Catskills Still Reeling from Irene, But Not Forgotten

While  most of the world has moved on to more recent happenings, the residents of the Catskills region are still reeling from the effects of both Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, weeks after the initial hit. But not all have forgotten. All Hands Volunteers, a US-based 501(c) 3 non-profit that provides hands-on assistance to survivors of natural disasters world-wide, has organized a project to inject volunteers towards residents still affected by Irene and Lee. The first hurricane relief effort of 2011, dubbed Project Catskills, commenced on Saturday, September 17 with a call for volunteers and donations. Volunteers are now helping to clear out and clean up damaged residencies and buildings and clearing debris. Project Catskills still needs more hands, whether it be through volunteers or monetary donations. Visit their Flickr for photos of the clean-up effort and their Twitter for project updates.

Hurricane Irene hit the Northeast on August 28, by then a tropical storm, and caused significant damage throughout the east coast ranging from extensive flooding to wide-spread power outages. It was also responsible for 44 deaths. Tropical Storm Lee came almost two weeks later and further aggravated the situation, causing widespread flooding and damage throughout both the region and the East coast. An All Hands assessment team has been on the ground since September 3, and has since determined that the region is in dire need of aid. All Hands Volunteers is in the midst of several other relief efforts, including Project Tohoku in Japan for tsunami relief, Project Minot for flood response in the United States and Project Leogane for earthquake response in Haiti. For more information or to help the cause, visit their website.