Red Cross Joins Sandy Recovery Partners in Queens Canvassing Outreach

Queens Coalition volunteers prepare to canvass the 
Hamilton Beach community following a briefing at 
the headquarters of the West Hamilton Beach Volunteer 
Fire & Ambulance Corps.

Last weekend, the Queens Recovery Coalition--a group of local organizations, community leaders and recovery workers volunteering to support communities after Superstorm Sandy--canvassed homes in Hamilton Beach, Queens. Throughout the two-day period, individuals representing several Sandy recovery organizations went door-to-door to inform residents about Sandy recovery assistance still available more than two years after the storm. The American Red Cross has been part of the Coalition since its inception and had volunteers take part in the canvassing.

As a result of these efforts, more than 400 homes were visited during the two-day outreach and more than 250 new families registered with a disaster case manager. The canvassing also enabled the Coalition to collect data on recovery efforts to date and to identify existing unmet needs. 

Recovery partners also involved in the Queens Recovery Coalition and the recent canvassing include, Catholic Charities, United Methodist Committee on Relief, the Salvation Army, CAMBA, After Hours Project, Mental Health Association of New York, and Neighborhood Housing Services of Jamaica. The outreach was also promoted to the community through the offices of  local elected officials, the New Hamilton Beach Civic Association (and its president Roger Gendron), and Queens Community Board #10. On-site support was provided to the volunteers by the West Hamilton Beach Volunteer Fire & Ambulance Corps.