Calvin, from Uptown New Orleans, encourages Sandy victims. (Source: Andy Kopsa)
(RNN) - After Superstorm Sandy devastated the East Coast and brought the largest city in the United States to its knees, the main focus has been recovery.
Many wonder what's next for those who lost their homes and loved ones; how are they coping - mentally and physically - with what they are going through and what is it going to take for life to be normal again?
To clearly understand what they are going through, someone would have to gone through something like this before. And who better understands what New York City is going through than those who lived through the nightmare of Katrina seven years ago.
That's why Andy Kopsa created the project NOLA to New York.
Kopsa is a freelance journalist from New York who became stranded in New Orleans in wake of Sandy.
While worried about family and friends, Kopsa figured current or former residents of New Orleans could encourage Sandy victims better than any other.
Kopsa wants current and former residents of New Orleans who lived through the nightmare of Katrina to participate in NOLA to New York by writing on a piece of paper what they would say to the people of New York, and uploading a photo of them holding it to the website.
Photos and words of encouragement have been pouring in.
"Be resilient. Ya'll will make it through this because ya'll been through hell before," wrote John, whose home never lost power during Katrina, but neighbors a block away did.
"It's not about the material things. It's about each other," wrote a man named Calvin, who lived in Uptown New Orleans before Katrina.
Kopsa also asked those who want to post on Twitter to use #NOLAtoNYC.
Copyright 2012 Raycom News Network. All rights reserved.
An internal review says federal weather forecasts for Superstorm Sandy were exceptionally accurate last fall. But the warnings themselves were confusing.
Federal weather forecasts for Superstorm Sandy were exceptionally accurate last fall, but the warnings themselves were confusing, an internal review found.
Workers are set to begin demolishing perhaps the most famous symbol of Superstorm Sandy's devastation along New Jersey's shoreline.
Riding the Jet Star roller coaster as a girl vacationing at the Jersey shore, Nicole Jones said there was always that one breath-catching moment when the passenger cars swerved toward the ocean, as if threatening to dump...
Tuesday, April 30 2013 10:45 AM EDT2013-04-30 14:45:27 GMT
Six months since the Superstorm Sandy hit Connecticut's shores and tore down a number of homes in Milford this past November, the cleanup efforts continued Monday. Crooked porches, hanging roofs and busted
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Friday, April 26 2013 7:03 AM EDT2013-04-26 11:03:49 GMT
(RNN) - Most natural disasters come as a surprise to all homeowners, but not being covered can be surprising and costly when you aren't sufficiently insured. One major insurance company is aiding homeowners
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Monday, April 15 2013 9:06 PM EDT2013-04-16 01:06:27 GMT
A new audit released Monday by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor says the state could be on the hook for hundreds of millions in disaster relief payback. The money was supposed to help property owners
A new audit released Monday by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor says the state could be on the hook for hundreds of millions in disaster relief payback. The money was supposed to help property owners recover from Hurricanes Rita and Katrina.
Monday, April 8 2013 7:09 PM EDT2013-04-08 23:09:50 GMT
MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) – Hurricane Season officially starts June 1st, but emergency management and disaster relief organizations are already hard at work getting ready for the season, saying the risk
Hurricane Season officially starts June 1st, but emergency management and disaster relief organizations are already hard at work getting ready for the season, saying the risk of a big storm is always there.
(RNN) - As Hurricane Sandy continues its roll towards the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, people in some of the nation's most populated cities have either evacuated hunkered down to ride out what has become
Sandy, no longer a hurricane, has made landfall along the southern coast of New Jersey.
Sunday, October 28 2012 7:34 PM EDT2012-10-28 23:34:19 GMT
You may have the luxury of seeing a hurricane coming, but that doesn't mean you can wait until it arrives to prepare. Days before a hurricane arrives you should plan for the major weather event to keep
Days before a hurricane arrives you should plan for the major weather event to keep you and your family safe.
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(RNN) - After crashing into southern Louisiana Tuesday evening, Hurricane Isaac erratically continues its course across several southern states, bringing torrential rain and power outages to areas in its path. Although
Hurricane Isaac continues to dump double-digits of rain over some parts of Louisiana and Mississippi.
