The Lasting Effects of Superstorm Sandy

For over 38 years, The Women’s Center has been supporting families through personal crises such as domestic violence, sexual assault, and poverty and homelessness. We have provided shelter for thousands of families over that time, and have helped many people find safety from the impact of these events in their lives. 2012 and 2013 brought a new experience for the seasoned staff at The Women’s Center -- providing services to a community impacted by natural disaster. It doesn't seem apparent right away that there would be a link between Superstorm Sandy, which hit in October, 2012, and providing services for victims and survivors of power based personal violence. However, research shows that not only is there a link, but that the instances of occurrences of personal violence increases while funding decreases. To understand why, we have to first understand the dynamics of dysfunctional relationships. A relationship that has one partner that is highly controlling and struggles with communication, consensus building and shared decision making may be an unhealthy relationship, but an unsafe relationship is a whole other entity. An unsafe relationship includes instances of power of one partner over the other, dominance, control, and often violence through actions or words. Unfortunately, a community crisis like a natural disaster will add extra stress on the healthiest of relationships. Consequently, both unhealthy and unsafe relationships ricochet into overdrive when a storm like Sandy hits. The first 24-48 hours after the natural disaster can be extremely tension and danger filled for victims and their children. However, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, etc, all have a lasting impact. Available and affordable housing is often during lost natural disasters, so a victim who was creating a safety plan and attempting to leave an unsafe situation now has less options. There is also the added mental stress of dealing with the services, insurance companies and state and federal relief programs that are available after a Superstorm Sandy. These are often applied for and awarded as a family, and so the necessity of these services may keep some couples together that would otherwise not be. 18-24 months after the natural disaster, research tells us, we will see increases in requests for services. Relationships that were stretched thin and don’t have strong foundation or resiliency will not survive the disaster, and some will end through violence. All of these increases in need and demand for services will happen at the same time that federal and state funding will be diverted to recovery efforts after the storm. Private donor dollars will go to disaster relief funds, and organizations like The Women’s Center will see a decrease. Even as the community rebuilds, any organization that provides services to families in the community will need more funding but actually see less of it. As we approach the one year anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, boardwalks are being rebuilt, homes raised in flood prone areas, and tourists are returning to the beaches. But the lasting impact of the storm for the social service community and those of us who support victims of power based personal violence is only just beginning to become apparent. To truly be stronger than the storm, we will need many things -- safety, resiliency, communication, and support. All of these are things The Women’s Center has been providing for over 38 years.