Superstorm Sandy: One Year Later

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Report on CCUSA's disaster response to Hurricane Sandy

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365

DAYS AFTER
SUPERSTORM SANDY

The mission of Catholic Charities agencies is to provide service to people in need, to advocate for justice in social structures, and to call the entire church and other people of good will to do the same.

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CATHOLIC CHARITIES USA | ONE YEAR SUPERSTORM SANDY REPORT

It is hard to believe that one year has passed since October when communities from West Virginia to Connecticut were affected by the fury of Superstorm Sandy. I visited the areas affected shortly thereafter, and it was impossible not to be struck by the awesome power of nature and its ability to wipe out entire communities. Neighborhoods were swept away, giant banks of sand loomed where playgrounds used to sit; it was enough to take your breath away. But I also saw the fearless resolve of the emergency responders on the ground – Catholic Charities staff and volunteers who saw the need and rushed to assist the devastated areas without hesitation, providing warm meal, a change of clothes, or even just a hug. Their work in the immediate days after Sandy’s impact was felt just as the beginning of their commitment to serve those communities. This report is just a small sampling of the work that has been done to respond to the need in the last year. In the months since Superstorm Sandy, Catholic Charities USA has been able to distribute upwards of $14 million worth of grants and in-kind donations to Catholic Charities agencies affected by Superstorm Sandy – this has been only possible because of the generosity of spirit displayed by donors across the nation. Catholic Charities USA’s Disaster operations team and local agencies will continue its work to rebuild the lives forever altered by the fury of the storm, and are committed to doing so long after the disaster is gone from front page headlines, because we know that is when the long-term recovery and rebuilding begins. Your generosity has made our continued response possible, and the Catholic Charities network and all whose lives we’ve touch are grateful for your support. Warmly,

Father Larry Snyder, President Catholic Charities USA

CATHOLIC CHARITIES USA | ONE YEAR SUPERSTORM SANDY REPORT

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THANKSGIVING 2012
Saving a Small Piece of Holiday Tradition

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uperstorm Sandy struck just as the leaves were changing on the trees and families were preparing to visit their loved ones during the holiday season. With their lives turned upside down, many of those in the storm’s path faced a Thanksgiving without the comforts of home or the familiar traditions that bring such meaning to that time of year. Those providing disaster response services to the communities affected weren’t about to let the holidays pass by without trying to restore some of the joy of the season for these families who had lost so much. Catholic Charities USA mobilized a national campaign to provide turkeys for the holidays to those in storm-battered areas. At $15 a turkey, anyone could give back to help those facing a Thanksgiving or Christmas unlike they had ever known, and many

did. All told, the network of Catholic Charities donors and supporters banded together to provide 10,000 families with a special holiday meal and a tangible expression that, in the aftermath of a natural disaster, they were not alone. For families putting together the pieces of their lives after the storm, holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the entire holiday season could have been a reminder of how much they had lost. But thanks in part to the generosity of Catholic Charities donors, it became a time to reflect on all they had to be grateful for and look forward to.

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CATHOLIC CHARITIES USA | ONE YEAR SUPERSTORM SANDY REPORT

Catholic Charities USA mobilized a national campaign to provide turkeys for the holidays to those in stormbattered areas. At $15 a turkey, anyone could give back to help those facing a Thanksgiving or Christmas unlike they had ever known, and many did.

CATHOLIC CHARITIES USA | ONE YEAR SUPERSTORM SANDY REPORT





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FROM THE ARCHIVES: NOVEMBER 2012
Father Larry Snyder - Think and Act Anew | www.thinkandactanew.org
I’m always amazed by the strength of the human spirit.
Having just returned from visiting Catholic Charities agencies in New York and New Jersey affected by Superstorm Sandy, I was touched by the acts of kindness and generosity I personally witnessed from staff, volunteers, and neighbors who just want to help those looking to put their lives back together. I met a pizza shop owner in Staten Island who has been providing pizzas to families with no power or heat who need something to eat. It’s the least he can do, he told me. His pizza truck parked outside an agency distribution center, he becomes overwhelmed when talking about the destruction the hurricane caused, saying he plans to stay there at the site for as long as the community needs him. I met volunteers who have been working nonstop since the Hurricane passed -- staffing distribution sites, sorting through donations and organizing items so that, as one volunteer explained, people can go “Fast-in” and “Fast-out,” adding, “Asking people if they need help is just as important as providing it to them. Sometimes people come in, have a good cry, and then I help them get what they need.” I met a family in New Jersey who were dropping off goods at a distribution center to donate to the families affected. They were some of the “lucky ones”, they explained, and while they had seen the television coverage of the aftermath, they were shocked to see just how “real” the destruction had been, having to pass through some of the impacted areas for the first time telling me, “This is a whole new experience for New Jersey.”

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CATHOLIC CHARITIES USA | ONE YEAR SUPERSTORM SANDY REPORT

And I met dozens of staff at our local agencies who have been working every day since the storm first hit. As one agency director explained, “In some ways, staff impacted by storms want to come to work to take their minds off the loss felt at home.” Many agency staff are leading disaster response efforts and conducting damage assessments, things that weren’t something they necessarily signed up for or something that falls under their job description, but it’s incredible to see so many step-up and do whatever they need to do. They are tired, the stress level is high, but they know that they are part of a network of more than 65,000 employees, each willing to help in whatever way they can. Some of this help comes from the donations we have received from people across the country, for CCUSA’s disaster fund. These donations go directly to support such things as: • C  ase management and emergency assistance which includes immediate health/medical needs, food and water, shelter, clothing, critical child care and transportation; • C  leaning and house repair assistance which includes house “muck-outs”, debris removal, utility assistance, furniture and appliance replacement, home repairs, and complete home rebuilds; • E  mergency evacuation assistance which includes relocation, safe

housing, transportation, and temporary sheltering needs; and •  Long-term recovery needs which include “big ticket” items that often times occur when reestablishing a home, such as roof replacements, hot water heater/air conditioner/furnace replacements, and complete home rebuilds. During my visits, I was able to present agencies with ten thousand dollar grants, a down-payment which serves as a reminder that we are committed to doing what we can to help each of these agencies recover. As my previous experiences with such disasters as Hurricane Katrina have taught me, even though the storm has passed, the recovery efforts are just beginning. Thanks to our agency network and the continued generosity of the thousands looking to help those in need, we will continue to provide support to our local agencies until all those affected have rebuilt.

CATHOLIC CHARITIES USA | ONE YEAR SUPERSTORM SANDY REPORT

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SCENES FROM SANDY NEWARK, NEW JERSEY

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n elderly couple living in Newark, New Jersey, could hear the wrath of Sandy beginning to arrive and went down to the basement to stock up on provisions – only to find that the storm had already flooded out their entire ground floor. Forced to evacuate, they left town with just what they could fit in a small rolling suitcase. Their car was ruined. The home they had lived in for nearly 50 years was deemed “uninhabitable.” After the storm passed, they returned, devastated by the scope and severity of the storm damage. Unable to undertake the massive repair project, they feared they would lose that house which had seen so many memories. They turned to Catholic Charities of Newark, which provided them with a damage assessment and assigned case managers to address their plight. Working together, they secured funding to provide repair work, install new flooring, and ensure that their house, though damaged, would be rebuilt.

Whenever disaster strikes, Catholic Charities agencies are there with boots on the ground, working alongside those that are in need. Their determination and collaboration brings help into the darkest of hours and supports those impacted on their long journey to restore what they had lost.

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CATHOLIC CHARITIES USA | ONE YEAR SUPERSTORM SANDY REPORT

Whenever disaster strikes, Catholic Charities agencies are there with boots on the ground, working alongside those that are in need. Their determination and collaboration brings help into the darkest of hours and supports those impacted on their long journey to restore what they had lost.

CATHOLIC CHARITIES USA | ONE YEAR SUPERSTORM SANDY REPORT


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THERE FOR THE LONG TERM
Millions were affected by Hurricance Sandy; Catholic Charities USA & our agencies are there for the long term.
Catholic Charities agencies in the dioceses of Bridgeport and Hartford, Conn.; New York City, and Long Island, N.Y.; Metuchen, Newark, Paterson, Trenton, and Camden, N.J.; Philadelphia; Wilmington, Del.; and Wheeling-Charleston, W.V. were on the front lines of responding to Sandy’s widespread impact. CCUSA has also pledged to provide additional services in the form of long-term recovery grants totaling roughly $5 million for disbursement over the next 5 years. CCUSA and our agencies continue to help those still affected by this disaster and will be able to continue to support these efforts thanks to your generosity.

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CATHOLIC CHARITIES USA | ONE YEAR SUPERSTORM SANDY REPORT

Catholic Charities USA October 29 Catholic Charities USA and our local agencies are prepared to assist with shelter, food, and immediate or long-term needs related to Superstorm Sandy. Stay safe.

CATHOLIC CHARITIES USA | ONE YEAR SUPERSTORM SANDY REPORT

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CCUSA RESPONSE FOLLOWING SUPERSTORM SANDY FACTS & FIGURES:

CCUSA assisted 15 different Catholic Charities agencies in their critical disaster work.
Provided 11 emergency grants totaling over

s s s s s

$350,000.
$4,240,354.

Distributed 9 long-term Disaster Funding grants totaling nearly

Served 6 different states in their immediate and long-term disaster response needs.
Thanks to the efforts of the U.S. Catholic Bishops, CCUSA will be distributing an additional 

$8,000,000 to support ongoing recovery efforts.

2050 Ballenger Avenue, Suite 400 Alexandria, VA 22314 www.CatholicCharitiesUSA.org

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