Burners Without Borders’ Sandy Relief Efforts

Burners Without Borders volunteers have been closely watching the relief efforts on the East Coast following the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy. Our hearts go out to those who are suffering in the aftermath of the storm. With millions of people affected by Sandy and with so many people without flood insurance, the recovery effort will be challenging and lengthy.

BWB has deployed an assessment team to New Jersey, led by BWB Co-founder and Director of Operations for Katrina, Richard Scott. During the 8 months BWB was deployed on the Gulf Coast in the wake of Katrina, Richard’s incredible heavy machinery skills enabled BWB to gift over $1million worth of debris removal to the region. When Hurricane Ike struck three years later, Richard was there to remove destroyed houses, so that those affected could quickly recover and move forward with their lives.

This week, Richard will be meeting with our local contacts in New Jersey to tour affected areas that are not receiving relief assistance. BWB’s mission is to fill in the gaps of the major recovery effort, and we will be looking for the most effective way to accomplish this goal.

Richard is currently in contact with heavy machinery companies who have donated machines to BWB in the past. We are also looking into possibly creating a base of operations in New Jersey for a larger volunteer deployment.

We will be providing updates to this list as they become available.

You can also keep up with updates on the BWB Facebook Page.

How can you help?

1. BWB is currently seeking introductions to equipment rental companies that would like to support our efforts.
2. We are seeking a community center or public space in New Jersey to set up a base of operations for a potential volunteer deployment.
3. Do you have information about communities that are hard hit but receiving little help? We want to know about them.

E-mail sandyrelief@burnerswithoutborders.org with any information you have that can support the relief effort.

You can donate to the BWB relief effort by clicking clicking here.

About the author: Carmen Mauk

Carmen Mauk

Carmen Mauk is passionate about creating platforms that encourage radical community participation. She is the co-founder and former director of Burners Without Borders, a program of Burning Man Project that creates participatory models for international disaster relief and community initiatives. She is also the founder of Burning Man Information Radio, BRC's community radio station. Carmen holds a Masters degree in Transformative Leadership from the California Institute for Integral Studies where she became an enthusiastic student of the art of creating community collaborations that bring about positive change.

4 Comments on “Burners Without Borders’ Sandy Relief Efforts

  • Justin Hampton says:

    Speaking as a 12-year burner with strong family/sentimental ties to the Jersey Shore, this strikes me as all kinds of awesome. One thing to keep in mind: many people in the area who didn’t lose everything and who would otherwise be able to help are still without internet service or even power, so they couldn’t volunteer even if they wanted to at this point. A phone line would be good for those people.

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  • Chrissie Turner Wilson says:

    ..and don’t forget to VOTE

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  • nice blog, you make a good job.. thanks

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  • JEFF says:

    I’ve come to know and respect your organization thru a very good friend / Burner, who frankly did not shut up about BWB for the first few months of knowing him! It was inspiring and humbling, and especially so in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and the devastation that hit the Gulf Coast.

    Now that devastation has hit my hometown of Oceanside (Long Island), and going “home” is an experience that I never would have imagined. For a stretch of more than 5 miles, from East Rockaway thru Oceanside, Island Park, and Long Beach, nearly every single house sits with all of the residents’ belongings in a trash heap out front. Many people remain without power. In Long Beach, the streets are still covered in mounds of sand that came off the beach; there are port-a-potties on nearly every corner because the residents are not able to flush their toilets; and the water is not safe to drink. School buildings are destroyed. Hospitals are evacuated. Almost every small business is destroyed. There is almost nothing open to get a meal or even a cup of coffee.

    Help is needed. It is great that BWB is at the Jersey Shore, but if there are any resources at all to spread that relief effort to this hard hit area of Long Island, it is most needed.

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