Building Back After Sandy

Like many of my fellow Yelpers, the Northeastern states are part of who I am: before moving to California this fall, I lived my entire life along Washington, DC, New Jersey and its shores, and New York City. So when Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast and ravaged my old stomping grounds, I felt like we had to help the Northeastern corridor get back on its feet. Our Community Managers on the ground in the tri-state area have led the charge with the Yelp Builds Back initiative, but today we’re excited to announce two additional campaigns.

1. Yelp is partnering with Speaker Christine Quinn and City Hall’s “Support NYC Small Business” campaign to encourage patronage of businesses hit hardest by Sandy. We’ve donated banner ad space to drive traffic and raise awareness about these tools. Here are some neighborhoods with businesses that have recently re-opened in the wake of the superstorm:

Coney Island Brighton Beach
DUMBO
Financial District 1
Financial District 2
Lower East Side
Red Hook
Rockaway 1
Rockaway 2
Staten Island 1
Staten Island 2
South Street Seaport

The City of New York has also created a really helpful interactive map which will be updated frequently: http://www.supportnycsmallbusiness.com/

2. During times of crisis, predatory opportunism can rear its ugly head. Price gouging is still being reported in affected areas. To help raise awareness among consumers about resources available to combat price gouging, we’re encouraging Yelpers to report gouging to the New York and New Jersey Attorneys General offices. We’ve donated ad space to this effect, as well.

If you’re in the greater New York City metropolitan area and want to learn about ongoing events and opportunities to join Yelp in helping local businesses, keep an eye on our Yelp Builds Back events page.

Whether you’re simply making an effort to patronize these local businesses, participating in today’s 12/12/12 concert, or volunteering at a relevant charity, we encourage you to join in the effort to build back.