Sandy victims might get indefinite reprieve on federal disaster clawback repayments

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2022 marks a decade since Superstorm Sandy made landfall on the east coast, plunging our New Jersey communities into a long, exhausting, and still incomplete recovery process. As part of a national coalition of storm survivors and organizations from New Jersey, Texas, Florida, Louisiana and Puerto Rico, we gathered on the tenth anniversary of Sandy to call for a disaster recovery system that actually works, powered by the solutions that survivors have long been calling for. We were graciously hosted by Carol and Jim Ferraioli, longtime NJOP members who were only able to finish rebuilding from Sandy and return home in February 2020.

This year also brings the 5-year anniversaries of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, the 1-year anniversary of Hurricane Ida, and two devastating new storms in Florida and Puerto Rico: Hurricanes Fiona and Ian. Although we come from different states, storms, and walks of life, storm survivors from across the country are struggling under the same broken system, and are now working together to call for national reform. 

Survivors know what’s broken, and we also know how to fix it. In addition to the tenth anniversary event, the coalition released a report calling for five key fixes. Read the report here: But Next Time: Storm Survivors Demand Overhaul of Disaster Recovery System.

Our press from the tenth anniversary event, as well as from NJOP members’ continued work to fight for a fair Sandy recovery, reached an audience of nearly 65,000,000. Check out the coverage we’ve been receiving down below. 

• “US storm survivors: We need money faster, less red tape” (Associated Press)
  • This story was picked up by sixty outlets across the country, including the Washington Post, ABC News, The Press of Atlantic City, and The Independent. 
• \”Sandy survivors say U.S. disaster recovery system is \’broken.\’ Here\’s how they\’d fix it\” (APP)
• “​​Storm survivors urge reforms to disaster-relief efforts” (NJ Spotlight)
• \”One of the lucky ones: Rebuilding a life after Sandy\” (Rising Together NJ)
• “Thousands of NJ families still not home 10 years after Superstorm Sandy” (News12)
• “For dozens of NJ families, returning home after Superstorm Sandy was a process years in the making” (News12)
• “A decade after Hurricane Sandy, fight to reform disaster relief continues” (New Jersey Monitor)
• “Thousands of Sandy victims in NJ are still paying for the superstorm 10 years later” (AccuWeather)
• \”NJ residents still fighting to get home, 10 years after Sandy\” (NJ 101.5)
• \”Ten years on, Sandy survivors slam storm recovery process\” (NJ Spotlight)
• \”Storm relief, climate progress still elusive decade after Hurricane Sandy, lawmakers told\”  (New Jersey Monitor)
• \”Some Superstorm Sandy Victims Say They\’re Being Told to Pay Back Grant Money\” (NBC10 News Philly)
• \”Superstorm Sandy survivor remembers storm 9 years later\” (Fox Weather)
• \”SANDY 10 YEARS LATER: The nightmare of Sandy fraud\” (WCBS News Radio)
• \”Sandy: 10 Years Later – Sandy\’s Impact on New Jersey\” (News12 NJ)
• \”Superstorm Sandy families reflect on the Jersey Shore one decade later\” (AccuWeather)
• \”10 years after Superstorm Sandy, N.J. lawmakers tout infrastructure investments to prevent future disasters\” (CBS NY)
• \”The long journey home: Some Sandy victims never fully recovered from the storm\” (NJ.com / Star Ledger)
• \”Some Still Rebuilding A Decade After Sandy\” (Jersey Shore Online)
• \”Superstorm Sandy\’s sustained emotional toll on survivors\” (NJ Spotlight)
• \”Sandy crushed the Jersey Shore. Here\’s how the rescue plan washed away the middle class\” (APP)
• \”Superstorm Sandy Town Hall\” (NJ 101.5)
• “10 years since Superstorm Sandy: Overhaul broken disaster recovery system” (The Hill, op-ed) 
• “How Hurricane Sandy transformed the Jersey Shore into \’a playground for the rich\’” (Business Insider)
• “10 Years After The Storm: Locals Talk About Hurricane Sandy.” (DHeminghaus.com)