Now five years after Superstorm Sandy, 3,310 families have yet to move back into their damaged homes as they wait for a federal program that was supposed to send them help.
It’s been five years, hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent, and many, many incomplete lives are left in the wake.
Sandy was blamed for at least 182 deaths in the U.S. and Caribbean and more than $71 billion in damage in this country alone. It swamped coastline communities, knocked out power to millions of people and businesses, flooded parts of New York City’s transit system and set neighborhoods ablaze.
Many say there still are people struggling to repair and rebuild their homes. Rallies were being held from Asbury Park, New Jersey, to Lindenhurst, New York, by those hoping the damage doesn’t fade in the national psyche, especially in light of the recent spate of storms in Texas, Florida and the Caribbean.
“Sandy is not over,” says Ryan Madden of the Long Island Progressive Coalition. “Long Islanders are still not in their homes; communities are in need of vital infrastructure and resiliency improvements; and New York State has not done enough to safeguard us from future climate impacts.”
