Sandy Victims: Friends, Family Helped More Than Government

Hurricane Sandy victims are not pleased with the support they received from the government post-storm, according to a poll released by the Huffington Post.

The nationwide survey of 2,025 individuals, including 1,007 residents of 16 hard-hit counties in New York and New Jersey, assessed the recovery and resilience of affected communities about six months after the storm hit, killing dozens of people and causing tens of billions of dollars in damage.

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Many said that friends and family were more helpful than the government and insurance companies post-Sandy.

“So very true,” Michelle DeVito Kuhnle said on Wantagh-Seaford Patch’s Facebook page. “We received no help from FEMA and our so called "flood insurance" barely covered our lost/damaged items. I am required, by my mortgage company, to have flood insurance or I wouldn't bother.”

From the Huffington Post:

About 3 in 10 in the affected areas said they reached out to friends, family or neighbors for help. Sixty-three percent of those in the affected areas who turned to friends, family or neighbors within a mile of their homes, and 60 percent who sought help from first responders, said they helped quite a bit or a great deal. 

On the contrary, far less reportedly reached out to the government for help. Sixteen percent said they contacted the federal government and 7 percent said they contacted their state government after Sandy. Many were critical of FEMA as well.

"Government, are you kidding me?" Debbie Ramey-Kaible said on Long Beach Patch's Facebook page. "If it weren't for the generosity of friends and family, we wouldn't have gotten through it the way we did. We are all still feeling this hurricane, whether financially or emotionally. It didn't end because the storm is gone. Family and friends are the heroes, not the government."

On Bellmore Patch's Facebook page, Marion questionned whether the government really should be blamed for not providing enough support.

"Here is the thing," she said. "No government can do everything. There were just way too many people impacted by Sandy. The government would have needed several tens of thousands more employees to help. It's just a bad circumstance for everyone."

Who did you depend on after Sandy? Was the government there for you or did you lean more on family and friends? Tell us in the comments section below.