Over the past week, many skiers were excited to see video, images, and trip reports of skin tracks and powder from the forests of West Virginia. I saw them, and they were awesome for any time of year, let alone late October.
That joy we enjoyed on the backside stood in sharp contrast to the awful side of the storm that our neighbors faced at the front.
And now, the news cycle is turning the page to other stories about blue and red states. As the mainstream media and public suffer from disaster fatigue, the story of Sandy will inevitably be swept aside. In the process there are devastated communities that will also be brushed from our consciousness.
Over the past few days I spent time volunteering in the Rockaways where people have lost everything. Their concern for the future has been temporary set aside by their immediate needs for warmer clothes, food, and heat. People in New York’s greatest city still lack the basic essentials of life, as do many of our neighbors in New Jersey, Connecticut and Upstate. Many are looking at the remains of their homes while they await the help they need to move on.
If you’re reading this, in your own home, you’re probably among the fortunate, with electricity, heat and an internet connection to the world. Taking a wider view, the NYSkiBlog audience is largely a fortunate group. We’re lucky because we ski.
If you can, find a way to help. Or, show up with work gloves or a shovel along the coast of Staten Island or New Jersey. If you see someone rebuilding — their home and their life — I know first hand that they’d appreciate help.
There are good organizations setup to distribute aid. If you have extra winter clothes or a few bucks, consider sending them to one of the charities I’ve linked to below. Occupy Sandy, was the first to arrive and is set up in the worst neighborhoods in New York City.
Thanks all. Let’s work to overcome this and have a terrific season.
American Red Cross
1-800-RED CROSS
RedCross.org/hurricane-sandy
Victims of Hurricane Sandy
Church of St. Luke and St. Matthew
520 Clinton Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11238
InterOccupy.net/occupysandy
Donate to Occupy Sandy:
www.wepay.com/donations/occupy-sandy
Just got back again from another trip. What a crazy mess out there! Help is really starting to get there though, I ate from one of the food trucks and delivered a lot of blankets. I also carried a ton of soggy rotten furniture out of moldy apartments. But, things are really getting better every day! Thanks again for your support.
At our return instructor meeting were were asked to bring food or paper for NYC ski friends. Truck loads were sent up. Great post. If everybody gives a little there will be bounty.
Check with your employer – many companies are offering to match employee contributions – my company is.
Great video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olForyqALZ4
Incredible, moving, gut-wrenching video. Thanks for posting Matt, and thanks for helping. To all, please chip in whatever you can.
http://nj1015.com/restore-new-jersey/
If you live in NJ and want your contribution to go TO NJ relief, the Restore NJ charity is being run by Mary Pat Christie. I believe it is totally being run by volunteers. Check your place of work to see if they have matching donations to whoever you donate to. Most bigger companies will match.
Thanks for posting this ML, and good for you for helping out in a “hands-on” way, especially when your own neighbourhood is probably in rough shape. It is hard to comprehend the scale of the destruction when viewing from a distance, through the lens of news reports. That video really helps put things in perspective. I will share it with others.