Hurricane Sandy recently cause widespread damage and power outages across the East Coast of the United States. It also caused strangers to come together in support of each other.
Here are some heart-warming stories.
With the arrival of the hurricane, the New York City Marathon was cancelled. Suddenly 50,000 runners who had come to New York City from 125 countries had no race to run. So, many of them put their time and energy to good use.
They ran back and forth, carrying bags, backpacks, supplies and provisions to area residents. In some cases, they were even moving furniture.
As one of the runners pointed out, the reason they come to New York City for the marathon is the people and the energy that the crowds provide as they run. They felt that this was one way they could give back to the people who have supported them over the years.
In other areas of the city, those with power were doing everything they could to help those who had no hydro. Residents were running extension cords out their front windows to power bars on the sidewalk or front stairs. They posted signs offering free hydro for charging cell phones and other electronic devices.
Remember the Occupy Wall Street movement? Members have self-organized through social media to help bring food, medicine and other supplies to New York City. As well, hundreds of veterans have been removing debris and rehabilitating homes in the Rockaway neighbourhood in Queens, New York.
This week, 2 enormous cargo planes from Russia landed at JFK International airport carrying over 50 tons of supplies and aid including much needed items like blankets. According to reports, there are still over 20,000 people without power, two weeks after Sandy made landfall.
Perhaps the most compelling story, however, came from NYU Medical Centre. When the hurricane hit the coast, more than ten feet of water flooded seven of the Medical Centre buildings and they completely lost power. During the night, doctors, nurses and staff had to evacuate 300 patients to area hospitals, including 20 newborn babies in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Nurses carried these tiny prematurely-born infants plus their oxygen tanks down many flights of wet stairs in the dark. One father described trying to get in to see his 3-week old son who had just had heart surgery. He waited outside in the rain for two hours until a doctor finally let him in. They raced up fifteen flights in the dark to his son’s room. They found him and raced back down the stairs, driving to another hospital through the darkened streets. All the babies are apparently doing well.
These are just a few of many examples of people going the extra mile under challenging circumstances to help each other out.
We all have this capacity for compassion and generosity. What if we tapped into that strength every day? Imagine the impact on our families, our communities … our world!
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