How Has Hurricane Sandy Brought Your Micro-Community Together?

New York has a recent history of traumatic events that—despite the drama—bring people together in the most unexpected ways. There was of course 9/11, then the infamous black out of 2003, which inspired spontaneous dance parties. There was the subway strike, when yours truly shared a cab—for the first time ever—with strangers. There was last year's Irene, and now, Sandy. As the city tries to pick up the pieces from what Mayor Bloomberg is calling the "worst storm that we have ever experienced," people are coming out of hibernation after a long night spent indoors.

Despite the havoc the storm wreaked—and continues to—it's times like these that urban dwellers really come together. In New York, with everybody's cramped quarters, it's certainly one of the few times that a whole evening is spent hunkered down in someone's apartment. It's in these times that community grows. Judging from Facebook, it's safe to say many New Yorkers drank their way through the storm. There's also been reports of Twister playing, cooking—with one friend joking, "Fellow NYers: if we all make enough homemade soup with organic chicken stock, plus some kale salad on the side—and Instagram the hell out of it—we can beat this storm." Now that the worst has passed many people with power are offering their places as shelter to displaced friends, or just to charge their phones.

In traumatic experiences people come together to cope. If you were affected the last two nights by Sandy, we want to hear from you about how it tightened your community. Share your story with us in the comments below. With these stories, we hope to inspire and re-energize.

Photo courtesy of Glenn Glasser