ICNA Relief USA Launches Million Dollar “Muslim Response to Hurricane Sandy Survivors (MRTS)” Campaign
 
More than 8 million people have been affected by Hurricane Sandy and approximately 300,000 of them are Muslims. Approximately, 150,000 Muslims, who live in the areas affected, have moderate to severe damage. There are 26 Masjids and 5 Muslim schools that have been identified with mild to severe damage.

ICNA Relief USA (Islamic Circle of North America) has set up “Muslim Response to Hurricane Sandy Survivors”. This plan would cost more than a million dollars and ICNA Relief has established the “MRTS FUND” for this purpose. Speaking to volunteers on this occasion, Executive Director Maqsood Ahmad said that our donor community is very caring and generous and will support ICNA Relief in its efforts to help fellow citizens, Muslims and Non-Muslims alike, in this testing time.
Three broad areas of service have been identified in this regard:

  • Immediate Needs
  • Food and Clothing
  • Cleanup and Repair
    Individual crew teams each consisting of case managers, fully trained to handle necessary paperwork, plan and execute repair /cleanup work, at least one skilled volunteer per team, who can handle power tools, and at least three able bodied volunteers to assist.
    Rented/owned vehicle to transport volunteers and equipment. Equipment would include generator, pressure washer, chain saw, and safety equipment such as helmets, goggles, gloves, etc.
    Necessary Insurance coverage for the vehicle, volunteers and other liabilities.
    Case Management
    In Federally declared disasters, several types of funding are available for house repair, business loss, job placement, educational support, emotional and spiritual care, etc. However, the paperwork in such cases is very intensive and time consuming. Over all the red tape and complications make it very difficult for the average person to navigate.
    Summary of Proposed Supplies and Services
    Immediate Needs (Food and Clothing)
    • $400,000
    • 10,000 Meals @ $5/meal = $50,000
    • 5,000 Food Baskets @ 25/basket = $125,000
    • 500 Gas and Gift card@$50/card= $25,000
    • 10,000 Blanket/comforters @ $20/blanket = $200,000
    Cleanup and Repair
    • $320,000
    • 400 houses @ $800/house = $320,000
    Case Management
    • $300,000
    • 400 cases @$ 7,50/case = $300,000
    ICNA Relief USA Hurricane Sandy Disaster Response to Date
    ICNA Relief USA began Mass Feeding on 10/1/12 and we have continued to serve Zabiha-halal, cooked meals in the hard hit areas of Rockaway, Coney Island, Brighten Beach, the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Brooklyn and Somerset, NJ serving more than 3,000 meals.
    National Disaster Response Team planted “boots on the ground” yesterday 11/2/12 less than 72-hours post-landfall. Chain saw operations, debris removal, and roof-tarping and 5 jobs were completed on day one. This includes clean-up of flooded Masjid, tree removal from the entrance, major pharmacy, and reparation of three houses.
    We are looking for the following positions/skills:
    * Manual labor for mucking-out, gutting-out, and debris-removal: may require some heavy lifting, working with hand tools, getting dirty
    * Experienced chain saw operators
    * Intake workers/case workers/case managers: will interview survivors, document information, refer them to local resources/assistance providers, and enter information into database
    * Office operations support: including all general office duties supporting Disaster Response and Case Management
    If you would like to join in this great effort, please either volunteer or donate. Both can be done online at icnarelief.org.
    Out-of-area volunteers will be called only if there are not enough local volunteers. This normally takes several weeks, post-disaster. Volunteers will be contacted according to proximity of disaster or as requested according to skill sets.
    If you are not able to deploy but still would like to help out, raise funds in your local “community”. Whether it be in your masjid and Islamic school, or approaching your company’s community-service department, or your business-peers. Consider forming groups to support raising money, to support providing relief to survivors of Hurricane Sandy in NY and NJ.
    About ICNA Relief
    ICNA Relief USA is a major Islamic-faith based agency, actively participating in Disaster Response through Disaster Recovery, in the United States. ICNA Relief is members of NVOAD (National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster) as well as several state VOADs. It is considered subject matter expert in the field of Disaster Case Management.
    ICNA Relief has working relationships with FEMA, the US Department of Health and Human Services, the American Red Cross, Catholic Charities (CCUSA), Lutheran Social Services Disaster Response, United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), NECHAMA – the Jewish community’s disaster response agency, and various other faith-based organizations, to attend to the needs of disaster victims and survivors. ICNA Relief provides services in all phases of disaster, including planning, response, recovery, and mitigation, for Muslim and non-Muslim communities.
    ICNA Relief has provided recognized Services during the following disasters.
    • September 11 (2001)
    • Hurricane Katrina (2005)
    • Hurricane Rita (2005)
    • California Wildfires (2007)
    • Hurricane Gustav (2008)
    • Hurricane Ike (2008)
    • Floods, Tennessee Floods (2010)
    • Floods, South Dakota & Minnesota (2010)
    • Tornadoes, North Carolina (2011)
    • Tornadoes, Birmingham, Tuscaloosa , AL (2011)
    • Tornadoes, Joplin Missouri (2011)
    • Hurricane Irene NJ, NY (2011)
    • Tornadoes, Dallas Texas (2012)
    • Hurricane Isaac (2012)

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    Islamic Circle of North America
    166-26 89th Ave
    Jamaica, Queens
    NY 11432

    Telephone/Fax: (855) 855-ICNA (4262)