Volunteering at Hurricane Shelter

My roommate and I had the opportunity to volunteer at a shelter that had be set up for families evacuated from Hurricane Sandy. We were the only students in the group that came to volunteer that day. The rest of the 15 or so volunteers were certified Child Life Specialists, Art Therapists, and a Dance/Movement Therapist. One of our professors at Bank Street had been contacted by someone at the shelter to come provide activities for the children. Everyone came with supplies and a ready attitude.

The shelter was set up at Queens College. In the large gym, people from an elderly care facility were set up on cots. There was an area set up for animals, however I could only hear barking coming from somewhere. The families we were there to see where set up in the cafeteria.  In one space, there was a food area, cots, personal belongings, donated items, and a tv area. There was so much stuff crammed into one area, it was amazing.

Once briefed, we broke into groups with our items in hand. I was outside in the courtyard with chalk helping the kids draw pictures or create a hop scotch game. There was a group of school age/middle school kids that became really engaged in playing hop scotch. A few minutes later I noticed one school aged boy really engaged with drawing lines on the pattern of the concrete. I went over to him and asked what he was doing. He said he was drawing a road so the other kids could bring their cars out and play on the roads he created. I asked if I could help him and he agreed to the help. The rest of the afternoon I spent helping him draw the roads, from one end of the courtyard to the other. When we had gotten a good portion drawn, he began to draw buildings. Later he brought out some cars to see how it all looked. In an atmosphere of chaos and kids stealing things from each other because they had nothing, this act by the boy was so generous and thoughtful.

Throughout our time there, we heard about different survival stories. I also talked to some parents who were so consumed by getting what they needed for their kids (socks, underwear, clothes) that they couldn't even fathom the psychosocial needs of their child. After that Sunday, the coordination of volunteers became so crazy, it was unfortunately not worth the time to continue to volunteer. The trip alone out to Queens from the Upper West Side also was a trek due to limited public transportation. But it was an eye opening experience and I am thankful to have had the experience.

The intersection of the "roads" the young boy drew with chalk.

The team.

Hurricane Sandy

It seems like so long ago the hurricane came through. Below are some pictures of what I experienced during the storm. Where I live in the Upper West Side, we did not loose power and buildings remained in tact. As most people saw on the news, there were many places hit hard that are still recovering.

The National Guard with crate of water. Loading up outside the Armory on Lexington.

More supply prep by the National Guard. Where they were delivering it to is probably another story.

For about a week we had free fare on the subway.

Subway ads for the NYC Marathon (that didn't happen).

Central Park was closed for at least a week because so many trees were down.

In preparation for the storm, Julie and Abby filled freezer bags with water and placed in the freezer. They also filled the bathtub with water, all in case we lost water.

Abby, Julie, and Kristen doing homework in our apartment. Abby (top) came to stay with us the week because her apartment is all windows and she lives on the 21st floor. Kristen (lower right) had just moved to her Upper West Side apartment and didn't have internet yet. Another classmate who lost power and water would come to our place to shower.

Some of the scene in Morningside Park. Lots of large trees had fallen.

When Central Park finally opened, bands were stationed throughout the park playing music.