congress.gov). To read the entire act click here to download the pdf version.
Religious/ Non-profit:
- Habitat for Humanity: Habitat for Humanity is the 84th largest non-profit organization in the US in terms of capital according to topnonprofits.org. One thing to note about the organization is that it is Christian although volunteers come from all denominations. One of our interviewees was a volunteer for this organization and informed us that 61 houses have been rebuilt by Habitat for Humanity since Hurricane Sandy. He also told us that the organization helped clear debris and mold from people’s houses. To learn more about Habitat for Humanity and/or donate click here
- Local Church Aid: The local church where we conducted most of our interviews also aided in relief efforts in the Tom’s River area. The church had a massive truck full of donated clothes and furniture in its parking lot for a while after Sandy. One of our interviewees stated that many people affected by the storm would drive to the church and take as much as they needed. The church also had a temporary housing shelter for those who had nowhere else to go.
- Red Cross: The Red Cross is one of the largest nonprofits in the US and according to homeowner’s was one of the first companies to come to the Jersey Shore after Sandy. According to one interviewee, the Red Cross provided food and water to those who went back to their homes to clear it out after the storm. Citizens were only allowed 4 hours out on the barrier islands to collect things from their homes and one homeowner described how none of the plumbing worked on the islands. Eventually, Red Cross brought porta potties to the islands on each block which was extremely helpful to those trying to clear their house of mold. The organization also would collect all the debris and garbage people piled up outside of their homes. To learn more about the American Red Cross and/or donate click here