By: Teresa Roca

Canned vegetables, bleach, jars of baby food, bottled water and hygiene products consume the inside of small, white tents. Outside, labeled duct tape separates garbage bags of pillows, used clothing, towels and blankets. Clusters of people stop by these tents, rummaging through the donated necessities, similar to the ones that once filled their homes.

The organization of these relief zones is a contrast from the surrounding area. Wood, shrubbery and unsalvageable belongings litter foundations where homes once stood; red tags reading “unsafe” and “fully destroyed” hang from front doors; people wearing masks walk in and out of homes, carrying bags of garbage and sheetrock.

Without the Hurricane Sandy relief zones organized by local groups and businesses, the residents of the New Dorp section of Staten Island would have nothing.

“If this place wasn’t here, if these people weren’t getting the help they needed, who knows what would have happened to them,” said Celia Iervasi, a main coordinator of Ariana’s Grand relief center. “We’re talking life and death. They would be dead.”

Ariana’s Grand, a local catering hall, is one of the many businesses damaged by Hurricane Sandy. With Ariana’s flooded basement, and electricity and heat returning just last weekend, owner Frank DiMattina knew what his new role would be in the devastated community.

“He could have just said ‘I’m done. My business is closed,’ lock the door and go about his business,” said Sean Cusick, another coordinator of the center. “But he is a community-minded guy. He is always looking to help out.”

Iervasi and Cusick have been accepting, distributing, and organizing items ever since DiMattina set up his tent in response to the hurricane. Receiving over 100 volunteers every weekend, Ariana’s has been a safe haven for New Dorp residents seeking hot meals served inside the hall and donated supplies in the tent outside.

“We are organizing demolition crews, manpower, to go out into the houses and actually demo the interior of the homes for the people that have been affected,” said Cusick. “This way, they don’t have to hire a contractor and spend the money.”

A couple of blocks down the road, another tent is set up. Hallowed Sons, a motorcycle group out of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, are the organizers.

“The Hallowed Sons had a family member here that lost their home,” said Donna Graziano, the main coordinator. “They came here to take furniture out of the house. Then we came with a barbeque and it just exploded from there.”

Like Ariana’s, Hallowed Sons offers food, accepts and distributes donations, and sends crews to clean out houses. On site 24 hours a day, Hallowed Sons receives volunteers from all over the country. They are currently accepting donations to keep their soup kitchen and food line running for those affected by Sandy.

In front of their tent a sign reads, “#OccupySandyRelief. #WeGotThis.”

This sign represents the unification of volunteers and residents in the community. These relief zones have sprung up in the ravished parts of Staten Island in response to the government’s lack of support. The Red Cross and FEMA didn’t come to Staten Island until November 2nd. In these four days after Hurricane Sandy, Staten Island residents were pleading for food, clothing, gasoline and help. As one of the hardest hit areas, Staten Islanders believe the Red Cross and FEMA didn’t come soon enough.

“You’re talking about 14 feet of water in someone’s home. Nothing is salvageable,” said Cusick. “Without this organization, they wouldn’t have gotten the help they needed because they weren’t getting help from the outside until recently when President Obama came. The government wasn’t doing anything for these people.”

Angelo Chiarello is one of the many residents in the New Dorp area whose home was damaged by the hurricane. After deciding to evacuate last minute with his family, he came home to what he describes as a “war zone.” Eleven feet of water flooded Chiarello’s basement, destroying thousands of dollars of toys, tools, collectibles and personal items. His family had no power for two weeks.

“If it wasn’t for the community helping us out, it would have been a lot worse,” said Chiarello. “The Red Cross came like five days later, Fema like a week later, so we really had no help except for each other. The tents were good to have there because people could get hot food and other stuff.”

When asked about the government’s response to the hurricane Chiarello replied, “Horrible. I got to go make a phone call to complain, I will be right back.”

The altruism of the community in wake of Hurricane Sandy hasn’t gone unnoticed. Volunteers and residents have become a family.

“Staten Island helped Staten Island. That’s what helped us. There was no one else,” said Chiarello. “People from the tents were driving around asking, ‘you want a case of water? You want food?’ Coming around with sandwiches and cleaning stuff, it helped big.”

After weeks of volunteering and aiding Hurricane Sandy victims, the relief areas aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

“They don’t want us to leave, honestly, they don’t want us to go,” said Graziano. “That is why I am still here. I will stay as long as they need me.”

As Iervasi told Cusick that they had to get back to work, he paused for a moment, and with a smile he said, “When I was reading the papers, the people that live here said that we are doing the work of God.”

Find out how community groups are rising to the occasion to help Hurricane Sandy victims.