Update on Hurricane Recovery Efforts in the New York and New Jersey Areas
We are humbled and awed by our local offices throughout the Mid Atlantic, including our affiliates in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the Chesapeake Bay region, and their dedicated work before, during and after Hurricane Sandy. Without missing a beat, they have risen to the occasion, stepping up their already Herculean efforts, all while worrying about their own homes and families.
From using vans to pick employees up and bring them to sites throughout NY and NJ to relieve personnel working tirelessly through the storm; to employees sleeping at client facilities in order to run disaster plans; to following mandatory evacuations of 300 clients, the staff at our local offices have been absolutely amazing and in the words of one CEO, “have been the real magic of this organization.” We hope everyone recovering from Hurricane Sandy knows that they are in our thoughts and prayers.
The people we serve - many of them seniors and medically frail individuals - are typically under our care full-time and long-term and we now need to find alternative shelter and other services for them. Therefore, at this time, our Mid Atlantic affiliates' efforts are focused on supporting and/or relocating some of our most vulnerable clients that were in our housing facilities in the area. They have successfully been able to place some in hotels, but many more are unable to leave either due to lack of available rooms or because they are reluctant to leave their neighborhoods.
Several of our facilities also have generators; however, the severe gas shortage in the area is causing staff to have to join long lines at gas stations hoping to secure the fuel they need to be able to maintain power and heat at facilities.
You can help support our Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts by making a donation. Your gifts will go to work immediately on the ground to support our efforts in the Mid Atlantic area.
