FEMA workers being fed by Occupy volunteers

Large swathes of New York and New Jersey have been all but abandoned by federal relief agencies following the natural disaster that was Hurricane Sandy.

As the hurricane was hitting the eastern seaboard, Occupy veterans began mobilising and set up an umbrella network ‘Occupy Sandy’. While the govt agencies approved measures such as turning off power (mainly in poorer areas) it was presumed that FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) and the Red Cross would act to alleviate any problems ensuing. However, as Occupy took control from block to block in the wake of the storm it soon became clear that federal agencies were abandoning hundreds of thousands.

Even now weeks after the storm there are thousands homeless, without power, water and food. The photograph above of FEMA workers being fed by Occupy volunteers illustrates the breakdown of aid systems. Stories from volunteers include the tales of police initially hampering aid distribution and threatening arrests on volunteers to the situations now where storm-wrecked cars are being ticketed for illegal parking. Tent cities have been setup although FEMA did sell almost 1000 temporary shelters in the months prior to the storm leaving a deficit in resources.

For more information or to find out how you can help visit http://interoccupy.net/occupysandy/ and listen to ordinary New Yorkers’ Sandy stories here http://vojo.co/storyline

Some excellent links here