United States: Occupy Sandy Stands Up to Destruction · Global Voices
Robert Valencia

It has been one month since Hurricane Sandy reeked havoc in the Northeast of the United States; however, relief efforts continue in the aftermath of this natural phenomenon. While federal aid and concerts like 12.12.12 organized by Bruce Springsteen seek help for hundreds of thousands of families, organizations such as Occupy Sandy got down to work from the moment that the amount of damage was assessed.
Organized by the group InterOccupy, Occupy Sandy was created as a part of the Occupy movement whose methodology was to organize general assemblies, attracting individuals and groups working to promote mutual communication. As stipulated in its mission, the movement seeks to respond to the needs of the 99 percent.
As with Occupy Street, Occupy Sandy also has made use of social networks to inspire activism. The movement has led to the creation of online centers called hubs where one can find, among others, Twitter accounts like @OccupyIsaac, to gather funds for the victims of the tornado that hit New Orleans, and @OccupySandyNJ, to coordinate relief efforts in New Jersey. Similarly, the hashtag #occupysandy has become a trending topic, demonstrating user impact.
Communities of color affected by Sandy and the challenges organizations like Occupy Sandy face can be found in the middle of the 99 percent, as a note from Truthout.org indicates:
For decades, the red-lining of black and brown neighborhoods by real estate agencies, banks and insurance companies has starved these communities of investment and served to geographically marginalize poor people. This history of economic and social marginalization helped ensure that these communities are also the ones hardest hit by disasters such as Hurricane Sandy. The challenge now facing Occupy Sandy and similar grassroots recovery efforts is to build community power around these structural inequalities through an environmental justice framework, while confronting environmental racism head on.
On Twitter, users discuss the role of Occupy Sandy. User thelaughingman (@EcBillofRights) addresses the issue:
@EcBillofRights: @Hakem_Burhan Therefore, it took #OccupySandy to pick up where the authorities in NYC failed to respond.
Daniel Solomon (@danatgu) celebrates the recognition of Occupy Sandy by the New York City police department:
@danatgu: This is pretty remarkable: NYPD credits #OccupySandy‘s mutual aid program with post-Sandy crime dip: http://bit.ly/RD0Ul0.
Similarly, Carrie M (@CarrieM213) applauds the efforts of Occupy Sandy:
@CarrieM213: It's okay. Luckily #OccupySandy does not exist to get accolades from corporations and celebrities. We know that we are helping people!
Not just Twitter users find the efforts of Occupy Wall Street commendable. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg visited one of the areas devastated by Hurricane Sandy and congratulated the movement's efforts, as demonstrated in the following video:
*Thumbnail photo taken from video.