Blogging to support Superstorm Sandy recovery efforts

Posted by Seth Miller on November 5, 2012 under frequent flyer, News, points | 74 Comments to Read

I have to admit that I feel a bit guilty about how easily I made it through the ordeal which was Sandy last week. A big part of it is that I got lucky – just a few more feet of storm surge and my apartment would likely have been flooded and I’d be ripping out sheetrock and destroyed possessions right now. But I got lucky. The flood waters stopped at 10th Avenue, just a couple hundred yards from my front door. And even suffering four days of no power, we got power back last week; many more in the region still have no power. I had easy access to mid-town Manhattan and further north, where power, heat, food and friends were easy to come by. Thousands upon thousands did not have that and do not have that still today, a week later.


Hardly the worst of it, by far.

Things are slowly getting better around here. Power is coming back, the transit system is getting back online and where things are still broken the support from the community is incredible. In the travel world the response from JetBlue is nothing short of tremendous. They’ve been at the front of the industry in allowing for changes to travel plans for customers affected by Sandy and they’ve also been on the ground in New York City, supporting the NYC Food Truck association’s efforts to distribute 25,000 hot meals to city residents affected by the storm.

And now a group of us here on Boarding Area are stepping up to crowd-source some additional support. As a group we’ll be donating $1 toward the Hurricane Sandy relief efforts for each comment on our Hurricane Sandy posts (like this one), up to a combined $1,800 total between the participating blogs.

We’re encouraging everyone to donate points, time or dollars. Or just take a few seconds to comment on this post. EVERY little bit counts. Many of us in the miles and points community are fortunate enough to have the time and resources to travel (I escaped to Hawaii for the day over the weekend), so let’s help those who are still struggling to get life back to some semblance of normal.

From a previous post I made, here are the hotel and airline programs I’m aware of offering points or matching donations made by members:

Please consider donating through one of these programs (or another, if you are so motivated) if you can.

Leave a comment on this post stating how you like to help others in need, and it will raise $1 toward the hurricane relief efforts (one comment per person, please).  Then head to the similar posts at View From the Wing, Deals We Like, Mommy Points, GhettoIFE and Very Good Points.  The deadline to get your comment counted is 11:59PM Eastern on Thursday November 8th (so we can get the donations out by the end of the week).  Thanks so much for taking the time to participate!

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  1. TylerDurden said,

    Well done, Seth. A great gesture

  2. Barry said,

    Well done

  3. steff said,

    I usually donate straight to the red cross since they have an infrastructure available to get things where they need to be.

  4. Jay said,

    Goodonya!

  5. canucklehead said,

    Great job in helping raise funds to support relief efforts! I was away from NYC when the storm came ashore and I must admit, the first pics I saw of Sandy’s wrath were the ones you posted on your blog.

  6. Jes said,

    This is a great and generous initiative amongst the bloggers. Well done!

  7. FriendlySkies said,

    Nice gesture, though maybe some of the bloggers involved would also consider donating some of their CC referrals…

  8. Raising Money for Hurricane Sandy Victims, One Comment at a Time - Mommy Points said,

    [...] The Wandering Aramean [...]

  9. Gabe said,

    Thanks Seth!

  10. boon said,

    Nice thought FriendlySkies. Good on you Seth.

  11. LeeAnn said,

    I donate to We Care, the internal help fund for United employees.

  12. Mark The Shark said,

    I’ve donated to the Red Cross. Kudos to you Seth!

  13. Cook said,

    Heck yes!! I’ve made my own modest contributions, but if leaving this note will help to enable even more, I’m good glad to do it. Grand Idea!!
    It is now a full week since the storm stuck. FEMA is on-scene and looking very busy, for the most part taking applications… If anyone knows or can find out, a full week later, has anyone has a sip of FEMA-provided water, eaten a FMA meal or slept a (warm) night in FEMA-provided shelter? The Red Cross and others have been doing their thing – on the ground, but I’m not reading any reports of FEMA doing much beyond surveys, assessments and “Accepting Applications.” I hope someone can point me toward some direct action by FEMA. I cannot help but recall W’s comment in the aftermath of Katrina, “You’re doing a fine job, Brownie, and essentially fired him a few days later. I’d like to think that Mr. Obama’s team is doing a bit better, but I’ve yet to see reports of the on-ground services – like real, hot food passing the lips of those who have had cold canned beans or date-questionable cold cuts for a week. At this point, even a coach-class airline meal might be welcomed by many. There are countless catering kitchens in NYC. If they have power, are they helping with local food needs? I wonder.

  14. V said,

    Great deal! donated $400 already but would consider some more…

  15. Jeff said,

    Comment.

  16. James W said,

    It is very nice of the boarding area bloggers to come together in this time of need.

  17. progapanda said,

    As an alternative to the Red Cross, you may consider (as I have) to the NYC Mayor’s Fund (text NYCFUND to 50555) to ensure every $ of your donation goes to caring for displaced New Yorkers – no administrative overhead.

  18. Philatravelgirl said,

    Great idea- my company has always 2x matched our donations so I gave to the Red Cross. Through twitter found a few locals in PA collecting items to bring to NY and hooked them up w/those offline wanting to donate goods, clothes, etc.

  19. Jon P said,

    This is great!!

  20. Oliver said,

    Thanks for this initiative.

  21. Michael R. said,

    Happy to add my comment and support

  22. I Need Your Help: You Decide How Much I Donate to Storm Relief - View from the Wing said,

    [...] Points Deals We Like Very Good Points Wandering Aramean Ghetto IFE … and this [...]

  23. After Sandy – Ways to help and get points… and a way to get me to help! - Ghetto IFE said,

    [...] Wandering Aramean [...]

  24. idgflygirl said,

    Great post & good info.!

  25. Ann said,

    I like to donate through my workplace.

  26. dealswelike said,

    I went to Costco and donated a bunch of essential items needed for the relief efforts. Also helping by getting another dollar raised right now :)

  27. ali said,

    i donated food and clothes to a local church in my neighborhood. the people in need were so grateful and received help almost immediately.

  28. Elena Garcia said,

    Thanks for your support! great idea :)

  29. Brendan said,

    Donating points like many readers of these blogs

  30. Dave said,

    From a Hoboken NJ resident who thankfully sustained just a little damage and just got power back Saturday, thanks for what you’re doing to support my neighbors and everyone else affected by the storm.

  31. Jimmy @TravelByPoints said,

    Donating to Red Cross as always.

  32. Help Me Decide How To Donate To Hurricane Sandy Relief Efforts - Very Good Points said,

    [...] head to the similar posts at View From the Wing, Deals We Like, and Mommy Points, Ghetto IFE and Wandering Aramean and comment on their posts as well.  The deadline to get your comment counted is 11:59PM Eastern [...]

  33. Jerry said,

    good work

  34. Will said,

    Comment.

  35. Joanna said,

    I gave to the Red Cross and through the HHonors program.

  36. Alexis L said,

    I donate to the Red Cross.

  37. Bird said,

    Thanks to the link in your previous post about air and hotel programs that are contributing to the relief efforts, I got 500 AA miles with a donation to the Red Cross! Separately, I sent money to the Humane Society for their efforts to rescue pets that their human companions had to leave behind when they (the people) were evacuated.

  38. CG said,

    :-:

  39. Chris said,

    You guys are great!

  40. Rick said,

    Never knew you lived in lower Manhattan too (like me). I’m gonna start reading your blog every day. Keep up the good work!

  41. Lea said,

    I donated to the Red Cross. Glad to see you were minimally impacted.

  42. Kevincm said,

    Glad to see you’re safe. Just me helping out.

  43. One Day Left to Give My Money to Charity - View from the Wing said,

    [...] Points Deals We Like Very Good Points Wandering Aramean Ghetto IFE … and this [...]

  44. Mike said,

    Great plan!

  45. Chase said,

    My friends were affected by the storm. Thank you for doing this. I donated to the Red Cross.

  46. Frequent Flyer Collector said,

    Great thing for the Boarding Area bloggers to do!

  47. John said,

    American Red Cross

  48. boxo said,

    I’ve not been impacted by Sandy, but will spread the word about you bloggers with hearts of gold.

  49. the #hustle blog said,

    Great job, all!

  50. Lee said,

    Good job

  51. Merrily said,

    I donate to a homeless women’s shelter.

  52. chelle said,

    donated to red cross via text. so sad for all my friends and colleagues up there…

  53. Amy C said,

    thank you!

  54. Halo said,

    Comment 2.1

  55. A Few Hours Left to Raise Money for Hurricane Sandy Victims and Enter to Win $100 Amex! - Mommy Points said,

    [...] The Wandering Aramean [...]

  56. riverchica said,

    This is great! Thanks for donating!

  57. Tyler said,

    Right on! Great idea!

  58. George said,

    Thanks for your generosity

  59. Bill N said,

    Good job

  60. Perryplatypus said,

    Great cause

  61. Paladin said,

    Great job. We’re pulling together supplies that we can donate, just need to find a way to get them up from DC.

  62. British Airways release Business/First sale fares ex-UK… and a Silly Fare to Seoul…. - Ghetto IFE said,

    [...] Wandering Aramean [...]

  63. Taryn H said,

    Great idea!

  64. Jackie said,

    I just returned from a trip. Will be making a monetary donation soon. Possibly in conjunction with one of the offers you listed. Thanks!

  65. Mattolo said,

    Donate for me!

  66. glen said,

    I donated to the Red Cross.

  67. Joe said,

    Great idea by all of you, keep up the good work!

  68. Jordan said,

    Great initiative. I’ve been affected by several hurricanes that have struck the mid Atlantic, you and everyone else up there have our sympathies.

  69. Abhishek Duggal said,

    By doing whatever is in my capacity!

  70. Theresa said,

    Thanks for doing this. I donate to the Red Cross monthly, was told this helps with their budgeting.

  71. Marlene said,

    thanks!

  72. Mizliz said,

    Red Cross Disaster Relief

  73. JoshL said,

    Never knew a simple comment could help out like this :)

  74. Oliver said,

    73+153+82+101+63+79 — what does that say about the size of the blogs’ audience… or perhaps it’s just an indication that many can’t be bothered to add a comment or six?

    Compare to Mommy Points’ Alamo swag giveaway, which drew 415 comments. http://boardingarea.com/blogs/mommypoints/2012/11/04/giveaway-alamo-car-rental-deal-and-prize-pack-with-100-amex-gift-card/

    Anyway, thanks for running this support effort, Seth. I sent some money to CARE

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