Superstorm Sandy

Superstorm Sandy made landfall on October 29, 2012 and impacted the lives of millions and caused damage and caused unprecedented devastation in hundreds of communities across much of the Middle Atlantic region of the United States. Its hurricane-force winds extended approximately 100 miles inland. In some areas, entire communities were destroyed, and survivors had to relocate completely, leaving their homes, jobs, and other community resources including child care providers and schools.

Through the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, ACF received $577 million to assist individuals and communities in storm-affected communities through these grant programs:

The Disaster Relief Act requires federal agencies supporting Superstorm Sandy recovery and other disaster-related activities to implement additional internal controls and oversight activities.  Identifying improper payments and taking corrective action helps to maintain the integrity of government programs, by preventing waste, fraud and abuse of recovery funds. Funds provided by the Disaster Relief Act are subject to increased oversight and accountability, including the identification and reduction of improper and erroneous payments as required by the Improper Payments Information Act of 2002 (Pub. L. No. 107-300), as amended by the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act of 2010 (IPERA).

The Office of Early Childhood Development oversees supplemental funding to ACF programs for disaster relief efforts related to Superstorm Sandy. They are responsible for ensuring that these grants are used for their intended purposes.

Head Start

The Office of Head Start (OHS) received $95 million to assist Head Start (HS) and Early Head Start (EHS) grantees with program response, recovery, and other activities related to the impact of Superstorm Sandy.

More than 100 Head Start and Early Head Start centers experienced physical damage from Superstorm Sandy, ranging from minor cleanup to complete destruction of facilities. Services to children and families were disrupted in many programs. Most programs have fully resumed services to children. However, some programs with severely damaged or destroyed centers have substituted home-based services or temporarily moved services to alternate locations. Immediately after the storm, grantees made initial applications for funds to address urgent safety and mental health issues. Some grantees are rebuilding their centers and undergoing planning activities for major renovation and construction projects. In addition, we provide technical assistance to grantees in their efforts to meet OHS, FEMA, state and local building codes, and applicable child care licensing standards.

OHS issued information memoranda and program instruction, and hosted a webinar, Hurricane Sandy: A Year After, to provide grantees with information and resources to support their work with children, families, and staff affected by Superstorm Sandy.

Social Services Block Grant Program

The Office of Community Services (OCS) received nearly $475 million in funding for the SSBG program to help five states (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Maryland) provide a wide range of social services directly related to the disaster. Each state determines the types of services that will be provided and who is eligible to receive these services. These services include:

  • child care,
  • child welfare services,
  • special services for persons with disabilities,
  • case management services,
  • mental health services, and
  • other social services for disaster-affected populations.

In addition, states may use funds to renovate, repair, or rebuild health care, child care, and other social services facilities affected by the storm. Learn more about Superstorm Sandy supplemental funding.

State SSBG Supplemental Funding
New York $235,434,600
New Jersey $226,794,105
Connecticut $10,569,192
Maryland $1,185,675
Rhode Island $516,428
TOTAL: $474,500,000

Family Violence Prevention and Services Program

ACF’s Family Youth Services Bureau received $2 million for the Family Violence Prevention and Services program. Victims of domestic violence and their children are particularly vulnerable in the wake of natural disasters. Victims may delay reporting domestic violence incidents as they try first to overcome the challenges of displacement, relocation, rebuilding, sharing living space, losing jobs, and losing important papers and possessions.

Funds will provide financial alternative housing assistance for victims who were displaced along with advocacy, counseling and support services. A new public awareness campaign encourages domestic violence victims in New York and New Jersey affected by the storm to reach out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline for information, services and referrals to local resources.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline, New York State Coalition against Domestic Violence and the New Jersey Coalition for Battered Women, are developing training curricula on domestic violence prevention and services . This training will inform state, regional, and local disaster response and preparedness officials and local domestic violence programs on the connection between natural disasters and domestic violence.

FYSB provided resources to grantees in affected areas. Public awareness materials have been developed to increase the number of domestic violence victims in NY and NJ who may be affected by Superstorm Sandy to reach out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline for information, services and referrals to local resources. Marylouise Kelley, FVPSA Program Director stresses the importance of this initiative to inform future disaster response efforts, “Victims of domestic violence and their children are particularly vulnerable in the wake of natural disasters. The Disaster Relief Act Superstorm Sandy funding supports domestic violence survivors’ recovery through safe and stable housing and ongoing advocacy, while building critical partnerships among first responders and domestic violence programs across the States of New York and New Jersey.”

Grantee

Amount
New York State Office of Children and Family Services
($100,000 of NYSOCFS’ allocation was awarded to the New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence)		 $775,000
New Jersey Department of Children and Families, Division of Prevention and Community Partnerships $775,000
National Domestic Violence Hotline $275,000
New Jersey Coalition for Battered Women $175,000
TOTAL: $2,000,000

Additional Resources

For more information on the Superstorm Sandy programs and activities, please contact:

Linda G. Greenberg, PhD
Superstorm Sandy Coordinator
Immediate Office of the Assistant Secretary
linda.greenberg@acf.hhs.gov
202-690-7733

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