Policy

Who Helped the Most After Superstorm Sandy?

From friends to feds.

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There's a lot of interesting stuff in the AP/NORC report on resilience in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. For example:

Sixty-three percent of those who turned to friends, family, or neighbors within a mile of their home say they helped quite a bit or a great deal. Even among those individuals in the neighborhoods most affected by Superstorm Sandy, friends, family, and neighbors are cited as providing quite a bit of help when asked. First responders also rated as helpful; 60 percent of respondents who turned to first responders for help report that they provided quite a bit or a great deal of assistance.

Other groups were deemed not as helpful by individuals affected by the storm. Just 31 percent of those who asked their utility company for help report that they actually received at least quite a bit of help during or after the storm. Both the state and federal governments rate poorly as well among those individuals in the affected region who asked them for help. Only 26 percent and 19 percent, respectively, report receiving a great deal or quite a bit of help from these sources. Employers and neighborhood business were also less helpful. Just 35 percent of individuals who asked for help report receiving at least quite a bit of assistance from employers, and 33 percent report the same from neighborhood businesses.

So, in descending order of helpfulness: friends and family, first responders, businesses, state governments, feds.

Update: Looks like my colleague Ed Krayewski beat me to this one.