Roughly two months ago, Hurricane Ida wreaked havoc in Queens and New York City at large, flooding basements that in some instances left people dead.
Ragendra Shiuprasad, a resident on 183rd street in Hollis, had his basement destroyed due to the record rainfall. He estimates it will cost $50,000 to repair
The Showing Hearts Foundation, working in tandem several local groups and organizations and the 103rd Precinct, hosted a day of action in Hollis for residents still trying to recover from the storm.
“A lot of the residents here still need need PPE, food, and coats,” said the group’s founder, David Tanis. “We came together with the partnership of Resorts World Casino, which provided us with some resources to purchase heaters and cleaning supplies to make sure the residents here are supported.”
Jocelynn Ricard, senior manager of the Community of Faith Initiative, provided information on contractor needs and the group’s thrift store, which has inexpensive furniture items.
“We are also here to give out a limited amount of grants to the residents who have the most needs from the storm,” said Ricard.
Ricard’s group also partnered with Mattress Firm a couple of weeks ago to give away mattresses.
“Once it got televised, there were a number of people coming who didn’t necessarily have the same needs as others” Ricard said. “So this time we’re being more cautious at first, better identifying the needs and then distributing the grants.”