The many thousands of families displaced when Super-storm Sandy attacked one year ago are still fighting with government agencies and insurance companies, as they deal with red tape and wait for public aid. In fact, many residents still aren’t back home.
The devastating storm made landfall in the U.S. on Oct. 29 2012 and killed hundreds of people here and in the Caribbean, and caused billions of dollars in damages, including some 366,000 structures in New York and New Jersey alone.
The amount of rebuilding in the affected region varies. In hard-hit neighborhoods, there are empty lots, where homes once stood. Storm-wrecked residences stand vacant with “for sale” signs outside.
While some families forge ahead with the often slow process, others are forced to live in their partially repaired homes, while others who lack the necessary resources to rebuild are staying with friends and relatives, or living in temporary apartments.
Meanwhile, scientists claim that global warming can make a super-storms more destructive:
Warming-driven sea level rise makes storm surges more destructive. In fact, recent studies found the sea level on a stretch of the US Atlantic coast that features the cities of New York, Norfolk and Boston is rising up to four times faster than the global average.
The unusual path of the storm into the heavily populated east coast rather than out to see was caused by a very strong blocking high pressure system that recent studies have linked to global warming.
Disaster Assistance
(CDFA Numbers: 97.048, 97.049, 97.05)
Provides money or direct assistance to individuals, families and businesses in an area whose property has been damaged or destroyed and whose losses are not covered by insurance.
Crisis Counseling
(CDFA Number: 97.032)
Provides supplemental funding to States for short-term crisis counseling services to people affected in Presidentially declared disasters.
Disaster Legal Services
(CDFA Number: 97.033)
Provides free legal assistance to disaster victims.
Disaster Unemployment Assistance Program
(CDFA Number: 97.034)
Provides unemployment benefits and re-employment services to individuals who have become unemployed because of major disasters.
National Flood Insurance Program
(CDFA Number: 97.022)
Enables property owners in participating communities to purchase insurance as a protection against flood losses in exchange for State and community floodplain management regulations that reduce future flood damages.
Apply for Assistance
- Full Site, Mobile Site
- Call (800) 621-3362
- TTY (800) 462-7585
