Vermont dodged the ravages of Hurricane Sandy two weeks ago, but up and down the Eastern Seaboard many people are still suffering – and still worried about heat and survival.
Last week’s nor’easter that brought more wind and snow has delayed recovery from the storm. Many gas stations still don’t have the electricity they need to operate their pumps, and hundreds of thousands of people in the New York region are still without power.
Asah Rowles is the chair of Mad River Long Term Recovery, a group assisting people to fully recover from Irene. She says second-homeowners and visitors to the Mad River Valley who live in the area affected by Sandy have reached out for help.
"We are so familiar with recovery effort, so I truly feel like it’s important for us to give back to them," she says.
Rowles and her group have organized a coat drive to collect warm jackets and blankets for Staten Island, N.Y., where many are angry over a delayed response from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
"In fact our case manager, who’s also a FEMA representative, is on Staten Island right now doing FEMA inspections, and our goal is to have her on the receiving end at the National Guard barracks where this truck will go," she says.
Volunteers will be collecting coats, hats, gloves, hoodies and blankets outside the Shaw’s supermarket in Waitsfield on Tuesday from noon to 7 p.m.
Land Air Express of New England has donated a truck, which volunteers plan to load with donated items.
The Mad River Valley is not the only community in Vermont helping victims of Sandy. On Friday, the Bennington Rotary Club filled a 35-foot bus with much-needed donations.
Red Cross: List of Donation Sites
Responding to Sandy: What You Can Do To Help
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