Communities For Change Remembers Sandy & Calls for Action
By Katie Larkin
Tuesday October 29, 2012, Superstorm Sandy made its mark on the northeast as the storm of the century. Those who experienced Hurricane Irene a year earlier thought it would be nothing, but those expectations were soon met with the harsh reality of Sandy’s power. Exactly 12 years later to the day, New York Communities For Change, Climate Defenders and others held a rally to discuss the ongoing impacts of Sandy, advocate for change, and to remember the storm that rocked “The Rock.”
At 12:30 p.m. in front of the Allstate Insurance office at 112-30 Beach Channel Drive, members of the organizations gathered to share their stories of the destruction and chaos that ensued from Sandy’s onslaught. “Every year we want to pay respects to the people that lost their lives from Hurricane Sandy and others,” stated Desean Burrus, the senior organizer for Queens. “We also want to make sure that there is better infrastructure for the Rockaways as there are more storms coming that are going to be stronger.”
Burrus noted that during the aftermath, residents were struggling with insurance coverage as some companies raised their prices while others refused to cover damages left from the storm. It was an action, he said, that resulted in a large number of abandoned homes on the peninsula. Burrus also brought up the concern that big companies like Citibank and other large name insurance brands were allegedly jacking up the costs, making it difficult for people to afford homes, while continuing to contribute to the issue of climate change, giving Sandy even more power beyond what happened on October 29, 2012.
New York Communities For Change claims Citibank is “the top financier of new coal, oil and gas infrastructure. They’ve put about $400 billion into fossil fuels since the Paris Agreement.” They also claim that many large insurance companies, such as Allstate, Liberty Mutual and State Farm, continue to insure fossil fuel projects. With this, they are advocating for the passage of the “Insure Our Communities Act,” a bill introduced earlier this year by Senator Brad Hoylman.
Senator James Sanders Jr. joined the event, sharing the sentiments of the rally goers and discussed what he is doing to help move the needle on the issue. “We need to take this seriously,” Sanders Jr. said. “The earth does not have a plan b, so I am encouraging my friends at Citibank and their friends to do right as I am encouraging all of these banks. To further encourage you, we are going to push legislation. We are going to make sure that the state doesn’t put any money into banks that want to ruin the earth. I am not just a senator for this area, but I live in the Rockaways. This is very real to me.”
Ayesha Schmitt, another organizer for NY Communities For Change, also brought up the significance of Local Law 97 in regards to rebuilding Rockaway’s infrastructure. “Local Law 97 has been on the books since 2019. It is about upgrading our buildings to make them more energy efficient,” Schmitt explained. “Right now, there is some opposition from real estate and landlords, but the majority have complied. We are just making sure that we are continuing to enforce it.” The hope, according to Schmitt and others present, is that the enforcement of this law will cut down on increasing energy costs since Sandy and lead to the restoration of jobs in the community.
“It’s something that we’ve been lobbying for,” Gabrielle Hampton, who identified herself as an alternate delegate for the organization, said. “The infrastructure problems that we’ve had after Hurricane Sandy, the abandoned buildings, and things of that nature. Asking our politicians to hear us out. The more we rally, the more our voices are heard. We just have to make the push.”
The event finished off with a protest outside of the Citibank located at 113-01 Beach Channel Drive. Chants of “If we don’t get it, shut it down” and “Climate justice now” could be heard echoing through the street.
