the weekend…part two

A few weeks ago, right after Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast, my desire to give back resulted in a delivery of a meal for the Meals on Wheels program here in NYC.  Remember Ms. O?  Well that just didn’t quite do it for me.  I wanted to do more, knowing how fortunate that I am.  So when an email arrived in my in-box asking for volunteers to support Hurricane Sandy relief efforts in the Rockaways in Queens, I immediately signed up.

The Clinton Foundation provided transportation to 1,000 volunteers to help with the recovery efforts and in some small way…to make a difference.  Upon arriving in the Rockaways, three other volunteers and myself were assigned to a group of seven from the U.S. Army National Guard. Our job was to take a listing of specific addresses and canvass the neighborhood to evaluate the needs of those residents.  An encounter form was completed asking such questions as…Do you have electricity, heat…How many people live here…Do you need any medical attention…Do you need essentials such as blankets, water, food…  That information would be compiled and specific help and/or supplies would be dispatched to the appropriate home.

So let me start with the group from the National Guard.  They were awesome.  Serious about their work, yet so caring and so much fun.  What a feeling to walk with them and have people blow their horns, come out of their homes or stop them in the street to recognize their efforts and to say thank you for all they’ve done.  Their presence was noticed and so appreciated by the community.  It was an honor to be side by side with them the entire day.

So many homes were still heavily decorated in Halloween which to me gave the environment an even more somber feel.  But, so many families were flying their American flags proudly as if to say in their loudest voice, we will overcome this!  And some “said” it directly from their front entryway…

Having had my own personal experience with the flood of 1985 in Roanoke, Virginia I somewhat knew what to expect.  But until you see the devastation up close and personal you really can’t imagine and especially since it’s three weeks later. To remove the sheer numbers of vehicles that were totally submerged in sea water has to be a monumental task in itself.  Cars still remained on the streets, in driveways and parking lots…many with the windows down as if the owners had no time to react.

 

 

 

The people we spoke to were so spirited, so appreciative and so ready to move forward with their lives.  My hope is that with a smile and a few words of encouragement we were able to make a small difference in their lives that day.  Thanks to all the efforts of everyone who continue to help those areas in need.